Hi.
I'm QDC.
What we're going to build today is Dragon El Alamein Sherman.
The reason why I bought this particualr kit was because this particular Sherman was the
very first Sherman tank that was used during World War Two.
And it was used by the British during the conflict in North Africa in Libya.
So lets get started and build this kit right now.
Lets take a look inside this box.
We have the tracks.
Photo etched parts.
Decals.
Lower hull.
Upper hull.
Turret.
Wheels.
And the instruction sheet.
I want to talk to you something that's pretty cool about Dragon.
What I'm pointing at right now is a jig that dragon included in their kit.
And this jig is used to create a headlight guard.
This is a photoetched part.
You supposed to put this photo etched part on to this jig to create that headlight guard.
Excellent.
I want to talk to you more about Dragon's DS Track system.
This track system that I'm pointing at right now.
This is not Magic Tracks.
DS Track is simply one piece of material in which you're supposed to put them together.
It's very similar to the traditional vinyl track system that I'm pointing at right now.
In the vinyl track system when you put them together you're supposed to use a hot iron
and heat the two ends together and fuse it into one piece.
Now for the Dragon DS Track system it's different.
You're supposed to put them together.
And the difference is that instead of using a hot iron you use ordinary plastic model
cement which makes it a lot easier.
Here's a tip on bending a phto etched part.
This photo etched part is bent at a 90 degree angle for the front fender and how I acheived
that is I put this photo etched part onto a flat surface like this and then using some
sort of straight edge like this piece of wood.
I put this onto the place I want it to be bent then using my fingers I simply bend it
up into shape.
What you're looking at right now are the fenders.
These photo etched parts took me a long time for me to build.
Several hours.
And the hardest were these two guard rails.
These guard rails consists of 14 individuals photo etched parts and it took me a very long
time for me to glue together.
Ok so I built the kit and now it's time for me to show you what I think about my model
kit so far.
Take a look.
This is the completed model kit before painting and it looks very nice.
Dragon has created another find model tank in their inventory and this model tank cries
out with details.
You get periscopes.
Direct vission slots.
A photo etched fender.
A photo etched rack.
Even the turret right up here has a photo etched part.
I'm impressed.
The suspension looks very nice with the DS Tracks.
And you really can't go wrong with this particular model kit.
It looks very authentic to the real thing.
That being said.
I don't think this model tank.
I don't recommend this for the beginner because this all the photo etched parts are very difficult
to make.
I just painted my model with a coat of primer and then I painted the entire model black
to give it shadows.
Now I'm going to use my airbrush and paint the entire model with the base color.
I'm going to protect my entire model by giving a coat of Future Floor Wax.
I'm going to give my model a wash.
What you see right here is a cup of a dilution of brown artist oil paint and I'm going to
use that dilution to cover my entire model with this wash.
I'm going to give my entire model some dust effects.
I'm going to use my airbrush and tint the entire model with a buff color tint.
The British had this Sherman tank for about two months at the very most before the battle
of El Alamein.
The tank was still pretty brank new.
So weathering for this tank is going to be very light.
I'm going to use the end of my pencil and make bare metal marks throughout throughout
the entire tank.
I'm going to simulate heavy dusting.
What you see right here is a pastel chaulk and I'm going to use that to spread this throughout
the lower part of the tank.
Ok so I painted the model.
I weathered it.
And now it's time for me to show you what I think about this model tank so far.
Take a look.
This is the competed model after painting and I like it a lot.
Dragon has created a very nice model it in their collection.
And what made it so nice are the photo etched parts for the fenders and also for the rail
guards.
I'm not quite sure if this is accurate or not.
Dragon has asked people to put airial insignias one on the deck and the other one on top of
the turret and I'm not quite sure if it is accurate or not.
Althouth I like this model kit a lot there is something I do not like from Dragon.
Dragon has not included assessories for this model tank.
What I'm pointing at is the metal bin that holds the water.
They did not include water bins.
And also they did not include assessories for the crewmembers.
For example bed rolls.
Other than that I like it a lot.
I looked at my spare kit box and I couldn't find any parts to simulate what I need.
It's time for me to build the diorama.
I'm building the base for my diorama.
What you see right here is a wooden base that I bought at my local craft store.
This is premixed tile grout, catlitter, and more tile grout in a powdered form.
What you're looking at right now is one of the figures I'm going to use for my diorama.
If you're interested in knowing more on how I built and paint these figures I made an
earlier video called Bulding Master Box's Commonwealth AFV Crew.
Alright so I've done everything to my model.
I built it.
I painted it.
I weathered it.
And I even made a diorama out of it with figures.
Now its time for me to show you everything that I done.
The completed model project.
Take a look.
This the completed painted project from start to finish and this is my most favorite diorama
so far.
The ground work and the wooden base looks nice.
The model Sherman tank and the way I painted and weathered it looks good.
Like said earlier the British had the Sherman tank for about at the most two months before
the battle of El Alamein and so weathering for it is very light.
But I done a very good job.
The figures from Master Box Models looks very nice as well.
And when I take a look at the entire diorama I feel like I'm transported back in time to
1942 before the battle of El Alamein.
That completes this model project.
What you're about to see next is a video slide show of the entire model diorama.
But before I go.
As aways.
Just because I put this video here on Youtube it doesn't make me a model kit expert.
I am not an expert.
I'm just a regular guy just like you.
I hope this video encourages you to build a model kit of your own.
Either it's a model tank.
A model plane.
A model train.
Or even an automobile.
It doesn't matter.
In the end it's all about having fun.
I'm QDC.
Thanks for watching!
And always please.
Have a great day!