I want to take a moment to share some thoughts on the vehicle with First Legion/Matt, and briefly explain why I passed on it. The decision really came down to the simulated mud that's been applied to the model. I have two issues with this kind of treatment, particularly as regards the King Tiger.
First, there's no shortage of hard-top roads in Western Europe. This is germane to the vehicle in question, as that's where these things apparently spent most of their service life, on roads, I mean, particularly during the Ardennes operations. Well, after five or ten minutes on a surfaced road, most of the mud will be gone. The vehicle won't be clean, by any means. But, it won't have mud caked on the tracks, either. By "muddying things up," you've effectively limited the settings in which the vehicle can be reasonably employed for display.
The second issue that I have with the mud is more fundamental. The truth is, it can't easily be removed. Had the material NOT been applied, modelers who wish to add faux muck to their vehicles could have done so. However, in this circumstance, anyone who has limited interest in this kind of treatment is simply out of luck. No pun intended, but any such collector is simply stuck with the stuff.
Again, this post is really intended as feedback for the manufacturer. I mentioned that I was interested in the set. Mud, or no mud, the replica looks great with the figures, and everyone who purchased one has every right to be proud of their new acquisition. That said, I really hope that First Legion will consider manufacturing any future such issue
sans boue!
-Moe
