Retro clock using a Russian IV-18 VFD tube

I've been wanting to build a clock for a few years already, initially using Nixie tubes, but after seeing endless projects based on them I had seen enough.

Then I came across these amazing Russian IV-18 VFD (Vacuum Florescend Display) tubes and decided they would make for a perfect clock.

Work done so far:

Initial research
Purchasing tubes and driver IC

Planned work:

Create a working circuit
Design the clock

Initial reseach

Below are some of my research notes on the tube and driver IC, these are likely to change over time.

IV-18 tube

Grid voltage: 20-30v DC should work, but AC might be better.
Filament voltage: 3-5v DC
Lifespan: Unknown, various sources claim different numbers

Driver IC

I've chosen the MAX6921AWI VFD driver IC, mainly because it has sufficient pins to drive all segments and is still reasonably easy to solder.