The Tamiya Tiger I (late) is my first armor project and I have come to the conclusion that it must have zimmerit to be accurate. First off, given this, I can’t figure out why the kit doesn’t come with it in some way (oh well…). I have read about different ways of applying zimmerit, and I have been practicing spreading putty and making impressions. While I am to the point where I am confident that I can get a decent putty layer on a large flat surface, I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to accomplish this on portions of the tank that include a lot of protrusions that have to be worked around without making a fantastic mess of the whole thing. I’m to the point where I’m about ready to spring for an aftermarket zimmerit set, but they cost almost as much as the kit itself! However, it’s probably worth the money given the time involved and the potential for screwing up a good build. Unfortunately, I’m having a hard time finding a web source where I can order a zimmerit set that will work for my kit (#35146) specifically. Anyone have any suggestions for solving my putty spreading problem, or a source for the zimmerit set I need? Thanks,
Ditto for me! Except that it’s for the Dragon 3 in 1 kit. I cannot figure why it was not in the kit, it got all the photoetched extra details, even the decorations for the commander figure, but no zimmerit.
I found a photoetched zimmerit kit for your Tamiya kit available at luckymodel.com for about $12.00 shipped from Hong Kong to your door. I already bought some stuff from them and service is great.
Cavalier makes a zimmerit set, although they’re currently out of stock. If you did a little hunting you should be able to track some down. I used one of their sets on my Dragon Elefant, and was fairly pleased with it. Here is a copy and paste from their website.
This company produces resin zimmerit sets for a variety of vehicles. The resin is paper thin and very highly detailed. It is easy to work with and often the sets include replacement parts such as new mantlets and rear hulls to simplify construction. Very highly recommended.
#0101 Tiger I Late Version Zimmerit. Includes replacement mantlet, rear hatch, and turret and hull zimmerit sheets. Intended for Tamiya kit #35146. Price $22 USD/ $28 CDN/INT. Temporarily out of stock.
It is not that hard to do it yourself with a little putty. The reason it is not in the kits is that it was only used for about 8 months until it proved unneccessary, and not all tanks had it applied. The Zimm craze, where all models must have it, has only come about lately and is more stylistic and “follow the herd” than it is accurate.
There was an order from OKH on December 29, 1943 that stated that zimmerit was to be applied to certain vehicles but on September 9, 1944 there was an order issued that the application of zimmerit was to halt immediatly as there were reports of the zimmerit catching on fire and destroying the tank, even if the shell did not. These reports turned out to be false, but the orders to apply zimmerit were never re-instated.
So considering it was only used for a little more than 8 months that makes me not worry too much about modeling it as it is a bit of a pain in the booty to put on.
Again, I attribute that to the “Zimm Craze”. Not all had it applied, the majority didn’t. Again, it was only applied for about an 8 month period. Any built during that 8 months would most likely have had it applied, however, did all the factories have it right away, was it applied on the assembly line immediately when the order was issued, etc., etc? When you start factoring these things in, it was even less than 8 months that it could have been applied. How many tanks were produced during that 8 month period that would have had it? Seems less and less likely that even most had it applied. If you want to though, go ahead, it is your model.
Probably, I used Squadron Green Putty and a flat-tipped screw driver to do my Academy Tiger 1 with interior. Came out looking pretty good. Just do small areas at a time and go slow. For tight areas, use a small piece of scrap plastic or a small knife to apply the putty.
I have the same dilema as well. to zim or not to zim, that is the question… I have been practicing zimmerit coating on my old Academy tiger-I and it is turning out to be alright.
As for whether all vehicles had Zimmerit or not, I’ve seen many photos of many different types of german armor vehicles with it, but I also seen many photos of many different types without it.
I like to see zimmerit applied on german panzers because it just adds character to it.
I’ve used different putty’s and it all turned out about the same for me. The only thing for me to add is something that helped while putting zimmerit on an Elefant with the large protruding bolts. I used a small coffee stirring straw to slip over the bolt head while applying the zimmerit, or to slip over bolt head right after application to clean them off. It worked for me.
I’ll try to make zimmerit with Play-doh tonight. I’ll make a thin sheet of play-doh and glue it to a flat surface of plastic. Then I’ll use a small screw driver to simulate the pattern. I’ll see how it turns out once dried and if I can paint it with Tamiya acrylic paint.
I don’t have my references handy but I thought that the Tiger I stopped production in the September '44 time frame which if correct would mean that the late ones would have all been built in the zimmerit era.
The main thing to check is how well it sticks. I recall having used Bondo on a kit a long time ago and having it basically fall off. Tamiya’s 2 part polyester putty which worked pretty well for my Panther A smells like Bondo and has the same texture as Bondo but definitely does stick to plastic. On the other hand, maybe if you rough up the surface a bit and considering how thin the zimmerit really is, maybe Bondo would just as well as Tamiya putty.
Also note the pattern is different… on the hull it is slightly smaller than it is on the turret.
I have bought resin zimmerit by Atak, it has super fine detail that you just cannot get using putty. It comes with the mantlet and a few small parts cast seperatly with the zimm in place.
I paid about 18 euros for mine, which is not much for such a fine set.
I still disagree. You can not count on always, all, every, etc. with military vehicles, especially during wartime. Since none of us were actually there, I will agree to disagree. To me, logic shows that there had to have been quite afew that did not get the Zimm somewhere in the short, 8 month period it was supposed to be applied. Saying that all of them had it is an overstatement and does not stand the test of logic. Based on how any military operates, 8 months is a very short time to make drastic changes to a fleet of vehicles, whether they are in production or not.
My first attempt at zimmerit was on Dragon’s Late Tiger. I used Milliput, talc, water and a piece of styrene to make the ridges.
I found the hardest part to be the rear, around the exhausts and jack etc. Then again I stupidly tried to apply it after all these parts were on.
For fiddly areas, just cut small pieces to fit and apply, by the time you give it it’s ridges it should spread out and join with other zimm areas. It’s easy to make it look like one continuous pattern.
It’s a lot of fiddling but after you paint it, it’s well worth the effort.
It doesn’t have to be perfect either. The stuff chipped, or broke off as a result of normal wear and tear, small arms fire, big arms fire, and rubbing up against trees and buildings. You’ll see plenty of period photos of patchy zim. What you won’t see is any application photos. Factory or field. The holy grail of model builders.
As for things that work to make zimmerit…
Tamiya putty
Aves Apoxie Sculpt (excellent)
Squadron Putty
Soldering iron with a fine tip or stencil cutting tip
Anything that will adhere to plastic and can be sculpted with a serated blade or tool.