I have been building a lot of German armor lately and I have run into the problem of having to buy zimmerit for two of the models I will build. I do not want to spend 20$ on resin zimmerit, and I have found some in photoetch for a much lower price. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to photoetched zimmerit?
Why not make your own? look at some photos then cut some card stock with a jagged edge, putty it up and then use the template to create it.
The rougher you are the better.
To me 1/48 PE zimm is fine – because you can’t notice the details. For 1/35, they look pretty poor, in my opinion. I’d never use it. Why? Because you’re left with very noticeable seams that need puttying up afterward anyway. And you should see what the PE companies came up with to cover the dome shaped Panther kugelblende. It’s a joke.
Or better yet, get some of the new DML releases that have pretty good molded on zimmerit.
Cavalier is great stuff. It’s worth it if you’re uncomfortable doing zim yourself. It adheres well and is very thin. Atak is arguably even better, but cot 50% more.
Ditto on Cavalier products: absolutely great, but they can be pricey.
IMHO, you should just try to go with making your own. It is not a very difficult technique at all, provided you use the correct materials, which are relatively inexpensive. Just practice on some scraps for a few times though.
A hint on resin zimm sheets. Apply with white glue and adjust as necessary. Once in place and glue is dried, dribble super glue onto the seams to permanently affix.