Hi all,
I know this is rather for the Tecniques forum, but Zimm is pretty much about armour right?
I am struggeling here, have tried Steves “Soldering” method and destroyed all dummies (old stuff that I did not care about) in doing so without getting the hang of it.
I have tried using Testor contour putty but it dries faster then I can work it.
I have tried Tamiya Epoxy putty following Sonics advise and went all the way with Talk and everything but the stuff either hardenes to fast or comes out to thick.
Is it the green or the white that needs to be added to get a slower hardening process?
Or is there a better putty?
I am in the UK so if you can advise of a good product please let me know who can ship it.
Need your help and advise on this, really dont want to ad PE.
I am in the same boat as you have tried loads of diffrent ways to do zimmerit.
At the moment i am messing about with polyfiller extra fine (its for filling holes in plaster walls in the home) if you are in the U.S dont know if you have that over there.
Anyway that is what i am using at the moment & i is working well, am using zim combs & waitting for the afv rollers.
Hope this helps Alan
P.S if you do try this you will need to sand the areas that you want to apply zimm to.
Milliput Epoxy Putty is a good way to do Zimmerit. It takes over 30mins (for the ‘normal’ Milliput, not the 'super fine!) to become hard(ish) and can be worked easily with the help of various tools and water. The trick is to roll it thin enough and for that you just need talcum powder (baby powder) and some kind of rolling pin. Having a rough surface will help the Milliput adhere better. And in any case, do not attempt to do the whole vehicle in one go. Take it slowly, working small(ish) areas after small(ish) areas.
I’m doing a Zim Job now. I’ve used all the other methods but the Hot iron method works the very best. Serious results require serious efforts. Consider that different manufacturers use varying formulae for their plastic in relation to how it will work with this technique. For example, Tamiya plastic is a harder plastic than Dragon …and destroyed all dummies (old stuff that I did not care about)… that could account for inconsistent results. Your temperature setting for Tamiya plastic can be higher. The same temp will make a mess of Dragon plastic. I made a custom tip at the kitchen sink and am using a 16 WATT iron that has been stepped down to about 8 to 10 WATTS using a fan switch (used to control the speed, or a fader switch used for lights). It’s a simple construction. I got my switch from the local hardware store for about $3, a enclosure for about $3.50 and a old dropcord that was laying around. After much skepticism and hardheadedness on my part, the results I’m am getting have made a total believer out of me. Other than the $6.50, I’ll never spend another cent to do ZIMM. Oh, and by the way, if you messed up and it isn’t too bad you can use a sanding stick to sand the messed up area near flat, apply a premixed (laquer thinner) thin layer of Squadron green putty (Testor’s stinks) to the surface and let dry. (Note: You can apply laquer thinner over the putty to reconstitute it, it WILL soften up).When DRY, use the lowest setting and go back and redo. I did this while experimenting with different methods before acually starting my next tank. Steve
Sounds like a perfect case to try ATAK or CAVALER resin zimmerit. Just trim it out and glue it on. Easy. I think Air Connection carries ATAK. Michigan Discount Models might carry Cavaler. Greg.
I like the iron tech. but I also use Apoxie Sculpt.It has a long working time and you can rejuvinate it with water.
It also cleans up really easy with water.It can’t be beat.Plus the stuff stays forever in the fridge.Give it a try.The same tech. you’d use with other puttys work with this.
Last time i made zimmerit i used vallejo acryllic puty. It’s waterbased, slowdrying and a joy to work with. (great stuff for filling seams as well [;)]) I formed the patern with a small spike, i was happy with the result.
The atak resin zimmerit is very good stuff too, i haven’t used it yet, but i recently bought a set for my tiger1, and i’m impressed by the crispness of the stuff.
I’ve worked with some clay putties, and I think that if you go that route, you really need to practice quite a bit before you can get the thing applied thin enough. The milliput method works very well, but you will need great patience to roll it out thin enough and apply it to the tank. As said above, serious results will require some serious effort. There is no quick and easy zimm job that can be done in 10 minutes and will look great, short of buying a pre-made zimm set.
Thank you all for your very good input!
My main concern is to get the scaling right.
I am going to give the soldering tech a second go, I guess you are spot on Steve, the result has been overdonne so far and I just thought I could not move the hot tool quick enough over soft plastic.
The Resin from ATAK looks just great. Gonna try that as well.
And I will have a second go at putty, I want to be able to look at the thing and look at the completed result and say that I did that [:P]
I am building up my stash while learning, have the DML late, the AFV Club and the Academy waiting for me to gett my hands doing what my eyes want to see.
And oh Yes! I am serioues about getting this right, guess I have spent + 40 hours and 3 dead kits on learning the soldering techniq so far [}:)]
Here are a few pics on why I am bothered by scale, this is the Jagdpanther at the London RWM.
FYI, I haven’t tried the hot iron technique on the grid pattern like the Jagdpanther at the London RWM. I really don’t think this would turn out very well. This would, IMO, be a candidate for one of the other methods.
I think Zimm is a pain in the butt and has kept me away from german armor that needs it. Like indie trax, I think manufacturers could easily provide options, plates you can just glue on or you do it yourself. I think it is crazy. With indie trax, just give us indies and the vinyl, let us choose. I know I know, you will say it will drive up the cost. Come on, kits are expensive now, how much more can it be? Companies need to read these postts and respond to us. Another thing, how in the world do you get decals on Zimm?
There are three ways to go-you can use kit decals and hit them with a strong setting solution like Solva-Set. You can use Archer dry transfers, or you can cut stencils using the kit decal sheet as a template and air brush them in. I’ve used all three and I prefer the dry transfers:
Johan, I’ve had real good luck with Zimm-It-Rite on a pair of 1/16th models and can easily recommend it to you. For the tools I used .020 styrene with a pair of notches in it, and a single wide piece of styrene for hard to reach areas. It has a slow work time, so you don’t have to rush to finish. Like some of the other suggestions, I did small areas at one time and let it cure before moving on.
My favorite method is using Squadron Green Putty, a section at a time. I spread the putty and then use a thin piece of plastic to do the zimm. Then on to the next section. It’s a slow process but it’s relaxing and effective. Hope this helps.
