My first attempt at zimm, my first German subject in 30 years.......anyone see any glaring errors? I'm ready (I think) to start putting color on. Zimm is Milliput and a hot knife, tracks Friul.
In the buff:

And Krylon gray:

I can't see any goofs from this angle. Perhaps if you posted some photos from different angles...?

Le me see what I can get out of my photobucket today.......


Best I have right now, thanks for looking!

Interesting Russel I'm in the process of adding zimmerit to a Tiger one with Milliput but I'm using the Modelkasten stamps and rollers.


I think I misread your post, I thought first that you used a hot knife on the milliput but I think actually you used milliput in places and the hot knife in others- yes? Very brave to use the hot knife I'd be too scared

zimm looks good,tracks came out perfect also,keep posting.

Thanks, Anthony.
Pat, your`second read is correct. I used Miliput on the large flat surfaces, and the hot knife in the places where my fingers wouldn't fit to spread the putty. The Milliput was formed with a pocket screwdriver (Snap-On, nothing but the best...).
I'll try and keep this one current, something I'm not terribly good at.
OK, back the the hardware store for some Krylon dunkelgelb.......

I don't think the primer coat was necessary. Zimmerit looks pretty good for a first try though, better than my first attempt.

Thanks Kevin. I primered because I've started using Krylon paint and am a little unsure about evenness of coverage. I also had the gray on hand and wanted to see the model in all one color. I have found that the Krylon primer gray dries as tight as Tamiya primer, and it's about 1/3 the price.

Base color and wash/filter is on. I'm seriously unsure about this, but not displeased........opinions? I like the basic color composition, but looks a little dark, maybe?
Color is Krylon acrylic spray tan (not my favorite, needs a hair dryer to get it to lay down) with a wash of Vallejo yellow and craft paint brown mix. No sealer yet, so if it's horrible, it can be remove fairly easily. Don't hold back here, please, I really need some opinions, and I've got thick skin.



Thaks for looking, as always!

hi Russel, great job on the zim... looks full pro.

hard to talk about the tan dunkelgelb from the photos as there is allows issues of how it was photographed and how our monitors interpret your pics but it looks within the right hue.

one thing i may suggest is to add a lighter tone to all the horizontal surfaces like the top of the turret and top of the hull. this will help make it less monotone for the later weathering.

cheers, bd.

It's possibly due to the lighting, but the wash isn't really perceivable in the photos. While I'm not one for extremely contrasting washes, maybe a little bit more intensity?

The zimmerit looks a bit thick to me. Not sure if you could sand it down a little to even it out.

I can't get myself interested enough to do my own zimmerit, so for the effort, especially your first, lots of credit is due.

Thanks so much gentlemen, exactly what I am looking for. A lighter wash on the horozontal surfaces is on the schedule.
Zim is a tad thick on the turret sides in a couple of places.......I actually re-did some before priming, but I'm reluctant to sand it since I'll lose the texture if I do. I will probably hang some foliage on the turret sides instead of track links, keeping away from straight lines to key off of.

Looking good Russel. The lighter wash will definitely help give the paint a new dimension. I'm trying get over my zimerphobia and do a King Tiger. Remember, your paint thus far will contrast with the rest of the camo. This will affect how the paint is percieved by the eye.

If the colour of the photo is true, then that's pretty close. Although Dunklegelb is a greenish shade, photos I've seen of the colour suggest a chemical change depending on what the paint composition was and what it was painted over, usually in very thin coats. It tended to look more toward the red than the green sometimes.

All good! I've got a couple of lighter washes on the horozontal surfaces, (our Euro friends might call the technique "mapping" but I'm not totally sure...) and it's starting to look "bleached" up top. Camo colors to follow.......
No pics as yet, this laptop/I-phone combo is a bit cumbersome....

How did you like working with the Milliput? I tried to use it on a Tiger I (P), and could not get it to act right. I am in the process of using Squadron white putty now, and it is about to whip me. The Tiger I (P) was definitely not the kit to use as a first attempt at zimmeritt...those @#%^&*$%^ conical bolts on the front plates are a royal pain to work around! LOL This and the Tamiya late Tiger I in the stash are probably going to be the end of my brief return to German armor.

The milliput was OK, just be sure and keep your tools and fingertips slightly wet. The big problem for me was getting the putty a uniform thickness- I actually failed in a couple of places on the turret and will have to cover it up with foliage or spare tracks, if I can find a pic of a P-turret with spare tracks.....
Hopefully I'll find time soon to get some more pics up, but not much done since my last progress pic.

Ready for a base, (finally!) possibly abandoned and parked next to a Sherman, just to give a size contrast.......
I think I'm done with the weathering unless I can find some fuel fillers and add some spillage.



Thanks for looking, and input welcomed!

Very nice. If you are going to make it abandoned, I would suggest adding some rust to it. European weather was pretty harsh.

Thanks, it's a possibility.