I have read a lot about Zimmerit and it's modelling. I have the new Dragon Tiger -and the late model has some of this stuff on, which is not modelled in the kit. As far as I know there is no aftermarked resin Zimmerit for this Tiger, so I probably should do it by hand.
This article was the most useful so far:
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=30

Should I by a zimmerit applicator? Should I follow the protocol from the article? (That's the cheapest and I'm low on cash -not mentioning that it's unlikely I'd use it a lot.) What do you think the best method for applying Zimmerit is?

Second problem: I'm not very experienced with delicate camo patterns yet. So far al the helicopters and airplanes had quite simple camos. How should I achieve that elaborate, three colored, hard edged camo pattern on the Tiger Command version? How do you blend the colors after you have the pattern? How do you mask on Zimmerit? (Masking tape is I guess out of the question. Is silly putty delicate enough for fine lines?)

Going back to read...

Thanks

Andras:

There are 2 applicators that I know of. They are both between 5-10 $ range. Ones by AFV and the other is Tamiya. I bought the AFV Doe Zimm Applicator off a guy from here, Winston Vermilyea, call sign "wingsntreads". Its very good.

just some more info for you

Hi
Thanks for answering. The point of my question was not really the avaliable Zimmerit applicators (google is very good in finding things), but rather asking for opinion from those who actually apply Zimmerit to their models. Which technique is better: the applicator or the manual? Should I just wait for a PE or resin Zimmerit? Or forget about it? You know, some insight from the professionals

Hi Andras,

Those camo patterns can certainly be tricky and ive experimented a little and found this technique to be the most safest and effective one in my books.
LAV-AT Out Of the Box

Check out the section on painting and give that a go. Does get a tad messy but it works.

That rocks
I have a Trumpeter M1A1 - I'll give it a try ASAP...

thanks

Hi, I wrote that zimmerit article. I have applied zimmerit to many models. I prefer the green putty as I noted in the article. I've tried the commercially available rakes but I find them to produce a fake looking pattern. The best commercial tool is AFV Club's roller. The method I prefer is as I described but I now use a tool made from polypropelene like the lid of a food container as the putty does not stick to it.

If you go to my site and enter "zimmerit" in the forum's search box you will discover a lot of help.

Paul.

Thanks for answering -and thanks for the article.
I'll try the method you describe. (Probably practice first: I have an UH-60 hull for practicing purposes. This one's going to be the first chopper with Zimmerit.)

A

That's good the hear. Making your own zimmerit is not that difficult. It just takes practice. It's free and you can practice on scrap sheet plastic too.

Also consider the AFV Club roller. I really like that tool and will be using it for the Tiger I hull as it simulates that specific pattern well. But the turret I'll stamp as the pattern was a little coarser.

Paul.

I'll check it on ebay -but you know it seems kind of sad to cover up all the surface details on that tank... These Germans didn't really have a sense of beauty, did they? (Not that the Tiger is a beautiful tank, anyway...)
And the worst thing is: I didn't even like armor at the start... I just saw the Flak from Dragon, I bought it, because of the price, the quality, because it looked wicked, and somehow it catched up...)

I think german tanks were the nicest of the war. The panther is just puuurrrrrdy and a very good tank in its own right. I dont think the germans cared about being pretty in war haha. Let us know your results!
Ian

"I think german tanks were the nicest of the war. The panther is just puuurrrrrdy and a very good tank in its own right. I dont think the germans cared about being pretty in war haha. Let us know your results!
Ian"

I think almost all tanks are ugly
(I'm not passing judgement on anybody -it's simply personal taste. And I started to build them, haven't I?) I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Tanks are impressive, but I don't really find them beautiful. (My favorit helicopter is the Hind and the Sea Stallion -none of them are very pretty either.)

I'll start the Tiger in January - it will take some time since I'll experiment on an M1A1 first (and I'm already planning spending money on two more tanks -and one of them is a Tiger, too)...
I'll post some photos on the critics corner. (I have already posted some on a T-34...)

Andras,
Don't worry about masking for the camo because during zimmerit's period of use, most schemes were soft-edged, not hard-edged. So, just some practice with your airbrush free-hand is all you'll need.

this is very true...practice with your airbrush, turn the psi down to 20 or so, you should be able to run a nice bead at that pressure.

For zimmerit, Ive tried using tamiya's tooth applicator and i havent gotten the results i like enough to try it on a tank. I use Testors contour putty. Its pretty runny but dries fast. The base of this putty is isopropyl alchohol (nasty stuff) but is good to dip your tools in this when working so that it does not stick to the drying putty. When the putty is drying up, you can wet the putty with the iso alchohol to allow more working time. The beauty of this process is that u can wet a paper towel with the alchohol and wipe the putty off your model if you arent pleased with the results. I dont know if this makes sense or not....if not zing me a message.
Ian

I think the the Atak zim set is due out anytime now for the DML and AFV club tigers.
As for the camo job, just practice. When I first started with freehand camo, It was horrible. Put through practice and over time it gets better a lot better!

Yes, the Atak set is out. I have it on my late Tiger and the fit is perfect. I can highly recommend it.

Cheers,
Soren

Thanks. If it's not too expensive, I'll try it. (I wanted to avoid the problem, and model a Hungarian Tiger, but it turns out, all three of them were coated...)
Well, life is not fair, is it?

(You knw it's strange. Not long ago I didn't really worry about historical accuracy, and now I find myself more and more involved in research.)