I just got the 3in1 kit from dragon this my first tank kit from dragon and its almost scared to try and built it and which to do i choose. my question is i think i know the answer but i want to be sure did all late tiger I have zimmerit on them. and if so what is a good after makert kit for this?
thanks Landon

Yes, they all had zimmerit. No first hand experience with after market zim, but people seem to like the Attak stuff a lot.

An alternative is a resin, or vinyl, product by Cavalier. The sheets are so thin it's hard to tell. You just peel the sections off the backing and super-glue them to the model. Some complex shapes like the mantlet are replacement parts with molded-on zim. Whichever you choose, keep away from PE brass - the zim pattern is too regular, lacks depth, is difficult to trim and fit to complex shapes, and does not retain paint well.

I've used Cavalier a couple times with ok results but they aren't always well formed ei: bubbles, thin spots and thick spots. I used Atak for a Panther and was very pleased so they would be my recommendation. Some modelers use putty too to get the pattern and look they are looking for but it is more complicated and time consuming.

Landon,

Don't worry, there seems to be a lot of parts, but remember, you aren't going to use all of them. It is a great kit, but, there is plenty of opportunity to assemble the wrong parts on a particular version if you don't know your Tigers. I would advise reading up a little before you start, as there were many variations in the late production run. Pay very close attention to your instructions, pick a version and and set aside all sprues and individual bits that don't apply. For example, there are two turret roofs, one for a "late" and one for a "final". There are two rear hull plates provided, one for a line tank and one for a command version. There are three mantlets provided, etc.

Just do some resesarch and you will be fine....

I did my zimmerit with a soldering iron. There are AM resin sets out there that are quite good, as well as the putty method. Make sure you practice your zim application on some scrap if you choose to do it yourself.

This is a command version from ssPzAbtlng 101 in Normandy...note the rear hull plate, the mantlet (no coax on a command tank), and of course, the modified hull to accept the extra antennas......





PM or e-mail me if you have questions during your build.

Regards,
Steve

Landon,

I know how you feel. Like Crockett said, pay attention to which parts you will need to build the version you want. I used the Atak zimmeret and it was a breeze to use. Ask questions on the forum if you need to know which parts you will need. And remember to have fun.

Cheers

Branden

One thng I would do is choose my version. Then I would go and mark out the pieces I would not need and highlight with a yellow marker when there were options so I would get the build I want. Take time reading directions. Proceed slowly with the kit and in the end I think you will be happy. I have always preferred the Cavalier stuff. I think the ATAK is similar, but if you check ebay you can find the Cavalier brand going for $15 about half the price of the ATAK. For the Dragon kit get the version 2 set Tiger 1 for the AFV late version...the other type is for the Tamiya and the turret shape is slightly off on that version.

Thanks guys for all your help! i was also maybe thinking of trying to do the zimmerit myself what are some products that i can use to do this i have read millputty,wood putty, what else is there that i can use that dries slow and is easy to work with. and what is the with of each of the rows if i decide to do it myself.
thanks again
Landon

If you are going to do it yourself my suggestion would be Tamiya's two part putty. Its easy to spread, has nice texture and doesn't dry too fast.

Good luck

which one is it there are a lot of different tamyia puttys do you know which one it is? and what is the correct spacing or the with of each pattern of the zimmerit

i am having a hard time finding cavalier product cl118 seems its all out of stock or its has beeb reusied do anyone no wher that i might be able to locate this product?
thank you landon

Try hometown hobbies they have the AFV club zimmerit in stock and am sure it will fit the dragon kit.

am using cavalier 0101 zim on my dragon Tiger and it fits the turret quite well.

http://www.hometown-hobbies.com/inc/sdetail/63612
hope this helps

heres a nice little review of the zimmerit.
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/cavalier/cavalier0130.htm

thanks for everyones help but is there a company that make a zimmerit kit that fit the dragon late tiger 1exactaly or am i going to have to buy another one and make it work. i just started modeling so i dont have the skills to try the putty method or the sodering iron method i just want to buy something and glue it on. when i get a little more skill iam going to try other methods of zimmerit. i hate zimmerit its about to dvive me crazy!
Landon

if you dont like zimmerit try doing armour that doesnt have zimmerit

i know its my own fault i do love the kit though i just want to do it right and not screw it up .
Landon

Well... ya could order the zimmerit you really want and just wait for it to arrive... If its out of stock, well it will come in eventually..
In the meantime you could go pick up an early Tiger I (no need for Zimm) and build it as practice while you wait.

I have a Tiger I and a Tiger II which I will be starting soon, neither of which require Zimmerit +) Likely the kit following those two will require ZImm, but I will pickup the ATAK stuff as its readily available locally.

I am new to armor modelling as well, though more a fan of the early war stuff particularly DAK so not much required in the way of Zimmerit. The Tiger II was on sale and I couldn't pass it up +)

Martyn

Landon,
I can sympathise with how you feel about the Tiger, it is a really nice kit (my kids "bought" it for me for Christmas - i.e. I went & got it!). I started a similar thread about Zimmerit a couple of days ago, & the general consensus seems to be the Atak add-on is best. However I've checked a few hobby shop sites (e.g. Hannants, Historex) & it doesn't look as though it's available in the UK, nor did Cavalier seem to feature, so I'm down to the putty method again, with a broken up junior hacksaw blade. I wil post some pictures soon for you all to laugh at!
I can't see why the kit manufacturers won't mould it on -on a late Tiger there is just no option, it has to be there. Same with a PzIV H or early J, or most Panthers. So why don't they put it on? It really is a major inaccuracy - it's worse & far more noticeable really than a slightly mis-shaped turret. I don't hold with the excuse that "not everyone wants it" or that "it would look weird with lots of models all with the same pattern on". Firstly I think most of us while not rivet-counters are concerned with accuracy, & secondly there is nothing to prevent a "moulded on" job being distressed if you want to achieve individuality. Yes it would be hard to remove it if you didn't want it, but why wouldn't you? Who would want to deliberately make their model inaccurate? There are plenty of early versions if you don't like Zimmerit. These are just excuses that don't hold water, after all DML themselves put it on their 1/72 models. Why does Landon, who has just bought an expensive kit feel he needs to spend about the same again on an AM part to finish his Tiger properly? From the number of times this comes up, it's obvious I'm not the only one who finds Zimmerit a pain - I'm always worried about spoiling an expensive kit in an effort to overcome a basic inaccuracy. I'm aware that there are some people who actually enjoy adding Zimmerit themselves (!), but I think the majority of us would just breath a sigh of relief if manufacturers would just mould it on.

Landon bought a relatively cheap kit... buy the Tamiya and then buy the extras that come in the DML kit ... thats expensive...

Moulding Zimmerit on the model would be an innaccuracy (sp?)

No two tanks even sequentially off the assembly line will have identical Zimmerit. After a couple of weeks in the field even two that were close would now look quite different.

What about battle damage? Poor adhesion as was often encountered as the Zimmerit literally fell off in places... I have no issues buying separate Zimm and applying it, I can 'customize' it to the appearance I want, and I can choose the state of it, by selecting from the different options available. Mould it into the kit and you no longer have these options... Options = good...

For the moment I dread trying to use putty, but my options (ATAK, Cavalier, PE etc) certainly don't make me think twice about tackling Zimmerit. When I started building armor just a few months ago, I thought I would never be able to build a late tiger due to putty zimm.. then I found all the other options...


Martyn

Moulding Zimmerit on doesn't seem to be an inaccuracy in 1/72nd scale.
All different - if everyone uses the same AM product, how different are they going to look? As for customising, how about scraping it off with a craft knife or grinding (carefully!) with a Dremel where you didn't want it?
Or, OK why can't we have the add-on Zimmerit in the kit? Resin or WHY. With DML we have turned ali barrels, PE etc, which is great, but frankly doesn't affect the realism in anything like the same way as application of Zimmerit. Even the much criticised Tamiya put some Eduard PE Zim with 2 of their kits, OK it's not the most accurate rendering if the comments here are to be believed, & the kits are stupidly expensive, but it's a start. How much is AM Zimmerit anyway? Surely it would be cheaper in the kit than having to buy it seperately? Plus of course I can't get hold of it anyway, even some of the other guys in the US are saying here it's hard to come by - in the UK no chance. I'm sorry if this is turning into a rant, but why do I have to consider ordering a product from the other side of the world to achieve basic accuracy? At the moment EVERY late war German tank model on the market is INACCURATE save 2 - they cannot be made into an accurate kit out of the box! But most modellers are quibbling over whether a kit is 1/2 a mm too long or wide, or 1 missing bolt on a mantlet...