mickyb

Hi Guys,

I have torn apart my new HL Tiger to do the appropriate alterations and upgrades......however I don't want to use the stick on rubber zimmerit panels.

What can I buy in the UK to replicate Zimmerit. Apparently a paste is applied to the body pannels then suitably marked before it sets. I have asked a few model shops for ideas but they do not know of anything suitable. If I use Humbrol model filler it will cost a bomb (£2.75 per small tube )......or is it the rite stuff to use. One shop suggested "no more nails" ..... typical british workmanship eh?

Any ideas would be appreciated .... many thanks....Mike

TIGER76

You can use some puttys from local hardware stores and use a rc pinion gear to roll the pattern on m8 thats how i did my tiger
example here..
[link=http://www.planetarmor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3844]http://www.planetarmor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3844[/link]

fynsdad

hi
I used milliput. you spread it onto the tank then press a flat bladed screwdriver into it to make the pattern.
It takes a bit of time and effort but i think its worth it.
regards
Frank

mickyb

Hi Frank,

thanks for the info. The foto shows a beautiful Tiger....Lilly? As in Marlene???

I will see if I can get some Miliput locally.

I was going to try Humbrol filler, but feedback says not to bother.

Did you do a small area at a time or a panel at a time, and can I ask how thick you spread it on before marking please?

Practice time at the weekend on a sheet of plasticard............cheers Frank

Mike

fynsdad

Hi mike,
Marlene is correct.
Regarding the millput, I started off doing a small area(about 1 square inch) but as I got more confident the area got bigger!
I spread it as thinnly as I could and used lots of water on the screwdriver to stop it sticking.
hope this helps
regards
Frank

Bill Noon

Cant find the link, but a site I saw recently used the milliput by rolling it out flat, the marking it, the cutting it into the appropriate sections.

My own was much simpler and was cheap and effective too, I spread cheap 'no nails' type adhesive onto the tank and did the marking with a small section of a comb of all things!
Use a fine toothed section and wipe the tool after every wipe, it goes much faster than you would think. You can also 'detail' it very easily by picking sections away, they seem to just the way you want, leaving a very nice worn flaked off effect.

I did a bit of research into the zimmerit and its application, it was pretty simple stuff and was applied in two layers, the first being in squares the second done later in the wavy lines pattern with either a roller or small rake like tool. My damged zimm has bare steal patches, perhaps it should be squared???

BTW...my 'no nails' came from a pound shop, if your UK and get stuck I'll send you one.

FireflyKeith

Milliput is the way to go you can get 2 tubes off ebay including p&p for less than a fiver, so it is not exspensive, also once you have spread it on the area you are doing you have a good amount of time to do the detail before it starts to set.

gorehound

Hi

I agree with Fynsdad that the milliput is a good material to use. I do mine with Squadron Green Putty but in exactly the same way with a screw driver - see pic of my current project. One of my pals has used the no more nails technique as well but you need to be careful as there are two types of the stuff so make sure you get a solvent free type otherwise it can badly attack plastic leaving you with a melted hull.

As for the Tamiya stuff, personally I did not like it as it did not look very convincing once painted. It was too smooth and the patter did not look right.

cheers
Gorehound

gorehound

Very nice Tiger I you have there Fynsdad.

icemonkey

some nice tips ,hopefully when ,if i get a kt would like to go with zimmerit, will go the milliput/ screwdriver route
all the best, cliff

streetsquid

Bill,
Very nice looking Tiger, great job on the zim!

mickyb,
One thing to consider is that there were several different zimmerit patterns that were used by different companies. Most people do the straight lines using a tool (like a comb or screwdriver) and achieve very nice affects. But other pattens can be equally interesting yet inexpensive and relatively easy to replicate as well.

When I did my Panther G model I wanted to do damaged zim, but also create a pattern that was a little different and not as popular amongst RC modelers so I chose to replicate the criss cross pattern used by Daimler Benz. I had an entire build thread on my Panther but here's and excerpt from that thread describing my technique using water based wall spackle (vinyl patch for sheetrock wallboard) and a customized tool I made at home. The entire zim job cost me less than $5 US dollars to create.

Here's the first attempt at applying zimmermit. I used vinyl spackle as I wanted a lot of control when adding the damage. It took some experimenting to get the consistency just right. I applied it in thin even coats using a 1" wide flexible putty knife, and a 1/2" and 1/4" wide chisel blades for the tighter areas. Once the spackle starts to set I used the tool I made to create the criss cross pattern. It all looks a bit stark in bright white, but once it's painted and weathered with washes, dry brushing and pigments I think it should look ok.

Best of all a Q-tip moistened with water is just enough to lift the spackle and create damage effects. For a harder edged look a simple chisel blade allows you to "pick" or flake off other areas. The mantlet was just more of the experiment, as I'm using acrylics I'll wait until the color coat goes down before adding any more damage. That way as I go through the color coat and erode the zim paste it will also expose the red oxide underneath.

For more info you can find my thread at http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_72...rebuild/tm.htm if you're interested.

I hope this helps, and best of luck with you zim job