Invader Zim…….
Ok, a reference to one of my oldest daughter's favorite cartoons, but in this case it is my promised make your own zimeritt lesson. I use a product we have here in the states called "Quick Wood" it is epoxy putty used for repairing wood. It is softer and easier to use than, say milliput and much much less expensive. I bought my tube at Fred Meyers here in the Seattle area, but you can get it at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace most places that sell DIY home repair stuff. I read this technique on Missing Lynx originally. Not sure who posted it, but it is their idea not mine 🙂 I have a non stick cutting sheet, some talcum powder, and I knead a small ball of putty, roll it out then press it on the area needed. Note it is hard to do a large area all at once so I do it in bits, cut it square then butt the next sheet up against the last one. I use a cut down bottle top for the fine hull zim, then a home made wheel for the turret.
Tiger Is seem to have finer zim on the hulls and more coarse on the turrets. Really thats about it. I trim the excess like one would trim a pie crust, running a knife along the edges to get any "flash" off and leaving a square edge. Oh I almost forgot, you must wipe most if not all of the talc from the side you want to stick to the tank. The type of putty I use is pretty sticky, but the talc negates that so cleaning is a must!
Very neat, Rob. I've seen two or three versions of this, some more successful than others, and of course there are the aftermarket resin versions specific to armour types, but yours looks just as good.
PS as an aside, I'd probably prime or otherwise score the plastic first. I'd be a little concerned that the epoxy 'dough' would delaminate from a clean surface over time. Might be wrong though.
Good point Rob and I have done scoring on other builds, but when I have had de-lamination I wick some super glue under it to bond it, much like when using a resin set.
Rob, Cool technique for sure. It looks like its straight forward process andit should be easy to apply an battle damage to the zimeritt. I've got a Panther in the stash and will try this method out on it-thanks for the post.
Looks like the correct stuff as far as I can see. Ever wonder what the English translation for the word "Zimmermit" is...? Me, too.
Company name. Zimmer.
Yes Craig I have wondered that! Erich it is very easy to apply battle damage and that is one reason I don't try for a super tight bond between the plastic and the putty. Also if I have a small spot pull off and you can see in one or two of the pics, I leave it as places where the zimm fell off. Looking at pictures it seems the stuff stuck well on some tanks not as well on others, plus the inevitable damage from enemy fire and bashing into things.
Looks fantastic Rob, hopefully will see some of your work at the SEA Spring show in a couple of weeks!
Regards,
Mark
Great solution, well done Rob. Your Zimmerit looks quite realistic and you can "add" damage.