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Forums - Modelling / Construction |
The construction forum is for the discussion of techniques on the construction phase of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1894 |
| Messages | 8730 |
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| Subject: | Re: Zimmerit tool |  |
| Date: | Aug 21, 2007 |
| From: | Gerald Owens | |
Tamiya also offers a set of photetched stainless steel combs for Zimmerit, and Airwaves offers a set of white metal punches you just press into the putty.
Real Zimmerit was supposed to be applied with a trowel in two coats applied on subsequent days. The first, scratch coat was cut with vertical and horizontal lines to produce a simple grid pattern. This provided a tooth for the second, finish coat (many early Panther Ausf. A and Jagdpanthers received this base coat only).
The ridges in the second layer were supposed to be made using the edge of the trowel pressed into the putty at an angle, producing a breaking wave pattern down the side of the vehicle. You can see this on some Jagdpanzer IV hulls and some (though not all) Tiger I turrets. The factories found this method was a huge waste of time and manpower though, so they soon devised sheet metal combs, rollers or stamps to produce the pattern more quickly, and the trowel technique was used only on awkward areas. The putty was then force-dried using a small alcohol torch and the vehicle was then painted Dunkelgelb.
If you look at photos, you can often tell which method was used on a particular vehicle. For instance, Sturmgeschutz III Zimmerit was almost always stamped, though the two factories, MIAG and Alkett, each had their own "in-house" pattern. |
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