applying zimmerit?

Its most likely resin and will need attaching with ye olde superglue..

QUOTE: Originally posted by lolok The Tiger and P/E is OK but how do I apply this strange zimmerit stuff. It is on a sheet and you remove the various pieces and apply in the appropriate places. Will bottle glue be Ok or do I need a more esortoric adhesive.

Maybe it's resin -- or is it photoetched? Both kinds are common.

I used superglue when I tried the stuff a few months ago. If I had to do it over again, [:0], I might use a two-part epoxy, as setting time is important when you are finagling the section of zimm into the right spot. .

Problems I'd anticipate with epoxy would be that sometimes you need an immediate bond. You know, the piece will not sit down and behave, so you need to bond it instantly.

What I wound up doing with the superglue was stitching along the piece, one manageable area at a time, to the extent that the zimm section was bendable. Put some glue, hold down, let dry, put some more glue, hold down the next area, etc.

Which manufacturer/version is the kit?

Here's something you can try:

If the zimm piece is PE and has a bend in it, dry fit it and get the bends in first. Then put a light coating of 5 min epoxy over the area to be zimmed with the exception of the extreme ends. Set the zimm piece and position it, then wick in just a touch of superglue right at the ends to hold it until the epoxy sets up.

With either pe or resin zimm, you may find the pieces are a little short. You may need to use a little putty to extend the pieces. You will almost certainly want to "smooth" out the corners or joins between pieces. (Well, I guess "smooth" is the wrong term for zimm, but you get the idea.) Take a look at the thread a few pages in by Matthew Usher about the Tiger article he's doing. It has some pictures of how he extended some resin zimm with putty. Here's a link to that post:

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=19691

One other thing. I'd take a look at where the Eduard pe parts are supposed to go and make sure the zimm won't interfere with their placement. I'm not sure what I'd do about it, but you may want to find any potential problems and ask here on the forum.

Good luck, and welcome to the dark side.

lolok,
i just wanted to ad a small warning abt 5min epoxy and zim -
while CA seems to dry too fast, 5 min epoxy will seem to take FOREVER.
i had two problems. first, i think the epoxy was on too thick, despite my best attempts for 'thin coat'. next, in the 5 minutes or so of cure time, the sheet that i tried it on shifted slightly out of position!

other than that, it worked perfectly (ha, ha)
my Zim was PE (for the tamiya panther)
i did better working my way across, but here you have to be careful that you are well aligned, or when you get to the far side, it will be off a bit.
very frustrating.
if i could do it all over again (heaven forbid!), i would use CA, but w/ slower cure time
(15-30 seconds maybe)

i am not trying to scare you.
i am pretty inexperienced compared to most of the crew here.
which makes me perfect for listing "beginner's mistakes" :-)
just wanted to tell you a few things to watch out for.

There is no easy way to zimm.

In my opinion, when manufactureres leave the zimm coating off of vehicles that all had it (like the late Panther A or the Early G), it's like leaving the wheels out of a Sherman kit. "Make your own." I don't want to get out the lathe, I just want to make a model kit.

They would actually do well to make one hull and then offer a few alternatives for different zimm styles, like Tamiya does with it's AM products.

One good thing I've got to say about the Verlinden 120mm scale Tiger I, it offered a set of zimm-coated parts that swap with the parts in the unzimmed kit. I also salute Mirage for offering zimmed turrets for some of their sets (like the Tiger II with Porsche turm).

Thanks for the help guys. The Zimmerit is on a flat sheet and very soft,almost a rubber like substance? You just pull the different sections out of the sheet and apply. I just thought ...maybe white glue would work? It would be more forgiving for initial screw ups,if any HA HA. Sorry but the package label is missing so I don't know maker.Must be Polish or such.

Hello lolok,

I've never worked with zimmerit on the sheet and to tell you the truth, I think it looks bad when compared to doing it yourself. Of course, this is all dependent on how much work you want to put into this vs. how much your reputation means to you. I do my own zimmerit. I find it to be fun and it gives me a great deal more satisfaction. Plus, it customizes a model. Moses, here in the forum is THE man to talk to regarding zimmerit, but I'll give you my 2 cents for now. I built Tamiya's 1/16 Full Option Tiger I and did my own zimmerit with R&J Products' "Zimm-It-Rite". This is a 2 part compound that is water soluable, gives you hours of working time, does not craze the plastic, and can be chipped after curing to replicate battle damage. For a guide to applying it, go to www.fragarmor.org to their hints section. The only thing I would change about their instructions is that you can't apply the putty with a stick. I use a hard plastic cutting board, flatten out the compound, and apply it to the surface. Then I simply trim it with an X-acto knife and give it the texture you want. Some folks make their own applications tool, like a small toothed saw, but Tamiya sells zimmerit application tools for 1/35 scale armored vehicles. Good luck!

Okieboy

Sounds like you're talking about a resin set. I'd use 5 min epoxy for sure. Put it on as thin as you can, work slowly, and make sure the zimm doesn't slide out of place. You might be able to tape it in place, but be careful the epoxy doesn't wick under the tape.

Good luck. Post some pics and let us know how it all works out.

My brain hasn't been working.When I looked at it properly and thought,I could see that the zim is made from Vinyl ? So maybe white glue is the way to go after all.

Is it made by cavalier ? The grey sheet stuff ? Well if it is just cut or carefully pull the pieces out and fit them to the tank( dryfit ) then start on one side or end superglue it in place as you go , I have used this on 2 models and it came out pretty darn good for even a zimm rookie like me . You could use 5 min epoxy , but I think that would just make a mess !

QUOTE: Originally posted by lolok My brain hasn't been working.When I looked at it properly and thought,I could see that the zim is made from Vinyl ? So maybe white glue is the way to go after all.

It might look like vinyl, but I'll bet it's resin. Most of the stuff I've seen is very thin and almost translucent. I really don't think white glue will do much for you. White glue is for porous materials.

QUOTE: Originally posted by wipw It might look like vinyl, but I'll bet it's resin. Most of the stuff I've seen is very thin and almost translucent. I really don't think white glue will do much for you. White glue is for porous materials.

Exactly, white glue is not right even if the stuff is vinyl. I think there are actually one or two sets of thick vinyl zimmerit out there fromthe old days. Sounds like you've got the thin new type of zimmerit.

lolok, don't worry about your "reputation." Just use what your friend gave you.