It is said that there are many ways to skin a cat. The same may be said for replicating Zimmerit on a big cat such as the King Tiger. Meng Model approaches the challenge by releasing a product that may be applied just as you would do with a waterslide decal.rnrn

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A good idea and doubtless appreciated by those wanting a quick result or for the more casual modeller but haven't we been here before with etched metal, 'printed paper' and then embossed card zim sets? Truth be told, it doesn't look very realistic; often being too 'perfect' when applied.

Short of doing it yourself - and in my experience only a few (very) skilled AFV guys can pull off a great 'in scale' zim finish with model putties and milliput etc - personally I think that the 'ATAK' and 'Cavalier' ultra thin resin zim sets have never been bettered for mainstream use.

Others may disagree of course.

Gary

Is this product similar to Archer's printed surface details decals? Guess it depends on how it looks when painted, and how it will compare price-wise to Atak, and Cavalier.

I used Tamiya's version on their Tiger I and it turned out nice. You had to be perfect in placement on the first go. I was a hair off thinking it was a bit oversized and could trim it down. WRONG !
Although I didn't do it I think that you could create damage to the Zim just by cutting the image area where you wanted the damage then applying.
Haven't painted it yet so I don't know how well paint bonds. I'm guessing that because it's vinyl enamels might truly wreck it.
This is a nice shortcut IMHO versus putty work zim.
Stay warm & build everybody !
Tom

So how may separate kits to make one complete Meng Tiger II now? I'm getting lost here...long live marketeers with wonderful ideas?

Intriguing.

I agree that we've all seen this kind of product in the past and been less than thrilled with the results. Real Zimmerit is rough textured cement and I can't see a water-slide decal giving enough 3D effect to pull it off. And it probably is too perfect. Tough it up and use putty and do it yourself -isn't this what the hobby is really all about, and not how much easier and expensive we can make it?

At least they giving you a lot of choices, it's up to you now to use this option or you can make 2 KT with or without zimmerit, or to buy separate tracks or add interior which is nice in my opinion

If you actually look at the product pic you'll see it is not "perfect", with irregularities, and chipped areas. And, as I noted, if it is similar to Archer's resin decal casting marks, weld seams, and rivet rows (which it seems to be), then it will be at a realistic thickness. Just using such a large decal might prove tricky to handle.
Edit: what I thought were chipped areas are actually spaces where tool, tow cable brackets, etc. are located. Although making chips is certainly NOT difficult. Might fit exclusively and ONLY on Meng kit.

How "3D" are the surface textures on these decal?

You have to still have good surface texture after you paint over these.

Hasn't anyone ever seen Archer's resin-printed surface details??
http://www.archertransfers.com/AR88007.html Just an example to illustrate. They are very good.

Probably is fitted for the Meng kits though with some modification it might well work as an alternative for other kits. The Archer Zimmerit is quite nice, so if its like that then its probably worth a second look. The PE stuff, on the other hand, is a no-go.

Didn't another company a few years ago produce 3D Zimmerit decals? Not Archer someone else.

Yeah DEF.

Gotta admit it looks pretty good and textured in the build pics. Would have been nice (and easy) for them to show a shot with base paint on but it definitely looks ok, and should be easy enough to "distress" if you're careful.

Chipping decals is one of the first things I learned how to do with an x-acto blade.

Looks like this will stick better than the Tamiya stickers. I fell in love with them after trying them.

Alas, wherever the surface texture and ease of application, it appears to suffer from the same problem as many of the pre-made products do, in that the way it goes around details is just not prototypical. The Zimmerit was applied after the vehicle was completed, so all the fittings were present. A crew of workers then applied the stuff around those details and so the pattern tends to flow around details with bare patches rather than go right up to the edges with no interruption of the pattern as here.

The most effective solution remains to use putty and it really isn't as difficult as some would have you believe. Just remember that it is thin (c.5mm on the ridges),
study photos of original examples (not museum bodges such as Saumur's) and practice on scrap first. I made my own plasterer's float tool for texturing using strips of metal and carved resin sprue, the width being calculated by how many columns fitted into a known dimension (e.g. the hinged trackguard front on the well known Pz.Jag.Abt 228 Jpz. IV in Normandie).