Tamiya 1/16 Full Option King Tiger Tank - Page 6

Steps 23-24 calls for installing most of the accessories on the upper hull and the machine run. At this point you will have decide if you want to add the Zimmerit coating to your tank. Zimmerit was a coating produced for German armored fighting vehicles during World War II for the purpose of combating magnetically attached anti-tank mines. The coating was a barrier that prevented the direct contact of magnetic mines against the metal surfaces of the tank.

As you can see here in the photo above that I added the Zimmerit coating to my upper hull. Since the Zimmerit coating was prone to chipping and cracking. Zimmerit coating was sometimes repaired in the field. To simulate this, I used Testors Contour Putty on the hull pictured below. The Contour Putty is very easy to apply and dries very quickly.

The Zimmerit coating requires no glue and is very sticky. Just peal away the protective backing to reveal the sticky side of the Zimmerit sheet. Take your time applying the Zimmerit because it’s very sticky once applied, which it makes it hard to peal off. Just make sure you apply it to the bare plastic, not painted.

Step 25 entails installing the side fenders on the upper hull. The side fender are not necessary to install right away at this stage. They can always be added later on after the entire upper hull is painted a solid color. Some people never put on the side fenders but that is entirely up to you.

You will notice I’ve added some battle damage to the fenders. To make them I got out my handy Dremel Rotary tool with a V shaped grinding wheel. Just take your time using this wheel because it grinds through plastic like butter. I also did a few on the upper hull in different places.

At this stage you have your upper hull and side fenders ready for paint. To save on painting time, I strongly suggest in painting all the parts for your turret at this time also, because your next step is to assemble the turret.

When it comes to painting especially first time modelers. Many thoughts go through your head like, “can I really paint this without messing it up”. The answer is YES YOU CAN PAINT THIS! There two ways you can paint your model like a pro. Either buy a can of aerosol paint or paint using an airbrush.

Many of you will go to the can first because the thoughts of using an airbrush gives chills down your spine. The problem is using the wrong airbrush for the job at hand. When I paint large models that are over 1/24 scale I use my trusty Aztek Single Action Airbrush. This airbrush is one of the easiest airbrushes to use and will have you painting like a pro in no time. It’s made for spraying a large amount of paint on a large area. As long as you keep the spray gun at least 8” away from the piece your painting and you keep the spray gun moving from left to right. You will then get a great paint job every time. Also, don’t try covering the piece your painting all at one time. At least two coats will do the job and at least 60 seconds between coats if using acrylic paint and at a room temp of 78 degrees.

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