Tamiya 12644 - 1:35 Elefant - Zimmerit Coating Sheet

Tamiya self-adhesive Zimmerit coating sheet for the Elefant model (Tamiya 35325) in 1:35 scale

Zimmerit is one of the most recognisable features of German armour in 1943–1944, and one of the hardest finishes to reproduce on a model. Tamiya 12644 addresses this with a self-adhesive sheet carrying an embossed, three-dimensional Zimmerit pattern, prepared for one specific kit: the Tamiya Elefant tank destroyer (35325) in 1:35 scale.

The sheet measures 250 × 130 mm and contains two pattern variants matching the painting options of the base kit. The coating accepts model paints, so the applied Zimmerit is painted along with the rest of the vehicle, by airbrush or brush, and can be shaded and weathered in the usual way.

What's in the box:

• Self-adhesive Zimmerit sheet, 250 × 130 mm, with an embossed three-dimensional pattern
• Two pattern variants matching the painting options of the base kit
• Panel outlines printed on the sheet, to be cut out with a hobby knife

Specifications:

• Scale: 1:35
• Catalogue number: 12644
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Designed for: Tamiya Elefant (35325)
• Type: self-adhesive Zimmerit coating sheet
• Material: self-adhesive coating with embossed pattern
• Sheet size: 250 × 130 mm

Self-adhesive Zimmerit coating sheets – armour texture without putty work

A Zimmerit coating sheet is an aftermarket accessory in the form of a self-adhesive covering with an embossed, three-dimensional rendering of the Zimmerit paste pattern. It is neither a photo-etched part nor a water-slide decal — the sheet is applied directly to the surface of the model, and its texture reproduces the characteristic ridged finish of the original.

The individual panels are outlined on the sheet, but they have to be cut out by the modeller with a hobby knife along those outlines — they are not ready-to-peel elements. Each cut panel is then applied to the matching area of the armour and adjusted to the edges and details of the plastic. The coating takes model paints, so painting and weathering proceed just as they would on styrene.

The alternative is applying and texturing putty or modelling paste by hand, which is time-consuming and hard to keep even across a whole vehicle. The sheet gives a uniform pattern without that work. The set is designed for one specific Tamiya kit (35325); a fit to kits from other manufacturers is not claimed.

About the vehicle – Elefant:

The Elefant was a German heavy tank destroyer built on the chassis of the Porsche heavy tank that lost the production contract. Around 90 vehicles were completed and, under the name Ferdinand, went into action at Kursk in 1943. The surviving vehicles were then rebuilt: a hull machine gun, a commander's cupola and a coating of Zimmerit were added. In this form they were known as Elefant and fought in Italy and on the Eastern Front.

The vehicle's main asset was its long-barrelled 88 mm Pak 43/2 L/71 gun, able to destroy enemy tanks at ranges beyond the reach of most contemporary designs, together with very thick frontal armour. The price was a combat weight of over 60 tonnes, an unreliable petrol-electric drive and poor mobility, which meant many vehicles were lost to breakdowns rather than to enemy fire.

Zimmerit was a non-magnetic paste applied to the armour of German vehicles from the autumn of 1943. It was meant to protect against magnetic anti-tank mines — the Germans feared the Allies would copy their own Hafthohlladung charge. The texture held the magnet away from the armour and reduced the contact area. The paste was applied at the factories and shaped with trowels and stamps; the most common pattern was vertical columns of horizontal ridges. Its use was discontinued by an order of 9 September 1944, after concerns — later shown to be unfounded — that Zimmerit could be set alight by hits.

Original vehicle specifications (Elefant):

• Combat weight: approx. 65 t
• Crew: 6
• Main armament: 88 mm Pak 43/2 L/71 gun
• Secondary armament: 7.92 mm hull machine gun (Elefant)
• Frontal armour: up to 200 mm
• Powerplant: two Maybach HL 120 TRM engines with electric transmission
• Top speed: approx. 30 km/h
• Range: approx. 150 km on roads
• Production: approx. 90 vehicles (1943), rebuilt to Elefant standard in 1944

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 in Shizuoka, originally as a woodworking business and, from the 1960s, a producer of plastic kits. The brand built its position on precise moulds, well-prepared instructions and good parts fit. Its catalogue covers military, aircraft, ship and car models, as well as paints, tools and accessories that complement its own kits. Zimmerit coating sheets belong to that last group — they are designed for specific Tamiya kits, so the panel shapes correspond to the armour rendered in the particular model.