Tamiya 12646 - 1:35 Panther Ausf.G Early - Zimmerit Coating Sheet

Tamiya self-adhesive Zimmerit coating for the Panther Ausf.G early production model (Tamiya 35170) in 1:35 scale

Reproducing Zimmerit can dominate an entire Panther build — and without it, the silhouette of a summer 1944 tank looks incomplete. Tamiya 12646 is a self-adhesive Zimmerit coating with an embossed, three-dimensional pattern, prepared for one specific kit: the Tamiya Panther Ausf.G early production (35170) in 1:35 scale.

Instead of applying and texturing putty, the panels are cut out along the outlines printed on the material and applied to the matching areas of the armour. The coating accepts model paints, so the applied Zimmerit is painted along with the rest of the model, by airbrush or brush, and can be shaded and weathered afterwards.

What's in the box:

• Self-adhesive Zimmerit coating with an embossed, three-dimensional pattern
• Panel outlines printed on the material, to be cut out with a hobby knife

Specifications:

• Scale: 1:35
• Catalogue number: 12646
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Designed for: Tamiya Panther Ausf.G early production (35170)
• Type: self-adhesive Zimmerit coating
• Material: self-adhesive coating with embossed pattern

Self-adhesive Zimmerit coating – armour texture without putty work

Self-adhesive Zimmerit is an aftermarket accessory in the form of a covering with an embossed, three-dimensional rendering of the Zimmerit paste pattern. It is neither a photo-etched part nor a decal — the material 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, 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 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. This accessory gives a uniform pattern without that work. The set is designed for one specific Tamiya kit (35170); a fit to kits from other manufacturers is not claimed.

About the vehicle – Panther Ausf.G:

The Panther was a German medium tank developed in response to the Soviet T-34, combining sloped armour, good mobility and the highly effective 75 mm KwK 42 L/70 gun. The Ausf.G, produced from the spring of 1944, was the final and most numerous variant, with more than 2,900 vehicles built. It introduced a simplified, strengthened hull with a one-piece side plate, a revised driver's hatch and a series of production improvements.

Early Ausf.G tanks, leaving the assembly lines in the first months of this variant's production, were coated with Zimmerit at the factories. They fought in Normandy, on the Eastern Front and in the Ardennes, forming the backbone of German armoured units in the last year of the war.

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 (Panther Ausf.G):

• Combat weight: approx. 45.5 t
• Crew: 5
• Main armament: 75 mm KwK 42 L/70 gun
• Secondary armament: two 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns
• Hull front armour: 80 mm, steeply sloped
• Powerplant: Maybach HL 230 P30 engine, approx. 700 hp
• Suspension: torsion bars with interleaved road wheels
• Top speed: approx. 46 km/h
• Range: approx. 200 km on roads
• Ausf.G production: over 2,900 vehicles (1944–1945)

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.