Tamiya 12672 - 1:48 Sturmtiger - Zimmerit Coating Sheet

Tamiya self-adhesive Zimmerit coating sheet for the Sturmtiger model (Tamiya 32591) in 1:48 scale

The tall, boxy superstructure of the Sturmtiger presents huge flat surfaces — exactly where hand-textured Zimmerit most easily turns out uneven. Tamiya 12672 is a self-adhesive sheet with an embossed, three-dimensional Zimmerit pattern, prepared for one specific kit: the Tamiya Sturmtiger (32591) in 1:48 scale.

The set contains one sheet, which is enough for two models. The panels are cut out with a hobby knife along the printed outlines 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:

• One self-adhesive Zimmerit sheet with an embossed, three-dimensional pattern — enough for two models
• Panel outlines printed on the sheet, to be cut out with a hobby knife

Specifications:

• Scale: 1:48
• Catalogue number: 12672
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Designed for: Tamiya Sturmtiger (32591)
• Type: self-adhesive Zimmerit coating sheet
• Material: self-adhesive coating with embossed pattern
• Contents: one sheet, enough for two models

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 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 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 (32591); a fit to kits from other manufacturers is not claimed.

About the vehicle – Sturmtiger:

The Sturmtiger was one of the most unusual designs in German armoured warfare: a heavy assault vehicle built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a 380 mm rocket projector. The weapon was derived from a naval depth-charge launcher and was intended to destroy fortifications and buildings in urban fighting — a single hit could bring down a house.

Only a handful of vehicles were converted. The enormous rockets weighed several hundred kilograms each, and loading them required a crane mounted on the roof of the superstructure; only a limited number of rounds could be carried. Sturmtigers saw action during the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 and later on the Western Front. Vehicles converted before September 1944 received a coating of Zimmerit.

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 (Sturmtiger):

• Combat weight: approx. 65 t
• Crew: 5
• Main armament: 380 mm RW 61 rocket projector
• Secondary armament: 7.92 mm machine gun in the superstructure front plate
• Superstructure front armour: 150 mm
• Powerplant: Maybach HL 230 engine, approx. 700 hp
• Suspension: torsion bars with interleaved road wheels
• Top speed: approx. 38 km/h
• Conversions: a little over a dozen vehicles (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.