In the early 1980s, the Gundam model kit craze took off. Thanks to model-building cross-pollination, mobile suits with camouflage paint schemes and World War II accoutrements like zimmerit began turning up in hobby magazines. Zimmerit was an anti-magnetic tank coating with a distinctive “waffle” appearance that proved utterly useless in practice.
But Zimmerit isn’t a Gundam fansite, it’s a celebration of fandom in its (relative) infancy, of forgotten fads and trends, and the idea that fans can create their own cool shit, too.
Old anime. Doujinshi. Kit-bashed models and garage kits. Fan-made animation. Weird comics. Creators like Kenichi Sonoda, Kow Yokoyama, Katsuhiro Otomo, Masamune Shirow, Makoto Kobayashi, Yasushi Nirasawa, and Hideaki Anno. Think of fans-turned-pro like Gainax and ARTMIC. Self-driven creativity, even if it comes with a rough edge. Scratch that – especially if it comes with a rough edge.
Zimmerit has changed a bit since we first launched and we’re always looking for new writers to spotlight the forgotten and unknown. If you like what you read, please subscribe using the form to the left and consider supporting us on Patreon.
Zimmerit powered suit designed and illustrated by Jan Buragay.