Yeah, I'm quite hesitant to buy specialty tools for scenery purposes (i.e. hot wire foam cutter, etc. )because there will be a time when I won't have to be making scenery for the layout anymore. If only one can rent these things...
So far on the photography module that I originally used it on the whole thing is holding up really well, particularly with all the moving around I've subjected the thing to. If you accidentally squash some grass down it generally will come back up or can be teased back into its original shape. As far as the different static grasses go the Woodland scenics seems to be the most realistic in color (meaning more subtle) as the Scenery Express static grass has some very bright fibers in it (particularly the red ones) that stick out like a sore thumb on closeup photos. The trick with the Woodland Scenics static grass is to make your own blend and play with layering different colors as well. - jamie
Ok update time... Silflor has entered into the static grass market now and I took all the different products I have right now (which isn't all of them) and did some samples to show differences: There are a couple of things worth mentioning in the photo above. First, the Woodland Scenics blends are the most muted which is actually a good thing as I don't think people are looking for glowing nuclear grass. The Scenic Express bulk static grass is something I'd stay away from. This is very similar to what Noch offers and has some very bright colored green and red fibers in it that stick out like a sore thumb in closeup photography and make the grass overall look "unnatural". The Silflor static grass products are a match to the existing Silflor tufts products and compliment them well. The spring grass is pretty bright when it is applied and the straight summer grass is a very rich darker green. The late summer grass seems more natural looking so far and you can always blend some of the spring or summer grass in with it to brighten or darken things up. The autumn/tan colored grasses are all a little different. The Woodland Scenics tan colors are a mixed bag as the Wild Honey color has a little too much pink in it and the Harvest Gold a little too much gold. Burnt grass has a bit of green in it that looks nice if mixed with the Wild Honey and maybe a touch of Harvest Gold. The Silflor Autumn color is a darker color, but would look good along the ROW where weed killer has been sprayed or the grass has dried out a bit - mix a little Wild Honey in with it to lighten it up. The Silflor products come in 2mm, 4mm and 6mm fiber lengths and the Woodland Scenics comes in 2-3mm lengths. In n-scale 2mm would equal roughly 12 inches in real life. 4mm would be 25 inches and 6mm would be almost 38 inches. So keep in mind the lengths of grass you are working with. For n-scale the 2mm will still be too long for grass in front of a house, but if you're looking for a field of grass the 2mm and in particular the 4mm looks fantastic. I haven't tried the 6mm grass yet, but I'm thinking about getting some to mess with it. For the HO guys out there you have a lot of great choices in height to work with from a short lawn to flowing fields of grass. The Silflor static grasses are about $9 for about 2 cups worth. The Woodland Scenics static grasses give you about twice as much for around the same price depending on where you buy it. The Silflor static grass also seems to have a little more shine to it, so it will probably need to be knocked down with some matte clear if you plan to take it outside or under bright lights. I'm going to strip one side of a photography module that I covered in Woodland Scenics static grass blends and recover it with Silflor. I'll post pictures after I get it done.
A recent thread came up about grass techniques and reminded me that I never made an update to this thread. After trying most of the static grass on the market, I've been using the Silflor static grasses the most as I like the late summer and autumn colors the best. I usually mix them (70% late summer/30% autumn) to get the colors a little more natural looking. Here is an example of tall grass that I'm working on around an abandoned switching tower: Play around with the mix to get it the way you want it. Almost none of the colors look good by themselves as you want and need some variation. The other thing I'm messing with is hitting certain areas with superfine ground foam (like above) to add some texture and variation (Bill Denton was the inspiration on that idea). - jamie
This is some of the most natural looking scenery I've ever witnessed. Great photography too. :thumbs_up:
I see that Silflor has also released a 6 or 8mm California golden grass. I think I'd kind of like to see that one a little closer before investing in that color.
Has anybody tried the California Golden Static Grass? If so, what is your opinion of the color? Does it need to be mix with anything else?
Haven't tried it but I'll have to. To date, I have been using the Noch 6mm beige, mixed with Woodland Scenics Wild Honey and/or or Golden Harvest(?) and have been rather happy with it. Here's an old test shot: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showphoto.php/photo/73317 but this new Silflor color may be even better. Thanks for the tip!
If not for static grass, I may not be building a layout. Looking at all the photos of layouts using static grass over the last few years really got me motivated. The stuff is awesome looking. Can't wait to put more down this weekend. jamie
This is Jaime's (and Mike's) latest work with the Grass Master. It's on our new corners. As easy as it is to use, Jaime's really mastered how to create a realistic scene with it.
