Do people who model midwestern roads have suggestions on static grass? Looking to model spring to summer and looking to get that wild prairie grass look of rural Illinois. I know I’ll need to try a few to get what I like but looking for a starting point. Any pics of the products you use would be great too!
Paul Dolkos had a article in the October 2008 MR titled “Modeling different types of track.” In it, he talked about modeling static grass or weeds by taking follicles off a grass seed tassell. The photo shows a grass/weed known locally as a foxtail, and they are all over this region, even now. I have not tried this technique, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you’re trying to model a vast prairie it would likely get highly time consuming.
I was trying to get the mucky spring thaw of the Alberta foothills look. I used Noch static grass becuse that is what the store had. It came with all those little field stones in it. All I can suggest is to mix lengths and colours together before applying. I think the various lengths and shades of colour make it look more real.
I use Woodland Scenics and Silflor static grass products. Woodland Scenics only makes 2mm static grass, which may be a more “prototypical” length, but to me, it gives a fuzzy appearance rather than those “amber waves of grain” that you’re looking for. I ordered 4mm and 6mm grass from Silflor, and I was much happier with the results. I got 4 different colors, 2 each of 4 and 6mm from them, along with 2 colors of WS.
Particularly in the second photo, you can see the effect of going from one grass color to another. Or, you can mix the grass in the applicator and have a look that’s more uniform but still not monochromatic.
I use one of those GrassTech “budget” static grass applicators. I got mine on eBay for about $25. I have nothing else to compare it to, but it works just fine.
For Illinois prairie grass you are going to need some very long static grass- that stuff grows tall!
I’ve been using a lot of static grass in the mountain meadow area that I am working on and mixing it up a good bit to get different effects. My mainstay has been Noch 2-6mm blend. It goes down nicely and looks tall enough for what I am looking for. Sometimes I’ll mix in some 2mm Scenic Express grass just to thicken it up or add some other grasses and flowers to give it some variety.
For the tallest stands I am using Noch 12mm static grass. It is not as easy to put down by itself and it is a bit plain looking without highlights so I mix it with the 2-6mm blend. It is nowhere near as tall as the Illinois grass I think you are talking about, but I think it is about as tall as you can get with static grass. The cow in the photo is approaching a patch of it just to give you an idea.
One thing that helps to get the longer grasses to stand up is to first put down some sort of ground flock. I brush a 50/50 white glue/water mix on top of the flock and let it soak in. Then apply the static grass. This gives something for the static grass to bite into. Another thing that helps is to make sure you don’t hold the static applicator too close because the long grass will just mat up on the mesh if it is attracted to the layout surface too much. Hold the applicator back a bit though and the grass will fall right out.
(Edit- I just saw MB’s post so thought I’d add that I am using a Scooters static stick that I got off e-bay. Nothing to compare it against, and it looks home-made, but it pulls the grass from several inches away and it will throw quite an amazing spark if it gets too close to the ground. I can actually smell the ozone it generates. So no complaints on power.)
