In the latest MR magazine someone was using something called a pot topper to simulate grass. They said they where available at most Michaels craft stores , so since I have one 12miles down the road I picked up a couple. These things look really good! At $2.99 ea(6"dia), they have to be more economical than using model RRx products. In case anyone’s looking, there displayed by the clay pots. Has anyone else used these? How long have they been around? Anyone have pictures?
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I heard about them from the site I guess around 2 years ago. I went out and bought two of them. Must say they look pretty good. I use them for tall grass between the rails.
Cuda Ken
Oh wow! Those look great. That looks alot easier than using a static grass applicator. I think I’ll pick some up.
We’ve been using them on our HO scale club layout for a year or two now in several areas to represent grass. Slightly varying the color by lightly spraying different shades of brown makes them look even more realistic.
Another great idea. We have a lot of long yellow grass/weeds in my area, I’ll try painting them.
That is why I told you about them 2 months ago Micheal. [:-^] It was when you where doing your Bridge and trying to make some tall grass.
Ken
Note that the topper actually has two sides, one simulated grass and the other more like rocky soil. I split mine apart at the seam and used both top and bottom for different effects.
ooops, I forgot all about that.I remember now. I’m ready to start some scenery now.
tim, there are pottopper grass clumps all over my modules on the club layout.
the dirt side is very useful too!
I got all excited when I saw the heading, I thought it was about some sort of “cannibus frosting” or something…
Mark
When employed by a clever hobbyist, pieces of pottoppers can prove to be a fairly reasonable representation of dense grass. Unfortunately, unless a lot of additional scenicking work is done to the area immediately surrounding them, or their location happens to correspond to some distinctly isolated terrain feature (as is the case with River Eagles’ nicely done eroded riverbank scene), they will usually end up looking like a rather odd-looking raised hillock of very dense growth (because of the thickness of the backing material), surrounded by nothing but open/bare ground. That sort of result is not an overly pleasing, nor realistic, one.
If one wants to employ this product realistically, it becomes necessary to carefully blend the areas surrounding the pottoppers into the rest of the scene by applying a slight build-up of ground surface to meet the edge of the pottopper and then applying static grass, or something similar, over it. As mentioned previously, re-tinting the pottopper’s color is also a worthwhile consideration, since in the purchased state the green color is rather intense.
All these considerations (most of which are also pointed out in Cody’s MR article) call for a lot more work than some other approaches using similar scenicking materials actually intended to represent patches of grass more realistically may require. For many, that’s more work than they are likely to be willing to apply.
CNJ831
Excellent point, CNJ831. I’ve used it sparingly at a few spots. DJ.
It looks like pot toppers became the rage about 2 years ago on the message boards. I went to my local Michaels here in Oregon and they did not have them.
I went to Michaels website and they did not seem to have them listed either. So it is a regional product. Which is utterly frustrating.
I do however have a SKU for the product which I plan to take to the store to see if they can order it.
Last time I went to Micheals, I was told the product will be discontinued.
If that’s true, its some really terrible timing.
Hi All: My closest Michaels is about 30 miles away, I couldn’t fine any there. Asked about them and the clerks didn’t know what I was talking/describing about.
Went on Michaels Website, couldn’t find them, Emailed them asking about them and the reply was “it is a discontinued product”.
Was in my local Michaels looking for some thing else and one of the clercks ask me if she could help me, pointed me to what I was looking for, also got to talking about Pot Toppers, and she knew what they were, but they didn’t have any. She offered to call another Michaels store, (about 50 miles) and talked to the manager there and, the other store had them.
It was another week before I went to the other store, and took a quick look around but couldn’t find them, so went to the service desk and inquired about them. Same as the other store, no body knew what they were. So I mentioned that the other store had called to this one and the person they talked to said they had them. About that time an older woman arrived at the conversation, and ask what we couldn’t find. Mentioned POT TOPPERS and she took me right to them. I think the reason I didn’t find them was they were high up on the hooks, I had to stretch to reach them. I wasn’t looking UP.
Bought some 4" and 6" both. Haven’t used them yet.
Sam
So, if they are discontinued, is there another store that sells them?
on their website there is a national customer service number, call it with the SKU#, and they will check the inventory of your local stores to find them for you.
two years ago, I was told the same thing by local store, that pottoppers didn’t exist, called the national line, and ten minutes later local store called to apoligize for not taking the time to look them up, had them waiting at the desk, and gave me a discount, my guess is that somebody got chewed out.
When using, split it in half (dirt side/grass side), turn over, and with a scissors cut away 99% of the polyfill.
even that can be used for smoke atop your chimneys, as the color fades from dark mear the edge to nearly white in the center.
just found a better image of pond area,(pre water) showing both the grass and dirt sides in place.
Well crap, I guess I didnt get the memo, sorry for the redundant post guys. I had the same thing happen to me, I asked where the pot toppers where and no one knew where they were. After one of the Michaels associates looked all over she said she couldnt find anything like that. Well, I kept looking and found them right by the clay pots(who would have guessed?)