Grass, static or not? The devil is in the detail.

So just to remind you where we left SHIREBROOKE YARD, track down, retaining walls up, cuttings built, painted and ready for flocking.

To the uninitiated Flock is coloured ground cover that you can buy from most model shops. To apply it you just put down a layer of PVA glue and sprinkle it on using different shades to add tone and texture. You can see the results of this on the two pictures below.

Another option is what is known as static grass which again can be bought from most stockist. The difference with this option is you need a static grass applicator to put an electrical charge through the grass. (these will cost around £20). The advantage is that you will end up with grass that mimics the real thing by standing up. A bed of PVA glue again is applied and the static grass is sprinkled through the applicator which gives it the charge and on hitting the glue it will stand up. Using different lengths of static grass will give the grass a more realistic look. As you can see mixing these two Flock and static grass gives a realistic look.

Next some Vegetation is added to give the look of hedges, bushes and small trees. At this point it’s a good idea to use a 50/50 mix of PVA and water sprayed over the work you have don’t to seal and secure loose bits.

Now you can start to add finer details and buildings. There really is no end to the detailing you can do, coloured Flock, barrels, lamps, ladders, figures to name but a few. Remember your trying to re create the real world so let your imagination run wild!

Let’s start with structures in this case a signal box. Before fixing to your baseboard libarally brush some glue around the base including steps and dip into your Flock. As you can see once the building is secured it looks like the Vegetation is growing around the building rather than the building sitting on the ground. The same method can be used for all of your detailing. Look at the two pictures of the yard lamp, one looks like it’s plonked on the layout and the other is buried in the Vegetation.