Static Grass Worth It For N Scale Layouts?

[GuilfordRailman]

I recently posted a thread asking about layering spray alternatives for static grass but shortly after that, I realized that perhaps even the 2 mm static grass available might not look that great…I read posts from other forums of modelers who tried it on their N scale layout’s and ended up just using fine turf instead.

With this being said, has anyone been pleased with static grass on their N scale layouts? I like the look of static grass but obviously it’s more costly with needing an applicator.

 

[JeffH]

I don't think so. I was all gung-ho on static grass for my N scale layout. I even fabricated my own applicator from a cheap electronic fly swatter and a metal strainer.

My DIY applicator worked great! But unless you want a yard that has grass a foot tall, it's a waste of time for N scale. I ended up using it for 1 lawn before I realized it was more like a prairie than a lawn.

2mm is the shortest static grass, which is just over a foot long at scale. It looks OK for my cow pasture though.

Visually, from 3 feet away, the plain old "fine turf" product from Woodland Scenics is just as nice and a lot cheaper and simpler to put down.

I also like static for making tufts of weeds.

But in N scale, anything longer than 2mm just looks wrong unless you are modeling a prairie or a bush-sized tuft of weeds.

 

[GuilfordRailman]

I don't think so. I was all gung-ho on static grass for my N scale layout. I even fabricated my own applicator from a cheap electronic fly swatter and a metal strainer.

My DIY applicator worked great! But unless you want a yard that has grass a foot tall, it's a waste of time for N scale. I ended up using it for 1 lawn before I realized it was more like a prairie than a lawn.

2mm is the shortest static grass, which is just over a foot long at scale. It looks OK for my cow pasture though.

Visually, from 3 feet away, the plain old "fine turf" product from Woodland Scenics is just as nice and a lot cheaper and simpler to put down.

I also like static for making tufts of weeds.

But in N scale, anything longer than 2mm just looks wrong unless you are modeling a prairie or a bush-sized tuft of weeds.

I’m thinking the same thing. I’ve used fine turf until now for every layout and I’ve always been pleased with the results. I was hoping to give static grass a try but perhaps once I get around to building another HO switching layout, I can try it then.

 

[kleiner]

I think patches of 2mm static grass will look good on an N-scale layout. I took an N-scale car and positioned it next to a patch of 2mm grass on my HO layout in this photo. I think it looks compatible.

 

[GuilfordRailman]

I think patches of 2mm static grass will look good on an N-scale layout. I took an N-scale car and positioned it next to a patch of 2mm grass on my HO layout in this photo. I think it looks compatible.

View attachment 149968

That doesn’t look bad at all! Guess I’ll have to really think on what to do. Static grass is tempting but my layout is so small, it might make more sense to just use fine turf.

 

[Mixed Freight]

I've never tried static grass on any of my N-scale scenery yet.

That being said.......... I've still been more than satisfied with fine turf, medium and coarse turfs, and everything else I have ever used for scenery materials. Still looks pretty good to me as far as N-scale is concerned.

 

[GuilfordRailman]

I've never tried static grass on any of my N-scale scenery yet.

That being said.......... I've still been more than satisfied with fine turf, medium and coarse turfs, and everything else I have ever used for scenery materials. Still looks pretty good to me as far as N-scale is concerned.

Yeah, I’ve never had any concerns on the results of using the various turfs and have generally liked the look. I just figured maybe I’d try something new but my wallet disagrees.

 

[kleiner]

That doesn’t look bad at all! Guess I’ll have to really think on what to do. Static grass is tempting but my layout is so small, it might make more sense to just use fine turf.

For a small layout, its probably not worth the expense of getting a static grass applicator. The Woodland Scenics gadget was pretty expensive but I always wanted one since I first saw static grass many years ago on a friend's layout.

 

[JeffH]

Static grass does look great. But for me, it's only suitable for areas where foot-tall grass would look normal.

If you've ever hiked through an open field, you will know that most grasses never get much taller than a foot before it starts collapsing on itself.

Of course, some grasses get to be 8' tall, like pampas grass and corn.

But for a typical lawn... Not unless you are HO scale or larger.

 

[GuilfordRailman]

Static grass does look great. But for me, it's only suitable for areas where foot-tall grass would look normal.

If you've ever hiked through an open field, you will know that most grasses never get much taller than a foot before it starts collapsing on itself.

Of course, some grasses get to be 8' tall, like pampas grass and corn.

But for a typical lawn... Not unless you are HO scale or larger.

I agree, field’s are where it works best for N scale. I’ll wait to try static grass when I eventually build another HO layout.