Wild Tuft – Strong Green

The tallest grass tufts in a rich green

A grass tuft is the quickest way to break up the empty surface of a base. Clumps of static fibers capture what a real landscape does of its own accord: grass does not grow evenly, it keeps to stones, along track and in places a wheel or a hobnailed boot cannot reach.

The Strong Green shade is a cooler green with no yellow cast. It suits the peak of the growing season in the temperate zone, the banks of watercourses and shaded corners where the growth has not dried out. Next to the parched ochers and beige tones of the same line it works as a contrasting island that catches the eye exactly where you want to lead the viewer.

The package holds 17 tufts 12 mm high. This is the largest of the four height grades in the line; the rest measure 2, 4 to 5 and 6 mm. Converted, a 12 millimeter tuft corresponds to a stem roughly 42 cm tall in 1:35 and to nearly a meter of growth in 1:72.

• The underside carries adhesive and holds on its own on a smooth base.
• On scattered sand or on a layer of pigment a drop of PVA glue is safer.
• The fibers can be trimmed to an irregular height once bonded.
• A light oil wash takes the edge off an over-uniform shade.
• A tuft can be torn into smaller pieces and scattered into a sparse growth.

The result is decided more by placement than by the color itself. A dense band at the edge of the area, sparse individual clumps in the middle and a completely bare wheel track give a scene a logic that an evenly dotted base will never have.