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Stony steppe — Model Scene scenery growth

Stony steppe is finished growth for dioramas and display-case scenes from the Czech manufacturer Model Scene. It imitates the dry, stony surface you find in semi-desert and steppe regions: trampled ocher to gray-brown soil strewn with small stones predominates, and only thin tufts of withered grass and low hardy plants grow through it.

What the vegetation looks like

Unlike grassy growths this is not a continuous carpet. The ratio of bare soil, stones and vegetation is shifted in favor of the barren surface, which is exactly what is hard to imitate by hand in parched country — sprinkled static grass tends to be too regular and too dense. The pre-mixed shades of dry grass, dust and stone give the area depth with no further painting in.

Use in a diorama

Stony steppe is a rewarding base for scenes from the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, southern Russia and Central Asia — from postwar and modern conflicts to civilian landscape. It also works well as the edge of a country track, an abandoned area behind a village or untended terrain around fortifications. Glue the area onto a substrate with PVA or thin white glue, loosen the edges and dust the transition into the surroundings with pigment in a matching shade. You will bring out wheel ruts left by a vehicle by pressing it down and adding fine dust pigment; apply the same pigment to the lower parts of the model as well, so that the vehicle and the terrain belong together.

Who the vegetation is for

• Builders of desert, semi-desert and steppe dioramas
• Modelers of modern as well as historical military vehicles
• Figure modelers and builders of display-case scenes with dry terrain
• Anyone who wants a finished parched surface without laborious sprinkling

This is a scenery accessory for building dioramas, not a model kit. The glue, the base board and any further terrain materials are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.