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
I hate Rust
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
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.
cacoleWe'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.
MotleyOh wow! Those look great.
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.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
cudakenMotleyOh wow! Those look great. 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
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.
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.
Jack W.
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
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?)
I emailed Michael's (Phone call? Are you kidding me, is it 1985?) and got a lovely response back.
#1 this is absolutely still an active product, it is not now dicontinued.
#2 he indicated to stores that are within 30 miles that show as having it in stock. I plan to swing by the closer of the 2 this weekend.
Once I have some I'm going to take it to my local store and see if there's any way I can get them to stock it.
Wow, that looks a whole lot better than my ground foam!! Now I'll have to go and see if anyone has any!!
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Well, I went ahead and went over to my local Michael's. After searching every aisle for about 15 minutes, I finally found them! I ended up getting two 6" and two 4" toppers. The 6" ones are a bit lighter and longer, and the smaller ones are darker and finer. Guess we'll see how they look!
I've got some of the PTs on one corner of the layout. Here's what it looks like so far:
Looks pretty good, I think! But I've still got quite a bit of blending and stuff to do before it really looks good!
And here's the sort of thing I had there before:
Doesn't look much like grass, does it? It's also totally flat, unlike what you'd normally see in a large, open area. I'll still be using the finer ground foam for the controlled and mowed grass, but this pot topper stuff really works well for the less controlled grass!
You always have to be careful about clerks in Big Box stores who tell you that a product is discontinued, not available, or even not carried.
That's often Employee-speak for "I don't know what you're talking about, and am either too embarrassed by my lack of knowledge or too lazy to go find out." Probably motivated by the subconscious impulse that they should probably not run you off, because you should spend your money in their store. In their defense, though, it's often the case that you are looking for something in the "crafts" section that is actually stocked in the "floral" section, and the employee just doesn't know any better.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
As my faux fur as grass fades into irrelevancy and my fifteen minutes are gone:
Visit:
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/fur_grass/
and as always thank you if you visit
Harold
CTValleyRRYou always have to be careful about clerks in Big Box stores who tell you that a product is discontinued, not available, or even not carried. That's often Employee-speak for "I don't know what you're talking about, and am either too embarrassed by my lack of knowledge or too lazy to go find out." Probably motivated by the subconscious impulse that they should probably not run you off, because you should spend your money in their store. In their defense, though, it's often the case that you are looking for something in the "crafts" section that is actually stocked in the "floral" section, and the employee just doesn't know any better.
I have to take offense with this, having spent the last few years in large scale retail. One of hte things I used to do was determine if certain items were mean to be for clearance and to reorder other items. I'd look in the system and it would list something as discontinued and unavailable in the distribution center. So I'd mark it as 75% off and into the bin it went. A week later, 24 of them would show up in a box. Where did they come from, I have no idea. But a week ago, I was holding the last one anywhere. Or so thought the system and therefore me, because I had no other information to go on.
When I first discovered Pot toppers I made a trip to one of my local Micheal's crafts and proceeded to clean them out. It was worth the looks I got form the cranky old women who worked there. I just looked at one who gave me a look and said Hey! I've got a lot of plants ok.......lol
One little trick I use when applying pot toppers is the same basic thing you do with fake fur grass is sprinkle in some earth colored ground foam and brush it through. On fake fur I use a child's hair brush and on pot toppers either a stiff bristled paint brush or a tooth brush will do. It helps work the ground foam down into the nap of the pot topper allowing some of the earth to show through which gives it a more out of the ground look. I've also ever so lightly sprayed the top of it with a mist of yellow paint to give it some what of a burnt appearance. Well that didn't come out as well as I wold have liked so I tore it ot and redid it with out the yellow but I still think it may be a nice effect with a little more practice