Types of Flock

[Angel Barracks]

Scatter material.

We all use it but what are the differences if any?

I use 4 main types that I have tried to categorise, I have named them thus:

Foam
Static
Wood
Sponge

As you can tell I have named them based on what they appear to be made of.
I have written a rough review about each type and tried to explain what I use each type for.

It is of course only my opinion and you may well think I am talking rot!

But for those out there that are new to modelling or not aware of the scores of types of scatter materials out there it may prove useful.
I have avoided naming manufacturers but will gladly tell you if you ask!

Foam

This scatter has an almost foam like quality.
I used this for a chap who wanted some bases flocked to be all the same colour but not too featureless and dull looking.
It will adhere to a wet painted green base without having its colour altered.
(It does not soak up the paints colour)
In the zoom picture you can see that each ‘flock’ is uniform and almost square.
Its appearance is not affected when PVA is used to seal it.
It is quite easy to apply by sprinkling on by hand.

I feel it is the most universal of all the types that I have used.
£2.00 per pack

Static

This scatter has an almost plastic like quality.
I use this as the final thin layer on my bases and my terrain tiles.
It will not adhere to a wet painted green base as well as the others.

In the zoom picture you can see that each ‘flock’ is almost hair like.
Its appearance is affected when PVA is used to seal it as I find it flattens it down.
This is also quite easy to sprinkle on by hand.

I feel it is best used on 15mm scale projects an above.

Prices vary but I have seen it as cheap as £4.95 for a massive bag.
Be careful as lots of people charge a lot for this.

Wood

This scatter has wooden / sawdust like quality.
I use this for all my dirt/earth flocking.
It will adhere to a wet painted green base as well as the others but it is very likely to suck up the paint and change colour.

In the zoom picture you can see that each ‘flock’ is random, there are thin bits, thick bits, small bits of untreated wood in there, it is the less well finished but that is why I like it so.
In the bottom of the bag you get a really fine collection of the flock, which is almost dust like in quality, great for fine detail especially as I do 6mm.

When it comes to sprinkling by hand it is fine but it does stick to the hands a bit.

Its appearance is not really affected when PVA is used to seal it.

Prices vary but I have seen it most often at about £1.95 a bag.

Sponge

This scatter has a foamy spongy like quality.
I use this as my base coat on bases and put the static grass on top.
It will adhere to a wet painted green base well but it is easily discoloured as it is after all sponge like.

In the zoom picture you can see that each ‘flock’ is almost like a minute torn piece of sponge
Its appearance is affected when PVA is used to seal it as I find it pulls it down and hardens it.
This is the most messy to sprinkle by hand, it sticks to the skin and gets a bit damp almost.

I have seen this commonly at about £2.95 a bag.

Conclusions?

The static grass is good value and best as a final layer.

The foam is a good solid all round performer.

The wood is good for small areas of detail only, as it does look quite wooden.

The sponge is the most versatile but the trickiest to use.

If you have any specific questions/comments then please fire away.

Michael.

[kyoteblue]

Those work for me.

 

[Ivan Sorensen]

The stuff I tend to use is the static kind but seems that the individual strands are much shorter. Works pretty decently.

Used to just use sand and I do have some beach sand I collected, in a bag.

I’ve also gotten some little “crystal” specks in a dark green colour, for some alien world bases.

[Paul]

I use fine sand stolen from my sons sand pit (with all the snail poo, leaves, and rubbish sifted out). I paint and drybrush it to my standard base colour, and then flock it with a mix of various flocks (I also add cat litter “rocks”, clumps of plumbers hemp “dry grass” and other scenic elements to some bases). I like the sand and then flock approach, because the base still looks cool if the flock starts to come off.

Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let's go kill them!

[Ivan Sorensen]

This discussion reminds me of the good old Games WOrkshop method I used as a kid 🙂

Glue sand to the base, paint Goblin Green (and only Goblin Green 🙂 ) and drybrush yellow.

Felt like a minor revelation back then. Before that, we just painted the base green and called it a day.

[Cameronian]

Anybody know a source for a scatter which is the same as GW coarse ground in all respects but in green?

'The time has come" The walrus said. "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings."

[Rhoderic]

Thanks for posting!

Here’s another scatter material for those who are interested: Noch fine leaves. This material may well exist under other brands as well, but I’m only aware of the Noch brand as it’s what Antenocitis Workshop sells. LINK to the relevant section of the Antenocitis Workshop store. Whether it qualifies as “flock” or not is splitting hairs, I think. Of the four scatter materials displayed by AB, I suppose this stuff is most like the sawdust, but whereas sawdust tends to be kind of “sharp and chippy”, this material has been stamped to make flatter, rounder shapes. It’s also more uniform in size than some sawdust flocks I’ve worked with. A fairly decent approximation of leaves, IMO. One downside (for those who, unlike me, don’t overpaint everything) is that it’s entirely monochrome, but that’s hardly a unique flaw to this material, and it does come in several colours so you can make your own polychrome mix if that’s important to you. It’s maybe a tad on the expensive side, but not outside my comfort zone and I’m a fairly low-budget hobbyist.

Here’s a photo of the stuff (front and center) next to some other scatter and terrain-making materials, for comparison. Also a small (unfinished) jungle plant I’ve made with the stuff as an experiment to get a feel for how best to use it. I’ll also be using it for basing/ground cover. Please excuse the very poor lighting in these photos – terribly overcast day today.

I hope someone will find this helpful.

[Norm S]

I keep a plastic tray (with a lid) that I keep under a base when I flock and when I tap the base off – therefore this tray collects all manner of flock types and shades and even some stones. After a while, this mix itself becomes useful because it is so varied in texture.

[Author]

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