Fluffing up for the p**n shot

I was in a discussion with someone recently when he described the big photo that opens most "how to" articles in model railway mags as the "P**n shot" (I've asterisked out the letters for the benefit of those reading this at work who don't want the overseers in the IT department appearing at their desk. Cut out these letters - or - and stick them in place if you want). It's the photo that shows the finished model in all its glory, usually across a centrefold, for the reader to froth with enthusiasm over.

Since I don't have a full-sized layout at home to use as a background for these photos, a couple (actually nearly 4!) of years ago I made up a length of track attached to a scenic base. This acts as the background to any pictures I need to take of big engines that wouldn't be appropriate to pose on The Melbridge Box Company or Melbridge Parva layouts.

Anyway, the scenics beside the trackwork were looking a bit ropey. Static grass is fine if you look after it but when your baseboard gets stuffed into odd corners to make way for other projects, it rubs off. Needing to take another big photo, I needed to fix this.

Having put the job off for ages, the work only took about 15 minutes. The old grass was sprayed with hair lacquer and then a new layer of nylon fibres applied with my cheapo static grass tool. I don't understand this but it seems to work quite happily even if you don't earth the lead. Physics gurus can explain this perhaps.

After a couple of fibre layers, more hair spray attached a sprinkle of flock powder to finish the job. My vegetation now looks a lot fluffier and so much nicer in the photos.