I was hoping that other avenues would open up, but in the last month I've had to face up to an uncomfortable truth: my usual 'colour powder' flock has been discontinued by the company which made it and replaced instead by a new line of static grasses.
No joy online, no joy in stores, no joy posting on local FB groups; stocks are, in a word, extinct.
Now, I'm actually a bit of a stickler when it comes to basing. I'm not much of a painter and my basing style is very - ahem - 'basic' but with that comes consistency, so I know that when I line the armies up on the table they are going to be compatible, and that you aren't going to see heavy cavalry in idyllic meadows, heavy infantry on wintry farmland, slingers in bogs, light cavalry in stony hill country, elephants in desert wastes and so on all in within a couple of square feet of table.
But now I know that at some point in the future I'm going to run out of flock mix.
It's a little glimpse of Armageddon, and I don't like it!
Something wicked this way comes...
ReplyDeleteToo much glue on my hands. The trees, the trees are marching...
DeleteWhat's the name of the flock? I'll have a look here in the UK?
ReplyDeleteIt was a mix of various Tomix colours, with 8105 being the closest to the final mix, but I think it was only here in Japan you could get it. Thanks for the offer though mate, much appreciated!
DeleteOh man, that’s almost as bad as painting something with a specific color and then two years later you go to add some more figures to that collection and can’t remember the paint recipe you followed, doh!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Kevin
Ouch, yeah, done that too...
DeleteOh Lord, that's not good. A similar thing happened to me ages ago when I was working on a 40K Dark Eldar army. Yeah, post the details and we'll scour the sites for back stock for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ski - your collection seems to have recovered well enough, so I'll use that as inspiration in the dark days ahead!
DeleteThis Flocking Crisis could be as serious as the 1915 Shell Crisis! What can be done?
ReplyDeleteWhere there's light green there's hope!
DeleteWoodland Scenics makes several different color mixes of ground cover for model railroading. if you mix the appropriate color with their talus you might be able to duplicate what you are currently using.
ReplyDeletehttps://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/category/GroundCover
I took a look at some of the older posts with close-ups of your bases. This post on my blog has close-ups of the color mix that I use http://18clovehamhock.blogspot.com/2015/09/dominion-armored-forces.html
Thanks Bill, much appreciated!
DeleteScenic Express is another company to look at. I am very partial to their "Alpine Meadow" blend, but they make many others. http://www.scenicexpress.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks - will check them out.
DeleteIt does seem to be increasingly difficult to get a consistent supply of flock at model shops now as static grass becomes popular.
ReplyDeleteThat is a worry!
DeleteThanks all, I really appreciate the kind offers to search out your locals and the helpful pointers to other producers! The flock I use is a 'special recipe' mix of Tomix colours, which I believe were only available in Japan, so I think I'm just out of luck. I still have a decent amount left, but I'll have to ration it, keep it for 'continuation' projects and look to find a new mix for new eras and scales.
ReplyDeleteIt may end up being a positive thing: lots of people get great results from static grass, so my being forcibly dragged into the 21st century may end up being both necessary and betterin the long run!
Well, just rebase everything! No problem ;-) Seriously, though, I know what you mean. the static grass that I use was a model railroad one that was exactly like the GW version, but quarter the price. It ran out earlier this year and I've been looking for a workable replacement. The stuff I'm using at the moment matches but clumps and doesn't stand up the same. But I'm not rebasing...
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes the nuclear option ;-) What was the model railroad one you were using, just out of interest?
DeleteI'm pretty sure it was Noch. I have a big container of Army painter now. The same colour, but shinier and clumpier unfortunately.
DeleteAh, I think Noch are model railroad people too, IIRC.
DeleteHope you can find something to do the same job but without the clumping!
I'm running out of varnish - I use this as a medium for stain. Have a thimblefull left... its no longer made. :-(
ReplyDeleteAaargh, that's bad. Hopefully you'll be able to find a replacement product somewhere.
Delete