Intro
I have been asked by a lot of modelers here about Heki wildgrasses so I have decided to
do a three part review on different tall grasses for dioramas. This first one will be one I have a bit of knowledge about, Heki Wildgrass. Later I will follow up with Silflor and Noch products and compare them to each other. Lets get started.
Introducing Heki
Heki is a German company that has long been associated with scale model railroading. As a Dioramist I feel that this is a wonderful place to look for scale goodies such as trees, grass, well almost anything we might want to put on a diorama can be found in this other hobby. Heki wildgrass is one of my favorite grasses to use. Heki makes a lot of various wildgrass products such as Bog Ground (H-1573), Savanna (H-1574), Meadow green (H-1575), Forest Ground (H-1576), Dark green (H-1577), and Mountain meadow (H-1578).
The Product
The Savanna grass is a thick pile grass fiber that is attached with almost invisible net. It can be used for any landscape from flat to mountainous. it appears to be about 3/8" tall (9.5mm) and comes in sheets that are 11" x 5 1/2" (28cm x 14cm).
Applying Product
I have used this product effectively on three dioramas and have found that the product can be cut and glued into place or can be torn and stretched into place. Either way it is a very effective ground cover. You may use spray adhesive or just plain white glue to apply this product. You can even paint it if the stock colors do not suit your scene. I do recommend to apply static grass before applying the Heki wildgrass as this gives a lower level of ground cover.
In Conclusion
For what you get I feel the Heki is one of the best diorama products on the market to represent tall grass. I also feel it is a very cost effective product for what results it can provide for you. I haven't yet came across any tall grass product that I like better.
We will have to see how it stacks up though in the next installment.
editor's note :
Also take a look at Kevin's reviews on other grass mats :
Noch Grass Mats
Silflor Grass Mats