Spring comes to Malvern.

Since today is the furst full day of spring, I thought it would be fitting for this post today.

I've been working pretty steady over the last week trying to get the base coat of green down in Malvern.  My goal is to break out the static grass and try to get some of that applied before I clean things up and take a break.  I plan to start remodeling my kitchen shortly, but we'll see...

After getting the roads and pads poured, I wanted to get some grass and parking lots laid out so I could finally get a chance to break out the static grass.  I know, I know. I've said this so many time before, but I think I'm finally ready.

After getting some of the grout laid out, first next to the shoulders of the road to help hide the fill ballast, I also got it spread around the W&OV engine facility.  Finding out how bad the grout can stain or change color of anything it touches, I laid down some some tape to keep off areas like the ballast and facility pad.

This worked good but it also gave me a very prominent line that looked a little unnatural.  I later went back and sprinkled the grout on with my fingers to mask the line.  Once this was done, I spritzed the whole grout parking lot with water until it was very damp.

In some some places the grout did not want to set up, maybe because I didn't mix it. So what I did was to go back and with alcohol and sprayed down the whole area so it was damp and then coated the whole area with my ballast glue.  This did two things, one it glued it down just like ballast and it also darkened it a bit.  Which turned out to be a good thing as the Polyblend Fawn #156 was a little lighter than I was hoping for.  Now it looks a lot closer to sand or gravel.

I'd post a picture of the Fawn color but it's no where near the color that it turned out to be once applied, it's a lot more red than I hoped for, but nothing that an acrylic wash wouldn't take care of, I hope.

But here's a link to the Polyblend colors [however long it lasts]                              POLYBLEND COLOR CHOICES

Once the grout was down and dried around the W&OV facility, Heavy Metal and on the west end of Crushmoore, I started laying down the first base of green ground foam!

The next thing I want to do is finish blending the edges a bit more and then add a few other colors for a bit of variation.  Once I get this done, I'm gonna start playing with the static grass!!

I've done some scenery before on a few of my Bend Track modules years ago.  But this is the furthest I've made it on this layout.  Things are finally coming together, it's only been 7 years since I first put up the benchwork here in Malvern.

It's come a long way since this...