What the Flock(box)?????

Hey y'all!

I have got to share something that I recently found and am L-O-V-I-N-G!

The Flockbox.

ModelDads did an excellent a few weeks back as did Beasts of War.  These video reviews got me interested and I quickly visited the site.

What is the Flockbox?  Well...in short...the Flockbox adds an expert finishing touch to your bases.  We all want our grass to stand up and look "real," but even when we use static grass about 70-80% of it lays flat and only a few blades stand up if you blow lightly across the base as the glue dries.

Model Railroaders have used a device like the the applicator from Noch that provides a static charge to the static grass as it "shoots" the grass onto the display board.  These can cost upwards of $200.

There is even a smaller version fro roughly $30

Economy Static Grass Applicator by Grass Tech USA

Better for our needs, and cheaper, but still is meant for a larger surface. Some have even taken to making their applicators.

http://www.garbo.org/MRR/sgrass.html

These scare the hell out of me to use and again, are a good solution for a broad application, but overkill for a our smaller modeling needs.  The Flockbox flips the flashlight static grass gun method around.  Instead of you holding the device that shoots the grass, you hold the model and the device is stationary.  This way you get a much more precise application of static grass.

So, I ordered a Flockbox v4 which is a little different than what ModelDads reviewed in that mine has a rocker on/off switch as opposed to a toggle and is much more advanced than what Beasts of War reviewed (bigger application surface mainly). For $55, I got the following within a week (from England no less!):

- Flock Box
- Static Wire
- 1mm Static Grass
- 2mm Static Grass
- 4-6mm Static Grass
- Parchment Sheets

You will need to buy a power adapter.  WP's website gives a very detailed explanation of what type of adapter you will need and a quick trip to Radio Shack I had my adapter ($30).

Now, does this actually work as advertised?  Oh, HELL yes it does.

All you do is apply glue to your base...spread out a little static grass on the Flockbox's metal surface...clip the blue wire to your base and flip it over so the glue is facing the Flockbox...turn the FlockBox on...and then lower the base towards the metal surface.  Just move it around and tilt the base a little to ensure even coverage and BAM!!!! You have a grassed base.  It is so cool to see the grass jump up to the base, but that only a side benefit  ;-)

You do have to watch how close you get the base/sheet to the Flockbox.  Too far away and nothing jumps up and too close and you get "chains."  Make sure you move the sheet/base around and tilt it as you do to make sure you get good even coverage.

Word of note, you can make a mess as the grass does spread out around the Flockbox.  You can use a little aluminum container (not included) as a reservoir for the grass, but that reduces the "range" of the static charge a bit.  You can also get a little shock if you touch the metal surface...nothing major, just a little surprising when it happens.

The first thing I did was to test out the ability to make tufts...you know those final basing touches that make a model pop...that we all spend a bunch of money on?  Yep, those.

I took a sheet of the parchment paper that came with the set; added a little Elmer's (PVA) glue; and then then fired up the FlockBox with some of the 2mm static grass that came with the set.  I let that dry a little and then added a little more Elmer's Glue on top of the 2mm tufts and fired the box up using the longer 4-6mm grass.

I was stunned...super easy to use and I got tufts of any size/shape I wanted!  Here is a comparison:

Silfor Praire Tuft Long (L) / Flock Box (C) / Army Painter Swamp Tufts 6mm (R)

All I have to do is play with the color mix of the grass and I am sure I can cover anything on the market at a MUCH cheaper price.  Right now, I don't see myself ever buying commercial tufts again.  Technically, I don't even have to make separate tufts any more as I can now make them on the actual model!  This has the added benefit of not having that nasty little space under a tuft that can appear when you glue on individual tufts.

Nasty little edge coming up on the tuft

So, a final review ... 15 out of 10 grass tufts.  Totally awesome piece of kit.

Did I say I love this thing?  Just checking  ;-)