Silflor Tufts advice

[Argonor]

That last webpage... It lacks info on how much you get for your money... If I get only 5 sprouts of bamboo for €15, I'd say it's pretty expensive 

[Admiral Benbow]

As there seems to be quite some confusion around concerning those grass tufts currently en vogue, here are some more infos:

Silflor is a german company selling landscape materials for scale railway enthusiasts. This is their website http://www.silflor.de/index.php?idcat=5 with their rather stylish but not very detailed catalogue of products and other stuff. I could not find much about grass tufts (german "Grasbüschel"), but I know them from the Nuremberg Toy Fair and I'm quite sure they have something to offer there, if a bit pricey. You can see this stuff better on Antenocitie's site: http://www.barrule.com/workshop/scratch%20builders%20paradise/Silflor.html

I believe most people here refer to the very nice and useful products from the german company Silhouette and their range of MiniNatur products; these are at least as good as the Silflor stuff but not as expensive! http://www.mininatur.de/de/index.php?page=silhouette_home You will find the products and price lists here:
http://www.mininatur.de/de/gallery/Preisliste_Begruenung_2007.php
As you can see, a 42,0 x 15,0 cm large sheet of Grasbüschel will cost between 12,- to 14,- Euros, depending on scale, but you can even buy larger sheets in different colours, sizes and heights. I can really recommend this product line for good quality, ease of using and glueing (with white glue, tacky glue, cyanoacrylate glues or even standard paper glues like Uhu etc.) and saving you a lot of time getting those static gras fibres standing upright!

A word of warning: there are some small companies around in the wargames supply business who buy the Silflor or Silhouette stuff in larger quantities getting their trade discount prices, then cutting the mats up into small pieces and selling those as non-label products for absolute fantastic prices to the community. Have a look at the sheet dimensions and prices at the above websites and don't buy anything else from dubious traders!

Hope that helps ...

[Argonor]

http://www.mininatur.de/de/index.php?page=silhouette_home You will find the products and price lists here:
http://www.mininatur.de/de/gallery/Preisliste_Begruenung_2007.php

If you use the link 'Produktübersicht' you can actually see the stuff.

EDIT: And soon the good A. Rademacher will also have an online shop - if the website is to be believed 

EDIT TOO: Here's the direct link to 'Produktübersicht'  http://www.mininatur.de/de/index.php?page=produkte_produktuebersicht

Quite some nice stuff. Flowers for the castle garden (or the Hobbit garden). Lots of area mats of different kinds. Lots of different vegetation...

[Lowtardog]

Just got 2 packs of the silfur stuff through the post from Antenocitis workshop , great service I have to say

[Argonor]

Have to ask the Germans:

What is 'Karst' and 'Schachtel' and 'Goldrute'? (Yes, I DO own a dictionary, but..)

[Admiral Benbow]

Have to ask the Germans:

What is 'Karst' and 'Schachtel' and 'Goldrute'? (Yes, I DO own a dictionary, but..)

"Karst" is a geological term for a specially formed and mostly barren landscape, the english term is also "Karst"; here is a link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst

"Schachtel" means "small box".

"Goldrute" is a plant or wildflower. Here is the info from german wikipedia with some pictures:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldrute

[Argonor]

Have to ask the Germans:

What is 'Karst' and 'Schachtel' and 'Goldrute'? (Yes, I DO own a dictionary, but..)

"Schachtel" means "small box".

Schachtelhalme    

[Admiral Benbow]

Oh, you meant "Schachtelhalm" 

That's one of the oldest plant families on earth; the english term is "horsetail".

 

[Argonor]

Oh, you meant "Schachtelhalm" 

That's one of the oldest plant families on earth; the english term is "horsetail".

 

Aaah, thanks - now I found a pic... I think we call it 'foxtail' (Rævehale) in Danish. I have it in the garden... and between the slates of the garden walk