Whether you're building your first miniature base or creating an epic wargaming table, choosing between Fine Flock and Coarse Flock can make all the difference in achieving realistic, professional-looking terrain. In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down everything you need to know about these essential terrain-building materials.
What is the Main Difference Between Fine Flock and Coarse Flock?
The primary difference is the grain size and texture. Fine Flock has a smaller, finer grain that creates a smooth, delicate texture perfect for subtle ground cover and detailed work. Coarse Flock has a larger, chunkier grain that adds extra volume and depth, ideal for dense undergrowth, heavy brush, and thick foliage.
Think of Fine Flock as your go-to for realistic grass and light vegetation, while Coarse Flock is your secret weapon for creating dramatic, high-volume terrain features.
Miniature Basing: Which Should You Choose?
Fine Flock is excellent for creating realistic grass and light vegetation on miniature bases, giving a natural, scale-appropriate appearance. It's perfect for troops standing in meadows, grasslands, or lightly vegetated areas.
Coarse Flock works brilliantly when you want to add dense, overgrown terrain or create the impression of thick moss and heavy ground cover on larger bases. It's ideal for jungle fighters, forest creatures, or any miniatures that need to look like they're wading through serious undergrowth.
The Power of Combining Fine and Coarse Flock
Here's where the magic happens: mixing Fine and Coarse Flock creates incredibly realistic, multi-layered terrain. Use Fine Flock as your base layer for grass, then add Coarse Flock in patches to simulate bushes, thick moss, or undergrowth. This layering technique adds depth and visual interest to your terrain boards and dioramas, making them look truly three-dimensional.
Building Realistic Trees and Foliage
Coarse Flock is the superior choice for tree canopies and foliage as its larger grain size creates fuller, more realistic-looking trees with proper volume and texture. The chunky texture mimics the natural density of leaves and branches perfectly.
Fine Flock can be used for smaller shrubs or distant background vegetation where you want a softer, more subtle appearance.
Terrain Boards and Large-Scale Projects
For terrain boards, Coarse Flock excels at creating dramatic texture on hillsides, rocky outcrops, and jungle floors. Its extra volume makes large areas look lush and realistic without requiring excessive material.
Fine Flock is perfect for open grasslands, meadows, and areas where you want a smoother, more uniform appearance. It's also excellent for creating subtle transitions between different terrain types.
Pro tip: Combining both types across your board creates natural variation that makes your terrain look more organic and realistic.
How to Apply Flock Materials
Both Fine and Coarse Flock apply the same way, making it easy to work with both types in the same project:
- Apply your adhesive (like Geek Gaming Scenics Fast Drying Basing Glue or PVA) to the area you wish to cover
- Generously press or sprinkle the Flock onto the wet glue
- Shake off excess material and allow to dry completely
- Optionally seal with Matt Scenic Sealant Spray for a durable, permanent bond
Colour Matching Across Fine and Coarse Ranges
Great news! We offer matching colours across both Fine and Coarse Flock ranges, including popular shades like Woodland Fern (Light, Mid, and Dark Green), Rainforest Canopy, Nordic Hills, Mountain Moss, and many more. This makes it easy to coordinate your terrain using different textures while maintaining colour consistency.
You can create a cohesive look by using Fine Flock Woodland Fern Light Green for your base grass, then adding Coarse Flock Woodland Fern Dark Green for bushes and undergrowth—perfectly matched colours with contrasting textures.
Our Most Popular Flock Colours
Our bestselling Flock colours include Woodland Fern Light Green, Mountain Moss, Rainforest Canopy, and Nordic Hills. These versatile shades work beautifully for fantasy, historical, and sci-fi gaming terrain, making them perfect starting points for any project.
Getting Started: Our Recommendations
If you're new to terrain building, we recommend starting with a Fine Flock in your preferred colour for general ground cover, then adding a Coarse Flock in a complementary shade to create texture and depth. You can always mix and match to achieve the perfect look for your project!
For maximum realism, consider picking up both Fine and Coarse versions of the same colour—this gives you incredible flexibility to create varied, natural-looking terrain that will make your miniatures truly stand out on the tabletop.
Ready to Build Better Terrain?
Whether you choose Fine Flock, Coarse Flock, or both, you're on your way to creating stunning, realistic terrain that will elevate your gaming experience. Browse our complete range of Flock colours and start building the world your miniatures deserve!