Woodland Scenics manufacturers an extensive line of hobby products for the model terrain maker. Their products tend to be premium priced however, which is never a good thing in a hobby. So is Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement worth it?
Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement
Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement is an interesting product. It looks like white glue, but it flows like water. This makes it very useful in some circumstances, but difficult to use in others. Here are three examples.
Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement is Good for Coating Large Areas
Given that Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement flows like water, it is very easy to spread on large areas quickly. A large paintbrush can pick it up and deposit it as needed. For coating bases, I prefer a 3/8-inch filbert tip paintbrush I picked up at my local hobby superstore (Michaels or Hobby Lobby, I’ve forgotten), but a larger brush can be used to coat a larger area.
A Spray Bottle Can be Used to Apply Scenic Cement
A spray bottle can be used to apply Scenic Cement
One thing that you can do with Scenic Cement that you cannot do with white glue is use a spray bottle to apply it. Woodland Scenics sells one, of course, but I got a 2 oz bottle from The Container Store for $2 that does all I need it to (but then again, I’m not flocking a model railroad table).
It is not possible to spray Scenic Cement with any accuracy, so I wouldn’t use this on figure bases. It is perfect, however, to use to seal ballast onto a terrain piece such as some scratch built trenches or wire barriers. It coats evenly and dries perfectly clear (from what I can tell).
The Very Fluid Nature Can Cause Problems
I like leaving my ballast exposed, as opposed to painting over it, because I think it looks good on its own. However, I often leave open areas unballasted because I am planning on adding static grass. Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement is not a good choice of adhesives for this operation. While the static grass sticks to it just fine, it flows into the ballast making it hard to keep the two finishes separate. So it is not a good choice if it flowing into adjacent areas is problematic.
Prior to Adding Staic Grass Affixed with Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement
Note the shapes outlined in the photo above. Now look at those same locations in the photo below. Notice how part of the shapes are now obscured by the static grass. This is because the Scenic Cement flowed into the ballast. It is also worth noting that the shine and thinness of the static grass over the non-ballasted areas is not visible to the naked eye, but rather an artifact of the flash of the camera.
After Affixing Static Grass with Scenic Cement
Concluding Thoughts on Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement
When I purchase this product I was quite skeptical about it. It looks like a very expensive, very runny white glue. It works quite well however, and I am glad that I added it to my arsenal of hobby tools. It does take a bit of time to figure out exactly where this product is best applied but once you do I think you will find it a useful addition to your toolbox as well.
