Congratulations if the poor title pun didn’t scare you away [xx(]. Anyways, I’ve been experimenting with different methods of making 1/35 trees for the Soviet boat/dock dio I’m starting. I haven’t been satisfied with any of my foliage attempts, so I decided to try making some dead coniferous trees, like cedar, and spruce. I find it easiest to model realistic fauna (or is it flora?) after places I’ve already been, so I’m working from pictures of trees from a place in the Adirondack Mountains, NY that I go camping with my family every year. So, here are my results so far with the trees:
On this one I tried to make it look as though the tree tipped over, ripping the roots out of the ground:
close-ups:
And one more, the penny is to show scale, the Woodland Scenics Field Grass is what will surround the trees:
Comments, criticism and questions welcome. Thanks for looking, Ian
Yeah, these look good. Are they the twisted wire- formed variatah (where’d Cartman come from?!)?
Don’t give up on the foliage quest. Have you ever tried silver birch catkin seeds? I’ve got a ton of the stuff, still trying to perfect the usage. But I am constantly on the look out for something better.
I’d say your on a winning path with your latest experiment.
Thanks Steve. Nope, no wire in these guys. Actually, that was a lie, I did use little bits of wire for the roots of the tipped over tree. Trunks and roots are made from sticks, branches are made of little twigs. The moss and flakey bark are made from, well, moss and flakey bark, all painted with endlesss amounts of drybrushing.
Thanks Dostacos. The roots were pretty simple. I just broke up some more small sticks/twigs and glued them sticking hoizontall outwards. I then used a little bit of wall spackle/joint compound/filler putty-stuff and used it to smooth out the transition from the tree to the roots, and make them look seamless. Luckily most of it will be buried, so I only had to make a tiny hint of roots.
That looks really good! My wife is experimenting with trees as well. She is attempting a Black Oak using 9 braid twisted copper wire, milliput, smaller diameter wire for thinner branches and some really nice leaves from Hudson and Allen. She wants to include it in a dio of a German soldier having a picnic with a French woman. I am extremely excited about her interest in the hobby and try to encourage her often.
Keep up the outstanding work Ian. I look forward to seeing this project progress.
cool trees ian.got donors in the yard.was the happy recipient of some very nice shrubs that co-incidetally make very nice trees.will send photo of some i made.anyone who needs drop me a line.what was the basis for your trunk.and will you disclose the origin.it’s been awhile since we’ve seen any of your great builds.there must be something grand up your sleeve.[bow]
Thanks guys! DetailFreak: the trunks are just some sort of stick/twig, that was fairly straight. I just cut off all the bark and either sharpened them to a point for a full tree, or snapped them for a broken one. Unfortunately, that’s about as specific as I cant be. I just loaded up a backpack full of sicks on the way home from the bus stop, so I’m not quite sure what kind of plant/tree they’re from. I just got some styrofoam, so I might be starting the dio soon.
You should see my lady wife’s collection of twigs, branch bits etc. All varying sizes and shapes, ready for construction into trees. A big A3 photocopy paper box full.
