Cheap Trees

Just like everyone else that models an Australian rural scene you need gum trees, lots and lots of gum trees.  So me being one who is hard pressed for time and impatient to see a scene come to life rapidly, I didn't want to have to make the trees individually.  So laziness being the mother of all invention a light bulb sparked in my head!  Buy some of those crappy trees from eBay and try to dress them up like a gum tree using the same methods as twisted wire and no more gaps.

The tree as purchased from eBay.  Not at all like a gum tree, but the basics are there.  Twisted wire trunk and foliage to build on, to better represent an Aussie gum.

Step 1 was to mix up a batch of Selleys no more gaps with a grey paint.  Try not to mix in the grey consistently as you want a little of the white to come through in the final colour.



The trees with their new bark.  By not having to twist and solder the branches you save a heap of time.

The last step was to add a lighter colour of foliage to the original foliage supplied with the tree.  I used a Selleys spray on adhesive and then lightly sprinkled on a fine foliage from Noch.  I wanted to leave the original dark colour for depth, you could however paint it a different colour.  This would have to be done prior to painting the bark, otherwise you'll have green bark!

You can smash out a heap of trees after about an hour.  The most time consuming part is applying the grey no more gaps.

A few new trees planted around Boggabilla station.  While they are no means huge in height or perfect, but I can live with the fact they cost about $3 each and only took 3-4 minutes each to make.

The view from the opposite end.  I will make a few of my own trees that are monster like in height and a little more life like, as the maximum height of the ones here are 12 cm.  For now though these are serving the purpose.

A close up of one in the creek.



Again, a couple in the creek.