Tree Renovations Part 10 Tree Tutorial

 Terrain Tuesday Trees Part 10

Making a wargames tree......

On Sunday I decided to finish off some more trees for the 20mm terrain. You can never have enough trees and I like to have a lot of them in various sizes and colours. I have been making trees for 30 odd years, wire armatures, sticks and commercial boxed ones. I can remember making some when I was around 15 years old using tree sticks and moss from a Stan Catchpol modelling workshop, military modelling article.  Since then I have made several hundred, particularly when I run the Goulburn Valant Stormers Wargames Club, but when I departed Australia I parted with my real timber ones, so upon arrival in France I needed to replace all of them except the evergreens. I prefer to buy my evergreens mostly from model railway companies and make my deciduous trees.

My preference for trunks is hedge cuttings as they already have the branches. Last year I cut down a box hedge in the garden so now have a lifetime supply of branches, which were oven baked then put in boxes awaiting use, classified into 20mm (up to 20cm high) and 28mm (up to 50cm high)

How too

Step 1.

I simply select a number of suitable hedge branches from the stockpile.

Step 2 

Using a hole saw I cut from 3mm MDF 40-50-75mm bases depending upon tree size.

Step 3 

I attach with hot glue, sometimes I also add a tack on large trees, plus make a base and roots too from green stuff.

Step 4

With a 60/40 mix of PVA I paint the base then sprinkle with my builders sand mix, I grade my builders sand into rough and light, I use my rough mix as I get as a bonus rocks and bts on the base. 

Step 5

I paint the base dark earth brown, then dry brush with a tan colour to match our soil here in southern Normandy/Pays de Loire, paint the stones then ink and drybrush. 

Step 6

I tear up the rubberised horsehair into clumps spreading it out into the canopy shape, then attach the rubberised horsehair with hot glue. I buy my rubberised horsehair from upholstery suppliers in the UK.

Step 7  

Select Flock colour, some people make theirs but I have never bothered, I use woodland scenics or NOCH, Faller products.  I use light green, middle green, dark green or even orange-brown (for Autumn) sponge fine flock. I use a deep plastic box for the flock so I can shake off excess and catch it all.

Step 8

I then using latex or washing up gloves I cover the base, placing the tree trunk  between my fingers. Then I use a hobby spray adhesive (from a $2 shop) on the rubberised hair, coating it liberally. The Selected Flock colour is poured into a box, then sprinkle my selected colour, let set, then a second application.

Step 9

I then may add a sprinkle of mixed leaves or colour (white, red and yellow for plane trees, fruit trees in blossom). 

Step 10

I then Varnish the tree with gloss varnish.

Step 11

Clean up and neaten up with scissors, some can have a few character pieces you can leave or cut off. 

Step 12

Add flock, bushes and flowers to the base. 

Simples, ok several hours work over the least three days. I tend to do batches of twenty odd trees at a time.

I still have another 50 plus odd to go but I have run out of middle green woodland scenics as I completed some new 20mm bocage for the ww2 Normandy table as well, but waiting on more flock........For some variation of my 28mm trees I am about to commence my first sea moss trees so wish me luck!

cheers

Matt