Does anyone have a cheap, good, and easy way to make a very large amount of OK looking trees?
I need to cover at least about 50cm X 50cm of area with dense forest. :D
Thanks, Peter
Leon will certainly sell you some.
I have used woodland scenics ones. These come as plastic tree trunks and branches (£10 for over 100) and a bag of clump foliage (£6 ish). These are pretty quick to assemble and look good.
Photo from my painting diary thread
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GNpJ7DBWuao/Txx1AOEAIMI/AAAAAAAAA1E/RirhVFc50K0/s912/IMG_1056.jpg)
The pine trees on the left are off eBay, the darker green trees are woodland scenics, the bright green ones are small ones from Minibits
do you need to get in amongst the foliage or would a canopy of freen do in the centre with actual trees based around the edge? I have a load of the woodland scenics trees, as fred said you get plenty of plastic armatures in a bag and then clump foliage and off you go. If you are in the UK hobbyland do the range if you can find one near you that is...mine is 200 miles away on the mainland :)
cheers
S
Woodland Scenics are fine so long as you don't have to transport them much. They do tend to moult badly if shaken up.
Otherwise the little "loo-brush" trees are fine for padding out woods and cost pence each.(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd448/Hertsblue/Banzai/P9260109.jpg)
Quote from: peterdong on 29 February 2012, 06:05:36 PM
Does anyone have a cheap, good, and easy way to make a very large amount of OK looking trees?
I need to cover at least about 50cm X 50cm of area with dense forest. :D
Thanks, Peter
This man needs a shedload of trees, and he needs them fast.
So, nip useful little branches off trees and shrubs. Mount them on inverted drawing-pins, glue these to penny pieces, paint stems in browns and greys, flock bases as desired. Then use dollops of pur foam to create canopees. Leave to dry, then flock the canopees.
Sounds about right?
Cheers,
Aart
I use pipe cleaners. Select height, then bend at that level and wrap the rest of the cleaner around the trunk. Dip in dark pigment, then in a stiffening varnish; paint and base. Dirt cheap, and they make cheap, light, convincing, and nearly indestructible poplars.
Thanks Fierce Kitty and Art! 8)
I haven't thought of the pipe cleaners, but the plant thing I've heard of.
Usually, it's made using the Seedum plant, which sadly isn't available around this time of year.
When it is available, in the fall, you have to collect a lot, and let it dry over the winter. :(
It's great, and very realistic, but I'll have to wait about 10 months.
I will immediately try the second suggestion. For now,
100 trees for $12 of eBay will be very sufficient. :D
While I very much like Pendraken palm trees, you can do passable ones with wire trunks and feathers for leaves too if you need a huge number and are watching your pennies.
You need trees or forest? If second, try this system, looks amazing.
http://warmasterdk.blogspot.com.es/2010/08/how-to-make-6mm-or-10mm-forests-that.html
Quote from: peterdong on 16 May 2012, 03:41:51 AM
Usually, it's made using the Seedum plant, which sadly isn't available around this time of year.
No way, you can use anything that looks remotely like a tree stem with main branches. Let dry on your radiator for a day and night, let fly with the pur and you're done.
Anyhoo, good luck mate, looks like you solved your problem already.
Cheers,
Aart
I have a great cheapo way to do trees en mass...
Get an old plastic christmas tree (people throw them away this time of year) get some wire cutters and cut small size snippings to your desired size, get masking tape and tape the ends so they dont unravel, then paint the making tape brown to make the trunk, trim the snippings to desired tree shape, then use some spray glue and spray them, use a dark flock first and cover the trees, spray again and then use a lighter flock to cover the branches. Repeat untill you get the desired effect you want (just repeat until satisfied). Use a spray varnish over the top to seal the flock and leave to dry. (car laquer or hair spray will do as a cheaper alternative) after they dry you can trim any straggly ends and then base them up as you would as bought trees.
I make a lot of tree scenics for 28mm wargames, but for 10mm just make them smaller. As you can imagine you can get a hell of a lot of trees out of an old crimbo tree, and it doesnt take a lot of flock either. If you have a smaller budget, you can use PVA glue on the first coat to attach the flock, although it tends to clog up a bit and requires a bit more trimming to make it look the part as the branches stick together a lot more, but its like anything, you get out the more the more effort you put in.
I'll take some pics tonight and post themto show you some finished ones ive done if you lot like.
It does save me tons of cash, especially when I want to make a large number of foresty type clumps for woodland enclosures.
Another way is to go out and get some suitable looking twigs and just glue some rubberised reindeer moss to the ops with some rubber glue. (dont use cheap superglue as the last time i did that, I ended up high as a kite with the reaction fumes!! :P)
Quote from: Phobos on 16 May 2012, 10:50:38 AM
You need trees or forest? If second, try this system, looks amazing.
http://warmasterdk.blogspot.com.es/2010/08/how-to-make-6mm-or-10mm-forests-that.html
Wow! The forests at that link look incredible, and not too difficult to make either..
I agree with Rubicon about those forest bases in the Architects of War tutorial they're superb and certainly have me rethinking my own efforts. Perhaps not as cheap as you would like but what a great effect. You could always substitute the woodlands clump foliage with cheap sponges that seen some time in the kitchen blender, painted green and lightly flocked - the sponge that is, not the blender!
One method I have used in the past is to get some cheap sponges, roughly cut them into blocks of the approximate size you want then pluck chunks out of them, using forefinger and thumb, till you get an irregular tree shape that you can mount on a kebab skewer or de-headded roofers nail. Paint and flock to finish. Can be done whilst watching telly !
Alternatively go to YouTube and type "how to make model trees" into the search box - there are a lot of tutorials up there. Here's one for quick, easy and cheap trees that may suit your needs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YWVTWcwQLM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YWVTWcwQLM)
Bob
(http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3216/photo0076r.jpg)
Excuse the quality of my pic, my camera is sh*te, I created this with the methods I mentioned before, they are ok for a £0 cost quick alternative, plus you can make loads for next to nothing (as long as youve got some supplies in your bits!
Hi guys
I made far too many trees when I found a supply of some kind of sponge to make them from.....with cocktail sticks and flock they look the part when covering a large area
get in touch and I will see if I can help
Barry
Quote from: fred 12df on 29 February 2012, 06:22:59 PM
Photo from my painting diary thread
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GNpJ7DBWuao/Txx1AOEAIMI/AAAAAAAAA1E/RirhVFc50K0/s912/IMG_1056.jpg)
The pine trees on the left are off eBay, the darker green trees are woodland scenics, the bright green ones are small ones from Minibits
left hand ones would be Jordan Scenics hard to find these days unfortunately
Quote from: peterdong on 29 February 2012, 06:05:36 PM
Does anyone have a cheap, good, and easy way to make a very large amount of OK looking trees?
I need to cover at least about 50cm X 50cm of area with dense forest. :D
Thanks, Peter
Have a look at this how to (not their products or i'll get shot!) very clever way of making somehting look really cool for our chosen scale i'm going to start trying some soon as i'm fed up with the Woodland Scenic tress shedding but love the look of the clmups.
Sorry leon if i'm beaking a rule here
Doh didn't read the whole threa dsorry its already been psoted ;D ;D ;D ;D
http://www.architectsofwar.com/howtoinformation.aspx
Building Forest and Woods in 6-10mm PDF is the one you want