Jump to content
 

Tree Building using plastic armatures in 4mm scale


MAP66
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium

Thanks to everyone for the likes, much appreciated.

I have now progressed a little further and have started to add the sprigs of seafoam onto the plastic branches to help form the tree canopy. This is best done by holding the tree some how so that you have both hands free.

I have pushed the tree onto an old cork stop which allows me to grip the tree while I add a drop of super glue gel onto the branch and then place on the seafoam. Then while holding the sea foam in position, I sprinkle over some Roket powder which accelrates the superglue drying time allowing it to bond the seafoam to the plastic almost instantly. Its then just a case of carrying on this process untill you end up with a tree canopy your happy with. Here are some more progress pics;

 

3.jpg.6cb402d9a2965f04f6670adf579bec48.jpg

 

1.jpg.fd8ab97926e3a787c207d8ccb7a4af28.jpg

 

2.jpg.f224a32364c0885113c38ea320ee5c5a.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MAP66
  • Like 6
  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
7 hours ago, saxokid said:

Great work there Map66

Thank you saxokid, I'm hoping to take a few shots of the tree outside today - shoud look better in natural light, I'll post the pics later today.

 

Mark

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Thanks to all for the likes and great comments.

In answer to Rogers question, the armatures are actually from  C+ L Finescale - it has a code on the pack 4ZZ106A, quite old I think as I bagged them a while back on that famous internet auction and selling site. I think they are intended for 7mm scale but they work for a mature size tree in 4mm scale. I measured the girth at the widest point on the trunk and its 2.5cm so just over 6' in 4mm scale. 

The Wooodlans Scenics ones and other types would still work (trees come in all shapes ans sizes) so the techniques I have used here should work equally well with other plastic armatures.

 

Mark

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Thanks again for all the likes folks. I have decided to put the tree into a small diorama, as the next step will be to make it look as if it is rooted to the ground. I am going to avoid making it too grassy around the base of the tree as often not much grows beneath trees as the roots take a lot of goodness out of the ground. I will attempt a patchy weedy grass look with mostly soil showing. Perhaps some vines and ivy growing up the trunk.

 

For now, I prefer this method of tree making as opposed to using wire. You can get the same end results with wire but for me plastic has turned out to be a quicker process from start to finish. If you remove the time it takes for the filler to dry, this tree from start to finish took me about 3hrs to complete. It would take me well over 4hrs if using wire.

 

Once the diorams is complete and to my satisfaction, I will be building a smaller tree for Tyteford Halte (my photoplank test track). There is literally only just enough space left to fit in a small tree either in-between the buffer stop and lamp hut or just to the right of the lamp hut (see image below). I will build as low relief so it can go up against the backscene but it will still be as detailed as the diorama tree, just a bit smaller. Yesterday, I ordered some woodland scenic armatures for the job as I need to put my money where my mouth is and now prove that you can get good results with other types of plastic armatures.

 

1358775178_20201118_225000(002).jpg.ddf8f464b5401a7001187bde8d11ac0f.jpg

 

Edited by MAP66
Restoring lost images
  • Like 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Fantastic results Mark. I wondered about doing something very similar to this, and I asked myself the same question as @ManofKent above.
I've used seafoam to represent small trees / saplings in the past, and it always seems so delicate and rather brittle....
I did try using very diluted PVA, to help protect and strengthen the sea-foam.... but that wasn't entirely successful either.

I must say, the bark is very convincing :) 

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
8 hours ago, ManofKent said:

It looks excellent - really nice job on the bark texture. How robust does the seafoam seem? I wondered about dipping it in latex before use (although it might mask too much structure detail).

Thank you ManofKent,

The sea foam is robust enough at the stalk end once stuck onto the plastic armature with superglue and an accelerator to bond it immediatly. The fragile foilage ends are somewhat strenthened when sprayed with glue and then by the process of adding the scatters. Once planted on the layout it should withstand the occassional unintentional knock. I don't think there is any need to cover in latex, added strength is also introduced wiith the addition of the deep gap filler to disguise the join between the plastic branches and the seafoam.

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
9 hours ago, marc smith said:

Fantastic results Mark. I wondered about doing something very similar to this, and I asked myself the same question as @ManofKent above.
I've used seafoam to represent small trees / saplings in the past, and it always seems so delicate and rather brittle....
I did try using very diluted PVA, to help protect and strengthen the sea-foam.... but that wasn't entirely successful either.

I must say, the bark is very convincing :) 

Hi Marc

I hope the answer I gave to ManofKent above gives some reassurance that seafoam when used in conjunction with plastic armatures and indeed wire armatures gives a bit of robustness to the seafoam.

Once its planted on the layout there is no further need to handle the tree so it should last for years. As long as everything is stuck well in place, even the occassional close encounter with the hoover shouldn't be a problem.

 

I would encourge you give it a go, you might surprise yourself.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, our home PC died just before Christmas and although I could still access the web I was not able to upload or post any updates. We now have a new laptop and thankfully now able to post again.

So the progress so far; I have started on the diorama for the tree, the base is one of the laser cut kits, same size as used for the cake box challenges 8 inch square. The diorama will feature a country lane/farm track on a gentle curve with a drystone wall and of course the tree located on the other side of the wall. So finally at long last, here are some progress pics, more to follow...

 

Happy New Year to all

Mark

 

907436696_20201215_142108(002).jpg.6281ffbefb0ef18205cc1a2aa29ceb60.jpg

 

1260469701_20201215_142017(002).jpg.329d938bf0ca658c2fe2fe7ace891017.jpg

 

277241284_20201226_154415(002).jpg.54b46a68f8a568b29500265edc5e9a2d.jpg

 

419184896_20201226_154511(002).jpg.53755e7028c6e56a4fdf1083a255712d.jpg

 

1334962876_20201226_171356(002).jpg.add93baecc90888074b8a7b241ac31b0.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MAP66
Restoring lost images
  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

More progress to report, static grass has been applied along the track side of the diorama via the puffer bottle method. This time I used neat pva glue for the base and built up the grass in subsequent layers spraying in between applications with matt varnish spray and also adding sprinklings of fine soil effect to dull down the shiny grass look. I came across this method from following Heaton Lodge Junction by Allan Downes. 

The drystone wall is rigid plastic and I managed to introduce a slight curve by immersing in boiling water which made it slightly flexible, enough anyway to bend it slightly and it retained its curve when it cooled. I added a bit of interest in the wall by having a small section partly collapsed. I repainted the wall with various washes of greys, browns and greens and a final  coat of MIG sun bleach effect which gave the greenish parts a more mossy type colour on the stonework. 

I also added some fine tree foliage by stretching it over the wall to represent ivy. Tomorrow, I will plant the tree and complete the diorama.

 

480739281_20201228_150525(002).jpg.eb9dd2309ecdfde9e3fa75d4ba0183ee.jpg

 

1267863803_20201228_154542(002).jpg.499edb7ca82606e0720e8e88dab45569.jpg

 

932411564_20201228_154150(002).jpg.d7e7b3d59c04784519c27fe240ba12cb.jpg

 

1390902073_20201228_150616(002).jpg.d6b39b691841b7980c4e91f29a022342.jpg

 

1968904741_20201229_163508(002).jpg.24c7506bee0d22b7673cf06cb872e240.jpg

 

453283169_20201229_163534(002).jpg.f587480b9455efcd9990d974f745b13c.jpg

 

206483858_20201229_163041(002).jpg.97a128c8af466b7258734f54f1b2a7ba.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MAP66
Restoring lost images
  • Like 4
  • Craftsmanship/clever 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I managed to do a lot more work on the diorama yesterday evening as I was keen to get the tree in place. I drilled into the base of the tree and inserted a length of copper wire which would then locate into the baseboard. I loose fitted the tree in place and when happy with the look everything was super glued in place.

I then applied further deep gap filler to the ground and up to the tree, this was also used to extend the tree roots.

 

831329543_20201230_160628(002).jpg.b0a3150d2b4b354355983132a73f3609.jpg

 

I then added more static grass and left an area around the base of the tree bare as I wanted a more earthy look which I could achieve with very fine gravel and weathering powders.

 

286568713_20201230_160509(002).jpg.68fe45c47af9264cd9ca8dbd5201834b.jpg

 

2071284901_20210101_183702(002).jpg.5d6adaf1ac11242218da87ae9f5a68c4.jpg

 

1839933872_20210101_184156(002).jpg.93e5a52e51fca74fcae47b6dc1ab7e35.jpg

 

1122557369_20210102_130055(002).jpg.e013969fec82cc0726cca442b89c4c28.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MAP66
Restoring lost images
  • Like 6
  • Craftsmanship/clever 4
  • Round of applause 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Last few images of the now completed tree diorama below. I can now attempt a smaller tree using a plastic armature from Woodland Scenics range, this smaller tree will be for Tyteford Halte. I will feature the tree build here and hopefully it should turn out as good as its larger cousin.

 

1630299110_20210103_234722(002).jpg.089d8ac2fa2a99ca6eff82cdfa570288.jpg

 

2093183103_20210103_234634(002).jpg.ec124e882c5174f982341585857e09e0.jpg

 

1050658989_20210103_184800(002).jpg.6559fb6289bc7259376694dfd04b327c.jpg

 

1508148586_20210102_130712(002).jpg.a1f65cf00c214f3d4c4930a6b8de54db.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by MAP66
Restoring lost images
  • Like 8
  • Craftsmanship/clever 10
  • Round of applause 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Thanks Steve,

I thoroughly enjoyed making this little diorama, very therapeutic. I'm going to lurk around here for a while making trees before popping back over to Tyteford Halte to complete that, can't believe I started that a year ago now.

  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, MAP66 said:

Thanks Steve,

I thoroughly enjoyed making this little diorama, very therapeutic. I'm going to lurk around here for a while making trees before popping back over to Tyteford Halte to complete that, can't believe I started that a year ago now.

More top work here,looking forward to more now.

last year seem to fly by due to covid and now its going same way again.

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...