MAP66

The next stage was to glue on sprigs of seafoam to the ends of the plastic branches, didn't take too long - about 45 minutes. I used same method as before, which was superglue gel with a powder accelerator sprinkled over the join to instantly bond and secure the sea foam to the plastic. Several washes of black brown were then applied to all the trunk and branches. I will leave the application of weathering powders and detail painting to after the foliage has been added, as I will only then need to address the areas which remain visible. Foliage tomorrow...

I next immersed the tree in hot water to make the branches pliable. I was then able to bend the branches forward and into the shape required to allow the tree to be placed up against the backscene. The tree has now transformed from being 2D to 3D. I next drilled 3 holes in the base of the tree and inserted 3 pieces of copper wire, 2 pieces sticking out sideways to represent tree roots and one piece centrally to help anchor the tree when being inserted onto the layout. The completion of this stage was then to add the deep gap filler, directly from the tub for the tree trunk areas and roots using my fingers and then diluted with rocket glue and applied with an old brush for all the branches. This process puts on all the texture needed to simulate the tree bark. Construction time so far 25minutes, I then allow the tree to dry thoroughly (24hrs), this is purely because when I add the washes of paint it can soften the filler if done too soon.

Yesterday, I made a start on the smaller tree for Tyteford Halte. I started with a plastic armature from Woodland Scenics pack of 28 deciduous trees (TR1122) this was one of the smallest armatures included in a pack of various sizes ranging from 3"- 5". The first two images show what the tree looks like out of the pack and where I intend placing it on the layout. As the tree will be hard up against the backscene, I will attempt to bend all the branches forward, should still end up with a scale height of just over 20 feet after the sprigs of seafoam are attached.

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.

A one off diorama to display my tree experiment, made from a plastic armature covered in ready mixed filler and sea foam branches in 4mm scale. Apologies, not a loco in site

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.

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. 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.

I think you do get paper cutting templates included to make life easier when cutting from the sheets and there is some design flexibility if needed. So not too different from assembling a standard plastic kit. I do understand however, that its not to everyone's taste and with the drawing design skills you possess, then I think your making the right decision. Looking forward to see what you come up with.

Hi Chris Have you considered the Wills kit https://peco-uk.com/collections/4mm-oo/products/goods-shed-bank-and-crane Looks about the appropriate size and is in stone, also comes with loading bank and crane.

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.

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

Thanks for sharing the link, haven't seen these before - I see what you mean by costing a fortune if you are modeling any areas requiring quite a few trees. Polak do an ultra fine foilage mesh https://polakscenics.uk/product/naturex-birch-green-2/ which could have potential. I'm not sure how many trees you would get from the £7.99 pack but probably enough fo 6 birch trees. I would use wire for constructing a silver birch as IMHO you would get a better result for hanging the clumps of teased out mesh from. Silver Birch is now on my to do list but I will cover it under my other thread in due course.

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.

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.

Thanks Ade, much appreciated.

Thank you, I think the tree looks great too, I am very pleased with the outcome. You've got me thinking about attempting a silver birch - we'll see.

Thank you Keith, most of us modellers have a need for a tree or two at some point, so I hope my tree building encounter is of some benefit. I think tree building is a good skill to have in ones modelling armoury, which is why I took the plunge to have a go myself and very glad I did.

Evening folks I'm still here, haven't posted in a while as been busy with work stuff and home life. Sadly, there has not been any further progress with Tyteford Halte itself but I have started a new thread https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/159774-tree-building-using-plastic-armatures-in-4mm-scale/ as I intend to make a tree for the layout which I have documented on the above link. The idea being to experiment first using plastic armatures and sea foam and if it looks any good, I will make a smaller version to squeeze into Tyteford Halte inbetween the buffer stop and lamp hut. I want the tree to be as realistic looking as possible and so far I think my efforts have resulted in something half decent. This first experiment tree is now almost complete and I intend placing this into a small diorama. Then I can get on with a smaller version tree for here following the same technique. Below is a pic of the almost completed tree and to find out how I did it, please see the link above. Thanks for looking. Mark

Chris I was just about to suggest doing a sample piece first, but you beat me to it. On the test piece paint the canal bottom with murky brown and dark green colours and even darker shades up against the banks. Then do one pour of the resin (2mm layer) and see how that turns out when cured. If your not happy with the result paint on some more murky colours and then add another layer of resin. Hopefully, you should end up with a result to your liking. Oh and dont forget to plug the ends up. You could also use the opportunity to add a few reeds etc to see how you might place them when it comes to doing it for real. Mark

Chris Congrats on getting into Januarys edition of BRM with your super detailed waiting room interior. That fire place is something else. Very well done Sir.

"It doesn't look pretty" I disagree, its looking 'pretty good', very nice work. Instead of a mirrow, perhaps try some matt black card first to see how that looks.

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.

Stand by for action, a brief glimps of sunlight was enough of an excuse for me to dash into the garden and take a few snaps of the tree. Didn't have much time to think of composition so you have the garden fence as the backdrop. Worth the effort though as I think the natural light helps bring the tree to life. For the foilage, I have sprayed Wws static grass layering spray onto the ends of all the seafoam branches and then sprinkled over oak leaf from the green scene collection. I worked on small areas at a time and sprinkled on the scatter from the top, sides and with the tree held upside down to ensure good coverage from all sight angles. Then in a few areas I introduced a darker green leaf scatter colour as I wanted a later summer look. When you are adding the scatters, make sure you do it over a bowl or someting to catch all the scatter that doesn't stick, very wasteful otherwise. I've added one more close up of the bark, to show how much detail is possible using very simple techniques. It's just deep gap ready mixed filler pushed into place with my fingers, add a few details with a small screw driver or sculpting tool, allow to dry thoroughly (over night) then add the paint and powders. Add as much lichen and moss as you want (I use the tea dust you get from a box of teabags for this). Thats the brown stuff you can see in the V of the tree in the close up. Mark

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

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