"Model trees" Topic

This year I decided to focus on making scenery. One of the things I will do is more forests.
Any suggestions of reasonably priced trees? I like K&M, but will consider other options. Thanks!

The Woodland Scenics trees are very nice.

I recommend their tree kits, which will save you some money over purchasing their pre-made trees.

On ebay there are a few companies from China that offer good deals on trees. I've used "we_honest" (that's really their name!) a lot, and I think "Everest" is the other one I've used.

Just had from there about 130 for 80$ all costs. 5-6 different types.

I use tablescape deciduous trees as they are VERY hardwearing. They are solid foam castings. They come already painted. i won't say they are the best as it depends on what you need. These are great fir 15mm size figures. lovely trees. I use them for nearly all show games .(not desert or ran though!)

martin

If you are heading down to Historicon, Treegirl will be there with a new batch of trees for sale in the flea market.

If you are doing the larger scale, I have just written about three different tree sets that I put together;

LINK – link

I have Woodland Scenic trees I've used for nearly 20 years. The Bags of trees are a good deal, especially for 15mm

It depends on how realistic a look that you envision.
Woodlands Scenic trees are easy to make and are acceptable to most. You can even buy premade packs.

I make my own from Scenic Express Super Trees.
I also use their sagebrush armatures.

I feel that the result is worth the extra work. Not everyone has the time or the inclination.

I also use the cheap Ebay trees from China,however, I do an extensive reworking on them. I generally replace the flock
and rework the armatures.
You can see example of mine on the AWI board

martin you have to be kidding me right? who would pay almost $4 USD per tree. thats hilarious

I use scenic express super trees and woodland scenics trees.

Grand Central Gems makes several different types of trees… usually in three sizes (each size a different pack). They look good and are the most reasonably priced I have found. I used their pine and spruce extensively in my FIW gallery. You can see my use of them at link

Cheap trees are available through ebay from various Chinese sellers. You can use them as is, or upgrade them with more realistic colors or additional flock. The biggest drawback is that they don't come with bases, so you'll have to create a base for them of some sort. Sometimes I drill holes in a larger wooden base and put 2-3 trees on it, other times I hot glue a blob to a small piece of plastic card, stick the tree in it, and dump flock into the glue.

Hello Simo
Sorry my suggestion caused you to mock me.
What I look for in a model tree is the following.
Able to withstand a lot of handling by a variety of players.Not everyone is very careful.I play at a lot of clubs not just at home.
Tough enough to withstand 120 games per year. We play a lot of games.
strong enough to be transported to a variety of locations such as Historicon (often in my luggage) , Salute etc. I travel to game all over the place.
My present set of trees has lasted just over 15 years so far and still look great. I am seeking quality items that will be much cheaper in The long run . But your 15 year old trees seem to have stood the test of time. That is great.

I thought these criteria would be of use to other gamers who wish to spend less in the long run.
I will try the trees you suggest (woodland and scenic express) and hope they outperform my laughable choice.

I will doff my cap to your gaming experience and get some of the trees you recommend

thank you

martin

Martin, you are my hero! 120 games a year. That's the stuff dreams are made of! Thanks for giving me something to hope for.

Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks John. I play two or three in the week and often one at the weekend. Don't forget that there are more war gamers in easier reach in the UK. Most kind. Maybe we can get a game when I am in the US ???

martin

I recently bought a home and have use of the entire basement. I have a room and table set up. I have a lot of organizing to do. I also want to build my own table. Happily for me, I am off every weekend for the first time in my life. I also have been gaming more since we moved in other than when I was a teen in High school back in the 70's.

So, it is improving a little. If I have it all ready I'd love to have you come by for a game.

Thanks!

Hello John

You have it nailed….good planning John. now enjoy it.

There will be a game between us at some point.
Good wishes for your gaming

martin!

Hi John

I'm getting married next month and my wife-to-be has a huge downstairs basement.

Any suggestions as how I can claim it as my own? ;p

The camel's nose in the tent is often the least resistant method:-)

I think with trees you can't get any cheaper than using some wire and make them yourself. In most cases they will also look better than the bought ones (because you have full control of the shape).

You can simply cover them in acrylic chaulking tinted to your specifications.

I did this on these trees here:

If you want something a bit more involved you can also texture the bark using filler or fimo which leads to a very realistic result:

For these I used some seamoss, too, but works fine with wire. I use MiniNatur foliage nets, but you can obviously use home made flock. I did this with these olive trees here:

In the end it comes down to how much time and money you want to spend and to find an acceptable compromise.

I also wrote a tutorial on how to make the fancy trees:

Oak tree tutorial

It is quite involved, but as I say, if you don't want to go all the way you can take shortcuts etc.

+1 to Jefritrout re: Tree Girl. Nicely done products, available in multiple scales, young entrepreneur (entreprenice?), very reasonable prices; makes good cookies, also available for sale.
Now with my current mental addiction, errr, _interest_ in "Flint and Feather", I will be needing several more trees in 28mm scale for Northeast Woodlands terrain. Hope to see Tree Girl at the Fall-In Wally's Basement.