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So I am doing a diorama for WarMachine. I have the models already picked out and am working on the scene itself. I feel like it needs a tree. One lonely dead, beaten down, yet still standing tree. My Google-fu is apparently broken right now. So help me out dakka. Where can I find such a thing?

Here are the pics of what I have so far.

I made my trees by twisting straightened paperclips together to make your main shaft and branches, then moulding gs over it to smooth it together, and liquid gs for texture. That will give you nice gnarled trees.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
I made my trees by twisting straightened paperclips together to make your main shaft and branches, then moulding gs over it to smooth it together, and liquid gs for texture. That will give you nice gnarled trees.

Sounds like a good way to go. I am really hoping that someone sells something like this. If I have to make one then I will.

Woodland Scenics makes scale tree armatures that work well in dioramas.

Personally, I'm a fan of using real wood as trees. Some people don't like it because they claim the tree won't be "in scale" with the miniatures, but I've seen it (and done it myself) to good effect. You can minimize or eliminate any scale inconsistencies by being very careful with what you select, so head out into the woods and have a look around.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Woodland Scenics makes scale tree armatures that work well in dioramas.

Personally, I'm a fan of using real wood as trees. Some people don't like it because they claim the tree won't be "in scale" with the miniatures, but I've seen it (and done it myself) to good effect. You can minimize or eliminate any scale inconsistencies by being very careful with what you select, so head out into the woods and have a look around.

Go outside?!? That seems scary and unnecessary.... I kid, I kid. That's not a bad idea either.

Another, perhaps easier option than moulding over an armature is doing the same first step of making a frame from wire, then wrapping the whole thing in Masking Tape. It is fast, easy, and once you hit it with paint and seal it, should be fairly sturdy.

You can use natural sources for trees: usually roots from wood trees are better since they will have more complicated "branches" than usual twigs. The downside of this method is that your tree is very vulnerable to damage.


You can always use copper wire for your own tree armatures. You can get especially thin ones from unused wires of appliances: you just have to strip them of the plastic/rubber covering. For bark it's tissue paper dipped in PVA glue. It'll look surprisingly realistic.


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Here's a tutorial on using tree roots as trees.

Thanks Paradigm not a bad idea at all.

heartserenadeMade - awesome tutorial and I might do it that way on another project I have in mind.

I found something on the YouTubes about taking brass and twisting pairs into the shape I want. Gonna try that.... Lord knows I have enough brass rod laying around from all the white metal models I seem to put together.

For game pieces I actually use copper/brass wires, with toilet paper dipped in PVA wrapped around it. They're very sturdy.

But, if you use real organic material will it not rot over time?

It will last years before it does, especially when dried well. It'll last even longer when chemically treated. I mean, we use balsa wood and lichen and tea leaves for terrain and those will also rot over time.

I'd prefer not to use anything like that in my modeling, I don't want deterioration.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
I'd prefer not to use anything like that in my modeling, I don't want deterioration.

Well the metal in your models will do that over time as well. IIRC there's an article here somewhere about an ex-GW guy pulling out his old Skaven army to find the metal had worn near all the way through on the rat's limbs.

The Woodland Scenics stuff would suit, but only if you need a big bag of the things. I'd say that yeah going out and just finding the right twig would be the most economical way of handling it. It depends on the wood of course, but watch what you pick isn't too brittle mind. I have a tree in my garden which looks perfect for scale trees, but the twigs snap too easily to use as a wargaming piece. =/

I went out to the Hobby Lobby yesterday. I grabbed a bunch of copper wire to twist. I think it will be a fun side project and hey if I learn a new skill, that's even better.

I'll post up some pics tonight when I get home from work and get a chance to actually play with it.


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Thanks for the help and advice everyone.

Here is what I came up with. I just need to grab some wood putty and make the bark. Please let me know what you think.