The Budget Wargamer

Low Cost Trees

by Scott Mingus

I use Woodland Scenics model railroad trees for key battle areas or for areas that will be photographed. However, these can be very expensive for large scale wooded areas (Wilderness or Chantilly for example).

Stealing an idea from my old model railroad days, here's what I do for low cost fill-in trees to add bulk to the ACW scene.

1. I get the thick plastic sheets from 3 ring binders that my company is always discarding. These are the black or white plastic protectors that are often 8.5x11" and are used in front of the fi8rst page in many business presentations. Since the binders are being trashed, I recycle the sheet protector pages.

2. I drill small holes in the base of the plastic sheets, and glue roofing nails in place through each hole (the base of the roofing nail is glued to the underside of the plastic sheet. I space these in random patterns, or in small rows for orchards.

3. I paint the shaft of the nail matte black using Apple Barrel colors from Wal-Mart.

4. I tear clumps of Woodland Scenics clump foliage off and shape into a tree, gluing this foam onto the nail. Common household sponges could also be shaped into tree forms.

5. I them apply ground foam / fine turf to the sponge or clump foliage for adding depth and color variations and shading.

6. I decorate the base with twigs, rocks, more clump foliage for bushes, etc.

7. Finally, I paint the base olive green and sprinkle find turf on as grass.

People that have seen these trees are often surprised that they are nails, plastic, and sponges. While not as impressive as the Woodland Scenics / Sunlight Vistas trees that make up most of my forests, these blend in well and add depth at a fraction of the cost of Woodland Scenics tree kits.

The Budget Wargamer Terrain Tips

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© Copyright 2003 by Marc Shefelton.
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