The Magazine For Slot Car Enthusiasts
Building Trees - Joe Aquino's expert help for meodeling them
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Woodland Scenics products and codes

1. Turf Earth T42
2. Blended Turf Green Blend T49
3. Weeds T46
4. Lichen Natural L166
5. Lichen Dark Green Mix L168
6. Lichen Light Green Mix L167
7. Scenic Cement matte formula S191
8. Scenic Sprayer S192
TREES for the DRAGON
By: Joe Aquino

I needed some special trees for the DRAGON. I wanted beat up and old looking trees that looked somewhat natural with dead leaves and branches and a bent trunk here and there. I have never made trees before this project, it turned out to be very easy and takes about an hour per tree. Try to remember these things when building trees:
1) They grow towards the sun so the tips of the branches should always face upward unless damaged.
2) Most trees are not of perfect shape or condition; consider their location before applying the Lichen.
3) Have some pictures and books opened up for reference as you build your tree.
Procedure

Take the twigs and look for a grouping with a couple of branches joined, cut it out to look somewhat like a Y. Leave the trunk longer than you need for holding during construction, you can cut it down later.

Using the Dremal drill some holes 1/8” deep at a 45* angle, staggering the locations opposite of each other, don't worry about them lining up. Trim up some small branches and carve the ends to fit in the holes with your Exacto knife. (NOTE: You want tight fitting twigs so they stay put until the glue dries.)

Take some of the clay and ball it up to a 1” ball, then flatten it on the bottom and stick the tree trunk into the middle. Glue the twigs in place and let it dry completely before going any further.
You will need the following items:

1) Twigs, I used Crepe Myrtle twigs.
2) Sharp end cutters to trim the twigs.
3) Testers wood cement.
4) A drill bit, that's a little smaller than the twigs you picked.
5) Dremel . (Don't leave home without it!)
6) Modeling clay. (Used to support the tree during building)
7) Exacto knife with #11 blade. (I guess a pocket knife would work to)
8) Empty spice shaker bottle the kind with the big holes.
9) Various jars to mix colors and store them. (I used plastic peanut butter jars)
In The Beginning
Tucked Into The Curve
While that's drying take out the Lichen and clean out the bad stuff. (NOTE: I recommend doing this out in the garage, it’s really messy.) Once the tree branches are dry it’s time to start applying the Lichen. (NOTE: I placed the trees in the desired locations and turned them to point in the correct viewing direction marking the back of the trunk with a dot for reference.)

Use the wood cement to attach the Lichen to the branches; Tweezers can be used to hold it in place until the glue bites. This takes a little time and you need to let it dry at stages between applying more. I like to mix up the colors and use the natural to model dead branches. Once the tree has the desired shape let it dry before the next step.
For my leaves I mixed 75% Blended Turf Green blend with 25%Weeds in a jar, before transferring it to the spice jar shaker. Holding the tree over some cardboard, spray the Scenic Cement over the tree using a sweeping motion. Set the tree in a collection box (like the top of a shoe box) then sprinkle it with the Turf mix. Go light, this step can be repeated until you achieve the look you want. (NOTE: Let the adhesive dry before repeating the process.)

After the tree is dry you can add some more twigs and glue them into the Lichen to represent dead branches. When it’s all done spray it again to set the ground foam turf.

That’s it, now kick back under a tree and watch the race.

Joe Aquino at the THE DRAGONS LAIR