How To Make Tree Model

Making model trees cheapest quickest technique I go full Blue Peter for this tip.

It won't be for everyone but if you're looking for an almost free, very quick and easy technique to make trees for your model railway it's hard to beat.

And in true Blue Peter style, I've got pictures of one I "prepared earlier' that show how good the trees made with this tip can look.

So without wasting time that you could be spending on your layout let's get going.

Look at the trees around you, particularly broadleaf varieties in full growth.

What's noticeable, or what I noticed and forms the cornerstone of this tip, is that on trees in full leaf bloom the branches aren't visible. They're hidden under all those glorious green leaves.

The branches aren't visible.

Think about that.

Making Model Foliage

As the branches aren't visible all that's needed to create trees then is a trunk and something that looks like the foliage growth.

The trunk is easy and I'll come to it in a jiffy.

For the foliage, we need a material that can be shaped into the crown of the tree and holds shape without branches.

For this, I've used my old friend the kitchen or bathroom sponge.

Take a dark green one and cut into the shape of a tree. (One of the best things about this tip is that that can make pretty much any type of tree just by carving the sponge to the shape of the required). Just take a look around you at natural trees if you need inspiration.

It'll probably take a few tries to get it right but it's surprising how good it looks with relatively little effort.

I just pinch bits off, using tweezers (recommended in my list of essential model making tools, tweezers are number 15 if you're interested) to grasp small pieces.

How to make the trunk

I've written before about using twigs for tree stumps but it's this tip where old sticks really come into their own.

For best results, small twigs with shoots emerging are ideal.

Look around your garden or neighbourhood for them. (I've had some odd looks when caught kneeling in the gutter of a local alleyway picking up twigs — the things I do for this hobby!).

For N scale, twigs of about 2 inches in length are best, three to four inches for OO and HO and six inches upwards for O scale.

Look for twigs with a slight taper and ideally with collars for branch buds or shoots that have broken off. The branch will be cut immediately below the collar and this end glued into the base of the layout so the collar creates the impression of the top of the root ball at the base of the trunk just as it is for real trees, particularly Sycamore, Birch, Hornbeam, Oak and Poplar varieties.

This technique is very good for trees with a central main trunk showing, if you're making trees with low branches that would be visible look (oak, acacia for examples) look for sticks with offshoots.

For good measure leave them on a sheet of paper outside somewhere so any insects in them crawl out and then microwave them to dry them out.

Once dry, sharpening one end of the twig and skewer the sponge on it.

For extra touches, I dab darker shades of acrylic green paint on recessed parts of the sponge. If I want visible leaves on the trees ⁠⁠— at the front of a layout where detail will be visible for example⁠ ⁠— I spray the sponge with hair spray and gently sprinkle small amounts of very fine green scatter over them. (Use this recipe to make your own scatter).

That's it — the majority of the "growing" is complete.

To plant your tree, drill a small hole to the diameter of the trunk in your baseboard, dribble a small amount of PVA wood glue into it and push the trunk into it. You may need to support it until the glue sets.

It really is this easy!

As promised, here's a photo of some I made earlier.

Making model trees for N and OO gauge model railways

Trees created at almost no cost, quickly and easily.

Compared to the faffing around making trunks and branches from wire and then sticking on layer upon layer of scatter as suggested in other guides, including several on this very blog it's much quicker and easier.

As for cost, it's an old sponge and a twig! Compare that to £4 or £5 per tree in model shops!

Now, where's my Blue Peter badge….

No one will miss a bit of bathroom sponge so why not have a go at making your own glorious tree now?

A final, personal, note: I spend a huge amount of time testing, photographing, writing and researching techniques for these articles and pay for all the running costs of MRE out of my own pocket. If you found this article useful you can support me by making a donation on my fund-raising page. Thanks and happy modelling, Andy.

Updated:Friday, February 5, 2021