Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: Ignatieff on 20 August 2009, 10:08:31 AM
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Doyen of the African plains...does anyone know of anyone who makes these, or failing that, how to make them??
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Warfactory has an Acacia Tree article (http://www.warfactory.co.uk/scenery/acaciatrees.php) - twigs and steel wool, basically.
That's a great site for all sorts of scenic bits - not updated since 2006, but still one of the great scenery sites out there!
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GW makes a plastic tree set where you can leave the foliage out
I think this is the easiest and cheapest alternative
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What about these? http://www.miniaturetree.com/viewcategory.asp .
I've just ordered 2 x 3", 1 x 4" & 1 x 6" to see what they are like.
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I've been using these Schleich plastic Mopane trees, which look very much like acacias. Indestructible, and after only a green and a brown wash, they are all painted.
http://www.tjsequineappraisers.com/schleich-mopane.html
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Gentlemen (which includes any women out there),
as always a pleasure to benefit from your exeperience
thanks!
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I've been using these Schleich plastic Mopane trees, which look very much like acacias. Indestructible, and after only a green and a brown wash, they are all painted.
http://www.tjsequineappraisers.com/schleich-mopane.html
no problem with the mopane trees, but acacias look very different
not that it would matter anyway (-;
just for interest : first painters who depicted trees authentically started to do this in the 19th C
before it was simply trees
so, no need to bother as long as its not pinetrees in the desert
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Oof, nice snub, former user.
Mopane tree photo:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/375280827_ec525bfffc.jpg%3Fv%3D0&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/75404571%40N00/375280827/&usg=__B2iIZOdIzZWwcJdYcegODVdxvq4=&h=375&w=500&sz=77&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=0Vmxd4HvQ3SjpM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMopane%2Btree%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF-8
acacia tree photo:
http://img5.travelblog.org/Photos/46445/233055/f/1890701-Acacia-Tree-and-Saltpan-0.jpg
Must be at least a few others who think they look similar.
Chick
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not if you have seen some in reality (-;
you shitting me?
course they look similar
it's the same picture!
here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acacia_Negev.JPG
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Elefant_etosha.JPG
beside the elephant
but as I said, good idea anyway
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Not the same picture, but it is the same tree.
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But there is this one on the same site.
http://www.tjsequineappraisers.com/schleich-umbrella-acacia.html
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11" high though! Might work in a Lost World scenario, but.....
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Well, 11" is about right for a realistic tree for 28mm models...
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Some of the Schleich trees are glorious - and although tall, you only need 1 of them.
ELC used to make some quite good ones (but haven't seen any for a while now).
I'd even consider Playmobil - some of their terrain is adaptable.
I used to use Britains oak trees - probably about 10 inches tall - when playing Vietnam in 20mm. To be fair I only used 4 oak trees plus 3 willow or ash (about 6 inches high) and a bag of lichen, to give a jungle area 3 feet square.
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So, former user, of those two photos of the same tree, which one is mislabeled by the photographer, the 'acacia' or the 'mopane' ?
I couldn't tell from the photos you linked.
Chick
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But wait, there's more
Africa has around twenty species of acacia. Australia has about a thousand species.
There was a bizarre campaign by South Africa to make us rename them racospermum - boy, that's a true marketing opportunity. "Acacia" is simply a common name anyway and can be used for a wide range of plants. In Australia, a spread of acacia can be referred to as mulga.
Acacia in Australia can a reasonable size (and are generally not eaten by giraffes)
http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/301610241318/012_2.jpg (http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/301610241318/012_2.jpg)
They can be prostrate and small
http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/301610241318/001_2.jpg (http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/301610241318/001_2.jpg)
So many photos of Australian acacia as to make your head explode:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/photo-list.html (http://www.anbg.gov.au/acacia/photo-list.html)
My apologies for the length of post but it's the legacy of being married to an Australian botanist.
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Fantastic. Completely bonkers. I can feel the anorak tightening around my face........ lol
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Sad but true, Ignatieff.
She also reacted badly when I asked where the giant gorillas hid in them.
Quite unreasonably, I thought, given she doesn't object to my Christmas penguin on top of the tree each year.
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Ach, modern women. They will never understand the joy of a tightening anorak as you get to the dicussion on the 996th specie of Acacia.... lol
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chick
the tree you have shown is an acacia
you can tell from the fact that acacia is an aridity adapted tree, found in many places in the world
so, if you see a dry environment around, it must be an acacia
also acacia can become residual vegetation, meaning that an old tree still remains alive when everything else is gone and now new acaia could grow
whereas mopane belongs to a semiarid or more humid (than for acacia) climate, recognizable from the fact that there is also other vegetation around
also, mopane is endemic to southern africa and named after the mopane moth (really pestering beasts) which lay their eggs there because they eat the leaves
the mopane is very valued around ethnic population, because the worm/caterpillar stage of the moth is a very rich source of protein and when fried, looks like sausage. haven't eaten any, but other europeans tell me it tastes ok
another sidekick - in addition to the many uses of acacia (check the wikipedia article on that, it's really interesting) I made the personal experience that the thorns make excellent toothpicks when you don't have any (-;
but the botanist wife can be surely more precise on that
but again, using the schleich or playmobil trees for africa is OK, no matter how you name them
I personally like the acacias from playmobil
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Thanks, former user.
Chick
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what about a scratch build, use roots or dried rosemary with the leaves stripped off, base on MDF and add Noch, woodland scenics or heki middle green sponge flock.
I will do a tutorial for you if you like, need to make some for or Africa Pulp game anyway.
cheers
matt
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Matt, you are really lovely :-*
You are really a god ;) "and on the fourth day, Matt made the trees, for there shall be acacias, pinetrees, oaks, mopane and giant mushrooms as well [...] and on the 21st day, Matt sculpted Adam out of green stuff...."
nothing wrong with crafting everything by oneself
but some people do not have the time to do this
so we go out and buy Schleich, Playmobil and GW
I can't imagine where I would end up if I would scratchbuild every tree
of course it looks better
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what about a scratch build, use roots or dried rosemary with the leaves stripped off, base on MDF and add Noch, woodland scenics or heki middle green sponge flock.
I will do a tutorial for you if you like, need to make some for or Africa Pulp game anyway.
cheers
matt
I'd also like to see a tutorial, as I need some "African-looking" trees, rather than my usual generic types.
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Hear! Hear! Tutorial please Matt!
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hunting for suitable branches on sunday, I know exactly where to get them ;)
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Matt, nudge, nudge, hint, hint.....where do u find em?
I work in the Blue Mountains a lot - any clues? ;)
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Careful lads, I've seen Home and Away. Every time anyone strays away from civilisation and walks into the bush they twist their ankle, fall down a cliff, somehow get knocked out, or are bitten by something and the whole town has to search for them for about five episodes.
So let's be cautious out there while gathering twigs, eh? :)
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Careful lads, I've seen Home and Away. Every time anyone strays away from civilisation and walks into the bush they twist their ankle, fall down a cliff, somehow get knocked out, or are bitten by something and the whole town has to search for them for about five episodes.
So let's be cautious out there while gathering twigs, eh? :)
They'll be ok as long as somebody calls Skippy the bush kangaroo, he'll find them... ;)
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Nah, he got a redundancy package!! ;)
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no pressure then :P
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They'll be ok as long as somebody calls Skippy the bush kangaroo, he'll find them... ;)
Skippy has no doubt been made into dog food a long time ago and his pelt made into handbags for tourists.
I always laugh when I see the close up shots of his paws, passing a note or opening a beer or something - they used a pair of "glorified back-scratchers" .
It's amazing what we do with our beloved native fauna. :)