Amoskeag Northern - Simonds Industrial Branch

[davefoxx]

I'm not sure I can explain in writing what I'm trying to say, but I think what bothers me about those model evergreens, regardless of the specie of tree, is that they are too conical.  Look at Ian's picture.  Those trees taper in at the top, sure, but they are much fatter towards the bottom.  Not quite as severe as say a Hershey's Kiss, but not a straight cone like those model trees.

Does that make sense?!

DFF

[wazzou]

I was just going to chime in and say what DFF said.  I'd try to cut the topmost part of those model trees off, they are just too pointy. 
They look like they could stand to have the color toned down to mute them some.  They look a little dark to me.

[Ian MacMillan]

...
Does that make sense?!

DFF

No, it does, and I was thinking the same thing, I may just get some large bottle brushes and trim my own. However there are just as many that are thin as well out there  Once its all forested in as well you will only be able to see a few tops of the conifers, not their mid sections.

Bob,
Cones are not an every year thing out here. It seems to be an every other year to 2 years rotation. I did see a cone article awhile back in HO though. I think they would be too small to see here.

Bryan
Thecolor could be shifted a tad towards olive more.

[wazzou]

I'd just find a suitable color to paint them Ian.  That may help them look more in place than out. 
I agree, that with all of the great work you've done, you shouldn't compromise.

[Ian MacMillan]

I my try that new Krylon Fusion fern green on a few to see how it looks.

[Chris333]

Yeah get this pine tree thing figured out soon so I can copy it.   

[packers#1]

The color shift will hopefully also kill the sheen coming off them.
Another thing is they could maybe be shrunken a bit in size and made fatter, or be thinned out just a tad; that would probably require some experimenting though.

[Ian MacMillan]

The sheen maybe the crappy cell photo as these are as flast as can be. They are bottle brushes painted green and then flocked with grounfoam pretty evenly.

Chris,
I think for a yellow, white or red pine our best bet is to use the GSG Lodepoles and them modify them. It would give is that tall trunk and irregular canopy.

[Chris333]

I'll wait a few before I order up some pine trees.

Don't know what your doing for a backdrop, but something like this would look nice:
http://www.lancemindheim.com/1Jan%20002.jpg

[DKS]

I have to agree, those pines are just too perfect, too conical and too dark. I wonder if you might try to "beat them up"--hack out some of their guts, trim the edges so they're somewhat irregular, re-shape them to a more natural rounded shape, and paint (and/or possibly re-flock) them. More work than you'd wanted, I'm sure, but cheaper than the alternative of buying better ones.

Edit: The proto trees in your photo are also a lot more "feathery." I wonder if after modifying them, you flocked them with static grass, then re-flocked them with fine ground foam, if you could give them a bit more lightness.

[Smike]

Smash them, then reform them by hand, it should give you that non uniform look. If it doesn't work at least you had fun smashing them 

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Here's how my daughter & I made hundreds of pines for the old Mt. Coffin layout and now reside on various Free-moN modules:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/5622



You can do about 20-25 in an hour.
These make good "filler" trees, as the trunks still have that "twisted wire" look.
For the pines up near the viewer I'd probably dab on some Liquitex Stucco Paste around the trunk before painting.
(I'm going to go back and do that for the trees on the Free-moN modules, as every side is close to the viewer!)

Really like how your scene is coming along.

[Ian MacMillan]

I'll wait a few before I order up some pine trees.

Don't know what your doing for a backdrop, but something like this would look nice:
http://www.lancemindheim.com/1Jan%20002.jpg

Wont need it for the backdrop as there will be trees along it taller than your "eye". I have not done the hill on the other side of the highway yet because I have not striped the southbound lanes yet.

I have to agree, those pines are just too perfect, too conical and too dark. I wonder if you might try to "beat them up"--hack out some of their guts, trim the edges so they're somewhat irregular, re-shape them to a more natural rounded shape, and paint (and/or possibly re-flock) them. More work than you'd wanted, I'm sure, but cheaper than the alternative of buying better ones.

Edit: The proto trees in your photo are also a lot more "feathery." I wonder if after modifying them, you flocked them with static grass, then re-flocked them with fine ground foam, if you could give them a bit more lightness.

I don't mind the work, as evident by using the super trees. I'm going to go HD sometime this week and see what I can grab. I don't think the conifers that I have are worth modifying.

Here's how my daughter & I made hundreds of pines for the old Mt. Coffin layout and now reside on various Free-moN modules:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/5622



You can do about 20-25 in an hour.
These make good "filler" trees, as the trunks still have that "twisted wire" look.
For the pines up near the viewer I'd probably dab on some Liquitex Stucco Paste around the trunk before painting.
(I'm going to go back and do that for the trees on the Free-moN modules, as every side is close to the viewer!)

Really like how your scene is coming along.

And I think that is pretty much what I will need to model the red pines. They look pretty damn good.

[svedblen]

Dave, I appreciate the problem modeling pines. I made an attempt quite a few years ago. Can probably be made better with other materials and techniques available today, but it might give you some ideas:

http://www.lsvedberg.se/rail/dioramas/gorge/index_files/Page359.htm

[C855B]

Lennart, I clicked on your photo link and it immediately jumped out to me as "eucalyptus!". This would be great if you're modeling Santa Fe branchlines in Southern California.