Rusty Race Cars ?

The diorama update....where it’s up to now.
I’ve built up three trees using cuttings from a Japanese Maple, grouping a few and trimming off unwanted shoots. I have added extra branches using offcuts to fill out the basic tree shape by drilling out the ‘trunk’ and superglueing new branches into place. I’m currently awaiting ‘seafoam’ to create foliage - a product used by railway and military modellers which I have never used before.
I also put together several bits of plastic offcuts, spares, etc., to resemble rusty scrap metal to spread around the undergrowth....all of which still needs more rust treatment.
The Mustang is almost there, and so is the ‘55 Chevy, but they too still need more rust detail, but I want these two cars to look like they were abandoned decades apart.
This diorama is still a long way off being finished.

Every time I see an update, it looks more and more the part.

Those rusty cars are brilliant

......a box of ‘seafoam’ trees arrived this morning !

beautiful.. how much did they cost, if you don’t mind?

Hi Ash,
The box was £24 including postage - more than I planned to pay but there are cheaper smaller packs online. I doubt if I’ll be using a quarter of this, so if you ever fancy any I can pop some in the post.
I have yet to understand how to use it, so will be studying a few more videos first - it’s all a bit of a learning curve for me.

For your information ;
Seafoam is a natural plant base, almost a fern, and apparently native to the Gobi Desert and needs matt lacquering once finished.
We’ll see in a few days if it is as good as promised - it’s worth a try.

I maybe interested in a couple for a future project
Why do you lacquer them, does that act like a kind of preserver?

They are huge though compared to what I make.. 30cm would look like one of those redwood types from overseas

I spent a couple of hours on my trees tonight, drilling the trunks and adding branches from the fronds of Seafoam - and I think I was wrong in assuming that I wouldn’t need the whole box. If I was building a 00 gauge railway or similar scale one frond would make a tree, whereas in 1/16th, one frond makes a single branch - once I have trimmed off the waste.
.....but progress is being made, and experience gained.

......and you are very welcome Ash to anything that is left ??

I have that stuff in my back garden Ron!

Thanks Ron but use it all, my project won’t be for another few years yet. If I ever do one

Don't worry about the 'wagon Ron. It will polish up nicely.

More seriously great work Ron. Keep at it, I'm loving them.

The trees !
I wouldn’t say my attempts at making trees was unsuccessful, but as with all my model making they fall short of what was in my minds eye - however in many ways they far better than I expected.
I tried to add more foliage by spraying one tree with adhesive and showering it with my Autumn collection of mixed herbs....but they all fell off when I shook the tree.....just like real life. After all, I was hoping for the diorama to reflect the Autumnal time of year.
Next - onto planting a couple of them in place and adding more ground shrubbery and grasses - but with temperatures down to zero last night I must admit I’m not looking forward to spending too much time in my unheated loft man-cave in the coming months.


I have noticed this morning that both my neighbours have ‘Buddleja’ or Butterfly Bushes in their gardens, and the old conical flower heads look similar to scale trees. I might use my legal rights to snip off a couple that are overhanging my fences....we usually prune their hedges for them this time of year anyway.
I’ll post details if they prove successful.

I think they look pretty darn good Ron. Well done.

As for fallen leaves, try here:

Leaves

It's model railway stuff so may be a bit small but I have some of the 'Natural Brown Leaves' I can send you.

Thanks Al.
Yes, checked them out, look good and as they are cheap enough I’ve ordered some.
They may be a bit small, but leaves come in all shapes and sizes - and may be just the finishing touch.

I’ve thrown the diorama together - to get the feel....and all I have to do now is glue everything solidly together and add those little final touches to complete. So next time you’ll see it, it should be in the finished section.

How do you get such outstanding results so quickly. I would still be looking at the box.

I’ve always worked fast Sam - and that’s my failing.
Once a model is finished I look back at it in retrospect generally thinking I should have taken more time to do things properly and not skip things........and being retired with little else to do, it’s become my full time job !
I’ve started to plant the trees - and here’s a comparison shot of the 1/16th Nomad next to a 1/25th ‘55 Chevy.

That is brilliant! And they are massive

Big thanks to Al for pointing me in the direction of these scale leaves.
They’ll fit my diorama perfectly.