Been watching the Tour de France bike race and got some ideas for my HO layout. One of them is the use of tall trimmed/manicured shrubbery in place of fencing. I know about clump foam for untrimmed shrubs, but I’m looking for something to give me the straight, boxy look (in HO). Not looking to anything fancy like a maze (I don’t have the room, though I like the look). I’d thought about using a kitchen sponge, but the cells look too big. And pillow or cushion foam just looks too small. Any ideas?
You could cut a block of pink/blue foam to size, paint it green, then sprinkle some green ground foam or flocking material on it before the paint dries. If you need more foam/flock later, spray with your adhesive of choice and sprinkle on more foam/flock. Repeat as necessary. Voila, block-shaped shrubbery.
Slot the scenery for an appropriately-contoured strip of thin plexiglas. Paint trunks and branches on plexiglas. Apply glue to painted-on twig locations and press down on a layer of green ground foam. Repeat on other side. ‘Plant’ hedgerow in slot.
If done along a table-edge ROW, this would give protection against unscheduled rolling stock drops into oblivion.
By using dark green foam on one side and light green on the other you can establish ‘sun’ and ‘shadow’ sides. Flecks of paint or bits of foam of appropriate color could represent the flowers that bloom in the spring, if that’s your season.
My signature explains why I won’t be exercising that option.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
NI!
you could try the green dish scrubbies - I’ve used them for hedges in other scales in wargaming to good effect. I would suggest flocking them for railroad use, i think they would look better and handeling shouldn’t be a problem.
I went to the www.walthers.com website search function and found a page and a half of hedge scenery.
Got it. And I’m ready to bite your ankles off.
I’ve seen those “green dish scrubbies” used to make very effective hedges with loose flock glued on for depth and texture.
Mike
The foam packaging that comes with Bachmann Spectrum steamers is useful for making hedges. Use a new blade in a utility knife to cut suitably-sized strips, then use a brush to paint on a coating of white glue. Follow this with a dusting of fine ground foam in the colour of your choice.
I glued mine in place using white glue applied directly to the “lawn”.
Wayne
Noch and Busch both make them.
MrB:
Just so long as you don’t say “It”.
Ow! I said it!