There is no better way to showcase a foreground scene and bring it to life with realism than to incorporate a highly detailed massive Hero Tree into the scene.
The photo above shows one of our 25 cm (10 inch) Hero Trees shading an HO scale barn. This tree is only 73 feet tall in HO scale (1/87) which makes it a large, but not huge tree in reality. This tree shows our summer green foliage.
The Prototype
Like all ScaleTree.com products, we have researched the prototype and developed Hero Trees to replicate the prototype. Our first release in our line of Hero Trees is "The Oak" which will easily represent many different species of trees. A stand-alone large Oak tree will easily reach heights of 85 to 100 feet with some reaching heights of 120 feet. If you have photographs of an actual place you are using for reference for your scenery, observe how the trees most likely tower over the structures and vehicles.
The photo above shows one of our 20 cm (8 inch) Hero Trees dwarfing an N-scale two-story building as large oaks like to do. This tree is 110 feet high in N-scale (1/160) which makes it a great large tree, and well within the appropriate size. This tree shows our summer green foliage.
The Armatures
All of our Hero Tree armatures are made of twisted wires to replicate the trunk and the main branches. After we twist the branches and are satisfied with the shape of the trunk and main branches, we coat the armature with our special formula bark coating. This coating adds color and texture to the armature while keeping it flexible so you can easily manipulate and change the shape of the armature to your desired shape. RTP (Ready to Plant) Hero Trees use the planting spike to plant the tree into your diorama, layout, or scenery base.
Another added detail to each armature is the flaring of the lower portion of the trunk before it meets the ground. See the detail photo toward the bottom of this page to get a close-up view of our trunk texture coating. Each armature has a mounting pin protruding out of the bottom of the trunk to allow planting into your scenery base.
The photo above shows one of our 25 cm (10 inch) Hero Trees interacting with an O-scale two-story building. In O-scale (1/48) this tree is only 40 feet high. This tree shows our summer green foliage.
The Branches
The detailed branching structure is created using our Original BranchBunches material. The Individual branches are thick enough to be seen at a distance, so the foliage appears to be connected to something substantial, instead of floating in mid air. BranchBunches are also a dark gray to add shadowing and depth to the tree after the foliage is applied. Our BranchBunches branching material is totally synthetic which has many advantages.
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It is durable and will not become brittle with age.
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It is non-magnetic and non-electricity conductive, so it will not be attracted to motor mechanisms or create an electrical short.
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It does not contain dust-collecting glycerin, and it is non-tasty to insects and pests.
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It is not recognizable as a specific species of plant or flower. This is especially important in model photography where recognizable natural materials can easily give away the illusion of scale.
The Foliage
Our summer foliage Hero Trees come in three colors to allow a variety of tree species to be represented.
- Summer Green (Seen in the foliage detail photo)
- Medium Green
- Olive Green
Our foliage is our own special formula to follow prototype colors and texture. See the detail photo to the right to get a close-up view of our foliage in action. We add extra foliage to the trunk and main branches to simulate moss and vines or young branches.
Using Hero Trees
We recommend using our Hero Trees to showcase those key foreground scenes and then use our Forest Trees as supporting characters around the Hero Trees and to fill in the background of the scene. Use Hero Trees to interact with the structures and other items in the scene. Bend or snip off a limb to all your Hero Trees to hug or bend around a structure to represent it growing around the structure over many years.
A Note About Scale
We have designed our Hero Trees in various sizes to work in multiple scales. A towering massive oak in a small scale can also be an ornamental tree in a larger scale and a simple bush in an even larger scale. Be sure to follow your prototype photos, measurements, and research to create your scenes with realism. Use larger trees in the foreground and smaller trees in the background to add forced perspective and create the perception of greater distance between the foreground and background.
This photo shows two of our 20 cm (8-inch) Hero Trees with a grouping of our 13 Forest Trees behind them. You will also see real background trees on the right side of the frame that are lighter in color.
Sizes, Colors, and Pricing
1 Hero Tree – 30 cm (12 inch) Tall
• approx. 30 cm (12 inch) tall
• approx. 30 cm (12 inch) wide
HT0130
1 Hero Tree – 25 cm (10 inch) Tall
• approx. 25 cm (10 inch) tall
• approx. 25 cm (10 inch) wide
HT0125
1 Hero Tree – 20 cm (8 inch) Tall
• approx. 20 cm (8 inch) tall
• approx. 20 cm (8 inch) wide
HT0120
1 Hero Tree – 15 cm (6 inch) Tall
• approx. 15 cm (6 inch) tall
• approx. 15 cm (6 inch) wide
HT0115
1 Hero Tree – 10 cm (4 inch) Tall
• approx. 10 cm (4 inch) tall
• approx. 10 cm (4 inch) wide
HT0110
Production Time – 7 to 10 days
Please allow one week of production time for RTP (Ready to Plant) trees. Our trees are all made by hand here in Canton, Georgia.
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