# Who makes tree miniatures (and related outdoor scenery)?



## Kichwas (Sep 20, 2003)

as per the subject line, where can I get miniatures of trees, rocks, and other outdoor scenery.

Having just bought a full load of dwarven forge stuff from eBay, I'm eager to fill out the collection for when they step out of the dungeon...


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## scholz (Sep 20, 2003)

arcady said:
			
		

> as per the subject line, where can I get miniatures of trees, rocks, and other outdoor scenery.
> 
> Having just bought a full load of dwarven forge stuff from eBay, I'm eager to fill out the collection for when they step out of the dungeon...




Try a hobby store that specialises in model trains or airplanes. They tend to have all sort of great and cheap foliage (also good for sheep and cows) 

-steve


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## Brother Shatterstone (Sep 20, 2003)

This really seems like it should be under the "Art Gallery, Cartography & Miniatures" section...

To answer your question...  Cathedral Miniatures (Game Workshop) makes some, but they’re probably a tad bit expensive.

Also you might want to try a hobby railroad train store as most of that hobby is based upon making realistic terrain.   I would guess "HO" Scale but I truly don't know enough about that hobby to give a real detailed, or accurate answer.


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## Crothian (Sep 20, 2003)

I second going to the hobby train stores.  I used to get all sort of great scenery for my train layouts for really cheap.


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## Kichwas (Sep 21, 2003)

This might be an option:
http://www.scenicexpress.com/supertrees.html

Anyone have experience with them?

Didn't know there was a miniatures section here. If this thread belongs there, then I guess the appropriate person in authority should move it.


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## Maerdwyn (Sep 21, 2003)

If you can get to a local Michaels store - especially at this time of year -  you'll get great stuff cheap.

Michaels, for those who don't know, is a large US chain of arts and crafts stores, and during September through December, they start stocking their "Christmas Village" supplies. In the two years I've been buying this kind of stuff, it seems to be all gone by about the end of October, with only sporadic restockings through Christmas. 

Much of this stuff (the buildings, snowmen, children playing, etc.) is kind of cutesy-cheesy, but you can get great evergreen trees in bulk for really cheap. They often have fake snow sprayed on them, but this can be covered with a fine coat of green spray paint. they are on small and light wooden bases, which I needed to weight down with a penny to keep them upright. Deciduous trees aren't as easy to find, as this stuff is supposed to be for "winter villages." There are also great hard styofoam mountains, latex rivers, stone walls, etc., all prepainted and cheaper than similar stuff at a hobby or game shop.


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## Brother Shatterstone (Sep 21, 2003)

arcady said:
			
		

> Didn't know there was a miniatures section here. If this thread belongs there, then I guess the appropriate person in authority should move it.



Well now you know.


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## Terry Edwards (Sep 21, 2003)

Pay this site a visit

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/

They will show you how to make anything you need with minimal cost.


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## Cthulhu's Librarian (Sep 21, 2003)

Maerdwyn said:
			
		

> If you can get to a local Michaels store - especially at this time of year - you'll get great stuff cheap.
> 
> Michaels, for those who don't know, is a large US chain of arts and crafts stores, and during September through December, they start stocking their "Christmas Village" supplies. In the two years I've been buying this kind of stuff, it seems to be all gone by about the end of October, with only sporadic restockings through Christmas.



I was just at the local Michaels a week or so ago, and noticed that they are now selling "Halloween Village" sets that include lots of bare trees, graveyards, skeletons, ghosts, and haunted houses. Some suitable to using in a game, and others only if you like big, cheesy pumpkins in your dungeons.


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## Voobaha (Sep 22, 2003)

All of the above advice is pretty good, especially that Terragenesis website, if you're into the hobby of making terrain.  It's very Games Workshop oriented, but there are lots of good ideas there.

Raw materials for making rocks and hills can be found at your local hardware store.  Here in the U.S., Home Depot sells pink "foam insulation" board for $5-10 for a huge wall-sized sheet.  This styrofoam is much more finely granulated than the beaded kind used to pack stereo equipment in boxes with, and is superior to work with.  With a cheap hot wire cutter, you can make all sorts of cool rock formations.  Cheap Acrylic paint (Apple Barrel is a good brand at Wal Mart and Michaels) to paint the foam board.  Spray paint has propellants that melts the foam, but makes for a cool cratered landscape.  

Some companies that make terrain:

Games Workshop makes good trees, but they are very expensive.

Model Railroad shops have Woodland Scenics Tree sets in various scales.  Some are premade in a bag (in green, fall and conifer styles).  Some come as kits where you put the foam foliage on plastic treebranches and make them yourself (It's pretty easy).

Railroad shops also sell cheap flocked mats which unroll (in theory as a base for your train display).  They're about 4'x6' and could work as a grassy field for miniatures to run around on outdoors.

Epicast makes a full line of Sci-Fi, historical and fantasy terrain out of Resin at a reasonable price.  The pieces are unpainted.  Check out their giant piles of skulls and Easter Island stone heads...

Terraform makes expensive resin terrain too.  Aimed at the Games Workshop crowd, it's also unpainted.

"Pegasus" went out of business, i think.  They made a whole line of 25mm buildings and terrain (stone statues, fountains, a witches' cottage, etc) that came pre-painted.

Microtactix (I think that's their name) sells cheap PDF files of cardstock terrain and foldup figures for every RPG imaginable.  I remember one of the lines was called "village on the cheep...or cheap)".

WOTC has an area on their website with PDFs of full color buildings and castle walls which they posted for free (there are like 12-15 buildings to download) as part of their online support for Chainmail.

Geo-Hex also recently went out of business, but their stuff is still floating around for sale out there.  They made a bunch of high quality 4'x6' flocked mats (grass, desert, space) for gaming.  They also made an elaborate geomorphic 1'x1' hexagonal gaming terrain system (premade and kits) with which you can design your own (fancy) gaming tables.  This is aimed at serious miniature wargamers or battletech enthusiasts.


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## pogre (Sep 22, 2003)

I really like this guy's trees.


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## shadowlight (Oct 2, 2003)

I always use woodland scenics materials for trees: http://www.woodlandscenics.com/

They're really easy to make and hold up pretty well.  I generally get them at a hobby shop (Ryder's) but you can find them online too (incl. eBay).


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