A first mock-up with Orange tree, windmill, smudge oil tank, standpipe and weirs is shown above.
After I routed the furrows, I painted the base a brown color and sifted fine earth (from the backyard) into the wet paint.
The available orange trees don't look like the real thing, so some upgrading was necessary. I used ready made trees from Woodland Scenics and the Orange Trees from Life Like, although these have oranges added, they look like a wire brush, so I sprayed the trees with spray adhesive (3M or similar), waited until the glue was tacky and then rolled them into a mix of medium and dark ground cover.
In the back are the ready made trees from Woodland Scenics and in the foreground the upgraded Life Like trees with foliage and oranges added.
A first batch of some 20+ trees before I ran out of adhesive and foliage.
To attach the oranges I used a strong hairspray (the cheapest I could find, not my wife's, though) and sprinkled the Woodland Scenics oranges all around.
I sat the finished trees aside to dry.
Next weekend I will make the rest of the orange trees (about 50+ needed) and plant them. Some ballasting of the tracks and weeds along the orchard will be added also.
So as always, stay tuned for updates.
I can almost smell the blossoms in the heavy night air. Great job so far.
ReplyDeleteWait until all the orange trees are planted. :)
ReplyDeleteI like how full and large your trees are, just as they were before the citrus industry started trimming them on both sides.
ReplyDeleteI studied a lot of pictures and also took photos when on vacation in SoCal. I like the more rugged look versus the almost round styles found on other layouts. It looks more realistic, at least from the point I saw them. Marge if you have helpful hints or you see inconsistencies in my citrus modeling, don't hesitate to correct me.
ReplyDelete