Shoofly free-moN module - 15
Poke a hole in the pink foam, glue the tree in, bend the roots
into position, and then sprinkle some dirt around the roots to
give the appearance of an old, firm foundation. (22)
As Northern California oaks grow mostly in their own space, a
full flock of “puffball oaks” is not necessary: only six trees (and
a fallen trunk) sit on the hill to create the impression of a larger
landscape.
For both an abridged and a step-by-step video tutorial, see
“ on my YouTube channel.
22
22: Enjoying the shade provided by a deep-rooted
oak, cows keep an eye on a Southern Pacific NW2 as
it shoves gons into the shoofly construction siding,
While many oaks have branches that twist down to the
ground, it’s OK to keep yours up to reveal the great
sawdust-&-glue bark texture.
Lush Vineyard
A single mature grape in N scale is 0.003125”! Fortunately, I’m
modeling Sonoma in the spring, and before the bunches of
grapes would bow down the boughs. That still left the “simple”
challenge of creating rows of vines and mature leaves across a
good swath of scenery. When in doubt, follow the tried-and-
true footsteps of prototypical planting.
Using scrap stained stripwood, I used CA to stick stakes into
the ground at 24’ intervals, leaving each stake 5’-6’ high. Rows
are 8’-9’ apart to accommodate tractors and other machinery.
23
23: Just like a real vineyard, I had to plant stakes
and wire them before planting the vines. Stakes are
spaced 24’ apart, vines about 8’ apart and rows are
8’ to 9’ apart to accommodate tractors and other
equipment.
MRH-Nov 2013
