New trees for dioramas

I have too much time on my hands right now so I spend it emailing people and looking at photos of Indian and African native plants that I may want to include on the dioramas. Well a couple of months back Danny sent me a photo of a pr of gerenuk, in almost the exact position that mine are in, next to a thorn bush. I immediatly fell in love with the bush, and asked if it could be made. The good news was it could, the bad news was not for several months could it even be started. So now I have been looking and looking at the photo and decided that I might be able to make it as I make other plants and bushes. There is also a tree called a pandanas tree, which I have seen on several trips to Borneo and Sulawasi, that I didn't know was very common in India. It is a medium tree, about 30 to 40 ft tall for most species, but it has prop roots to support it as it gets quite top heavy and lives in muddy loose soil where I have seen it in the wild. Here are some details and photos of each one.

Well this is my second try. The first try I put way too many thorns on it and it looked really funny when compared to the photo. (Danny, when you read this could you post the photo I am talking about?) Well, I like the basic frame of the bush that I made so I removed all of the thorny branches I had done, replaced them with new branches and started over. The process to this point has taken me 3 days of working on it with occasional breaks and in between doing some other work. I have none of the smaller terminal branches done yet, this is just the beginning, I figure if I don't get too frustrated doing it I should be done in 2 to 3 weeks, and that is with no leaves on the tree, just the branches and thorns. I have to glue each thorn on individually, one by one by one, and sometimes I do it for an hour at a time before I start to lose my vision.

Here are two photos, the first of the tree, the second a close up of the branches.
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Here is the pandanas tree frame, the trunk is ringed, and the foliage looks like pampas grass growing on top of each of the terminal branches. I have just started to make the leaves, I am using the same material that the palms are made of, but I took the wire out of the hobby paper. I need the leaves to be loose and fall over towards the ground. I also have to add more prop roots and detail them, they are ridged but not ringed like the trunk. I will have this one done and on the diorama in a week, the main thing that takes time is cutting the leaves pattern, shaping and painting them.

Here is the frame, I chose a young tree as the first one to make because I have never made one before, but the next one will be an older, taller tree with many more branches.
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I have spent 3 days just working on the thorn bush and pandanas trees. I took a few hours and cut out about 400 leaves for the pandanas and while on breaks from glueing thorns and leaves I added the foliage to the first pandanas tree and made a second one. Here are two photos, one of the two new trees and the other of the thorn bush with Ana's pr of gerenuk, the female is feeding in the tree.
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It looks really good Phil!

Great work Phil. They look amazing.

Thanks for the compliments. I am getting better at making the thorn bushes, and I can do it in less time. The first one took about 8 days from start to finish. I made another one in 4 days, but I still have to finish the leaves and attach them, so my guess is 6 days total. I like it so much better I think I am going to take the other one apart. It takes so long to get the thorns and leaves that I am going to save them off of the older one, but the frame and branches are easy to make, and I usually make several at a time.

I have taken a couple of photos, one of the older one on the diorama, and the new one that still has to have the foliage added. I have started cutting the leaves, I think I will add less then in the first one, I have gone over the photo Danny sent me and the internet looking at young acacia bushes and the foliage is very small, (smaller then I can make) and doesn't show up well among the big thorns. Once the tree grows and the leaves fill out is when you can see the big green trees, but there are several species from South Africa that never get very big and do not make a lot of leaves.

Here is the new thorn bush, sorry the photo isn't that good, but it was the best I could do at the time
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This is the older one in front of the kopji, if I replace it the smaller one will take it's place.

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I have lots of thorns left, and I can make as many leaves I want, so it you are interested in a thorn bush for your dioramas, now is the time to ask as I am not too excited about making more when I run out of thorns. I didn't know how many I would need so I have enough to make at least 5 or 6 more bushes. I may make another one for me, to replace the first one I did, but the rest I am just going to put into my hobby shelves and use them later or if someone wants a bush. When I say small, they are between 6 and 8 inches tall (the first one is about 10 inches tall) and at least 4 to 5 inches at the widest point, and they fit perfectly with the Schleich scale. All of my plants and rockwork has to match the animals that Ana makes for me which are in the same scale as the Schleich zebras. If someone wants a bigger one I can make it taller or wider, but it would be hard to extend it both dimensions because the thorns and leaves are glued on one at a time and the thick branches get in the way as I am making it.

i really like the pair of gerenuks

Good work Phil!!! Good work!!!