Trees – you need lots of them to play big games of Crossfire. I’ve also knocked up a lot of hedges so there is a bit about them as well.
Trees
I’ve tried a few types of trees over the years so I thought I’d write something about them.
Bottle Brush Trees
My first trees were made by Gordon Roach (in NZ) and his brother. I think they are bottle brushs trimmed and flocked. Actually they’ve served quite well. The flock has now faded on many of them but the trees are still pretty robust and useable.
Woodland Scenics
I got a few bulk packs from Woodland Scenics. The advantage is that they’re cheap. The disadvantage is that you have to assemble them. I also found they don’t wear too well over time. Mine are now looking pretty tatty – the foliage drops off and the trunks have a tendency to break where they meet the stand.
K&M Trees
I picked up some trees from John Mclennon who’d picked them up off ebay. We think, although we’re not positve, that they are K&M trees. They all come with a plain little plastic base which I glued to a 2 pence coin and flocked.
Quite nice too. I’d get more. In fact if I’d realised how expensive Sams Trees were going to turn out I’d have got more.
Sams Trees
One of the people on the Crossfire forum recommended Sams Trees. In a burst of enthusiasm I got about 100 of the “plastic” ones, i.e. plastic trunks. I quite like them and they would have been quite cheap except for the plummeting pound and the fact that customs added 25% in fees.
I ordered a variety of sizes (35-80mm) and shapes. They all come with a little plastic base – sort of like roots – which I glued to a 2 pence coin and flocked. About half of them are deciduous trees. Some of them are fruit trees complete with orange coloured fruit. For some reason the trunks of the deciduous trees come loose from the plastic base. I had to glue them all back in. And the remainder are, not surprisingly, evergreen.
Hedges
Gordon Roach made a bunch of hedges for me many years ago. When I started playing Crossfire I realised I needed a whole bunch more. I adopted the same style as Gordon for consistency. Basically you cut strips of cork tile, paint them green, and glue Woodland Scenics green foliage on top. Simple. I’ve now got several metres of hedges … perfect for when I want to play in the bocage.