Am in need of a way of building the trunks for 1-2 Date Palms for an Iraq dio I am building in 1/35th.
http://www.defense.gov/dodcmsshare/newsphoto/2008-03/hires_080317-M-0784W-002.jpg

Anyone got any suggestions as to how to make the trunks?

Try here I followed Chas'method for the trunks and purchased some Wako paper palm leaves for the fronds.

Links dont seem to work for me

If you are linking me to this article by Chas Young it's not going to be much help for the trunks as Date Palms have a rather different look to them.But that is pretty much the method I am going to be using, thanks for trying though, appreciated .
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/2439

Hi - The links did not work for me either. I also really want to know how to do Date Palm trunks. All the instructions I've come across are for Coconut Palms. The only thing I can think of is to do it in clay. Will attempt it and post what I come up with. But if anyone knows, be so kind as to post how. ThANK YOU!

Well, heres where I am at with the ">thinking...

Make a trunk as per Chas's article, but with a broader and more rounder trunk.

Then I am thinking of using something like a seed, or a nut or maybe some split BBQ skewers to give me that kinda u shaped potrusion, then filling in the gaps with some thinned putty or wall filler...yep, thats about it sofar.

This is gonna be harder then I 1st thought.

Hi Jon

Looking at your image I can see these have a very pronounced shape/texture to the trunk. If you look at the section of trunk I show here I've outlined a shape you see running through the trunk which I think you could achieve by winding rope or string at an angle around the core of whatever you decide to make that from. If you look it resembles the plaited nature of rope and with some filling in with thinned modelling putty to make it less obvious as string I think it'll work.


Hope its of some inspiration.

Alan

Hart of the South
I recommend these for the artificial type, no real organic things used.
Bob

Had a bit of a play around with this, hence me not posting a reply.

And sorry for the lack of images, as this all very much me messing around with ideas before I commit to stuff.

1st attempt was to use a thick peice of bamboo caine, the type you use in gardening.Wrapped some fine ish string around it in a criss cross pattern, and then applied some tissue soaked in white glue around it.Then covered all that in Mr surfacer.Looked ok, but the actual, texture was reversed in the image that Alan posted.But the idea was sound.But not quite right.

So, looking at what I had done and what the actual texture looks like..I tried something out...and it kinda looks good.

Wanted to use plasticine but had to substitute that for blu tack.Am thinking of using Das Pronto for the actual job.

So, basically its a case of using a piece of bamboo, applying the clay or putty around it, and then winding the string around it quite tight.Then repeat that in a criss cross pattern, and then crossing a 3rd peice of string over that.The putty/clay will bulge out and gives you then uneven lumps produced on the trunk.

I'll try and pick up some Das clay tomorrow and get some images online in the next few days.

Alan, that was a big help with the idea, much thanks.

Hi Jon

Glad to hear it was of some help. I have to say in my minds eye it looked like the same pattern as rope but when I found an image of it and put it against it I could see the "pattern" went the wrong way for simply winding round in a diagonal.

No matter how many times I rotated the rope image I couldn't get it to match the trunk

This is the closest I got


Anyway sounds like you found a workaround, which its what its all about with creative modelling. My only other suggestion would be to maybe cover a tubular section of something like thick wire, wood, with plaster. When its dry draw a spiral section going up the trunk much like a screw thread and then carve the pattern in with a sharp nail, pin etc.. Doesn't matter if the plaster edges are rough around the scratched detail. Using dried white plaster you can map out the shape with pencil unlike soft modelling clay, expoxy putty etc. An alternative to plaster is White Milliput but I think that'll be harder to work when dry.

This is all under the context you want to create your own. Shop brought such as the Hart of the South would probably be a whole lot cheaper in relation to hours worked on it. It's like when I get an ebay "bargain". If I'd have used the time I'd spent trawling through ebay, watching the items etc. doing clients work instead I'd have earned the price of the kit three times over in income

Alan