Ola People

After reading the titel you all might think: "Yup the time has come Robert is going Nuts but no, I`m not in a Philosophical mood Nor am I trying to teach you some biology
I will first explain where this story comes from. I used to be somebody who spend a reasonable amount on the waterside fishing. But since I don`t have much time for that and because I lack the good equipment I quitted. Still I have a good friend who still spends a lot of time on the water. Last week I visited him where he was asking him the question: "Will they bite" and then suddenly something caught my attention. I walked to the waterside where this reed was standing and then more on the top of the reed you`ll find a huge Brush-like thingy. I decided to get myself one of those brushes to examine it and in first sight I thought they would be very usefull as camo on vehicles. I decided it was worth an experiment or two and threw it in the Bicycle-bags of my Black Empo (that is my bike of Dutch manufacture)(Really Useless information I know)(but it is a nice story till now)(let me talk) When I reached home my Bike together with the bags and contents went into the shed and I actually forgot about the reed and went on for a week.
Then after having visited the monument in our village where we Remembered the Fallen people of the war (4th of May is the day to remember) I stood in the shed smoking a Cigaret (It was too rainy outside I wouldn`t keep my Cig dry.) then I saw that brush againin the bags of my Black Empo. Well to make a long story a bit longer...................................................................
I started to play a little around with it. bending some branches here folding a branch or two there well you got the point. And what do you know before I knew it I had quite a nice tree in my handsIk begon er een
While I was writing this Post I also made a couple of pics of the result of my Fiddling so you guys can see how it turned out and looks.
The tree itself:



And it doesn`t look ugly when used as Camouflage on vehicle either... Check yourself




I rest my case and stop babbling around. I`m impressed by it and I`m planning to use this a lot in future dio`s I hope I could convince you guys.

I have sen those before along the bank. I never though of them as camo for our models. thank you for sharing a new light on the subject. Now I have to find me some and try it out.

I like it on the stug - it looks really good. Not sure I like it as a stand alone tree. It's a bit to 'skinny' for me. But that's just me. It has a nice overall shape to it and a natural tree 'flow' that works.

If I remember correctly, I think this reed could be a good representation of a large bamboo tree(?).

I haven't been by any streams lately here in Sweden so I don't know if it exists here. Thanks for sharing...

Ola Herr Dr.Blokker,
I see your inventions and discoveries are full speed on the vacation. This is really good to use in dioramas. I agree Slodder it looks better on stug but it can also be used after some modicifacitons.
best regards

Ola People

I`m glad you guys like it. Indeed it looks very nice on the stug but as tree it does it`s job very well too. I guess I can go away that Mother nature did her best to create a huge diversity of trees and other vegetation.

Ola Robert !! I think u have come up with another good idea here. I agree on skinny trunked tree but in general is a multiple use thingie so ....good for u to have it and for us u shared. In coming days i ll present u another version of tree stuff that i have found on a top of a mountain, in a location hard to get it but i think that will be as good as yours ..

The single branches of it will look great as bamboo (or something similar) in Pacific/Vietnam dios. Gread job in finding cheap materials, neighbor. (you people in the NL really have a good hand for dried plants ... )

CU

Frank

Faust I believe what you have is the flower stalk of a reed minus the flowers which have likely been blown or fallen away during your storage leaving the the flower bracts. While the "branches" does look like bamboo leaves the whole stalk would make an excellent weeping willow tree which has droopy pale green leaves like bamboo and a light grayish-brown thin trunk. The tree has a sparse canopy as its leaves are thin just like your flower stalk. The tree incidently is sometimes found near water. We use it for ornamentals here in the Tropics and I've seen them in Canada anyway (if my memory holds) usually planted near lakes and in Japan.

I guess now what you'll need to do is to prevent the "leaves" and "branches" from dropping off. I think a little wood varnish may help.

Good find.

Although I don't know what that stuff is called, I've seen it growing wild in just about any wet or marshy area - grows about 4 - 5 feet high in very dense growths. I've used short sections to portray dried-out cornstalks in a corn field. As they are already dry in that state, they don't seem to disintigrate with time. Painting them green to make weeping willow tree branches is interesting, but I don't think the stalks are flexible enough to make the characteristic droop of the branches.

Nice little Find Bob, i have also seen that stuff around, grows in alot of the paddocks and shrublands around here, if its the same stuff, them little leafy bits get stuck in ya socks, really anoying, lol
cheers

Well, u got my attention with this one, especially that i was also involved in fishing, but had about a one year brake from it. looks like its time to go fishing again but this time spend some time looking arround....