Hello Guys . An issue that usually arises when someone wants to do a Nam dio , is about the ground work and especially the kinds of plants and vegetation we can use in them and be precise and accurate --well as most as it can be--. So what i predict that thread to be as a lil helping library to people building these Dioramas (including my self). What we need is pictures of works on NAM Dios and some explanation on the vegetation and the main one , to name specific solutions like . for that plant i used H&A product named ........... Or that tree was made by that .

Dealing with ground work and plants my self a lot i have been asked via pm or email from many fellow modellers , and i dont feel i have a list of solutions to give. Further more i am interested in doing a very big Nam Dioat the fall of this year and i also have that questioning my self. So i wish all guys here that have seriously dealed with the item, will give a good hand.

Thank u ladies and gentlemen

Costas

I would really like to have something like this myself it would be very helpfull for newcomers also. Jungle foliage seems very hard to produce acturatly. Maybe we could make this a group topic. Though we have the Flora & Fauna group topic I think it would make it easier to have the topic to itself. Im willing to give two good hands to help out.

Hope I'm not too late Costas but anyway I will help in anyway I can. I'm no expert on Vietnam vegetation but I have done some background work on their vege some of which is also found in my country. I've also have a little experience with preserving some real stuff and would be more than happy to help out.

Yes,lets do it.
great deal to start a new topic , i haveno experience with it but I will help where I can.

Good tip could be ,pictures of the vegetation in Nam
from guys who where there during the war or recent pics from people during there jungle trips.


feelpanzer.

As someone who plans to build a Nam dio this year i think this is a great idea.

Well here is what I did for tropical foliage, this can be anywhere
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/200

http://fmj.pe.kr/bbs/zboard.php?id=lightcraft&no=9

These guys have amazing work and excellent plants

I wish....

I think you have started a very important thread here, Costas!!

Skipper

Well some stuff is starting to gather but we need more of this . Different kinds of plants and ways of making them or wwhere to get some first material and covert it or improve it.


Costas

Hello Costas,

I have an idea on how to make those banana "trees" using some raffia fibers. Raffia fiber are natural fibers used to make wreaths and sometimes those garlic displays. I already have the raffia, what I don't have it the time to make one sample. Once I finish one, I'll definitely furnish you the instructions...

Cheers

Hello Costas

Great idea to make a how-to for Vietnam dioramas plants.
About my diorama, I send you my first tips.

Seal patrol diorama river canes

I use a key holder from a Chinese bazar like this one (see picture)



We take the plants, throw out the little seeds, and put it together in groups, tie them with thin wire. Then you paint the group with aerograph in any olive green colour (mine are painted with olive green from Vallejo). After that may be dry-brushed with more light green and brown, as you like it.
At last we can glue the groups with contact glue into holes at the base (in my diorama before the water was made).



Water plants



These are made with selected pieces of parsley, glued with superglue to some little roots from a city garden, and painted with lime green from Vallejo; several washs of dark green, brown, more light green and so... look for references pictures in Internet Vietnam webs were I found mines.

Little "palms"

This are just some dry branches of a plant named "mimosa" in Spain (sorry I don´t know to english name, you can take it in flower shops, with little rounded yellow flowers). I put the braches together with superglue. Fine, easy and cheap.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/csago/7nsealpatrol.jpg">

I´ll keep on sending tips about my experience with plants for Vietnam dios (I´m working on a new one, with a mountain creek and some high trees, about a sog-macv recon team ambush).

All the best

Santiago Tre

Sorry, some problem with last picture link, this one may be good too for little "palms".

In the upper left of the the pic below you will see elephant ears they were made by aluminum pie plate. Its really easy to work with and cheap just cut it to the type of plant you want you can gently scribe the underside of the leaves to make veins in the leaves. The yukka plant below was also made with the same material. The vines in the tree were made from not sure what to call it but its the stuff they use for filler in flower arrangments. The vines in the second pic well they are are small vines i found in the woods behind my house they are really convincing you can carefully unwrap them from the underbrush than work them back on limbs of youre scale trees. Its better to get these in the fall. I will have more in my next post.

I found an ornamental ground cover here locally that does a pretty good job representing ferns for modeling. It produces leaves from 1/4" to up to 2+". Its a perennial so it has leaves all year.. in the summer they vary in color from green to silver and in the winter months they go dormant and turn brown.
Ill try and take samples to the nursery to see if they can identify it. Maybe it is something common that can be found in various areas.
The pics of the leaves are in the dormant color stage and i had to get a flower drying kit to treat them so they would maintain shape. Let me know if this plant looks worthwhile for 'Nam or jungle dios and ill pursue the identification.
seeya chris

well we re going really weell on this one i think!!!!!! When the post is more fat and completed i think i could turn it to a feature if all participants here agree, so that is gathered alltogether and is not lost when the post go down !!!!

Wanna thanks Santiago for his explanations on the nice plants on his superb dio and also Arvin and Keenan and Chris.
Chris i dont know if the thingies u found are suitable for Vientam plants (i llok yp on to it ) but they suit me perfect for russian plants and generally European newborn trees of some kind . I guess form what u say that is a natural plant . Well looks super nice for dios.


Keep looking guys and keep posting

Kancali your ferns come pretty close to 2 species of ferns found commonly here in the tropics. The one shown here below (Nephrolepis Bisserrata) together with another similar fern but having less jagged and darker leaves tend to grow well under shade. Clumping them together which is how they are often found will help improve the effect.


Costas I've included another 2 small size shrubs often found in open, disturbed (i.e. secondary jungle) areas which I've seen in Vietnam. Sorry the photo lost some of its clarity due to having to downsize it to fit my gallery. The one in the background is basically a giant version of a "Touch Me Not" and the one in the foreground is commonly known as Siam weed. Both can grow as tall as a man.


Costas I believe you have 2 photos I've sent you on shrubs and grasslands found in open areas. Sorry I can't include them as I've no scanner. Perhaps you can include them as reference photos if you do a feature.

In addition to the bamboo info which I've sent you, I've used a modification of a method written here on this forum under "Making bananas" (sorry I've forgotten the author). Its somewhere in the Fauna & Flora section. I used preserved fern leaves instead for banana leaves. Wild bananas are also a common vege in Vietnam.


BTW coriander seeds with a bit of paint can be used to simulate the nuts of coconut palms.

Its going real good this oner guys .
CK i ll try to scan the pictures and include them here as sson as possible .
Thanks on ur precious informati0on. Ure a king of the jungle plantation for sure !!!!!!


Keep on guys

A brit' company, ScaleLink, makes a lot of superb p-e plants ( from fern to palm tree...), in several scales...It 's a little bit expensive but it looks REALLY fine !
www.scalelink.co.uk