1:72/1:87 Kapradí

Ferns for 1:72 and 1:87 Scale

This is a scenic vegetation material from the Czech manufacturer Model Scene, not a kit. The package contains individual fern plants prepared on a carrier sheet. The modeler takes them out one at a time, shapes them carefully into a natural form and glues them into the terrain. The size of the plants matches 1:72 scale as well as the slightly smaller 1:87, so the material will be used by builders of military dioramas as well as of layouts.

What ferns look like in nature

Ferns are among the typical plants of shaded and damp places. They grow under the crowns of trees, at the edges of forest tracks, by streams, in rock crevices and around old walls. They are marked by long pinnate fronds growing from a single point into a fan, and the young fronds unroll from a coiled tip. That is exactly why ferns immediately reveal that a scene represents damp, shaded terrain.

Use and application tips

The plants are set into the terrain one at a time, best with tweezers into a drop of super glue or PVA glue. Do not place them regularly: in nature ferns grow in irregular clumps, densest in the shade and along the edges. Around the foot of the plants it is a good idea to scatter a little fine static turf or leaf litter, so that the transition into the ground is not visible. In terms of color the set can be refined with a hint of darker green sprayed from a distance with an airbrush, or with very fine drybrushing in a lighter green on the tips of the fronds to bring out the depth of the growth.

Who the material is for

• Builders of dioramas in 1:72 and 1:87 scale
• Modelers who want realistic damp forest undergrowth
• Railway modelers completing slopes, field boundaries and woodland areas
• Beginners, since the work calls for no special technique

This is a scenic accessory, not a model kit. Glue, paints and the base material are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.