Trees from China

Inkaneer Jul 20, 2022

  1. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Has anyone used any of the plastic trees from China offered on Ebay? What is your opinion of them?
     
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  2. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    I have purchased close to 2,000 cheap neon green Chinese made trees from eBay over the years. They are not much to look at right out of the package, but with some re-working, added ground foam and a lot of patience, they make very affordable trees, especially if you need a lot. They are not the quality of "Supertrees," but they make for a decent scene. Photos below show them out of the package and about 1,800 of them in bins awaiting installation. The last few photos show some installed on my N scale layout. Buy trees for a larger scale than you model. These are mostly HO scale trees, used in N scale.

    20200813_124529.jpg 20200813_124818.jpg 20200813_152754.jpg Falls Village.jpg Fewer trees.jpg
    20220417_172114.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2022
  3. Trainguy64

    Trainguy64 TrainBoard Member

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    Wow that's a lot of trees!
     
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  4. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Could they be put back a bit and have some high quality ones closer to view?
     
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  5. sidney

    sidney TrainBoard Member

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    i like that beaver dam thats very cool
     
  6. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    I've purchased a few packages and I'm using them for backgrounds and "white space." It was hard to beat the price when I bought them although I've observed higher prices since then.
     
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  7. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Very interesting advice! Thinking on it, many folks installed trees do seem a bit small.

    What are "Supertrees"? That name is not coming into mind right now.
     
  8. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    Not sure if they are an advertiser here. I don't want to get in trouble for breaking policy but Super Trees are from Scenic Express.

     
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  9. Dogwood

    Dogwood TrainBoard Member

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    Such trees are good when they are new. The low purchase price is tempting. After about 1 year they start to crumble. Then you have these crumbs in the trucks of the locomotives.
     
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  10. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    Which trees are you referring to, the Super trees or the ones from China?
     
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  11. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    That is actually my plan. Eventually I would like some Supertrees in the foreground and can relocate some of the smaller ones to the background. THey serve their purpose for now though.
     
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  12. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    The 'clump' trees from China do start falling apart after about a year. Barely brushing against them will leave clumps laying on the ground. I used them around my bridge outside Jeans Valley and when vacuuming the layout I am constantly picking up little clumps. :(

    [​IMG]
    .
     
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  13. wvgca

    wvgca TrainBoard Member

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    i had good luck with china trees from wehonest on ebay .. they have stood up for seven years now, mind you i bought [mostly] the ones that look like fir trees , no big clumps, mostly in the three to four inch range
     
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  14. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    Having no experience with the China trees, I wonder if you give them a coat of hair spray when new would prevent debonding of clumps later on in years.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2022
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  15. pomperaugrr

    pomperaugrr TrainBoard Member

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    I re-colored mine by dipping them in diluted matte medium and sprinkling on appropriately colored fine ground foam. They are holding up very well. I also removed a lot of the loose foam from them when I shaped them, prior to the matte medium bath.
     
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  16. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I was just thinking the same thing. Of course now it may be to late as most of mine are finally glued down. :(:censored:
     
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  17. MRLdave

    MRLdave TrainBoard Member

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    I have some smaller trees on some of my NTRAK modules........I figured cheap was good since they take a beating in that application. Can't remember who I got them from, but I use "wehonest" from time to time......have some street lights on order right now, Most of these were purchased 7-10 years ago and overall, they shed less than most of the other brands. My biggest issue, is they bend easily (lots of handling ) so every setup, I have to go thru and straighten about half of them.........shouldn't be an issue on a home layout.
     
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  18. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    In portable modules like N-Trak and T-Trak, bendable trees are actually good. The alternative is breaking! :)
     
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  19. in2tech

    in2tech TrainBoard Member

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    They look really nice to me! I think things fall off of most trees? Not a big deal for me. I bought the WS ones and some on Clearance from Michaels. Great price on all of them. Got the WS ones when Hobby Lobby was offering 40% OFF coupon!
     
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  20. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    I have a large cardboard box full of the "economy packs" of WS trees purchased exactly the same way, plus "clearance" items (no need for a coupon). When both Hobby Lobby and Michaels started selling their own brands of very small trees not unlike the smallest marketed by Woodland Scenics, I grabbed those when they were marked down to more reasonable prices at the end of season.
     
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