A GUIDE TO BUILDING ICONIC AUSSIE GUM TREES a step by step guide to modelling the symbolic trees of Australia, with Dan Pickard
About these humble gum trees... Gum trees are the essence of the Australian flora. It just wouldn’t be Aussie if there wasn’t a gum tree almost everywhere within eye sight. There is in excess of 700 varieties of gums (or eucalyptus to more politically correct) found on this planet, with only two of those species NOT found in our backyard! Even Australians who wouldn’t know a Banksia from a Begonia, would still probably know what a gum tree looks and smells like. Most Aussie’s may not be able to identify a particular species, but they will know “thats a eucaluypt”. That term “gum tree” also comes from the habit of many of the eucalypt species to ooze a sticky, gum-like substance from the trunk, hence becoming the generic term for most eucalypts. With so many varieties of trees around, the models I describe today should be considered a fairly generic version of the tree. Some of the more common varieties of gum trees found around us include Manna Gum (also known as White Gum, or Ribbon Gum), River Red Gum, Snow Gum, Grey Gum, Stringybark, Scribbly Gum, Spotted Gum, Ghost Gum, Mallee Gum and Ironbark. There is also the giant varieties, which include Mountain Ash, Messmate and Tasmainian Oak. If I were to place a general variety name to the trees I will describe modelling in this clinic, they would probably be considered either Manna Gum or Mallee Gum (as well as some of the larger Mountain Ash variety). I would like to point out that this is my twist on modelling a gum tree, but there are ceratinly some other excellent methods out there, previously well described by some fellow local modellers. Two of which have inspired myself to develop this method, are Murray Scholz and Rod Hutchinson. Murray provided a clinic at the 2007 Australian Narrow Gauge Convention on modelling wire and clay trees, as suitable versions of more gnarly trunked Red Gum (technique also described in Narrow Gauge Downunder #26, July 2007). Rod has also conducted various clinics at Narrow Gauge Conventions, with a focus more on HO scale tree and scenery techniques. I must also make time to mention of two other local modellers who have been a significant influence to me in the development of these models. Firstly, Alan Rocket, whose depiction of Australian scenery in his “Puffing Billy” tribute has undoubtably inspired many. Secondly, John Hunter, who has also been an early influence to me personally (almost a mentor in many ways), and was one of the first to demonstrate to me what can be done with a dried up old sedum cutting. I have simply taken what I have seen, learnt and enjoyed over the years, to develop my method, which I hope you will find useful in your own modelling.
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