Matho 35038 1/35 Plants & Weeds #D

Contains 1 photo-etch sheet, etched on an ultra-thin (0,10mm) sheet of brass for realistic leave-thickness. The very fine etch-work (including leave veins) will result in some very realistic looking plants. Sheet size is 3,8 x 8,5 cm (1,5" x 3,35").
You can use the plants as a whole, or cut off the smaller branches from the main branch and either use them as ground-cover or as foliage on your own tree-armatures.

How to use and paint
Leave the plants in the fret while painting and weathering.
First airbrush a few layers of (acrylic) primer. Let it dry for at least 24 hours between each coat. After that you can continue with your regular (acrylic or enamel) colours and weathering products. Seal with a few coats of varnish. Let the varnish dry for at least 24 hours so it is hard enough to protect your paint-work during the next steps.
Always be very gentle in the following steps when handling the plants to prevent the paint from scratching.
Place the fret on a hard (for example wood or glass) surface, and cut out the plants from the fret with a fresh knife.
Use a micro file to clean up any residue of the fret. If cut well however, you will not need to use a file on straight edges.
Now use 2 tweezers to turn the leaves and branches into a natural position. Use 1 tweezers to hold the plants, the other to shape the leaves and branches.
Don't forget to bend the leaves themselves as well for the most realistic appearance.
Use a tweezers (be very gentle to avoid paint scratches!) to glue them to place.
Some parts will now need some extra painting to restore the damaging caused when cutting from the fret or when handling afterwards. Use a round brush with very fine tip with your main colour to touch up the parts where you can still see the PE brass colour shining through.