1/48 1/35 1/24 PE Tropical Plant 2

Photoetched plant leaves recreating Asplenium nidus — the bird's nest fern, a real-world tropical fern species with broad, undivided, ribbon-like leaves growing in a rosette pattern. The visual opposite of the feathery ostrich fern in our range — solid, broad leaves rather than divided fronds.

Bird's nest ferns are tropical epiphytes — in nature they grow on tree trunks and branches in rainforests across Southeast Asia, eastern Australia, and Polynesia. The distinctive broad, glossy leaves give them an unmistakable silhouette that adds instant tropical authenticity.

Choose your scale:

• 1/48: small-scale dioramas, aircraft scenes
• 1/35: standard military modeling — most common diorama scale
• 1/24: large-scale dioramas and figure bases

Works great for:

• Pacific theatre WWII dioramas — Solomon Islands, Philippines, Guadalcanal
• Vietnam War jungle scenes — broad tropical foliage
• Southeast Asian and Polynesian dioramas — tropical authenticity
• Modern jungle and rainforest combat scenes
• Epiphyte placement — attach to scratch-built tree trunks for tropical detail

Key features:

• Photoetched plant leaves — Asplenium nidus (bird's nest fern)
• 3 scale options (1/48, 1/35, 1/24)
• Broad, undivided ribbon-like leaves in a rosette pattern
• Cut from fret with hobby knife or PE scissors
• Attach with CA glue (super glue)

How to use:

1. Cut individual leaves from the brass fret with a sharp hobby knife or PE scissors
2. Bend each leaf to create the natural rosette pattern radiating outward from a center point
3. Prime with metal primer, then paint with acrylics — vibrant glossy green with slightly darker shadows at leaf bases
4. Mount on a tree trunk or branch with CA glue (these are epiphytes — they grow ON trees, not in the ground)
5. Add small moss accents around the base for authentic rainforest feel

For other PE plant species in our range, see our PE Tropical Plant (Pteris vittata) for ribbon ferns and PE Ostrich Fern for temperate fern species.