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

Photoetched plant leaves recreating Pteris vittata — the ribbon fern (also known as Chinese ladder brake), a real-world tropical and subtropical fern species found across Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Use it to add botanically-correct vegetation to your dioramas instead of generic green plant material.

The PE sheet captures the distinctive long, narrow leaflets of Pteris vittata in scale — far thinner and more accurate than plastic or paper alternatives could be. Each leaf is etched in fine metal that bends to natural shapes and accepts paint cleanly.

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:

• Tropical and subtropical dioramas — Pacific theatre, Vietnam War, modern conflicts
• Riverbed and stream-side vegetation — Pteris vittata grows in moist conditions
• Botanically-accurate scenes — when correct species matters for realism
• Vignettes featuring tropical undergrowth and natural ferns
• Wargame terrain — tropical and jungle skirmish boards

Key features:

• Photoetched plant leaves — Pteris vittata (ribbon fern)
• 3 scale options (1/48, 1/35, 1/24)
• Bendable to natural shapes — holds form once shaped
• 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. Gently bend each leaf to create natural drape and curvature
3. Prime with metal primer, then paint with acrylics — vibrant greens with darker shadow tones
4. Attach to scratch-built stems or directly to the diorama base with CA glue
5. Add weathering pigments to integrate with the surrounding ground cover

For other PE plant species, see our PE Tropical Plant 2 (Asplenium Nidus) for bird's nest ferns and PE Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) for temperate fern species.