The coconut palm is ubiquitous across the tropic and subtropical areas of the globe. Basically, any coastal region or areas with ready access to water, direct sunlight, and high yearly temperatures are fertile places for the coconut palm. In most of recorded military history, many of the world’s conflicts have been fought in this same tropic and subtropical zone. Thus, where the soldiers went, so were the palms. Representing these palms in scale for dioramas has always been a challenge for modelers, and a wide variety of solutions have come about. Doing photo-etched palms is nothing new. However, the application of color to make them pre-painted makes this set quite novel. Eduard’s new set provides some palm leaves (fronds) if the modeler wishes to go the photo-etch route.

The Set

In the standard Eduard plastic package, you receive two large frets containing a total of nine full fronds. Each fret is colored on both sides, with a full range of greens and greenish-yellow that looks very close to the coloring of an actual palm. Also, each frond is unique in shape and size, so there are no duplicates.

Use

As nice as the fronds are, this is only part of the full plant. Using them would require you to make a trunk of some type, and then some coconuts. There are various ways to make the trunk which can yield effective results. I’ve seen some great ones made of wrapping medical tape around a core of heavy wire or epoxy putty rolled into the desired shape. The trunks of these trees are smooth, but can grow up to 90 feet tall. In 1:35, that means a full grown tree will be over 30” tall! The other caveat is that to make a truly convincing tree, you may need at least two of these sets and, at $35 apiece, one tree will very quickly become more costly than the kit you are displaying it with.

A better use for this set would be for a small diorama or figure vignette, where the fronds are used as ground clutter or elements of a camouflaged position, and this is how I plan on using them. Using them in a confined space would also allow for their full enjoyment, and most likely a greater appreciation by the viewer to their detail. It would be nice if Eduard produced this set in an unpainted option, as older fallen fronds would be brown/beige color, so the lovely green of the pre-painted set would have to get painted over.

To use them, simply cut them from the fret and bend them into a natural drooping position, or to conform their shape to whatever your use is. There really isn’t much else to them, and that is probably why Eduard didn’t even bother to include any instructions with the set.

Conclusions

These really are some nice looking palm fronds. With the right application, they could add a lot of detail to a small diorama, or as camouflage for a tank or even a sniper figure. The coloring is amazing and very naturally done. Of course the cost may deter many from buying these but, if used wisely, they could be spread over at least two or three projects, bringing a wealth of detail to each. I would highly recommend them if you are in need of some coconut palm fronds. Many thanks to Eduard for the review sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review them.