The World Of Twilight

First thing I'll say is that I'm no good at concept sketches so you will have to use your imaginations until it's finished.
So my idea was to make a home for everyone's favourite Travelling Biologist, Gil Masharl. (Even Travellers need somewhere to go back to) Treehouse was the idea that then stuck, after all, surely he'd be as close to nature as possible?
Anyone who has been to Disneyland Paris will recognise inspiration from a certain treehouse there!
The idea is a very open series of platforms with tent like roofs. Somewhere for rest and somewhere for studying those samples he's been collecting and of course lots of critters and creatures about.
It's still in fairly early stages but I shall endeavor to post pics along the way. Constructive critisism welcome, it's the first time I've done anything like this  ;D

I started on the tree with a cone of firm card, stuck to mdf base, then covered with air-drying clay. The thinner branches will be made from good old plastic model train scenery bits but I wanted a good sturdy looking trunk to support the platforms.

Next we have the start of the tree house platforms. Combo matchsticks, lolly sticks and balsa!
Large platform will be living quarters/study
Small platform is bedroom.
Rope ladder to get into the house so that it can be pulled up for added security against any nearby Devanu!
I needed to get these made before I went any further with the tree so that I could fit it around them

And last up for today, this horrible gooey mess is fine silk that has been soaked in watered down pva and is now drying. This will be the canopy roofs of the main rooms. Hope to get more done over the weekend.
Please excuse the horrible pics, taken on a phone!

Looking good so far.  Interested to see it when it is finished.

That tree looks massive! :D

Cool idea, will be interesting to see the tree and platforms come together.

Perhaps throw a mini in the pic next time to give a sense of scale. :)

I like the inventiveness!
Pm me your address if you would like and I'll send you some more critters to scatter around the place  :)

This is a great start.
Another vote to post the tree with a Fubarnii next to it, just to see the size of the tree.

Yet another vote to see the scale of this tree.  :)

This was the tree yesterday, hit a snag when it needed some first aid (I dropped it!) hence all the pva still drying on it.
I forgot to put a model in for scale but will try and remember for next update. Base is slightly smaller than A4 to give you an idea, it's big!

Wow! That is one mutha of a tree :D

That's an impressive centrepiece!

for having to do some repairs it's still coming along nicely. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.   :)

That will really stand out on a games table, and will be the focus point for sure.  :)

The tree has some leaves! It's a bit shiny still so I'm going to spray with matt varnish. Gil is in one of the pics for scale.

That is huge! Are you still going to add those platforms? You'll have to try and come up with a good scenario to use it...

Yes, platforms are all ready to go on. Then just got to flock base and get some critters on it.

I've not had chance to send critters yet, but you can hopefully add some soon!

Ohhhh, the tree is coming along really nicely! Keep it up, looking forward to see the house :)

looking good. that really is quite  a showpiece.

That is an impressive centre piece, I doff my cap to you :D

Not a problem!
I've got a few left over from Salute purchases still and some other random little animals I can use anyway.

Wow! I'm absolutely amazed by your work!

And the tree is finished!
Photos taken from the 4 sides, I will post some detail pics shortly. I've really enjoyed it but it has rather taken over the workbench recently so it'll be nice to get back to painting models! (Gil of course had to be quickly painted up for the pics!)

Gil has collected many types of critter on his travels, some of which now live in the tree with him.

The treehouse has all the comforts he would need, from a soft bed to sleep in, to a place to carry out his studies and perhaps cook a warming broth after a hard days travelling!

The purple pigs need to be kept behind fences, otherwise they have a tendency to wander! Behind Gil you can see the ladder that can be pulled up for security in case any wandering Devanu come too close.

Gil's pride and joy is his little chest in which he keeps samples of rare plants collected whilst out and about, many of which are prized for their medicinal qualities.

Awesome !
Many cool ideas here.

And lastly, I had to post a pic of one of the little baskets I made as I was rather proud of how they turned out! Very fiddly, cotton thread woven over fuse wire and the covered in pva before being painted.

Uhhhh, how did I miss the finished tree? Absolutely awesome!

Brilliant, the little details are amazing. I wouldn't know where to start, if I was chossing a favourite bit.  :)

Love it.  Nothing else to say.

Wow! I'm loving the attention to detail. Those little drawers are very cool.

Amazing! The details are stunning and you painted them just so they draw attention.

same here!   :o   :D

not only is this an amazing centerpiece. not only is this one of the most detailed pieces of terrain I've seen. not only did that tree come out looking awesome..... but it makes my own apartment a totally unsatisfying abode.   ;D   ;D   nice work.

Outstanding work on this project, so many things catch my eye when I look at it.

Yup I was thinking that as I was building it, it'd have to be somewhere nice and warm though, could be a bit drafty otherwise!

Thanks for all the nice comments guys, glad you like it. As I put at the beginning, it's my first attempt at anything like this. I certainly learnt plenty for if/when I make any more.

This treehouse is absolutely stunning! I'm happy that you've uploaded your pics this late otherwise I might have been discouraged from entering this contest.

That's very impressive! Certainly a more civilised home than I expected   :)
The only dilemma I have now is whether I should be strict about the deadline or a bit more flexible seen as I haven't got around to putting the public vote up yet...

I thought I was in on time. Or are you still waiting for some entries