Oak Eiche
Series: PROFI
Height: 16 cm / 6.3 inches
Intended scales: H0,TT,N
Item: 21760

PROFI trees are the high quality offerings by NOCH, designed to be true to scale and as professional models. They strive for realistic forms and natural colors.

PROFI Oak, 16 cm / 6.3 in.

This model is packed in a blister pack stapled to a heavy card backing label. The tree is held by the root base by slots. Useful graphics on the front are silhouettes of a human in HO, TT, and N scales, with graduation marks to judge the height of the model. On the back label is a table listing trees that NOCH models, the prototype heights, and the scale heights for HO, TT, N, and Z Scales.

Each tree is made from plastic. The trunk is molded with slight bark detail. It is inserted into a base, which leaves a faint seam. The base is molded to resemble roots in earth and looks like the trunk base of oaks in my yard.

The trunk is molded with integral boughs and branches, and several of each that appear to be separately attached. I tried to gently reposition some boughs; one broke off and the other two bent out slightly. Some have noticeable flash.

NOCH paints the trunks by hand to avoid any shining plastic surface. Brown paint is used. The oaks in my neighborhood tend to be a gray color. It looks like I can repaint it without much effort if I so choose to.

Oaks I look at show a variety of shapes and leaf densities. Many have gnarled boughs like this model. For foliage NOCH covers branches with fine wool before they are flocked. NOCH uses their own milled and painted material representing the leaf shapes and colors of the subject tree. The leaves are mainly 'fluffy' but are mashed down on the side that set upon the backing label.

The foliage has no sheen to it, and different colors of leaves. The result is a convincing tree that does not have the "cookie cutter" duplication of most mass-marketed model trees. I shot several photos of the model from different sides to demonstrate that.

Scale Size

How tall is a 6.3-inch tree in your favorite scale?

1/32 (54 mm): 16.8’ / 5 m
1/35: 18.3’ / 5.6 m
1/48: 25.2’ / 7.7 m
1/72: 37.8’ / 11.2 m
1/87 (HO): 45.6’ / 13.8 m
1/100 (TT): 63' / 16 m
1/144: 75.6’ / 23 m
1/160 (N): 84’ / 26 m

To visually demonstrate this model I show it with 1/35 infantry, 1/48 staff car, 1/72 P-40, an HO box car, HO sports car and figure, and an N scale 50' box car.

Summary

My PROFI oak looks convincing with contoured armatures, bark detail, fine leaf detail and natural colors. The density of the leaves is good although in transit the back side got flattened somewhat. It has a slight gap where the trunk fits into the root base. And it is painted brown. These trees do look good and can be acceptable front row trees. Recommended.

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