Can't see the Forest for the Trees

So, here it is, the big update, sort of. A breakdown of how my process in making these trees has evolved. Some thoughts and comments, and where I'm going next.

First up. After stripping my previous builds I had to repair one of the trees; as you can see below.

In case it's not obvious, the trunk was covered with homemade liquid Greenstuff (a fifty-fifty mix of Milliput and Greenstuff diluted with methylated spirits to make a paste), and then I glued a Woodland Scenics deciduous tree on top (making a taller tree in the process).

Once I glued the parts, I wrapped some micropore tape around the joint, spread a thin layer of super glue on top, then sprinkled some baking soda on top.

And here is the complete tree repaired in all of its glory.

Below shows how I used hot glue to strengthen the stems of the seafoam. It works, but it is time intensive, and requires a bit of skill to tease the glue along each of the branching stems.

Click to embiggen

And it's not accident proof. I broke a stem when I dropped my tree off the table onto the floor.

However, I then remembered I had some Woodland Scenics Flex Paste, which is some sort of acrylic or silicone paste. It dries hard, yet remains flexible! Worth a try.

I brushed it on all over the seafoam stems and the tree trunks.

I would've used this before, rather than make my own liquid Greenstuff, if I had remembered earlier on in this project that I had a bottle of this tucked away. But, I forgot, as one does.

Besides, I've been working on this project for a month, and my build process has evolved. And this is as far as I've got.

Catch you all on the bounce.