02-02-2010, 10:45 AM
I had to use Google to find out what a Joshua tree looks like. 
My first impression is that a wire armature, dipped in white glue, then sprinkled with static grass might work for the trunk and branches. You might have to airbrush it afterwards to get the proper colour. To my eye, the foliage looks like the Silflor grass tufts that Kurt uses to such good effect.
I'm also not very conversant on the various species of cacti, but Woodland Scenics clump foam may offer some choices for some of the smaller varieties. I'd also use the static grass on these, in conjunction with an applicator. While the spiny effect would likely be oversize for N scale, I think that it would be similar to rivets in the smaller scales: they look better, in most cases, oversize, as ones that are "to-scale" seem to disappear. For larger varieties, such as Saguaro, I think that pipe cleaners, bundled together if necessary, could offer some possibilities.
Wayne
My first impression is that a wire armature, dipped in white glue, then sprinkled with static grass might work for the trunk and branches. You might have to airbrush it afterwards to get the proper colour. To my eye, the foliage looks like the Silflor grass tufts that Kurt uses to such good effect.
I'm also not very conversant on the various species of cacti, but Woodland Scenics clump foam may offer some choices for some of the smaller varieties. I'd also use the static grass on these, in conjunction with an applicator. While the spiny effect would likely be oversize for N scale, I think that it would be similar to rivets in the smaller scales: they look better, in most cases, oversize, as ones that are "to-scale" seem to disappear. For larger varieties, such as Saguaro, I think that pipe cleaners, bundled together if necessary, could offer some possibilities.
Wayne