Yes, you can definitely use a 3D printer to make trees for a 1/35 scale model, and it’s actually quite common in diorama building. That said, how successful the result is depends on what parts of the tree you print and how you finish it afterward.
3D printing works very well for tree trunks, main branches, roots, and stumps. At 1/35 scale, especially with a resin printer, you can get excellent bark texture and natural-looking branch shapes. Printed trees are also great for dead trees, winter trees, or damaged and broken trees, where you don’t need dense foliage and the structure itself is the main visual feature.
Where 3D printing starts to struggle is with leaves and fine foliage. At this scale, leaves are extremely small and thin, and trying to print them at true scale usually doesn’t work well. FDM printers simply can’t resolve that level of detail, and even resin printers often need leaves to be exaggerated to the point where they stop looking natural. Because of this, many modelers print only the trunk and branches, then add foliage using traditional materials like foam, sea moss, or model leaves. This combination usually looks far more realistic than fully printed trees.
The type of printer you use makes a big difference. FDM printers can handle larger trunks but tend to leave visible layer lines on branches, which can be hard to hide at small scales. Resin printers are much better suited for 1/35 scale trees because they can produce fine bark detail and thinner branches, although the finished parts can be fragile and need careful handling.
Good design is just as important as the printer itself. Tree models often need slightly thicker branches than a real tree would have at scale, otherwise they’ll snap during printing or break when you handle them. Print orientation and support placement also matter a lot to avoid failed prints or damaged details.
Finally, painting and finishing are what really bring printed trees to life. Straight off the printer, they don’t look convincing at all. With proper painting, washes, dry brushing, and added foliage, a 3D-printed tree can blend seamlessly into a 1/35 diorama and be hard to distinguish from trees made with natural materials.
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