Assembling Dwarven Forge Maple Trees
The new Cities Reforged Maple Trees are stunning sculpts that capture the natural look of real trees. They're designed so the pieces can be used separately: the top can sit on it's own as a freestanding shrub in your garden, and the bottom works as a shorter tree with space on top for a miniature to perch or stand. Plus they echo the spreading canopy often seen in maples while also adding variety to our overall catalog of tree shapes.
This naturalistic look means that the canopy Topper of the Maple Trees has a more intricate attachment to the Small Trunk base, but there are hidden features in the sculpt to indicate how the pieces should be aligned. This guide will assist you in identifying those features so you can get these magnificent maples flourishing in your builds.
Alignment pointers
On the bottom of the lower Tree and the Topper, you'll find two arrows (circled below). These indicate which direction each piece should face to align properly. In this guide, I’ve illustrated the arrows pointing down; that is, towards “you” as you view the tree pieces. Once you have the Topper and the lower Tree aligned, flip the lower Tree part horizontally to maintain this alignment.
Top-facing alignment pointer and branch divots
With the lower Tree now upright, you'll see a larger alignment arrow is sculpted into the negative space in the center of the canopy. This may allow you to skip the first step and use this pointer to align the Topper and the Tree with each other.
The lower Tree also features divots in the sculpt that accommodate each support branch, as well as the low points of the Top canopy where it connects with the Tree. The image below highlights and labels these supports and their corresponding divots.
Putting the two pieces together
As you tilt the two pieces together, it becomes easier to see the divots that fit each branch. With the two halves aligned as illustrated, the lowest branch (labeled 1 here) is the first to be connected. Once that branch is properly fitted, the remaining Topper supports should align naturally. Just ensure the two pieces remain aligned as you fit them together.
Check for proper fit
With the two pieces joined, you can hold them together in your hands and rotate the assembled tree to see where each piece connects. In particular, the branches should almost “lock” into their respective divots. Since these branches are thin, they may flex a bit from being stored between games. If they don't fit into their corresponding divots, you can gently push the branches so they “pop” into place while you hold the rest of the tree together. Once everything is properly fitted, the tree should stay together reasonably well, so you won't have to worry much about the occasional table bump. Even so, it’s best to move the assembled tree on the table by gripping both pieces of the canopy to keep them together.
If one of your trees was challenging to “lock” in place, consider leaving that tree assembled for a few days. Allowing the Topper to remain in place for a while will help the branches retain their correct position, making them easier to assemble later.
In Closing
Now that you understand how the pieces fit together, it will quickly become second nature after you’ve built with them a few times.
Happy gaming!