With the right materials and lots of practice, creating model railroads can inspire wonder and amazement. How do all of those miniature houses, bridges, and trees look so realistic?

This model railroad wire tree video tutorial by hobbiest Luke Towan of Boulder Creek Railroad makes miniature world building look easy. He demonstrates each step of making a HO scale apple tree, from twisting tiny wires, adding bark and branches, painting, gluing leaves, and peppering it with some tiny bright red apples. He finishes the diorama with a patch of land and some people.

Towan includes a recommended tool list for model-making on his site, and you can see more of his work in this gallery.

Watch these videos next: Kelli Anderson’s stop-motion forest for Tinybop, making wire gears + the kinetic sculptures of Arthur Ganson, and making hyperrealistic cat portraits with wool felt.