- Tags:
- Aetherium crystal / Castle in the Sky / Diorama / Laputa / Muska
Related Article
-
Can you guess which Studio Ghibli character this Japanese camper looks like?
-
Enjoy a 3-minute “sauna” while waiting for your Cup Noodle in Nissin’s whimsical concept
-
Recreating The Iconic Aircraft From Ghibli’s “Castle In The Sky” With A Radio-controller – It’s Dola Flying For Real
-
Modeler spends 4 years making Gundam diorama and it’s a work of art
-
Hobbyist explores thalassophobia, the terror of the deep unknown sea with stunning dioramas
-
Japanese artist diorama artist crafts wondrous worlds within walls
Japanese hobbyist TOmaTO (@TOmaTO89048206) enjoys building and creating plastic models of weapons, vehicles, robots and mecha. For the past year, however, they've also added dioramas to their range of hobby activities, and their latest creation is stunning!
An avid fan of Hayao Miyazaki's works, TOmaTO spent three months painstakingly recreating a pivotal scene from The Castle in the Sky, when the antagonist Muska discovers the giant Aetherium crystal that powers the eponymous castle, Laputa:
Fans of the film will recall that Muska intends to use the power of Laputa for his selfish interests, and without giving too much away, this scene comes at a crucial moment when it seems that he may succeed in doing so.
Muska in front of the giant Aetherium crystal. | © Studio Ghibli
When you learn that TOmaTO attached every single stalk of grass—all 3,500 of them—to the royal chamber floor, it makes sense that it took all of three months to complete.
Reproduced with permission from TOmaTO (@TOmaTO89048206)
As you can see in these images TOmaTO posted on his Twitter account, the scene is reproduced very faithfully in remarkable detail, from the branches of the giant tree at the center of the castle which form a cocoon, the octahedral shape and illumination of the giant Aetherium crystal within, and Muska as he pries open the branches to reveal it.
Also, a second Muska can be seen to the left of the crystal, using his notebook to make sense of the "Black Stone" control panel, just as he does in the film.
You can almost hear him saying: "I can read it! I can read it!"
Reproduced with permission from TOmaTO (@TOmaTO89048206)
TOmaTO also got creative, extending the theme of the Royal chamber overgrown with vegetation after generations of abandon by imagining roots or vines stretching over the stones of the base, decorated in the same mysterious patterns seen in the film:
Reproduced with permission from TOmaTO (@TOmaTO89048206)
If you'd like to see more behind the scenes of TOmaTO building the diorama, check their Twitter account. For example, here he reveals that each stalk of grass was made with 0.29mm copper wire and powder leaf:
They also created an event on Twitter showcasing their creations. You'll find Sheeta's Aetherium pendant, as well as other elements from Studio Ghibli films such as a gunship from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Porco's Savoia S.21F Folgore from Porco Rosso.