[amazon_link asins=’B002ZTQVLG’ template=’TitleOnlyLink’ store=’tbbwpplugin-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’06c64614-d95a-11e6-a85e-87e984af646d’] is a 1989 Japanese animated fantasy film produced, written, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. The film’s protagonist Kiki is a trainee witch who has a black cat called Jiji as her best friend, and CK HO has built a fantastically cute LEGO version of Jiji the cat. Like most cats, Jiji has a lot of personality, but the English-dubbed version of the film showed Jiji with a cynical and sarcastic attitude as opposed to cautious and conscientious in the original Japanese. We loved Jiji so much here at TBB that we asked CK to make some instructions and he very kindly obliged to allow us all to have a best friend called Jiji. Click here to build your own Jiji!Tell all your friends! One of my favorite Miyazaki characters is Porco Rosso, and we’ve seen many LEGO versions of Porco’s iconic red plane before.
But this character portrait of the gruff pig himself, in all his metaphor and charm, is something special. It’s no surprise that it comes from the hand of Eero Okkonen, whose fantastic brick characters regularly grace our blog. Check out some of the fantastic LEGO models of Porco’s red Sovoia S-21 we’ve featured, by Uspez Morbo, Mike Psiaki, Jon Hall, Sydag and Stephen 趙(Chao). We’ve seen a lot of LEGO renditions of Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, including a gorgeous scene of Laputa among the clouds and a beautiful music box floating fortress. But there’s always room for more, so here are a few that caught our eye. Mel F‘s lovely little version is a joy. Mel built it to be a desk ornament, and it’s got that perfect balance of size and complexity to subtly show co-workers that LEGO is cool, but you’re not insane (that comes later when they see your LEGO room). Another gorgeous version comes from builder 米 基, with this terrific soaring castle surrounded by clouds.
It even has Dola and her pirates’ tiny gliders flitting about beneath the massive fortress. Korean builder Hwang Byeong Jun has released step-by-step instructions for the amazing Laputa: Castle in the Sky music box that we featured last month, complete with details on how to integrate the music box into your LEGO build. You can see each step in the instructions in the builder’s photoset on Flickr, and you can download a PDF as well. All of Hayao Miyazaki’s films are whimsical and absolutely beautiful – and we here at The Brothers Brick are big fans, as evidenced by our continued highlights of LEGO creations from our favorite films throughout the years. I present you with this collaborative LEGO music box by Banghoo H and Yeom-E. This intricate build features Laputa, the castle in the sky, and a steampunk-inspired, gear-filled mechanism to play music at the base. Click for more pictures and a video below the cut! Stephen 趙(Chao) (obscurance) makes his first appearance since 2009 on this venerable blog, with this gorgeous “Savoia S.21“.
The S.21 is a fictional seaplane / fighter that appears in the anime Porco Rosso, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. According to Wikipedia: “While the plane depicted in the film never existed, Savoia was an actual Italian aircraft maker which produced a considerable number of flying boats in the 1920s, during which the film is set. An actual Savoia S.21 even existed, though the fictional one does not closely resemble it—the Cant.Z 501 “Seagull” is probably the closest real-life match. As a matter of fact, Hayao Miyazaki is said to have drawn his Savoia S.21 from his childhood memories of Macchi M.33.” Constant readers of the blog will no doubt be familiar with this model, as 4 outstanding builders have taken a shot at the Savoia over the years. When I discovered how often the Savoia had been featured I was tempted to send the draft to the trash can, but I enjoyed seeing the unique approach used by each builder over the years and hope that you will too. I watched My Neighbour Totoro for the first time just after Christmas.
I wish I had seen it years ago, because it was absolutely wonderful. So seeing legorobo:waka’s model of the iconic Catbus was right up my alley! I love the somewhat simplified/blocky style…and that smile is just spot on! But the coolest feature is definitely the movement: Check out the full photoset for all the views. I was looking through flickr user’s Sydag’s new aircraft models earlier, and was shocked to discover that we’ve never featured any of his stunning airplanes here before. Sydag has been building some of the best small aircraft to be found, including this latest pair of Hawker Sea Furies, decked out for the Reno Air Races. Be sure to check out the other photos of them, as Sydag’s included lots of terrific details like folding wings and a de-cowled version. While I’d love to highlight all of his planes, this lovely version of Porco Rosso’s plane from Miyazaki’s film grabbed my attention in particular. It looks spot on, and the display is wonderful.
One of my favorite vehicles designed by Hayao Miyazaki is the gunship from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This LEGO version by Jon Hall captures all the iconic details, from the rounded, swept-back wings to the unique landing gear. It’s no secret that Iain Heath (Ochre Jelly) and I share a LEGO Ghibli passion, so I was pleased but not surprised that he celebrated the release of The Secret World of Arriety (written by Hayao Miyazaki, based on the classic children’s book The Borrowers) with a lovely Miniland Arriety. Check out Iain’s write-up about the build (with a bonus micro-review of the movie) over on The Living Brick. Our final Hayao Miyazaki tribute for the evening — and last post title in Japanese, for now — is this scene from My Neighbor Totoro by Andy Hung (andybear@hk), who lights up the night with an electrified Catbus in another great entry for the LEGO contest in Hong Kong. The sleeping Totoro in the second scene underneath the main one is well worth a closer look: