It's all looking "Real" good, "Real" G. 

Keep up the good work!

Thank you Bakster!

Well... the old vac-former and equally old Rainbow vacuum cleaner got rolled out last night and I got some work done!

https://flic.kr/p/29d2gbG][/url]Bakagalas-232 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/KAMnLp][/url]Bakagalas-234 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/M9vxeW][/url]Bakagalas-240 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/29d2fFd][/url]Bakagalas-237 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The sponson shells are thin since I used 0.030" sheet (I was out of 0.040"), so I'm thinking of doubling them; the outer ones will be cut up and added as individual panels ala the wings.  I vac-formed separate bottom pieces, so they will need to be carefully fitted to the sides.

But wait, threre's more!  

I also heat pressed some aerodynamic bulges to see how rusty my technique was.

https://flic.kr/p/29hep9g][/url]Bakagalas-227 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/28bUPk1][/url]Bakagalas-230 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/29heoMK][/url]Bakagalas-231 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Things went very well, so the multitude of lumps and bumps that cover the model are no longer an open question.

Only the canopy remains as an unknown quantity.  But vac-forming last night, I noticed that I can make some undercuts, so I am scheming to form the canopy in one piece...

The sponson shells got trimmed and test fitted.  The plan is to use the extra shells as outer plating detail, which will also serve as reinforcing.

https://flic.kr/p/26ytNM7][/url]Bakagalas-241 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/MbwTZE][/url]Bakagalas-242 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

More lumps and bumps were made last night, this time the first of the more common two-part type.

https://flic.kr/p/MbwTub][/url]Bakagalas-244 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/MbwThs][/url]Bakagalas-245 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/MbwSZ3][/url]Bakagalas-247 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Things are going as good as can be expected, but much slower than desired.

Looking good!

Never tried vac-forming but love your results.

Gamera

Looking good!

Never tried vac-forming but love your results.

 

Yeah vac-forming is helpful to make lightweight compound curved shapes. Heat press is easier to do, but the edges don't form as well.  My friend went out of his way to make my vac-form rig, from an old bread pan, scrap wood, and a PVC pipe fitting.  Thanks Rich!

After using it over the years, there are improvements I want, so I'm planning on making a new one.  Plus the old vacuum cleaner has seen better days, so a small but powerful shop vac is on the to-buy list.

    Being a guy of limited practial imagination I was trying to put a "real" example to your build RG, the closest thing I can come up with is the Russian AN 224, only yours is WAY cooler. Put the coal to 'er RG the finish line is in sight.....I think......sure looks good though.

Armornut, actually the Bakagalas is the equivalent of the An-124.  The Tolmekians operate a fleet of tandem winged monstrosities that dwarf it, much like the An-224.

Careening forward at ludicrous speed! 

By the way Armornut, I would like to quote the Sphinx, from "Mystery Men":

"If you doubt your powers, you only give power to your doubts."

Your imagination is only limited by boundaries that you set for yourself.

For once you learn to balance the tack hammer on your head, you will be able to head off your enemies with a balanced attack!  Watermelon Crocs are optional.

   Food for thought, I will attemp to put it into practice as it is sound for more than just styrene.

     REMEMBER to slow down first from ludicrous speed, just stopping has disasterious results.....He's gone PLAID! LOL.

Ha-ha Armornut, yeah I won't push the "Do Not Push This Button"!  Project Velocity has not reached plaid yet, but I need to get there soon!

The landing gear assembly was started with some wheel well boxes that were sized to firmly hold the wheels in alignment with the ground as well as each other.

https://flic.kr/p/26C7bSu][/url]Bakagalas-248 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/28hsXrC][/url]Bakagalas-249 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

After some nail-biting moments (lasting hours), I bit the bullet and started cutting out the openings for the wheels.  Nail-biting because due to the way the sponson parts were broken down, there was no way to physically ascertain the exact locations for the cutouts, save for my scribbled calculated dimensions.  I usually make one or two significant math errors, but realized I had one shot to get it right (or I had to vac-form new pieces, which I didn't feel like doing).  Fortunately, things went well.  The rearmost wheel cutout gave me problems because they looked misaligned.  This is where I spent hours checking and rechecking before commiting to cutting.  I had to trust my calculations and ignore my instincts.  That was REALLY tough.  Anyway here are some piccies:

https://flic.kr/p/2828tBi][/url]Bakagalas-250 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/26Dknzu][/url]Bakagalas-251 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/2828voK][/url]Bakagalas-252 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The last photo of the bottom piece of the sponson kind of reminds me of a Star Trek Federation warp nacelle, or a car fascia!

Oh, and a confession:  The wheel cutout should actually be one loooooong one, but I took it upon myself to do it the way I thought it should be done.  It's not accurate, so shhhhhhh......  (Or from "Galaxy Quest", Remember, mum's the word.  Mummmmmm.......)

I still have to do the other sponson, but it should go much faster, as I now have the first one to use as a reference.  Colonel Sanders, Ludicrous Speed - NOW!!!

The second sponson cutouts went 4x faster than the first, because I now knew exactly where to cut.

https://flic.kr/p/29nnkSw][/url]Bakagalas-254 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The sponsons were temporarily taped together to check for interference and fit, then the wheels were slid in and the model set on it's feet for the first time.

https://flic.kr/p/KKYV1c][/url]Bakagalas-255 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The fuselage has that "low rider" stance I was shooting for, plus the wingtips are reasonably level even when dry fit.  I am pleased.  The wheels will be pinned in place from the wheel well roof to set the spacing and keep them from rolling around/falling out.

Going to zip up the sponsons and get them ready to be permanently attached to the fuselage.

Those sponsons and wheels look great!!!

Hey Real G, 

Thought I would drop back in and see how you are going.Hooley Dooley it is fantastic!

You have been racing through, considering the amount of rework required. Good to see the vacformer in use too. Can't wait to see this finished (you too, I bet)

The Bandai gunship is a fun build, good details and fit. I do have a Tskuda model of Nausicaa and her bird mount that I will get to at some later time...

Gamera and Lostagain, thanks for checking in!

Sponsons are plated and the Bakagalas stands on her feet for the first time, albeit for dry fit testing at the moment.  Fit is getting better as the mating surfaces are fettled, so not as much filling in of the fuselage sides will be needed.

https://flic.kr/p/288u1aM][/url]Bakagalas-260 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Sorry for the flash photography, but it was the only reasonable way to show the left sponson in place.

https://flic.kr/p/26KxKBf][/url]Bakagalas-258 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/26KxK2Y][/url]Bakagalas-257 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

The wheels are just slotted in, so matching holes were drilled in the wheels and wheel well roof, and 2mm plastic rod was used to make pins.  With a blob of thick CA glue, this should keep the wheels set in place and spaced properly.  The holes on the top of the sponsons were necessary, because there is no way to see the pins from the underside when placing the wheels.  They will be hidden under the fuselage sides.

I'm seriously behind schedule - next up is the fun part of adding the vents, grilles, and lumps & bumps.  Hopefully seeing the model encrusted with white sheet plastic details will give me a much needed boost.

Whoops, made a boo-boo and ruined a flap badly enough to require rebuilding.  Looks like I'll be vac-forming the lower skins after all.

I was planning on taking her to the Nats in Phoenix next week, but my disappointment is tempered by the knowledge that she will now have the proper time spent on her to make her special.  Plus, who the heck was I kidding?  I am so terrible at scheduling!  Teach me a good lesson.  Again.  For the nth time.

So the Bakagalas will resume upon my return next week.  And now I scramble to get Plan B done by Tuesday.

Good luck!!!

I've got a Monogram P-51D for a challenge for our show but since it's in two weeks I strongly doubt I'll be done in time.

Hey, I found this thread searching for scale models of miyazakis works and created an account just to comment.

WOW! Amazing model! Any updates would be appreciatied. Just a beginner myself but as a fan of Nausicaa of the valley of the wind this is truly something special :) Love seeing the progress and the great skill to make this model.

Kudos to you!

Slaine: Thanks for bringing this back up. I'd totally forgotten about it. 

Real G: Did you ever finish the Bakagalas? Did something go wrong and she ended up back in the box? Very cool project, I was really hoping to see her complete. 

Slaine, thanks for your interest and welcome to the FSM forum!  There are a lot of talented people here that can offer advice, so don’t be shy!  I too have scoured the internet for other people building stuff from Miyazaki’s works, but have found very little.  There is some really serious stuff going on in Japan, but I have not been able to find the sites - they are probably on Facebook or some other social media platform.

Gamera, the project is just dormant as I work on easier “fun” projects.  The goal is to finish the Bakagalas before I ship out to a retirement home! But yeah, seriously I need to get back on this one and push it across the finish line.  I seem to work on these projects in spurts.  I run out of steam, and the project gets shelved.  This can span decades, but hopefully the next update won’t be in 2030!

BTW, there are no current snags in the build, just heavy lifting.  And there is the business of making oodles of surface detail to cover the model with.  One future problem to be solved is the framing for the canopy, which I have not seriously addressed yet.  But no worries, I’ll deal with it!

Ah thanks G! I know what you mean, I work in fits and spurts too. I wish I could just finish something though, as they say 'one finished model is worth five in the bush'... 

I'm glad this got a bump, too!  Your scratchbuilding skills are outstanding, G!  I've only ever done smash-molding, for a windscreen, and that was relatively simple.  I've got an old Mattel Vac-u-form but haven't made the leap yet.  Seeing your method makes me eager to try it.

Oh Boy;

 Have I got a question for you. Does any of these movies have floaty thingies in them? I think they would look as weird as some of their aircraft.

TB, most things in Miyazaki’s movies float or fly.  He has this thing for flight, perhaps as an allegory to purity and freedom.  The Bakagalas is indeed an aircraft, like the WW II Me-323 Gigant.

Baron, good!  I see the original intent to cause other modelers to go mad and try stuff is working!  

Always nice to see something different!

Hopefully I'll have something semi-manga coming up in a few weeks. 

Gamera

Hopefully I'll have something semi-manga coming up in a few weeks. 

 

Ooh, can’t wait to see what it is... wait, it’s not one of those 1/12 Japanese toilet stall kits is it?  They have a serious toilet fetish going on over there.  I mean, you never saw Renwal do a “Visible Toilet” with working flush valve and siphon jet action!

Ha ha, I’m sure your model will be rated G - for “Gamera”!

Well, a small hint- it does go well with chocolate but it's not a toilet... 

Gamera

Well, a small hint- it does go well with chocolate but it's not a toilet... 

...Milk Tank Teacher?!  I hope not.    OMG, I'm becoming "that guy" on another forum.  My apologies.  

Turn A Gundam? With accessory cow in the missile bay?  Ooh, I can't wait!  

Real G

 

 

Gamera

Well, a small hint- it does go well with chocolate but it's not a toilet... 

 

 

 

...Milk Tank Teacher?!  I hope not.    OMG, I'm becoming "that guy" on another forum.  My apologies.  

Turn A Gundam? With accessory cow in the missile bay?  Ooh, I can't wait!  

 

Lol, I did a little more work last night. Hopefully I'll be done soon. I've got so many GBs to finish first but this is small so it doesn't take much time. I can fiddle with it while paint is drying on other stuff. 

Necro thread started in 2012!

But the project never died, it was just lying dormant like Godzilla waiting for the next sequel.  So cue the Toei Studio monster theme because here it comes again.  Will I actually reach Tokyo this time?  We'll see.

Modelcrazy's (Steve's) amazing 1/350 IJN Akagi has inspired me to get back on this very long term build. Plus my buddies have been bugging me about what I am taking to the IPMS Nats this year.  I expect the competition to be really stiff, so I'd better go big or stay home.  Plus I have run out of built models that I can wash with soap and water to take to the contest.  I'm actually not joking, as I have done this numerous times.

I had stored the Bakagalas in a plastic container, so it emerged unscathed.  There are a LOT of scars and seams that need filling though.  Some filler work has been carried out, but more is due.

When I started the model, I noticed the underside of the nose was lopsided (I unintentionally carved the balsa vac-form buck that way).  It made me sad and killed a lot of my spirit.  Fast (or slow) forward 33 years and I took one look at it, went "meh", and slathered some heavy putty on to make it right.

Anyway, I have to run some errands and prep the grill for this afternoon, so will post prgress pics soon.