If you haven’t seen it yet (in which case, you definitely should), Studio Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle is a… well, moving story about the love between two opposite characters. Think Beauty and The Beast, only instead of a gorgeous woman and beast-like man, you have a gorgeous young man and a woman cursed with age. But besides the romance of the two, there’s another remarkable detail in the story that left a permanent mark on its fans: Howl’s moving castle that literally moves.
In Episode 4 of an ongoing series where he replicates Studio Ghibli pieces, Studson of Studson Studio took on the daunting task of making a 21” tall model of Howl’s moving castle. He used no model kits or instructions to make the castle; just good, old ingenuity and a MOUNTAIN of trash.
Yep, you read that right. Since the moving castle in the movie looks like a hodgepodge of junk, Studson decided to use materials that would replicate that aura. Plastic bottles and rice bowls were used to create the different towers, while a gallon kimchi jar was turned into the main body of the castle. Multiple bits and bobs were then added to the model to give it more detail.
Creating this 4.2-pound junk castle took up most of Studson’s trash collection – a treasure trove of recycled pieces which he uses for his series. He used a plastic milk bottle to create the iconic segmented tongue, as well as different Gundam model kit pieces to fill out the metallic parts. Coffee stirrers and chopsticks were used for the patios, wooden doors, and windows. Diced foam tossed in rock-filled jars, on the other hand, was turned into weathered bricks. To give the castle a more uniform look before painting, he added a ton of rivets in every place imaginable.
Those were just some of the pieces Studson repurposed to create the moving castle. It’s amazing to see his eye for ingenuity at work. Put a shampoo bottle in front of him and he’ll be able to come up with multiple ways to cut, glue, and paint it to fit his needs.
The pre-painted model came out a bit strange, but after priming it in black and adding the correct paints (Studson used a mix of both wet and dry-brush techniques), the castle’s appearance dramatically improved. The finished model shows the most intricate details, as if the castle would move just like in the movie.
If you have 52 minutes to spare, I definitely recommend watching Studson’s whole video. Apart from his very detailed explanations of his thought process, he also has some hilarious commentary that will keep you company throughout this episode.
