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ROBOT GARDENER

Scale 1:20 - Styrene

A vignette of the stoic Robot Gardener from Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ) 1986 film.

Laputa Robot Gardener
Laputa Robot Gardener
Laputa Robot Gardener
Laputa Robot Gardener
Laputa Robot Gardener
Laputa Robot Gardener

GETTING THE LIGHTS TO BLINK

I used a simple circuit hidden in the vignette's base and a couple of optical fibers to reproduce the characteristic blinking red lights on the faceplate.

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THE CIRCUIT

A circuit was added to allow for the lights on the head to blink. It consists of an astable electronic oscillator, hidden in the vignette’s base, that causes a couple of red LEDs to blink alternately.
The different resistors on either side of the circuit were selected to finetune the blinking sequence.

THE TOUCH SWITCH

Two brass nail heads at the base provide a touch switch, that causes the eyes to blink. It works with two 2N2222 transistors, soldered together to form a Darlington pair amplifier.


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GETTING THE LIGHT TO THE HEAD

A couple of 0.5mm optical fibers lead from the faceplate, through channels dug out inside the robot’s body and the legs, into the base, where they are attached to the LEDs.

RESOURCES

THE ANIME

Laputa - Castle in the sky (天空の城ラピュタ) by Hayao Miyazaki (1986)

KIT

Fine Molds. Laputa - Caste in the Sky Robot (Gardener Version). 1:20 

ALL MY PROJECTS

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WOODEN SHIPS

Wood, linen and bronze

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HISTORICAL MODELS

Styrene and resins

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SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

Styrene and resins

GET IN TOUCH

Drop a line if you have any ideas, suggestions, questions, criticism or anything else.

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