Train Chase Above the Mine, Castle in the Sky, Hayao Miyazaki

All the set is very accurate, thanks to many pictures of the scene (from the 24 min to the 38 min during the movie, you can see some pictures here : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sQaPKfZp1PmoEa_Eoi_afF08e0f-8rzc/view?usp=... ).

The scene takes place on bridge rails above an old mine. Pazu and Sheeta, two children, had managed to be driven by a red locomotive to flee pirate Dora and his 4 sons. These pirates are in a car. After an attempt to stop them, Pazu has detached a wagon and the pirate car pushes it now to pursue them.

The locomotive is stopped by a Military Train and Pazu and Sheeta are running away on a wooden bridge close to the trains. A secret agent on the train has fallen because of a crooked foot by Pasu, and his military colleague has tried to shoot them. Ma Dora, and two of his sons, are trying to get Sheeta magic stone necklace. They are succeeding in turning the rail switch and getting closer into the wagon. Soon the wooden bridge will collapse because of military cannons shooting towards pirates.

Colonel Muska, received the respect of one of his lieutenants. They are watching the success of the military mission on top of a cliff. Finally, Papy Pomme is an old stone finder walking into the mine and who will help the two children when they will fall into a mine pit.

I wanted to create a Lego set with a complexity in terms of space, with depth effect, and a movie accurate wooden bridge. I wanted to pay tribute to all the different themes of Miyazaki, great color, great vehicles, travel, planes, Europe, castle, nature.

Finally, I love heritage of the mine..

I have to build all the vehicle, as the most accurate as i can. Red locomotive first, with the accurate boiler inside and the exact shape system to link its wagon. Then we are looking his wagon, with a brakes steering wheels and its front wheel which can turn for the circular wooden bridge. I had the same challenge for the green car. It has front wheel which can be turned with the steering wheel. The car has some great details: accurate klaxon, headlight, step, hood, painting. I need to build the little purple plane in the sky as it's the Muska's tool to monitor the chase for military train. On top of this, the most difficult was the train with military camouflage colors. Its size is twice the red locomotive, with many rotative cannons and the exact system of opening door, some seats and ladder inside.

After the vehicles, the wooden bridge was another challenge: it's circular! It must seem older and fragile than the second bridge as the movie shows, and there must be enough place for wooden sidewalks so as to military can stand between the two rails. Its uses some Lego rails, but i choose to build my own rails switch. The mine is built with the exact shape houses seen around the rails below on the movie, with an accurate number of windows and fireplaces of the houses shown. There is full interior which spectators can see from the sides: the working place (tools, seats, ladder, sink, working table, old wagon dismembered) and living place (bed, bathtub, sink, desk, newspapers). Below, there is a mine cave seen in the movie with a light brick for its tunnel, we can see some blue flying stones above the little house too.

A little mine wagon, full of stones, is on the rails and is going under the cliff. This cliff has colors of the green grass on the top, stone in the middle and soil on the ground. It must be as high as the military train to let Muska and his crew overwatching all the scene.

Then, the little castle of Laputa is in the sky, close to the plane, as the symbol of the movie and the main goal for the characters. It shows the sphere armored base, the big circular walls, white towers and the big tree on the top. There is even a blue pin in the base like the giant blue flying stone which gives the power to the castle. The different color below for the cliff and nature (birds and rabbits) remind the spectator that nature regaining power over the mine.

I truly think this set can be a must have for all the Miyazaki Fans, trains fans, or just people interested in details of the mine and in great old vehicles on a chase. The fun comes from the various colors, interiors, details, as you can build a vehicle after vehicle, houses after tunnel, and cliff after bridge, step by step.