Miscellaneous Fabrication
Additional projects worked on for personal experience
(Click to enlarge any image)
Personal project to fabricate a model of the seaplane flown by the titled main character in Studio Ghibli's Porco Rosso. The ultimate goal with this project is to build a diorama-like snippet from the film, in the plane hangar, scaled to fit within my bookshelf. The photos show the model at a current early priming and sanding stage, with a dry fit of most pieces. The plane model in the movie Porco Rosso is named the Savoia S.21 and is modeled after historic seaplanes from the same era, specifically the Macchi M.33. They refer to it as the only plane of its kind made in the film and my goal with this project was to bring a snapshot from the original work into my space, as it's one of my favorite Ghibli films. The idea is to build a small set of the hangar with the plane inside, scaled to the dimensions of my bookshelf, and the plane was the first and most important model to tackle. The body of the plane was cut and carved out of MDF wood, and the wings were cut out of thin balsa with wires inserted in the flaps so they are movable/posable. The first pontoon was carved out of MDF and then molded and cast in plastic to have a duplicate for the other wing, but after encountering issues with the molding silicone, this ended up being the only thing I could mold/cast in the model. The engine was similarly cut out of wood and affixed styrene and propoxy sculpted accessories and parts to the outside. The propeller was made alongside the engine in order to be sure it fits within, and when inserted with the crank, will be able to turn. The tiny mechanisms for the inside were each started with a 3/32" brass tube and handles/pedals/etc sculpted on top of them or made with thin styrene and 28g wire. The seat back was a vacuum-form of the curved shape and added sculpted seat pads and pins to the bottom to be inserted into the cockpit after being painted. Each wood piece from the plane was sealed and sanded before beginning to prime and fill, and this is the current stage of the model before moving on to painting and assembling the last parts. Responsible for all physically fabricated model assets.
VINTAGE RCA VICTOR PHONOGRAPH
Personal project replicating a machine inspired by vintage phonographs and talking machines of the 1920s-1930s. Direct reference was taken from the RCA Victor Victrola VV-50 Briefcase Phonograph. The body of the machine was crafted in wood, with corners capped using vacuum-formed styrene as well as the side handle. The winder was made with brass rod and a sculpted handle on the end. The arm was made with bent wire, carved wood, and small sculpted detail on styrene to hold the needle.
Responsible for all assets.
ANTIQUE CHESS BOARD
This chess board was to be a 1:12 scale model of an antique chess set for a 19th century stop motion horror short film. 32 chess pieces were handmade from a small wood dowel put into a rotary tool used as a "lathe" to shape each piece with a metal file, with exception of the knights which were 4 carved pieces from the same wood dowel. The board was made from MDF, styrene, and balsa, using a watercolor pencil to draw out the chess grid and checkerboard pattern.
Commissioned model for short film project by David Burgis.
DESIGN WITHIN REACH CHAMPAGNE CHAIR 2024
My first entry for the company Design Within Reach's annual "Champage Chair" contest where the goal is to create or recreate an iconic piece of chair design using only the materials from up to two bottles of champagne- meaning the corks, cages, and foil.
This was a fun task that challenged the way I could smartly use the materials at hand to recreate a piece of furniture that already has such an iconic look to it. I was inspired. by the simple yet interesting design of the Chromeo Chair.
The cage was straightened, bent into shape and polished down to give the chrome look of the structure, and the cork was sanded down into the base shape of the cushions which were then wrapped in the foil to bring cohesion with the silver of the wire.
