Well, it's that time again. When I met Gail, my daughter, one of the things we had in common was our love of Japanese architecture. This year's project will be a 1/35th scale Japanese Garden out of the Book, Sayonara, by James Michener , subsequently made into a movie. The main characters are Major Lloyd "Ace" Gruver (Marlon Brando), the son of a U.S. Army general, who is stationed at Itami Air Force Base near Kobe, Japan. He falls in love with a Japanese entertainer, Hana-ogi (Miiko Taka), who is a performer for a Takarazuka-like theater company, whom he meets through his enlisted crew chief, Airman Joe Kelly (Red Buttons).
The garden will be made on one of the same bases that I made the Simpatico diorama on. It will have a very large gate entrance, a Japanese bridge and a Pagoda. It will have many kinds of bonsai trees, bushes and flowers. It will also have a lot of rocks, a waterfall and a large lake.
I plan on using the American Officer in the Masterbox kit, MB 3514.
I'll convert him to a Korean War Air Force major. Then I managed to buy a Japanese Geisha in 1/35th from an obscure company in Japan. I'll convert her to Hana-Ogi in a Japanese wedding dress, (All white), and they will be standing on the bridge.
Here is a Japanese wedding kimono.
This will all be scratch except the two figures. One hell of a lot of landscaping. The terrain will be very hilly and rocky as Japanese gardens usually are. Here are some examples I am using for reference. Mine won't be like any of these, just some ideas.
I am leaving next week with Gail for a father-daughter vacation on the Gulf coast. I have all the materials I will need for this dio and will start as soon as I return on the 24th of july.
It will be something really different for me and I like those kinds of projects.
Bob
![Sayonara_zps2c8c619c.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FSayonara_zps2c8c619c.jpg&hash=176d81f91c1b48f9d8be4ba8eba78057)
The garden will be made on one of the same bases that I made the Simpatico diorama on. It will have a very large gate entrance, a Japanese bridge and a Pagoda. It will have many kinds of bonsai trees, bushes and flowers. It will also have a lot of rocks, a waterfall and a large lake.
I plan on using the American Officer in the Masterbox kit, MB 3514.
![3514_zps8640b48d.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2F3514_zps8640b48d.jpg&hash=cbca13c88b353c3cc3ebe29eafaaff8d)
I'll convert him to a Korean War Air Force major. Then I managed to buy a Japanese Geisha in 1/35th from an obscure company in Japan. I'll convert her to Hana-Ogi in a Japanese wedding dress, (All white), and they will be standing on the bridge.
![B7dRZuEGkKGrHqIOKj4Eyb58JqBM0OJuJgIQ_3_zps92b9abad.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FB7dRZuEGkKGrHqIOKj4Eyb58JqBM0OJuJgIQ_3_zps92b9abad.jpg&hash=ec3c8433165dc811c792aca7fa7f2eaa)
Here is a Japanese wedding kimono.
![Wedding_kimono_zps91973b28.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FWedding_kimono_zps91973b28.jpg&hash=7ad59a078c5f6d85788e5784dd1c1bc6)
This will all be scratch except the two figures. One hell of a lot of landscaping. The terrain will be very hilly and rocky as Japanese gardens usually are. Here are some examples I am using for reference. Mine won't be like any of these, just some ideas.
![Bridge_zps8293bfeb.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FBridge_zps8293bfeb.jpg&hash=6734279598da829f43609273713e2d31)
![chiosakagarden_102_zps94024ab5.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2Fchiosakagarden_102_zps94024ab5.jpg&hash=8045596240883c9105f485444643a38c)
![Gardenpond_zps9922631f.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FGardenpond_zps9922631f.jpg&hash=e65be4dd015abc4068323e10a5d8b79b)
![NijojoGarden3303_zps389cf404_copy.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersalliance.com%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2F10073%2FNijojoGarden3303_zps389cf404_copy.jpg&hash=430f7df71cfd296167ead9c13a75c597)
I am leaving next week with Gail for a father-daughter vacation on the Gulf coast. I have all the materials I will need for this dio and will start as soon as I return on the 24th of july.
It will be something really different for me and I like those kinds of projects.
Bob