Building Log: FineMolds Studio Ghibli Tiger Moth

2 August 2026

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky (1986). To commemorate this milestone, I decided to build the FineMolds Tiger Moth, one of the memorable aircraft featured in the film.

FineMolds has a well-earned reputation for producing highly detailed Studio Ghibli model kits, and the Tiger Moth is no exception. Although it appears to be a relatively small model, I soon discovered that there was much more to it than first meets the eye.

Preparing the Parts

After unpacking the kit, I found that the parts were moulded in three different colours: dark brown, light brown and grey.

Before assembly, I airbrushed all the runners with Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 14 (Navy Blue) as a base coat.

Once the base coat had cured, I weathered the different coloured runners separately. The darker brown moulded parts were weathered using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 22 (Dark Earth), while the lighter brown moulded parts were weathered using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 21 (Middle Stone). The grey moulded parts, which form the display stand, were weathered using Mr. Hobby Mr. Color No. 107 (Character White).

Although these differences are subtle, they help create gentle variations in tone across the completed model.

First Impressions

When I first studied the instruction manual, I must admit that it looked rather intimidating.

Several sub-assemblies appeared quite intricate, and unlike many modern snap-fit kits, this model also required the selective use of plastic cement. My initial thought was that I would need to spread the build across several modelling sessions.

However, once construction began, my impression quickly changed.

Assembly

FineMolds engineered the kit exceptionally well.

Many of the major structural components fitted together securely using snap-fit joints, while plastic cement was only required where additional strength or alignment was needed.

The wing assembly only required a small amount of Tamiya Cement to secure the centre section.

Within the passenger compartment, the interior walls were fixed into place with Tamiya Cement before the outer shell was assembled using a combination of snap-fit joints and cement where appropriate.

The cockpit required a little more care. I used Tamiya Cement to secure the clear plastic windows before joining the two halves of the cockpit shell together.

During this stage, I accidentally bent one of the delicate handrails. Thankfully it bent instead of snapping. I carefully returned it to its original position before using the opposite cockpit half to support it while the cement cured. Fortunately, the repair was successful and the handrail remained intact.

The Rear Propeller

One of my favourite moments during the build came when assembling the rear propeller.

At first, I misunderstood the instructions and thought that each propeller blade had to be glued directly onto the small metal tubes. I was already considering buying super glue to secure everything in place.

After studying the diagrams more carefully, I realised that the metal tubes were actually designed as spacers between the four propeller blades. A metal rod passes through the centre, holding both the blades and spacers together while automatically maintaining the correct spacing.

To my relief, the entire propeller assembly required no glue at all.

It was a simple yet clever piece of engineering that demonstrated the amount of thought FineMolds had put into the kit’s design.

Final Assembly

With the aircraft fully assembled, I applied the supplied waterslide decals.

The decals settled down nicely and completed the appearance of the aircraft. At that point, the collection of individual parts finally came together as the Tiger Moth from Castle in the Sky.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, the biggest surprise was how different the actual build experience was from my first impression of the instruction manual.

Although the instructions initially appeared quite daunting, the model itself proved to be logical, enjoyable and very well engineered. FineMolds combined traditional scale modelling techniques with thoughtful design, making good use of snap-fit construction while only requiring plastic cement where it genuinely benefited the build.

The result is a model that rewards patience without becoming frustrating.

Building this Tiger Moth has been a fitting way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Castle in the Sky. Four decades after the film’s original release, the aircraft imagined by Hayao Miyazaki continue to capture the imagination of modellers and aviation enthusiasts alike.