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Friday 9 December 2016

Tora! Tora! Tora! ... the replica warships

Whilst it was possible to replicate the Japanese aircraft used in the film TORA! TORA! TORA!, the warships were a different problem. The Japanese were nothing but ingenious ... and built full-size mock-ups of a battleship and an aircraft carrier. They were built on the shoreline so that when the tide came in, they appeared to be at sea.

The original drawing were used to build the mock-ups ... and very convincing they looked.






The Americans found a somewhat different solution. They built the stern of a typical battleship of the period on a pontoon ...


... and the cage mast of another behind it to give the impression that two ships were moored alongside each other. When seen from the starboard aft side, the mock-up looked very convincing.


Nowadays this would have all been done using CGI and models ... but in my opinion this attention to detail made the film much more convincing and authentic.

12 comments:

  1. Fascinating photos, thanks so much for sharing them. I agree, TTT was a marvel for its time. By contrast, CGI made the makers of the Pearl Harbor film so lazy that they just did digital explosions in 21st century USN ships. Unforgivable terrible film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Peterson,

      Don't get me started on the subject of 'Pearl Harbour'! It should have gone straight to DVD ... and then the bin!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. The stuff you know Bob Cordery. Thanks for sharing that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Conrad Kinch,

      Sue tells me that I know all sorts of useless information. Writing a blog allows me the opportunity to share it with others!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. That is amazing, the skill and ingenuity of both methods is quite something. I feel I have to watch the film now to see how the methods worked on film. Thanks, a great post Bob.
    Best wishes,
    Jason

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason,

      You really, really MUST watch the film. My personal opinion is that the Japanese-made sections are better than the US-made ones ... but that it my personal opinion.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Phil Broeders,

      Hopefully this information will enhance your appreciation of the film the next time you watch it.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. I remember there also models of the ships. I know they were huge and after the movie were auctioned off by the studios. I wonder if they still survive?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike Gindling,

      The models from the film would have made an excellent exhibit for a museum about the attack, and its a pity that they were probably scrapped after being sold off.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Geordie an Exile FoG,

      They certainly pulled all the stops out for this film ... which is why it has stood the test of time and is still worth watching today.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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