Mami Tomoe Conversion WIP

This is my first real conversion attempt. I want to make this kit look like Mami Tomoe of Magi Puella Madoka Magica. There's a lot of putty work but I am glad that she's slowly taking the shape as I wanted. She's also why I was asking around how to create muskets/ rifles from scratch. It was a rush job but I managed to finish her on the same day she's going to be displayed. I updated this main post with all the things I've done with the kit so far. I will divide the project in four parts for easier tracking and explanation.

Main Figure

First off, I needed a base figure. I scoured the on-stock items of the site I usually order from and this particular kit captured my attention instantly. The pose, the uniform and the penguin immediately gave me the idea on how Mami will probably look like. I am not familiar with the character but according to MFC, she's Haramura Nodoka from the anime Saki.

Next, I needed a hat. I got a perfect hat for her from one of my trading figures. Also, if you noticed, her pigtails are a bit more thicker than the next images. I needed to trim it down to make it as close as the original character design.

Next, I filled her v-neck with some putty and tried attaching a collar from one of other kit's spare parts. I originally planned to use the tie in the image but I opted to use a ribbon instead.

Next, using a mini-grinder, I scratched off some part of the uniform in her arm part to make way for some "skin" underneath. I also need to use putty to shape up the edges.

Next, I spread a thin layer of putty on her legs and shaped it as her high boots.

The shape of her uniform isn't smooth and it doesn't really show her curves so I have to slice some of the lower parts and apply putty as well to shape it up. This process will take several days since I need to sand, prime and re-apply the putty to get a strong, smooth layer around the sliced parts. I've done this also by keeping the lower half of her body attached so I can follow her waist's curves. I used petroleum jelly on the lower half to prevent any putty from sticking on it permanently.

Then, I placed a line of putty in the middle to form the shape of a part of Mami's costume.

For the ribbons, I've used the ribbons that were part of Ori's Asuka kit since I haven't finished her. I bended the ribbons freely by softening them up with a heat gun.

The photos below will show the progression of the kit as its been painted. I have to repaint a few spots since they got wrinkled during the masking process. Blu Tack really helped a lot in the masking process as well.

The "feather" on her hat was not plucked from some unlucky fowl so rest assured that no animals were hurt when making this project. I luckily found a cellphone accessory that has this feather so I bought the whole damn thing for this tiny feather. Finally, I tried making her eyes more transparent to make them resemble that of the anime but it looked creepy in the end so I just decided to go with darker colors. Charlotte
Charlotte is the witch Mami faced in EP 3 of the anime. It didn't end up well for Mami so I want to immortalize a different scenario by making her subject helplessly to our heroine's arms.

So to start off, I smoothed the penguin piece that came along with the original kit, then test fitted it.

Next, I needed some extra pieces for the ears and body. That's when I selected one of my older bootleg trading figures to play as the sacrificial lamb. Behold, Aizen of the anime Bleach.

So after mutilating the bastard, his bum and baggy yukata became Charlotte's body while his sleeves became her ears. It will take more puttying to shape them up. Since Mami will be holding Charlotte, I deliberately positioned her right ear to bend to the back.

Muskets
These are pretty complicated if you'll follow the original design. Due to time and material constraints, I just opted for a much simpler design. The final models have missing triggers and aiming sights on the muzzles.

First I downloaded some musket designs and printed the actual size in paper. Next, I procured the base materials: microwavable containers. These are the same ones that E2046 use to ship smaller figures and kits.

I cut a small sheet first then traced the design on it. Using my hobby knife, I carefully cut through the plastic to form the gun's shape.

Basically, it takes 3 layers to get the favorable thickness that will fit my 1/8 Mami. I used some instant glue and sandwiched the three layers together. It will be preferable if you use the same clips I've used in the image since they fit perfectly and hold the layers securely.

After the layers have dried, You need to apply a good layer of putty to hide the cracks and smoothen the sandwiched edges. I've sanded the edges then used empty ballpen ink tubes as muzzles. I also used a small iron wire to serve as the watchamacallit-thingy under the muzzle (sorry, I'm not really familiar with gun parts that much).

Base
I used some insulating foam from refrigerator walls, a CD case, some masonry putty and plaster of paris to create the base.

I wanted to make it float so I acquired one of the older bases from one my trading figures (again)

Once the putty is semi-dry, I started making chessboard patterns on the floor. When it is almost dry, I started adding floor damage by chipping some dried parts and making cracks. After drying, I've sanded it and painted it.

The Finished Product
Again this was a rush job so I wasn't able to document everything. She's not the best rendition of the character but I'm really happy with how she turned out.

Look, even Woody can't help peeking what's under that very short skirt.

Thanks for looking! I'll upload some gallery pics after the event :)