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New Project: FantasyDoll Nekomimi into Baron from Whisper of the Heart

Jun 17, 2010

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    1. Welcome to my little modification thread!
      [​IMG]
      (He looks about 27cm tall, doesn't he? Maybe a little taller but still pretty close!)

      I have been dying to have my own Baron for ages. I tried to get a Minimee of him but that didn't work out so I just decided I would bide my time. Then I saw a Nekomimi and realized that would be a great base for a Baron head and best of all, she's 27cm, my favourite size to work with. SO! I will be turning this:
      [​IMG]

      Into this:
      [​IMG]

      Something important to note is that his mods will be pretty non reversible: the Nekomimi's face is going to be completely sanded and wrecked.

      What all will be done:
      Sanding down of Nekomimi's face into a very basic foundation to create Baron's face
      Additions and sculpting to the face with Milliput to create Baron's distincitive face
      Full body spray-paint so it is very unlikely to chip
      Full body paint work sprayed with matte clear paint to make it permanent
      Glueing in of special beads for eyes
      Procuring of Baron's outfit
      Adding on a long tail made of Epoxy with a steel wire base (not made to be flexible, just less likely to crumble) that is then spray painted and painted to match

      Basically, I'm creating Baron to be a collectible, no longer a doll to be played with. After he is done, he'll be dressed, posed, and put on a stand, possibly in a case. This is really a labor of love; this movie inspired me a lot and I have always loved Baron. Maybe one day I'll even make his lady...

      So! Keep an eye on this for updates. :) It's going to be a slow going project, honestly so don't expect something done in a week or two but I hope to end up with something beautiful and unique. :chocoberry

      ((**A little note. I'm making the original Baron from Whisper of the Heart. The Baron from The Cat Returns looked a bit different. I like the original Baron's mysterious look and huge ears.**))

      Now, I have a question...
      ...for you experienced modders out there. What is the strongest, hardest type of sculpting medium out there? I've got Milliput so I was planning on using that but if there is a stronger kind, I want the best there is. Colour match doesn't matter at all.
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      #1 PenguinCheese, Jun 17, 2010
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    2. 6 - 21 : It begins!
      I just got my Nekomimi in the mail and I am pleasantly surprised by how high quality she is, especially her gorgeous hands. After spending a few hours prying out her hot-glued in eyes, I end up with a naked, eyeless doll with a few chips around her eyes (I wasn't terribly careful removing the eyes since I knew the eyes were going to be totally changed anyway) and she is ready to be turned into my lovely Baron. :) Unfortunately, Nekomimis don't use an S-hook in the head - the head is actually tied on with the elastic so it's gonna be interesting to restring her. When doing mods, I might end up changing the head attachment mechanism to an S-hook or something like that. As it is, she has almost no movement up or down in the neck. All in all, though, she is a great doll!
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      #2 PenguinCheese, Jun 17, 2010
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    3. Reserving for progress again...
       
      #3 PenguinCheese, Jun 17, 2010
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    4. And one more...
       
      #4 PenguinCheese, Jun 17, 2010
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    5. And then just one last one. :)
       
      #5 PenguinCheese, Jun 17, 2010
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    6. Im Excited to see how this comes out for you. I love Baron. I've never seen "Wisper of the Heart" tho, only "The Cat Returns"
      Good Luck! ^-^
       
      #6 Pixieflix, Jun 18, 2010
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    7. I've also not seen Whisper of the Heart, but I did see The Cat Returns and that makes me a bit excited to see how you manage to make such a sweet face into the Baron. ^-^
       
      #7 KarieChaos, Jun 18, 2010
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    8. I believe Volks actually made a Barron doll, but I imagine that he'd be pretty hard to get a hold of (not to mention pricey). *_*

      But! Back to your question. The people who make apoxie sculpt also have a product called FIXIT, and there's also FIXIT sculpt, both of which are supposed to be stronger. I've also heard of a newer product called Amazing Sculpt which is supposed to be quite good.

      Have you worked with epoxy putty before? If not (and for anyone else who is curious), I've got a few tips.
      First off, get yourself some disposable gloves. This can be rather tricky if you have smaller hands. You can try hardware stores, but also supermarkets (for food prep). Gloves are really great, because epoxy tends to be VERY sticky when you're mixing it (and a real pain to scrub off). It's a good idea to let it sit for a while to firm up a little, it becomes a lot easier to work with. Water is great to help keep the stickiness down, on both your hands and any sculpting tools.
      I would also add wire to the ears if you're making them bigger, just for extra strength.

      Can't wait to see how he turns out! I love watching mod projects. :)
       
      #8 Prysm, Jun 18, 2010
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    9. To answer your question...I used LaDoll clay to sculpt my joker. It's easy to work with and if you want to change something you can chip it off. After it dries it's pretty hard but is still easy to sand and if I needed to add anything I could easily add. I sprayed him with Mr. White Surfacer 1000 to make him sturdy and make any dents virtually invisible. I used apoxie sculpt for any high traffic areas (when I modded his wrist ball joints since i added jointed hands which didn't fit)it's very sticky at first I didn't work with it when it's supposed to be easier to work with but it dries super hard and it can be hard to sand though you can still sand it. It seems after it dries though it is dry and all you can do is build on what you already did instead of wetting and blending. I haven't tried milliput but from what I've read all apoxies are basically the same

      *edit* I don't exactly suggest you use either product...I liked LaDoll clay though. As for apoxie sculpt I don't like it when it's sticky and when it firms it's a little hard to work with but then again it's not sticky then...I guess it's up to personal preferance
       
      #9 lookame, Jun 18, 2010
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    10. Effigy did an awesome mod with some stuff called Amazing Sculpt, she modded an Anubis head onto an existing doll head, it's fabulous to look at. Apparently that stuff was great to work with.
       
      #10 KarieChaos, Jun 19, 2010
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    11. I would second using Amazing Sculpt! I tried to use milliput once or twice and couldn't do anything with it, and it was very difficult to mix and never cured because of that. Amazing Sculpt worked wonders when I tried it, and I'm an amateur sculptor at best. It's also very strong and lightweight.
       
      #11 ss108, Jun 19, 2010
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    12. What a crazily amazing idea! I never really liked anthro dolls but Baron I give exception to. <3
       
      #12 1000014, Jun 23, 2010
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