This February, I had been preoccupied in creating
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles keychains that my cousin requested me
to make as giveaway for her son's upcoming birthday party in Sweden.

chibi version of the turtles.

This post is a documentation on
how I created the keychains from scratch.

It's pretty long;
I included the list below as an overview
so, you dear readers, know what to expect
and/or decide if you would still like to continue reading...

Contents
Conceptualization
3d Modeling and Rapid Prototyping
Fabrication
Coloring of Models
Assembly and Final Touches
More Pictures of the Keychains

Conceptualization

First, I contemplated on how the keychains should look. Since it's
going to be a small model, I decided to do a chibi version for the following reasons:
• the essential elements will be emphasized in this style.
• ‎I am not adept in painting extremely little details in small models
nor do I have access in tools beyond a simple brush.

I explored some possible designs
the limbs, ‎plastron [the lower shell] and ‎slots to fit the weapons
of the turtles in their carapace —a feature I later decided not to employ.

I also listed some constraints which will guide me
in the actual drawing and fabrication process.

3d Modeling and Rapid Prototyping

They were the primary challenges and sort of a loop process: I made the 3d models then a prototype of it; created adjustments on the 3d model based on the physical replica then created another prototype. So on and so forth.

the final concept model.

I started with the shell and the body then made prototypes of the two
to ensure acceptable fitting tolerance. I only began making the head's model
when I was fabricating the final bodies.

I made only two versions for the body.

The right one was used as the final body. Its upper curvature is the same as that of the carapace's. In addition, its plastron shell is more visible than the left model.

I had to create many adjustments here;
from its proportion to the overall body and shell, bandana and its eyes.
It took me several tries.

I have insufficient experience in sculpting, so please do forgive my work xD
it's a FAN-ART. FAN-MADE sooo they don't have to look exactly like the original characters because they're only a keychain! haha

Fabrication

components of the turtles.

The final set took nearly 40 hours to create, excluding the breaks in-between
as well as the time I spent in the previous steps.

Coloring the Models

This is the fun and messy part! and I daresay the most exhausting.
⁽⁽◝(๑꒪່౪̮꒪່๑)◜⁾⁾≡₍₍◞(๑꒪່౪̮꒪່๑)◟₎₎
I wanted them to look true to their characters so I painted them according to their images I found on net.

I used acrylic paints, the ones in plastic containers, that I bought
last year from a nearby school supply store.

I started with the shells, then worked on the skin of bodies and heads,
the plastrons, the eyeballs, then the bandanas and lastly, the pupils.

I purposely used different colors and varying shades of green for the carapace and skin, respectively, as I could see different color schemes of the characters in google image hits.

I had trouble in the bandanas as my hands were slightly shaking already and had to repaint the places I mis-painted the following day. Still I'm happy with the overall result.

The paint exuded life to the once lackluster models~

Assembly and Final Touches

Right after the last model dried, my dad and I started assembling the turtles!
He attached the shells to the bodies while I only attached the heads to the assembled bodies.

I submerged them into a final coating to give extra protection against the elements.

My parents were extremely pleased with the final results.
They were so amazed with the glossy finishing.
Lastly, my dad installed the keyrings ^o^

More Pictures of the Keychains

look! the turtles are ready now in traveling to Sweden!
°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
I was half-tempted to write "home grown, made in the Philippines,"
or any mark around the carapace that would identify its origin lol.

This project took me more than two good weeks. And I'm glad that when we finally gave it to my cousin, she appreciated much my work. Her kids even wanted to play with 'em then!

thanks for reading!
maybe i'll post more project like this.
shout-out to my mom for assisting me with the write-up.
^o^

happy steeming and see ya around~

'til next time!
o(๑>ω<๑)o