Nendoroid Petite Tomoe Mami Magical Girl Review

Hello, everyone!  Welcome back for yet another figure review on Tiro Finale.  Today, we will be taking a look at one of the older and rarer Tomoe Mami figures ever produced, Good Smile Company's Nendoroid Petite Tomo Mami (Magical Girl Version).  Well, calling it a "figure" is a little bit of a stretch as officially these are classified as trading figures which were sold in blind boxes.  But considering the ridiculously high levels of quality control and detailing GSC put into these tiny Nendoroid Petites, perhaps calling them figures is not unjustified after all?  Rather than debate about definitions, let us jump straight into the review for this very special Mami! 

Manufacturer: Good Smile Company

Series: Nendoroid Petite, Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Price: 476 Yen

Release Date: 02/2012

Scale: Non-scale

Material: PVC

Front View

From the front, we have Mami daintily dressed in her Magical Girl outfit.  Immediately, we can notice the proportions are absolutely spot on with typical Nendoroid styling and attention to detail.  Even the parts and color separation on her outfit is equally impressive but, more of that in a bit. 

Rear View

The same attention to detail is retained all throughout the figure, even towards the back with the flowing white ribbon.  Mami uses the standard issue Nendoroid Petite stands which consist of a clear round base and articulating "L" stand.  This stand is absolutely essential for her, as just like the School Girl Version (review & gallery, you are welcome), she is unable to stand on her own. 

Right View

The stand does a fairly good job of holding Mami in place but, I do feel it is a little too flimsy to my liking.  Granted the two articulating ends (one on Mami's back and another on the base) are mounted securely, Mami would actually stay in place with little risk of falling off or over.  Trouble is, getting those articulated ends to fit well in the first place. 

Left View

Similar to the School Uniform Version, Magical Girl Mami also has separate pieces for her left and right arms allowing for some degree of articulation.  But unlike her counterpart, Mami's arms here do not move as freely probably due to her puffy sleeves and more prominent bust. 

Facial Details Close-up

In terms of Mami's facial details and expression, everything is absolutely spot on!  From the Ume Aoki-styled eyes, to Mami's gentle blush and smile and her lovely soft blonde hair framing her face, the look is instantly recognizable to be Mami's.  The edges of Mami's fringe becomes darker and this is a feature which is seen even in the School Uniform version.  You either like it or you do not. 

Being the Magical Girl version, Mami has several more notable head accessories now.  The first and largest of which is her hat.  For the Nendoroid Petite, Mami's hat is actually removable!  Although I would not recommend it as it would leave an exposed hole at the back of Mami's head.  No luck with the magnets this time as they did with the normal Nendoroid Mami. 

Next is Mami's Soul Gem, which is probably one of my favorite features of this entire figure.  The hair piece/Soul Gem is appropriately sized while featuring a metallic gold finish which really stands out! 

On the opposing side, there is the other floral-themed hair piece that Mami usually weas.  This one is cleverly disguised at the plug point for Mami's twin-tails which, like her hat, are also removable. 

Speaking of twin-tails, one cannot mention Mami without actually noting her signature blonde twin-tails.  They are ever present even in Nendoroid Petite guise with Good Smile getting it just right. 

Two-and-a-half curls.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

So, we have established Mami's got a cool head on her shoulders.  But, what about her lower half? 

Well, I am happy to report that the detailing on Mami's Magical Girl outfit is absolutely stunning.  More so when you realize just how small these figures are!  There is distinct color separation between all the parts of her outfit with little details such as the brown corset buckles and black gloves present!  Only upon much closer inspection would you realize that the yellow and white detailing spill off their border a little.  Rest assured though, these details are hardly noticeable to the naked eye. 

The same can be said for the back as well with Mami's fluffy big skirt giving the impression of Mami floating. 

Mami's outfit continues further down to her dark purple stockings and brown boots.  While her brown boots with their yellow soles are finely detailed, the purple stockings are just as is.  No pinstripe detailing as seen in the scale figures?  I am afraid not. 

In terms of overall execution, you do not need me to tell you that everything falls into place perfectly (as it should).  Top that off with the asking price of 476 Yen, and you have an absolute steal.  But that was 2012, with figure prices having gone up rather significantly over the past 5 years. 

These days, if you wanted to get one of these, you would have to search high and low just to find one.  Often, trinket hobby shops would be your best bet.  Even then, you would still need to do a significant amount of searching and likely source it from Tokyo.  Trust me, I had to go through all of that and more just to get my hands on this Mami. 

Even when you do find one, there is the matter of cost.  While I did mention Mami costing only 476 Yen at release, the price has since gone up as the number available in the wild have gradually dwindled to only a handful remaining.  As such, do not be surprised to find one going for 1,000 Yen or above, when you do find one. 

Which brings us to the question, would it worth it for anyone to spend such a sum of money on a Nendoroid Petite Mami?  Quite frankly, no.  But for that one true Mami fan out there, it is worth all that and more especially considering just how astonishingly rare this Nendoroid Petite Mami is. 

So, what are my favorite aspects of this little figure?  To be specific, there are three.  The first is Mami's expression, her gentle eyes and smile give a hint of sadness behind that calm expression.  It is just a rare expression to be seen in figure but, if you know Mami, you know how perfect this all is. 

The second would be the lovely Soul Gem hair piece that is an absolute stand out in and of its own.  It is lovingly colored and perfectly sized making it the perfect addition to Mami's Magical Girl outfit.  No muskets, no problem. 

Lastly, the overal execution of the figure is what really speaks to me.  These days, many would call Good Smile Company out on pushing their Nendoroid series to the mainstream market and losing its core focus.  Looking at their early 2012 products, it is not hard to see where that appeal came from in the first place and why GSC eventually got so big. 

All in all, GSC's Nendoroid Petite Tomoe Mami (Magical Girl Version) is as niche of a product as they come especially in today's figure market.  I do not expect anyone except the hardcore Madoka Magica/Tomoe Mami fans to be actively searching for her.  But for those who are, I strongly recommend getting her as soon as you can.  There is no telling when there will be none left in the wild. 

With that, comes an end to my first new Mami figure review in a while.  I hope you have found this article helpful.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know in the comments section below.  I would love to hear what you have to think!  Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!