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Welcome to the BJD Hobby Thread!   A BJD? The gently caress is that? BJD stands for Ball Jointed Dolls. Some people extend this acronym for ABJD, which stands for Asian Ball Jointed Dolls, but this thread will cover all different types of dolls. To put it simply, a BJD is any doll that has many points of articulation and can pose realistically. This is kind of a loose definition, but you'll know a BJD when you see one. Wow, those are creepy. Why do people buy them? What do you use them for? Lots of things! Virtually every part of a doll is customizable, including the face, body, hair, and clothing. In the next post I'll include a few examples of different types of customization and links to sites concerning customization. I dunno...I've heard a lot of people who do this are kind of crazy. Doll owners often get a bad rep, but the crazies are honestly the minority. Every hobby has them, the doll community just happens to have very vocal ones. How much does this cost to start? The cost of your first doll depends on how much you're willing to spend for the look you want. The two brands that I would recommend most as starting dolls are Obitsu and Hujoo. Each offer a range of sizes and are made of ABS plastic. These are considered "off topic" on some doll sites, but haters gonna hate! They make fantastic first dolls and are very affordable for beginners. These dolls range from $25 to $50 for a "starter kit.” This will cover a blank doll body and head, and maybe a pair of eyes. You CAN buy a factory face up, but that wouldn’t be very DIY, now would it? If you're willing to spend a little more to start, other relatively affordable brands are Bobobie and Fantasy Doll. These will range from $85 to $150+ . These dolls are made of resin as opposed to ABS plastic. As far as other brands go, dolls can get to be VERY expensive. Dolls range from the hundreds to the thousands, but don't let anyone tell you your $50 doll is inferior to their $500 doll! Another option is to create your own doll! Many people build their own dolls from resin or clay, and some really spectacular OOAK dolls have emerged! If you do make one your, please do post WIP pictures! Do Monster High/other non-Asian brands count? In this thread, yes! There is no on- or off-topic brand here. However, I would like to keep this thread focused on customization and creativity. It's great if you're a collector, but it's even better if you can contribute to discussions concerning customization/crafting for your dolls. Wow, this stuff actually sounds pretty cool, but I'm not sure if I have the right skills for this sort of stuff. If you have any sort of creative hobby, you can apply it to dolls. If you paint, sew, sculpt, or even do woodworking you have a place in the BJD hobby! Links to sites concerning different types of customization are coming up in future posts, so keep an eye out for what you're into!
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Mar 22, 2012 04:48
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Glossary of Terms: OOAK: One of a kind. Usually refers to dolls that were built from the ground up with unique molds. Face Up: The use of paint, pastels, or other mediums to give a doll’s face a more realistic appearance. This includes natural shading to give the face depth and extra features like makeup. Body Blushing: The use of pastels or other mediums to give a doll’s body extra dimension, e.g. muscle definition. Joint Sueding: Coating joint sockets in a thin layer of hot glue to enhance a doll’s ability to pose. The slight stickiness of the glue allows the limbs to hold poses better. Stringing: The act of connecting a doll’s joints with elastic. Modification: Anything done to a doll to customize its appearance that was not provided by the factory. This includes face ups, changes to the build, and changing limbs, among other things. Doll Customization  Doll nudity ahead! Possibly NSFW! Face Ups:     Body Blushing and Tattoos:     Body Mods:     Every mod pictured is custom in its category. Pictures were taken from gently caress Yeah BJD Mods! Grape Juice Vampire fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Mar 22, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 04:48
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Doll Hobby Site Link List Den of Angels: Perhaps the biggest and most popular site for BJD hobbyists. Rules are strict here, so lurk for awhile before posting to get a hang of how things work around there. Registration is currently invite only. If you're interested in a membership, PM me for an invite. Dollieh Sanctuary: A smaller but much friendlier site. Rules are more relaxed, and discussion is open to dolls like Monster High and Barbie. gently caress Yeah BJD Mods!: A really cool Tumblr for BJD mods! All pictures in the OP and the second post were found on this blog. My Froggy Stuff: Absolutely the best channel for doll props, furniture, and even clothing. She covers all sizes of dolls, from the tiny to the very large. Distinctive Fabric: Fabulous supplier of various unusual fabrics, including faux fur. Faux fur can be used to make doll wigs! When you register an account, you will receive five FREE swatches of any fabric you want, and after your five free pieces swatches are only a dollar a piece with free shipping. Long pile fur is best for doll hair. Amazon: Kind of obvious, but very useful. Mr. Super Clear available here. Starter Dolls Here are a few places to get affordable starter dolls, listed in no particular order. The Junky Spot: An incredible site! The Junky Spot buys dolls in bulk from retailers and sells them here, along with clothes, wigs, eyes, and other supplies. This is extremely convenient in that it shrinks your shipping time from six weeks+ to less than a week! Here you can buy beginner dolls, such as Obitsu and Hujoo dolls, and more expensive dolls from a variety of brands. Fun fact: the owner, Emory, always puts cute little gifts in with doll orders, like keychains or Japanese candy.  Mint On Card: Similar to The Junky Spot, but with a broader range of doll brands. Fantasy Doll: Affordable sculpts in all sizes. The price includes a face up and eyelashes. Resin Soul: Affordable, but sometimes of questionable quality. Prices also include a face up. Angel of Dream: A little more expensive than BBB/RS and Fantasy Doll, but decent starters. Prices do NOT include a face up. Impldoll: Fantasy tinies! They had an elephant centaur sometime back I regret not grabbing... Magical Angel: Relatively new company, where an SD can be bought and shipped for less than $200. THEY HAVE JOINTED FEET. Grape Juice Vampire fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Dec 14, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 04:49
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~Reserved~
Grape Juice Vampire fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Mar 27, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 05:32
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Another BJD-owning Goon checking in. My pictures are crap so I don't know about posting them. I've mostly got anthros - one Luts Zuzu Delf, two Dear Mines (one Sky Rider Air and one Carnival Oz). I also have a SOOM Smokey Onocentaur and a Luts Kid Delf Yuz. Basically, cute crap.
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Mar 22, 2012 06:16
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Green Jacket posted:Another BJD-owning Goon checking in. My pictures are crap so I don't know about posting them. If you can get any decent pics, do feel free to post them! I just nabbed mine from a meet up thread where somebody posted pics of my dolls. Cute crap's great! I'm expecting Hujoo Cojoo in the mail tomorrow, and I'm splicing together a Little Pullip and an 11cm Obitsu next month. I'm all about the cheap tinies, really.
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Mar 22, 2012 06:20
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Good! I need some motivation to actually finish modding... any of my dolls  ."This realskin Kamau is going to be different!" - Pick, 2009
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Mar 22, 2012 06:32
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Pick posted:Good! I need some motivation to actually finish modding... any of my dolls Tell me about it! I bought a Bobobie Isabella with my Christmas money and thought "This is my first resin doll! I'm going to learn how to suede and restring it! And all of her outfits will be handknitted!" Three months later she's still sitting on the shelf poorly strung in Barbie clothes. 
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Mar 22, 2012 06:56
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Pick posted:Good! I need some motivation to actually finish modding... any of my dolls I'm not even a modder and I am such a slacker. That Onocentaur needs magnets glued in for its ears and tail and I haven't gotten around to doing that yet. I got him like 2 months ago almost.
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Mar 22, 2012 15:36
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My Cojoo just came in and I need to install magnets for his horns. I'll be posting pictures once he's finished! Edit: I just put his eyes in and discovered something awesome. I used $2 18mm plastic eyes from JoAnn's instead of buying acrylic or glass. They're flat backed safety eyes with a green iris and a black slit pupil. When I put them in, the way the eyes were built his pupils now follow you from every angle! :O Awesomely creepy. Grape Juice Vampire fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Mar 22, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 15:47
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Thank you for making me feel better about myself.
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Mar 22, 2012 18:45
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Good call on the BJD in the first post! I never get tired of seeing that awesome tan Rosen.  I keep waffling on whether to grab one of my own at a discount before Dollshe runs out of canceled Pure Body orders.
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Mar 23, 2012 01:24
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Green Jacket posted:I'm not even a modder and I am such a slacker. That Onocentaur needs magnets glued in for its ears and tail and I haven't gotten around to doing that yet. I got him like 2 months ago almost.  .
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Mar 23, 2012 02:17
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Pick posted:Worse yet, I have a couple Orientdolls from 2007 as well, almost untouched. But it was a good time to stock up on them since so many were going for cheap, and I love love love Orientdolls. Iplehouse is my favorite company; they started selling extra foot parts because I asked. They're so wonderful Did you have a problem with the weird resin foot hooks? My friend has an Iplehouse that she ended up having to mod because of them.
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Mar 23, 2012 03:09
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I've decided to bite the bullet and finally string/suede my poor Isabella! My question is what type of a elastic do I need, how much do I need, and where can I buy it? The doll is a Bobobie Isabella that's 27cm tall. When I asked some of the girls in my doll group they just said "Well I only have 60cm+ dolls so idk  ".
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Mar 23, 2012 03:52
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Her Dark Throne posted:I've decided to bite the bullet and finally string/suede my poor Isabella! My question is what type of a elastic do I need, how much do I need, and where can I buy it? Ask on DOA. Check the Marketplace for cheap elastic+whatnot, too.
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Mar 23, 2012 04:11
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Grape Juice Vampire posted:Did you have a problem with the weird resin foot hooks? My friend has an Iplehouse that she ended up having to mod because of them. Nope, he's been absolutely perfect, but the character I wanted to mod him into has weird feet, so for "what if I gently caress this up?" reasons I wanted a spare pair. I also wanted to order it at the same time as my Kamau proper because the realskin resin batches tended to vary. I have zero Iplehouse complaints. ... Soom, on the other hand... 
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Mar 23, 2012 05:42
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Ball Jointed Dolls made my sister get interested in photography and image editing, and she got very good at it. I'm so jealous.  Anyway, I have a question! I've been out of the main part of the BJD hobby for *years* now, and am interested in selling one a Customhouse (now AiDolls I guess?) Little Junior Jupiter. Are Ebay and DoA still the best places to sell a doll, or are there new/better places worth looking into?
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Mar 23, 2012 07:06
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Catalina posted:Anyway, I have a question! I've been out of the main part of the BJD hobby for *years* now, and am interested in selling one a Customhouse (now AiDolls I guess?) Little Junior Jupiter. Are Ebay and DoA still the best places to sell a doll, or are there new/better places worth looking into? DoA is still the best place to sell IMHO, I wouldn't bother with Ebay. Its a buyer's market at the moment but since your boy is from Custom House I don't think you'll have any problem finding a buyer. Aidolls has been having so many issues and drama as of late that I'm sure there are quite a few people who'd prefer to buy an older CH doll secondhand without quality issues or worry about getting ripped off.
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Mar 23, 2012 14:48
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Casca posted:DoA is still the best place to sell IMHO, I wouldn't bother with Ebay. Its a buyer's market at the moment but since your boy is from Custom House I don't think you'll have any problem finding a buyer. Thanks very much for the information, I'm very grateful! I'd rather sell on DoA than ebay, anyway, much less fees. Casca posted:Aidolls has been having so many issues and drama as of late that I'm sure there are quite a few people who'd prefer to buy an older CH doll secondhand without quality issues or worry about getting ripped off. Ahahaha, some things never change.
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Mar 23, 2012 17:21
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Is there a way to file down ABS plastic without ruining the look of the plastic? My Cojoo has a huge protruding upper lip and I'd like to take it down a bit. I used a jewelry file to sand down my Obitsu's nipples ( they stuck through EVERYTHING) but that's on a not-so visible area.Edit: Went for it at an unhealthy hour with the jewelry file. Success! Grape Juice Vampire fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Mar 25, 2012 |
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Mar 25, 2012 07:27
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Hi, I just started modding monster high dolls and I'm a beginner at everything but I think I have everything I need to start. I have a question about molding, I normally use polymer clay to make things, but I am pretty sure you cant put vinyl in the oven, so if I wanted to do body modifications what should I use? I was thinking on one I wanted to add bigger boobs and on another I wanted to make a mermaid's tail. Is there an air dry putty you use or something? I will post some pictures when I get my first one done. So far, all I have done is remove her hair and makeup.
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Mar 27, 2012 06:39
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Apoxie Sculpt is my preferred modding substance, as it air-drys... and hard. Adheres great, too.
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Mar 29, 2012 13:55
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You could also try making your own molds if you want to have multiple torsos with the same modification. There are a few tutorials on making your own molds and casting things in them floating around. It's a little time consuming and maybe more expensive to begin with, but it'll save you time in sculpting later. Plus, you can sell them! A few people sell custom MH torsos on Etsy for almost the same price as a brand new MH doll.
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Mar 29, 2012 18:21
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Is there anyone here working on tiny little knits for their dolls? Because I just hit the doll shawl jackpot: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/5-basic-shawl-shapes-cheat-sheet All of these patterns can be knitted to various doll sizes easily! I might knit up one of each just to see how they look. Also God drat it's hard to find affordable non-ugly sock yarn for dresses.
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Mar 30, 2012 02:35
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Thanks guys! I just want to do the one mod on each doll so I will look into the apoxie sculpt. I do already have the mix and pour mold stuff but I haven't used it before and I was saving it for when I had a few things I wanted to mold. Maybe I should try to use it to make a monster high torso, but then I would have to get into resin casting too, and I already have way to many hobbies. Are they torsos only for the create a monster sets?
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Mar 31, 2012 14:54
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Lassarina posted:Thanks guys! I just want to do the one mod on each doll so I will look into the apoxie sculpt. I do already have the mix and pour mold stuff but I haven't used it before and I was saving it for when I had a few things I wanted to mold. Maybe I should try to use it to make a monster high torso, but then I would have to get into resin casting too, and I already have way to many hobbies. Are they torsos only for the create a monster sets? For the most part, yeah, but some people just like to mix them up or have extras for customization practice.
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Apr 1, 2012 06:44
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I got into BJDs about a month ago, and they're pretty neat. My first doll won't be here for a while yet, but I've got a face that I just ordered. I'm using it to practice faceups on until I can order a body for it. Until then, I will continue to practice drawing eyebrows. They are (for me) the hardest part of the face to do, since they end up dictating the entire expression. They're also really hard to put down in some sort of symmetrical fashion. I want to get into sculpts and mods eventually, but that will have to wait until I can get faceups done consistently well.
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Apr 3, 2012 19:06
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Dorky posted:I got into BJDs about a month ago, and they're pretty neat. My first doll won't be here for a while yet, but I've got a face that I just ordered. I'm using it to practice faceups on until I can order a body for it. http://mybjd-asia.forumms.net/t53-creating-eyebrows-for-bjd-tutorial-part-1 Here's a pretty great tutorial on how to do eyebrows. I've heard of some people making masking tape templates for a doll's eyebrows to get them symmetrical, but I can't attest to how well this works.
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Apr 4, 2012 03:26
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Grape Juice Vampire posted:http://mybjd-asia.forumms.net/t53-creating-eyebrows-for-bjd-tutorial-part-1  ! I'm planning on trying another faceup this weekend, so I'll definitely try to figure out those brow-shape guidelines before I start. Using masking tape certainly sounds interesting, but I think I'll hold off on trying that unless I truly, utterly, fail at making this next set of eyebrows. I don't want to have to rummage through closets and drawers all weekend trying to find out where I left the tape, heh.
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Apr 4, 2012 20:33
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Grape Juice Vampire posted:http://mybjd-asia.forumms.net/t53-creating-eyebrows-for-bjd-tutorial-part-1 Oh wow, that makes so much more sense than just about everything else I've ever seen. Makes me want to try redoing my doll's crappy faceup yet again. It's also why I ordered my Puki that I got her with a factory faceup. I ordered my Puki through Denver Doll Emporium, and they were able to ask the factory to use the default Sugar style eyebrows on my Pongpong, because I haaaaaate the little sort of half-eyebrows that the default Pongpong face has.
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Apr 5, 2012 22:47
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One of my favorite things about the doll companies is how often they throw in freebies. When I ordered my Kamau, Iplehouse threw in two pairs of glass eyes for free. So sweet!
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Apr 6, 2012 02:51
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I like the little candy packages Emory throws in with Junky Spot orders. I try to throw in little accessories or other tiny stuff whenever I sell doll junk.
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Apr 6, 2012 04:54
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I really love the little caramel lollypops Dollmore used to send out. I've been meaning to get back into the hobby for a while, but all my craft stuff is currently at my parents' house and I need a new table  What is the current situation with sealants? I used to be able to get MSC and Dullcote (I hate that crap anyway) shipped to the UK, but you can't anymore. I've got about 2 and a half cans of MSC left and a few dolls that could do with a makeover. I heard a while ago that some people use Purity Seal, but I've never actually seen a doll sealed with it. I have some of that, but it seems it would be too shiny and I have no idea how it reacts to resin or whether it yellows or not. Dolls! Customhouse Mars modded with Rit dye, which was a nightmare. The green thing is from a guy on the internet who used to make them:  Iplehouse Kamau:  Obitsu Nanu Haruka. These are great dolls because they are cheap, but have a bjd aesthetic. I find painting small dolls to be a bit harder:  Soom Lupin in a wig I customised:  Blythe Star Dancer, customised. She was an interesting project, though I found it kind of traumatic cracking open her head and messing with her eye mech, etc. The plastic feels so brittle compared to BJDs:  Luts Sleeping Chiwoo, modded to look sort of like a Woosoo. I got nerve damage in my finger doing this one and have since fixed his horrendous eyewells when I felt brave enough to dremel them:  Iplehouse Akando. This was the free closed eye head, so I opened one up to make him look badass (?). Oh dear, his eyebrows look kind of crappy here:  Zaoll Luv. I really like these dolls because they are a bit smaller than 60cm but fit a fair bit of SD13 stuff. They're also pretty versatile: 
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Apr 6, 2012 07:31
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Kamau really is such a beautiful sculpt . I used to have a Jace a long time ago, but it didn't feel right for the character, plus he had that weird shorts butt (which granted made for easier blushing, but butt-blush isn't a high priority for me). The upgrade to Kamau was one of my better doll decisions. I also have an old Domuya Venus (the fashion doll line) I've been thinking of modding TO HELL because she's not that valuable and I got her for cheap years ago. I think she may be the first doll I try to dye. (She's paper white at the moment, which just... does not work for me.)
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Apr 6, 2012 12:01
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So what should be my last doll for a long while (what with buying a house this month and all) came today: A Leekeworld Fox Warrior with a Mint head. No pictures yet, but I've gotta say: I just finished my three part layaway a WEEK ago, and was expecting the doll to take a month at least considering my experiences with other companies. That was pretty amazing. However, as a newb, I'm kind of intimidated by all the work she needs to be complete. I am used to dolls with tails having a well for the magnet just above their butt, which she doesn't have... it looks like I'll have to actually take her apart to place it inside of her body. Same with the ears, although obviously headcap removal is an easier process (although Leekeworld head cap is the first doll I've had that attaches by rubber band and not by magnet). Guess I'll have to invest in some tools and get over my fear of taking dolls apart. Her faceup is gorgeous, though. I think I'll be calling her Cricket.
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Apr 7, 2012 19:29
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Pick posted:Kamau really is such a beautiful sculpt Kamau is a nice sculpt and I also posted Soom Lupin because I think he's a wonderfully versatile sculpt that has never been popular and has since been discontinued. It's a shame that some of Soom's nicer sculpts in general have been overshadowed by the limiteds which I feel have been kind of 'meh' for a while. I completely understand why some people prefer to have a finished doll when they feel they don't have the ability to make it look at least presentable or a limited doll for the epeen or whatever, but I think that's a shame. I do like looking at other peoples' interpretations on how a doll should look. For your Domuya I'd say don't sand her before you attempt to dye her. A lot of people say you should, but all of the sanded bits of my CH boy came out incredibly patchy. I didn't sand his face and hands because I didn't want to disturb his facial features/fingers and they came out far more even. Your one is so teenie, I figure you may have already decided not to anyway. For anyone looking to buy a doll, I would recommend DOA marketplace. It's a slog to search but you can uncover some pretty nice bargains, especially in the clothing section. I also bought this girl on a whim because it was a sculpt I hadn't heard of and seemed pretty nice:  I got her for a pretty good price considering she is a Limhwa that has since been discontinued due to low popularity. I normally prefer to faceup my own dolls, but hers was so nice I only changed the lips. She stands wonky because Mr Limhwa decided to superglue the headbar in and I really can't be arsed to try and pry it out and restring her. I just go with her quirks. I think pretty much any doll, no matter how cheap or unpopular, can be made to look awesome.
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Apr 10, 2012 13:31
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My Domuya Venus came with no lines at all, so there wouldn't really be much reason to sand her. I don't tend to like Domuya's sculpts that much but they were exceptionally well-crafted. As for Soom limiteds, I had a Euclase for a while and it would have been the worst doll decision of my life if I hadn't been able to sell him. What a loving UGLY face. And the gray skin looked awful (I still think he should have been available in white). Just a lovely doll. Thankfully, I got like twice what I paid for him a year later, so it was worth it in the long run.
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Apr 10, 2012 16:38
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So glad to see this thread I was wondering if anyone had any advice on wig care. The biggest thing that's keeping me from doing more photography is that I spend 80% of the time fussing over wigs instead of posing/taking pictures. I've realized the value of nice wigs and have managed to sell my crappy old ones to fund a few new wigs from Wig Wing, which are really great quality. I was also going to order some of their wig care liquid but the agent I was going through won't ship it. Should I suck it up and order something through a group order? Any specific product recommendations?
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Apr 12, 2012 17:59
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Gonna breathe some life back into this thread by announcing that I'm joining the cool kids resin club.  My Tong Tong should be here by next week! He's going to be my first faceup victim, and possibly my first ear mod experiment.
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Apr 18, 2012 05:36
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