[Adopted] Raccoon Doll Discussion

Thank you. Well, we pay VAT for everything we buy - food, services, goods, but as we do not know the original price, it doesn't bother us . Only on occasions like when you buy something from outside EU, you see how much they charge you extra to the price of the goods.
Hope you feel better soon .

I have interesting intel from Sang Yoon - in a month or so he should release girl with cheekbones (more pronounced), so we have something to look forward to . Well, I have something more - I paid off my Nina, so she should arrive soon .

 

@boudica interesting new! I'm looking forward to see this new girl! And I keep saving money...!

 

Yay for cheekbones! Thanks for the info, @boudica. I was about to spend what's left of my doll money. Maybe I should wait. And congrats on paying off your Nina. I can't wait to see her.

 

Look who came in on Monday!! She's my first bjd: blank Emma, glamour body/smaller breast.

I need to get to a faceup artist and in the meantime find clothes! Unfortunately finding a job comes first
And I'm terrified of messing up the resin if I do my own face-up.

 

@serenity279 Congratulations! Emma is a great choice for a first bjd. I can't wait to see her painted and dressed.

You shouldn't be afraid to do your own face-up. Just be sure to protect the resin with a sealant like MSC (Mr. Super Clear) or Purity Seal first. (There are other brands but I can't think of the names right now.) That will allow you to remove the face-up if you don't like it without leaving permanent marks on the resin. Also be sure to use paints and/or pencils that do not have an oil base. Check out the threads under the Workshop heading at the top of the page.

 

@boudica @derilan85 thank you for the well wishes

@boudica Thanks for sharing about VAT and about the news about a more defined female sculpt I am looking forward to the new sculpt . Congrats on Nina's last payment and pending arrival

@serenity279 congratulations on your first BJD arrival . I'm looking forward to seeing how she is made up in the future

@nancy_schroeder_ca thanks for the heads up on Gene's next release. I love her sculpt

 

Congratulations @serenity279 on Emma arriving, and on her being your first bjd!
The thought of doing your first faceup is always pretty nerve-wracking. I was so terrified of damaging or staining the resin when I first tried that I gave my doll the most subtle, barely visible faceup I could do It took a few attempts before I got brave enough to try something bolder. Like vermont chick said, be sure to use a sealant before painting the resin, and spray it on in a few thin layers rather than one thick one. There's plenty of help and advice here so have a good read of everything and you should do fine

 

@Poulette your Lucy looks amazing!

@luluna I love your photos.

@avrilpaeony the JID clothes look great!!!

@Meezer your Gene looks so glamorous!

@vermont chick that dress is amazing. Thanks for posting the pattern info and the modifications.

@boudica congrats on Sarah. I can't wait to see the new doll with the cheekbones!

@PennyDes hope you are feeling better

Thanks again to everyone for sharing pictures and information about clothes, wigs and shoes.

Congratulations!

 

Thanks

 

@boudica I keep meaning to ask you if your Nina made it there ok .

 

@serenity279 Congratulations on receiving of your Emma. As @vermont chick said if you spray several layers of MSC or Purity seal over the your doll's face you should be fine - if you do not like the face up you can redo it several times until you are satisfied . Just don't forget to protect yourselft against the fumes from MSC or Purity seal as it's not healthy for your lungs.

She will probably arrive tomorrow, she has been stuck at customs since last week. I will be most probably charged fully for VAT and customs duty as they required all the documentation - Paypal, screenshot of order etc. It seem there is a new trend and they need to collect as much money as they can .

 

Nina just arrived and I do not know how it's possible but I was charged with smaller customs duty than for Sarah (who was less expensive than Nina) even though they asked me for whole documentation, but I am not complaining .

I will post some pictures later today as I am at work now.

 

Congratulations!

 

Congrats @boudica! I can't wait to see her.

 

Thank you .

Thank you , I will post some pictures tomorrow, unfortunately I was unable to take any pictures today. She is lovely, even though I noticed some difference in texture around her nose (probably due to release from mold). I will see if it will be visible on pictures, she does not have face up, so maybe the MSC will unify the texture and it won't be noticeable. Even though I have Iple real skin at home, she seemed to me to be very dark compared to normal skin Sarah . And I will have really hard dilema - which of the girls stays home and which one will be birthday present for my sister . I am even considering variant I will buy 3rd doll . Yeah that would be easier for sure - if I get another sculpt I would be wondering which one of the three to give up . No I cannot go that way .

 

@boudica did you get sweet mocha? Does she look darker than iple real skin?

Hi all, just wondering if anyone got Daisy. Today is the last day and I'm wondering if he will re-release her. Would she make a good first BJD?

Thank you all!

 

Yes, I ordered Nina in sweet mocha - she does not look much darker than my Iple dolls in SRS, just compared to Sarah from Raccoon who I ordered in normal skin (Sarah is my only fair skin doll, so it's bigger contrast ). Others on this thread confirmed that they ordered JID hands in SRS and that it's a match, so it should be ok. My Iple dolls are from 2012 and the end of 2014 so they mellowed a little now - Nina looks in the artificial light to be on the "browner" side.

If you are deciding about ordering Daisy, you can check Gallery on Raccoon's site - Sang Yoon was so kind and posted there blank head photos. I always (if I get the chance) check the blank sculpt photos, to be sure I like the features.
And Daisy's sales page says 1st pre-ordering period, so most probably there will be another one. I myself got Sarah during her 2nd release as she is limited too.

 

Thank you @boudica for the information.

I can't decide on my first BJD, but I think I'll get either an IH or RD.

I'm glad you didn't have to pay high customs this time. I hope you like your new BJD very much. I love your Carina. She's beautiful.

 

Hooray! congrats on Nina's arrival and lesser VAT fees . I'm looking forward to her photos . Sorry about Nina's nose. I wonder what the texture difference on her nose is? ....I hope the face up will help.

 

I've loved Raccoon Doll ever since they first came out. Daisy is on my current wishlist

 

You're welcome and thank you for Carina . I think you won't miss with either IH or RD, but it depends on what size of girl you want and what size you will collect in the future (most probably you won't stay with just one doll, trust me I know ).
IH SD sized girls are amazing but handful (my first BJD was EID Carina) and I find MSD sized Raccoon dolls extremly easy to handle, they are so tiny, there is no issue with holding her in one hand (try that with Carina and you will be tired soon). As I say you need to decide what you prefer. I never regretted buying Carina and I find Raccoon dolls very pleasing.

Thank you . Yeah, the smaller customs duty made my day . It seems the nose is fine on photos, it's visible only when I stare at her very closely in person, but I think MSC will fix it. The cause of different texture was caused (by my opinion) by the release agent used for preventing the resin to stuck to the mold.

And here she is - lovely and bald - for now .


Here are some comparison pictures with Sarah (spoiler alert - they are naked). Nina is small bust/slim body combo in mocha skin and Sarah is large bust/glamorous body combo in normal skin.
Whole body shot
Detailed upper body shot
Sitting back to back
Profile shot comparison
And one comparison picture with EID Carina (she is bald too for the sake of skin comparison). I hope Carina forgives me such outrage .

 

Wow Nina is really great! I love those lips and her chin!!
And the mocha skin is definitely very lovely.
Thank you for all those pics!

 

You're welcome . I'm glad the texture difference isn't glaring and can only be seen up close and personal. It can be a little disappointing when a beautiful expensive doll has something on its face that shouldn't be there ... No matter how small . Fingers crossed the Msc will make it disappear (poof). Nina has such an expressive face even blank. All 3 of your girls look great (your Carina's face up is very pretty btw) and thanks for the comparison photos. I'm sure Carina will forgive being bald her sculpt can pull it off. She is my favorite (and only) SD doll too. I can't wait to see what face ups you dream up for Sarah and Nina.


Quick question for anyone who knows... I have been trying every which way to put the Iple JID hands I got a few weeks ago onto my Gene doll. The hole to hook into is a bit further down than the RD hand and it almost seems like the s hook is too short. I ended up having to put her original hands back on for now. Does anyone who has swapped hands have any tips? Do I need bigger s hooks? Thanks for any help

 

When I swapped my hands for the JID ones I found the first hand went on straight away and the other I had to fiddle with but did get there eventually. Seem to remember it involved using needle nosed pliers and a pair of tweezers in the end but I used the original S hooks and they have stayed on fine.

 

I struggled too to swap the hands, but after some tries and lot of swearing, I managed eventually without changing the s-hooks. (I tried with bigger hooks but they didn't go inside the arm (the opening is really small)).

 

@ boudica - Congratulations on your NIna! She looks like she's off to a great start...and is already expressing herself.

 

@avrilpaeony @Poulette thank you both very much for letting me know your experience in changing the hands. I will just keep trying .

@Poulette thanks for heads up about the larger s hook not fitting into the arm hole.. I will abandon that avenue and know it will eventually work

@avrilpaeony thanks I didn't think of needle nose pliers... I will dig mine up and see if that helps things along.

 

@boudica gosh Nina is beautiful!

Thanks everyone for their vote of confidence! I was going to buy a commission but alas I was too slow and did not get a slot. So out of sheer spite I'll be blushing my Emma's spare feet to get a feel for working with resin. I have MSC on the way but I also want to test other sealants (a traditional artist with a penchant for collecting art materials ). Coupled with the fact that I might also do a little mod and open up her eyes some.

Once I pay off one of my medical bills, I will be ordering a few things (hello Lonnie!) from Iplehouse, including those JID hands. I find that IH's hands look more elegant.

By the way, should we make a stickied post on clothes, shoes, and wigs for these Raccoon Dolls?

 

Oh, I like the idea of making master lists on clothes and tutorials specifically for raccoon doll.

I like Iplehouse, too! I can't wait to start my BJD family.

 

@serenity279 @Phoenixflower383 the idea of a complied list is a great idea. I will throw together a list of clothes, shoes, wigs, eyes, etc this weekend.

@serenity279 Best of luck with creating a face up for your doll and modding the eyes . I look forward to seeing the result


Speaking of what clothes fit.... Here Is a picture of Gene's new Iple outfit. I was surprised and pleased that the coat fit . The Iple boots are quite big and her feet are floating in them. Hopefully I can solve this when I make her a pair of socks. The 8mm Glib's eyes with the low dome ended up being perfect and are not giving me the trouble that the Glastic 8mm eyes did. She has several colors now and in this picture she is sporting hazel.
Gene's new look

 

I love her coat.

 

Thank you it's the Iplehouse JID Girl Cinnamon Coat.

 

Thank you and you're welcome . The mocha skin is nice and photographs well - I am still struggling with taking pictures of normal skin - they are too washed out, so if I buy some other doll in future, I will most probably go again for mocha as it's easier to work with (unless I learn how to cooperate with normal skin tone ).

Thank you for compliments for my girls . Carina has Iple face up C - when I was comparing her to Raccoon girls, I decided that for Nina I will try to get similar look. I have not done anything with my girls yet as I am quite busy at work now, so except some short time I looked at them, there was not enough free time to do anything.
Regarding imperfections on the other hand - you can take it that they give some character to our dolls, real people are not perfect either, so if it's not a big defect, I am fine with it .

Gene looks lovely in her new coat .

Thank you , yes, Nina is more expressive than Sarah, who seems to be a little bit moody. I am really curious, how the girls will look like with face up and clothes.

Thank you . And good luck with the face up! I am also preparing to do face up for my Raccoon girls, to be honest I have also one SD guy waiting for face up (he is waiting for a year now, poor guy), so I decided that I will do all face ups in one batch (so I do not need more than 1 pair of filters into my respirator ).

 

@PennyDes The cinnamon coat fits Gene well. I've always liked that coat but never bought one. Time to rethink that, for sure.

The 8mm Glib eyes seem to be the perfect size for Gene. I bought 6mm in the same color but haven't tried them on anyone yet. They should work with Lucy and Mika, who have slightly narrowed eyes. Sarah and Gene, however, look like deer in the headlights with 6mm. I'm sure they'll need 8mm--when I get around to placing another order.

Regarding the compiled list: are we talking about a separate thread, like the "What Fits" threads for other dolls? I agree it's a great idea, especially with dolls that are a challenge to shop for. I can't imagine what additional clothing challenges we'll encounter once Raccoon releases his first boys. I hope they don't fit into Iplehouse JID clothing, if only because Iplehouse makes so few items for JID boys.

@boudica I hope you get around to doing your faceups soon! I am anxious to see your girls all done up--especially Nina as I haven't seen many (any?) of her so far.

I agree that normal skin is hard to photograph, especially when it's right next to mocha skin. The camera seems to take its reading from the darker doll so the lighter one ends up overexposed. It's the same with any group of dolls. The camera reads the darkest doll and everyone else washes out.

 

@PennyDes your Gene looks amazing in that coat!

@boudica thanks! I'm excited to see what your faceups will look like

@vermont chick it doesn't have to be a separate thread just yet, perhaps when RD gets bigger? Unless that's what's normally done

 

Raccoon Dolls have posted a picture on Facebook of a new doll, Sia, just says coming soon, there's nothing on the website yet (that I could find)

 

Wow, there are TWO new girls up on the Raccoon doll site - Sia and Laetitia!

If you scroll down below the advert for Daisy you will see them.

 

Thank you, got them. I not sure I should have looked though, Laetitia is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Phew! Not a fan of either one. On the other hand, if he should release either/both with different makeup, I could be persuaded. In the meantime I'm holding out for his first Raccoon men.

 

Wow, I like the two new looks. He's very talented.

 

I like them both! Two very different faces... I would appreciate to see different makeups though (or blank face), and each one in the other skintone.
I really like both makeups! Especially Sia with the matte lipstick, not something often seen. The "Rihanna" look of Laetitia is gorgeous too.

 

@boudica Oh Nina would look very nice with a face up like your Carina . I can picture that look working very well with her sculpt.
I understand what you mean about finding free time to do doll projects. I can only imagine how much time a face up would take. The one good thing is that it will give you all the more time to flesh out your ideas . Best of luck and i'm sure they will look fabulous.
That's a very good outlook to have on small defects I will try to think of them that way.
Thank you in regards to Gene's coat

@vermont chick Thank you... I really like that coat a lot and i was so afraid it would't fit. I did find it looked too bulky with a shirt on underneath though. So, Gene unless i find a thinner shirt Gene has to be topless under the coat .
The 8 mm eyes definitely work better for those sculpts. I'm not a fan of how "scared" Gene looked in the 6mm eyes, lol.
I got mine from OOAK Artist Emporium online. She has several sizes and color options.
As for the clothes list a separate "what fits" post does sound like a good idea. I'm new to forums though so not sure what the best method would be.

@serenity279 Thank you for your kind words about Gene's coat

@jemmilly @ashaninca Thank you for the heads up about the new sculpts!

@Poulette @vermont chick I agree, I would want to see different face ups or the blank sculpt too. I love the fresh faces but once again i'm finding it difficult to warm to the lip shape. Which is too bad as i love everything else about both sculpts.

One thing for sure... the newly released pant set is on my wish list

 

Hi all, I'm very new to this so please let me know if I am posting in the wrong place.

Will Modern Gene be for sale again? Love her so much! How often do they sell them or will I have to buy second hand?

 

I asked and they said Gene would be available again but probably in the fall.

 

@borxanne welcome to the group

 

Thank you! That gives me plenty of time to save!

Thank you very much, very happy to be here!

 

Hi friends! Long time no see

Sorry I was a bit busy in the last months. I just checked the posts and was so overwhelmed by the valuable information that was shared here in the meantime! I hope to make use of them soon. Another thing also happened in the meantime, too. My Nina installments finished at the end of March! So hopefully she'll be finished in a couple of weeks! Is Raccoon still as fast as he was in the beginning though?

And for the new dolls, at first I didn't feel much but Sia... She grew on me so quickly... But no... I shouldn't. No...

And @borxanne, welcome! I'm waiting for Gene, too! I wanted both her and Nina and had to make a choice back then. But I hope to get her when she's released again

 

@borxanne you're welcome . It is So nice Raccoon Doll is willing to provide future release timelines to his customers when they ask. Imo it makes saving up easier . I love the Gene sculpt too and have never had any purchase regrets .

@aquabliss congrats on your final payment for Nina . I hope she gets there soon safe and sound

@morganatron i am hoping for blank sculpt images as well . Best of luck raising the money ...

 

Laetitia and Sia both look lovely, but thankfully I don't feel the need to bring them home. Sweet Mocha Daisy is still at the top of the list of Raccoon girls for me at the moment.
I do however like the black tailored clothing set and the new shoes that are for sale now, although I imagine these shoes have the same issues the previous ones had.
Hopefully the next time Daisy is released I can pick up a few clothing items with her.

 

Bellis Daisy is my favorite, too, but I do like the new ones. I only recently found out about BJDs and IH and RD are two of my favorites.

I like the clothes RD has on the website. I didn't know there was a problem with the shoes, though. That's too bad.

I hope she's re-released, too! I've learned that it's better to save and wait for the right one. Do you have a raccoon doll yet?

 

Well, I hope I find time to do the face ups soon, even though the girls are fighting my plans - I wanted Sarah to be blonde, but she will be redhead and Nina should have strawberry blonde hair and will be most probably brunette . So until I decide on the overall look I won't start with face ups (I have the same issue with the SD guy from IH I mentioned earlier - he is fighting my plans for a year now).

I want to create mature look, less innocent for Sarah as is offered by Raccoon and for Nina I want the femme fatal look. We will see if I manage to transform my ideas into faceups.

Actually once I decide on face up it won't take long to do it (if everything goes well) - with good weather I would finish it within one weekend, my main trouble is my indecisiveness - how I want them to look.

I have one request for the owners of Iple JID hands - could someone of you please be so kind and post here comparison pictures of Raccoon doll hands and JID hands next to each other? You don't have to remove them from body, just if the hands could be laid next to each other, so it's possible to compare overall size and shape. It would help me a lot. Thank you in advance.

 

Discovering new companies was always one of my favourite parts of the BJD hobby - there's such a variety of different styles and designs around. I'm an Iplehouse fan too - it definitely seems to be a common theme in this thread - I could easily buy most of their dolls! (not to mention the outfits!)
I think the problem with the shoes is them not fitting quite right and being unable to tell exactly which shoe should go on which foot. Getting dolls to stand up in them also seems to be tricky. It is a shame since they do look rather nice.
I have one Raccoon girl, Black Emma, but I'm having a bit of a dilemma over her at the moment since I can't quite decide if I truly like her or not (I think I bought her more because of the faceup than anything else) She's really gorgeous but I'm not sure about her for some reason, even after several months of owning her At the moment she's tucked safely away in her box. I'm (eventually) going to pick up a few wigs in different styles and colours and try them on her to see if that changes things, otherwise I may have to sell her which is a bit of a shame really.

@boudica I know the feeling, my dolls refuse to stick to my plans for them too. Just when I think I've worked out their look perfectly, suddenly it all changes again. It does get a little frustrating after a while!

 

Oh that really does sound like a good look for Sarah. Im looking forward to seeing it. Sorry the dolls keep changing their look on you ... The creative process can certainly be harder than the execution of the artwork itself. Good luck with the finished look .
That's great to know it doesn't take long. I'm just starting to learn how to do face ups. I used to paint portraits on canvas so I am hoping it will be a similar experience. After enough video tutorials and practice on some cheap vinyl heads (to get the feel of painting a contoured surface) I will tackle the second hand Asa I bought a while back. Enough practice and I plan on redoing Gene.
Here is a photo of the hands next to each other. They really are the same size but the RD hands are closer to the camera and appear larger. I have not put them on yet as they are providing difficult. Other members have been very encouraging and assured me that they do eventually go on after some fighting .
JID Rd hand comparison


@Phoenixflower383 You are very right about saving for the perfect doll. I've been in this hobby just shy of a year and learned that lesson the hard way and not as quickly as I would have liked, lol. I hope Daisy will have a second run again soon so you can get her. I bet if you ask Sang Yoon he would give you a rough idea when it will be released again .

@Zaliayn i am sorry to hear Emma hasn't grown on you. I've bought a few because of the face up too it can be pretty disappointing. Sometimes just the right wig and eye color can do the trick though. I hope it helps . Fingers crossed that Daisy will be released again soon so you can get her. I am saving up for that great pant suit too.

 

@boudica I can't wait to see the face ups. Your Carina is gorgeous. She is classic and kind looking.

@PennyDes I think canvas painting will help you in face ups. It seems like many of the popular face up artists also paint pictures or draw. I'm sorry you had a not good experience with BJDs earlier. It is a fun hobby but there are some scary things that can happen, too. I'm taking notes on IH and RD. I'm planning on getting a doll in June maybe if IH has a summer event. The Raccoon doll group is so nice, though. I hope I can get Bellis Daisy and share pictures.

I showed a friend of mine a picture of a really elaborate Souldoll. I thought he was going to tell me that my new hobby was boring but he said it was creative and artistic. I think finding the right wig and outfits are really creative. It's fun seeing the same doll look so different in new wigs and clothes.

@Zaliayn I like that black pantsuit set, too. Sophisticated! I'm sorry about Emma. I've heard lots of praise for her.

 

It's not very nice from our dolls to behave so, right? The biggest trouble I have is that I did not find the right wig or shade of fiber to do the wig from to fit the characters. For the Raccoon girls it's in "maybe" state now.

Thanks a lot for the comparison picture. I will order the hands soon, probably this month.
If you painted before, than you have the right feel for colors - big advantage. I must admit that I have done only a few face ups so far, so I am hoping I will be able to manage to do some decent work on them. I used aquarell drawing pencils before, but I am playing with idea I will try the acrylics if I get enough courage.

Thank you for compliments . Carina is very special to me, so I hope I will manage to come close with the face ups for Raccoon dolls to have the same feel about them.

 

Weighing in on the topic of face-ups. I struggled with them for a long time, despite having painted portraits on canvas. The contoured surface is part of it, the rest is how much tooth the resin has. If your resin has too little tooth (i.e., it's slippery) the color doesn't stick as well. Spraying with a sealant before and as you work gives the color something to adhere to.

I got my best face-up results when I stopped trying to impose a specific look on my doll and simply let the sculpt speak to me. I now approach face-ups by asking "Who are you?" and then I see where the sculpt takes me. Choosing my color palette is pretty much all I do in the way of expressing character. This approach may not work for everyone, but it's what works for me.

I still have problems with eyebrows and lower eyelashes. Hopefully with more practice those will come out better.

 

Photos of blank Laetitia and Sia are now up!
I like Sia a lot more now after seeing her without the faceup. I love the second photo of her that's looking slightly up at her! She has a wonderful haughty, pouty expression. I think she's just barged her way onto my wish list!

 

Sia really looks like a mini Asa to me. Now where are the MEN???? REALLY excited for them to show up!
A just because close up of Lucy.............such a pretty face...........
Facial Focus by wizgerg3, on Flickr

 

@JinCIncy Your Lucy looks so glamorous in that photo!

I don't see much of Asa in Sia. Laetitia, on the other hand, looks like a cross between EID Ashanti and Aaliyah. I got carried away looking at the blank heads on Raccoon's site and decided that if money were no object, I'd get Emma, Nina and Daisy. Not going to happen, because I'm holding out for the MEN!