Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls have their roots in Garage Kits. I recently found this at DoA, and think it is interesting: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?54425-New-kit-from-Ariadne-record-for-most-joints-photos-complete The thread is dated 03/23/2006, so this is hardly new. I really like the idea of making a kit....... Look at that first picture !!! The parts are still attached to the gates. :XD http://www.denofangels.com/doawiki/index.php?title=Production_Ariadne
thats really cool... didnt Dannychoo post about the same doll recently? only it was in ABS plastic instead. the joints look eerily familiar.
for the life of me i cant remember where or who i saw posting the link. if i find it i will totally post. @_@
I can guarantee the Production Ariadne kit is not the same as the figure in the dannychoo link; the ariadne kit only has 47 pieces, the other one had over 200: http://www.denofangels.com/joints/showthread.php?t=4498
of course it would be in the last place id think to look for the thread... right here in the discussion thread: http://www.dannychoo.com/iphone_post/en/25323/Doll+Body.html i thought the body you posted looked eerily like the one in this link.
ah! they look alike though.... i guess it was never put into production... cause i tried to find it online and couldnt find it anywhere. :/
Some doll companies still sell dolls as kits. Alchemic Lab hardly ever sells their dolls fully assembled, and Volks and Alice in Labyrinth give you the option to buy one at a discount. I really like the idea and if I ever were to sell any of mine, I'd probably ship them as kits.
That collarbone to shoulder piece is really interesting. Moves better than the 200 piece doll I found aswell.
Is anyone interested in discussing BJD Kits? For example: If you made a BJD Kit, what would you make it from (resin, porcelain, other) ? How much work would be required from the buyer to finish it ? Would you remove flashing, sprues, runners, and gates, or require the Kit builder to do it ? Would you include complete step-by-step instructions, with photos ? Would you include a random set of eyes ? How much tooling would the buyer need to complete the BJD Kit ?
I can't see offering folks BJD kits, as an artist. While so much of the BJD hobby is about customizing and modification, I would rather what leaves my hands be a finished product - even if it's eyeless, hairless, and without painting. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I don't plan on sending anything out that isn't a complete doll, able to sit up from the box and give a luxurious streeeeetch as she starts her new life with her new owner. I may try to include wigs/eyes/faceups depending on what people would like (it seems like most people switch these out immediately anyway), but probably not clothing. I just can't imagine sending someone out a bag of parts and expecting them to sand it all into a working doll. I do plan on having lots of pictures on how to put my doll together, but that will be for restringing purposes - she'll come fully strung. I would feel really weird and just plain... wrong, like I'd only done part of the job and then gave up at the end.
thats really cool, but i have to agree with hystericalparoxysm, i wouldnt want to make such kits, id rather sell blank nude dolls already strung and sanded. Im not sure kits like that will attract customers much, it looks more like an action figure than a bjd, especially seeing the figure in parts stuck to plastic doesnt look pleasing to the eye, it looks more like a cheap toy or a gundam kit. Not that the particular figure is bad or anything, but what you see is not the final product, in wich case some might avoid it altogether thinking they might ruin it trying to put it together.
I have found that once I pick up sandpaper, I will not put that doll part down until it is baby-butt smooth. I even sand the peanut joints and shoulder cups. If I had a doll in production and was considering selling as a kit, it would be an all-or-nothing situation. Either most of the sprues and seams would still be there for the buyer to take care of, or it would just be a string-it-yourself kit, all the seams and sanding taken care of by the maker. I personally think stringing a doll is wonderful bonding, especially since elastic tension is part of a buyer's preference. Of course a finished (sanded) unstrung kit would cost more than an unfinished kit.
Well heck, if someone sold bjd parts straight from being cast that still needed to be sanded and such for cheaper, I'd TOTALLY buy. I mean.. Im not made of money and I'm going to college and I really want a ball joint doll, but they're sooooo expensive :\
I think it's a neat idea and would consider offering such kits if I sold any dolls.. at the same time I understand why an artist would be averse to the idea, and it would mean you'd have less control over the final product and quality. But it's just a personal decision. Tbh the existence of a kit is actually enticing to me just for the fun of putting it all together and making it that little bit more special and 'mine'. It appeals to the kid in me and reminds of model toys and kinder eggs hehe. Too bad more doll makers don't offer the option, I'd buy all my dolls that way if possible.
I love kits. You know those resin figurines that you have to do up yourself? They're fantastic! I still want to buy a Alchemic Lab Unoa just BECAUSE Araki sells them as kits. The possibility to finish your own doll and making him/her completely your own is very appealing to me. That's why I still have an AIL doll on my wishlist, since they offer that same service. If I ever were to sell dolls, I'd probably sell them as kits. I'd cut of the sprues, gates, but won't sand the doll,so the buyer could finish him up the way he/she wants to. It is, however, important that I sell all the supplies necessary to complete the doll. So a kit would have a piece of string, 4 small s-hooks a large one, a pair of eyes and a rubber band. The box would also contain a how-to and a stringing tutorial. The positive side for me - as a seller - is that I can ship them out in smaller boxes (I can't find boxes large enough to ship a 60+ cm doll) and that it takes less time for me to finish them up. Another positive side is that I'm a terrible face-up artist. When people buy kits they don't expect you to give them that service. The downside is that I have less quality control, but I could fix this by having good customer service. If a part wasn't cast properly, I could send out a replacement. Another downside is that the presentation of my doll is somewhat lacking. The buyers won't see a beautiful doll when they open the box, but scrappy, unfinished parts. The positive side for the buyer is that they have a more affordable doll (because the doll itself is cheaper and the shipping costs are lower) and that their doll will be as smooth, or not smooth as they'd want to. Some people enjoy seamlines, others think it's a flaw. With a kit you could decide for yourself what you want with them. Many people are also interested in how a doll is made and by buying a kit, you get the feeling that you're part of its creation. The downside is that they need to put a lot of work into the doll, before it's finished. However, when you buy a kit, you know this.
I agree with crowtree and Silk, but I started off with kits and gundam's before getting into bjd's. And like crowtree if all bjd companies offered their dolls at a lower price in kit form I'd buy all mine that way to. Considering I haven't even made a doll yet I doubt I'll be selling much of anything. :P But if I did I'd probably offer both assembled and disassemble dolls. For those who wouldn't want to do all that work and those who wouldn't mind.
Not only am I thinking about making a BJD Kit, but I'm also thinking about releasing the BJD Kit under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike Commercial license as well. This is a copyleft license that encourages sharing, remixing, remolding, recasting, whatever, as long as all modifications are shared with others, and that those same modifications are released under the same license. Essentially, under that license, a buyer could mold, cast, and sell the BJD Kit along with her mods, under the same CC license. At least that is how I understand it (IANAL).
I want a Unoa for the same reason! Well almost, I think they're very beautiful dolls as well..I wouldn't want one if I thought they were ugly, but I wouldn't consider a purchase unless it still needed to be put together. Being so much a part of a new doll's 'birth' (uuu.. I can't think of a better word right now ^^ makes it more exciting to me.
@kwmelvin: That's an awesome idea! I think licences like these go very well with bjd's, because of the customising part.
Yeah, just think about it.... if the doll kit was popular enough, many people would start making and distributing it.... it might even go viral. It would be awesome to see how the original kit might mutate over several generations of modifications. Maybe some of the modded kits would become even more popular than the original kit. The possibilities are mind boggling. :XD
Bump. I am still in love with this idea. Modify. Copy. Share. I can foresee myself, buying a modified copy of my own doll, with improved joints, and making my next doll with those improved joints, then releasing that doll under the same license.... ad infinitum. Anyone who buys a copyleft licensed BJD can do anything they want to do do with it !!! They can modify it, mold it, cast it, sell the modified castings, whatever. The BJDs that are modified., molded and cast from the original Creative Commons doll, must, by the very definition of the license, release their BJD under the same license. Copyright? Feh. Copyleft !!! This is what I am doing with my weblog. I am sharing everything I do to make a BJD. Someone may even make a book about it? Hopefully, it will go viral. There will be plenty of work for everyone, including the copiers !!! Copy, copy, copy. My only wish is that my work is copied. Please !!! *I* do not have the money to defend copyright infractions in court. So the ONLY alternative to me, as a poor solo doll maker, is to release my doll copyleft. I am documenting everything I do. Please follow and copy. The whole idea is that there will be plenty of copiers !!! Copying and sharing is encouraged. Edited to add: If you want to make money, then doll-making is not what you want to do. Try banking. http://demonocracy.info/infographics/usa/derivatives/bank_exposure.html (^_^)
I would love to see something like this. It would be a modder's dream, a base sculpt with working joints, but the full capability for any customizations. And all the modder has to do is not throw a fit if someone copies the doll at a later time and changes something with it. I would have a field day sitting around with Milliput and my Dremel tool.
Have to revive this thread!! I love the idea of receiving a partially finished doll.... with sprues and gates etc on it. Sometimes its SO much easier to fiish someone elses work than to start fresh.... IMO and I'm an avid GK fan, my poor little Andro sculpt has been left untouched in favour of a new GK on my bench.... I guess its a little more instantly gratifying...?
Thanks for the thread-bump, whitewings. I was just thinking about this a couple of days ago. The thing that I want to do is, that is different from a GK, is to release a kit under a CC license, that would allow the person who gets the kit, the freedom to mold and cast the kit, as received, or modified, whatever. From what I have read, so far, this is a radical idea in the BJD world. Most dollmakers seem to want that no one mold their doll and resell it. My idea is to try and encourage molding, modifying, and reselling of my kit. Of course, I do not have a finished BJD yet, and Goddess only knows if and when I ever will have one? It is a wild idea, and I still think about it every once in awhile. The thing is, anyone who modified a kit, then molded it and sold it, would have to release their modifications of the original kit, under the same CC license. That's the rub. LOL !!! The cool thing would be if the original kit went viral, but I sincerely doubt that happening.... but what if a second or third generation modified kit went viral? Then I could buy a modified kit of my own doll, years from now, and enjoy the modified doll, next to the original. Just my crazy dreams. Don't pay any attention to me. (^_^)
No kwmelvin, that is a neat idea. I wish that doll artists were more excited to share their creations on this scale. The art of doll making could grow exponentially!
This is a really interesting idea. I don't know a lot about how CC works. How would modifications be shared? In written/photo form? Think how cool to have a CC "joint kit", so you concentrate on sculpting without having to invent joints each time.
The way I am thinking about it is that the 3D BJD itself would be released under a CC license. Creative Commons is Copyleft.... it is like Copyright, but with provisions for sharing. Copyright covers all manner of creative works, as far as I know, including sculpture. So I don't see why I can't release an actual 3D BJD under a CC license, just the same as I might release a novel, a video, a photo, a print, a painting, and so forth? True, I am not familiar with any examples of people releasing 3D works of Art under a CC license. Maybe I will be breaking new ground? (I sincerely doubt it... if I can think of it, someone else already has.) So think of a 3D BJD Kit that a person can obtain, and do pretty much what they want to do with it, as long as they adhere to the original terms of the CC license that the BJD is released under. If the BJD is released under a Commercial CC license, then the person can mold and resell the BJD. If there is an Attribute provision to the license, then they cannot say the BJD originated with them, but must say the BJD was authored by the original doll maker. If they make mods, they can add their name to the list of Attributed sculptors. Subsequent modders would do the same. If there is a Share-Alike provision to the CC license, then everyone who modifies the BJD and releases it must follow the original CC license, and release it under the same license. So the way I see it, if I make a BJD kit, and release it under a Commercial Attribute Share-Alike CC license, and Alewife buys a kit from me: Can she modify the BJD? Yes. (Attribute, Share-Alike) Can she make molds of the BJD? Yes. (Commercial, Share-Alike) Can she sell casts of the BJD? Yes. (Commercial) Can she restrict others from doing the same? No. (Share-Alike) Can she claim to be the original author of the BJD? No. (Attribute) Can others claim her BJD modifications to be their own? No (Attribute) Can others modify her modifcations? Yes. (Attribute, Share-Alike) Can others buy a kit from Alewife, then mold, cast and sell that BJD? Yes. (Commercial, Attribute, Share-Alike) Other questions here.... for example.... Could an Asian or American toy company purchase the kit and mold it and sell it? Yes. (Commercial, Attribute, Share-Alike) Could the buyer of an Asian or American toy company's kit (of this BJD) mold it and sell it? Yes. (Commercial, Attribute, Share-Alike). The kit would still be released under the same license, even if a company bought it, modified it, molded it, cast it, and sold it. If anyone is not sure what a Commons is, please ask !!! Pretty wild idea..... I like thinking outside the comfort zone. (^_^)
