Has anyone any experience with these guys? Or even heard of anyone using them? Also, this is really early on for me to be asking, but who do I contact for this? They sell their dolls for a lower price than other brands so I'm assuming the reproduction cost would be affordable... Thanks & sorry if this has been asked before!
I remember that Daggerchan may have had a doll cast by Bobobie? http://www.denofangels.com/joints/showthread.php?t=516 I think her doll got lost in the mail (in China) for awhile?
I believe LadySaiyuki also uses them. http://www.ladysaiyuki.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9 And I believe that there was a thread like this on DoA for Bobobie, but I don't know if it would still be there. I had heard rumors that they may have taken "creative liberties" to make changes to artists original sculpts for "ease of casting", but I've never seen the original thread so I don't know the details or even if it's true. Where I live there's a lot of talk about casting companies at certain meet-ups, that's why I hear things without seeing the threads. Definitely look around DoA to see if you can dig anything up.
Ah, I remember Daggerchan. It's a shame about her doll getting lost in the post... She had loads of fans and people willing to buy her dolly. "Creative liberties" sounds damn scary. I'm also scared of what happened to Lillycat's Loonette will happen to my Viera; she came back full of bubbles and shrinkage. I'm thinking of casting companies in London but I'm very sure china would do it cheaper (at a larger risk...) I'll update you guys if I find more info!
I've always wondered what happened with Daggerchan's doll. She did get lost in the mail but was found and it looked like they were about to start casting and then I haven't seen anything on it since then. I am not sure about the price, but I think I heard they have a minimum order of 50 dolls.
Holy damn, 50?! I'll have to check this out. I was only up for 10! In SD sizes that'd cost thousands...
I could be wrong but I think that is what I heard. I know there were discussions about it before but I can't seem to find them.
I'm pretty sure Tinybear uses them to cast her Tinies. She's in the UK - It might be worth PMing her and finding out info
Kaye Wiggs used Bobobie for a while, she said they did indeed take creative liberties to ease the casting process. She also said they used very thin and floppy elastic to string the dolls, and she had to redo the stringing on the entire first batch.
Tinybear is going through some serious real life difficulties right now, according to notices she's left on other boards recently, so she might not answer emails or PMs quickly, if at all.
I had emailed Tinybear a while back(more than a year ago) and she had nothing but positive things to say about Bobobie. I also was in correspondance with someone form Bobobie and they do indeed have a minimum of 50 dolls. The contact person also mentioned that their artist could refine the sculpt if necessary ("creative liberties").-, but that they would OK any changes with the artist first.
Actually I thought they seemed very nice.I think if you asked them specifically not to refine your sculpt, they would respect your wishes. He said of my sculpt (I sent photos) "Your doll is very good in shape" and does not need changes. I simply cannot afford to buy 50 dolls. But the price they quoted me included stringing (albeit with light elastic as mentioned) eyes, and even individual boxes if I wanted.
aneemal is right! It was Alex (she's the only BJD I've made LOL) She's about 26 cm. Here is her flickr set http://www.flickr.com/photos/32760694@N03/sets/72157623440692218/ This was last year, but they quoted me 100 per doll with a 50 doll minimum.
Hello! The changes may be for ease of casting, because I'm pretty sure that Bobobie uses a 'spin casting' technique, so that there are no visible 'seams' on their dolls. This is different than the usual pour and tap (?) method. (I use a question mark because I've only watched a few tutorials on youtube, and that's for small resin objects) Or the vacuum method. That may be the reason that they might 'refine' a doll, so that it will cast properly with their technique. However, Bobobie does come in many colors, Dennis is really helpful and nice, and he has the reputation with other artists to boot. I'm not saying go with him only (of course), but I am trying to explain why he might need to refine and edge or nook in a sculpt, so that there are fewer errors, due to the unique casting process he uses. I can't quite remember where I'd read about the spin casting, but it was back when BBB started producing dolls. I'd ask Dennis! He's really nice. You can see the differences if you look for Lady Sayuki's Ted doll. (I think?) She cast a few herself, and then had BBB do a set. You can see the refinements they made to the sculpt. (It's been a while since I've posted here! Hey guys, what's going on? )
My doll 'Follow The White Rabbit' is going to be cast by Dennis, I agree with cheekytosspot, Dennis is really helpful and nice! He really wants to help! I already talked with him about the possibility of make few modifications on the master, because we never know! something could turn wrong! But my way to think is : he's a professional! that's why I'm asking him to cast my doll! and somewhere I trust him, he's not going to sculpt my doll all over! If modifications need to be done we're going to discuss first. But like I already said, he's a professional and I trust his judgement.
I don't know if this is helpful to anyone but I wrote to bobobie a while ago to inquire about the price to cast an SD head--22cm to be exact--and I was told that the price will be about $28per head with no faceup for 50 heads, shipping not included. Its a pretty decent price. I ended up not wanting to get that head cast in the end, but I have an MSD head that I really want in resin. I'll be writing to him for a price quote and then trying to decide between bobobie and dollshe after that.
keep us updated! I'll update my experience with Dennis too! I recommend you to ask Dennis if he can send you a sample before he starts the production this way you can be 100% sure of the quality of the final product! (I'm sure you can ask that with dollshe too!) ^^
Do those 50 heads all have to be of the same resin colour or can you for example have 25 heads be cast in resin colour A and 25 heads be cast in resin colour B?
I don't know for the heads but for a full doll you can choose the color and the quantity you want, but is a little extra for the color only! the basic colors are white and normal skin. Two exceptions, the specials ones, dark grey and dark tan are more expensive.
I don't think there is a link, you need to contact Dennis at Bobobie, maybe via PM on DoA or there should be a contact address on the Bobobie website.
Question to anyone who has used Bobobie, I hear that they offer boxes and stringing as well as casting services is this true?
Yes that is correct sabs- Dennis is very approachable and open to discussion, he has in the past been hesitant to cast dolls if they are not paid in full upfront because of the possibility of their unsuitability for sale (comicbookartistboi on DoA had this issue) but on the flip side he has allowed deposits and gradual payments. He quoted me on one of my dolls last year, I only wanted 30 in total of different colorings and the price was very reasonable considering the set-up cost involved. He also offered the stringing and boxing in a separate fee as well as their face-up services for an additional fee. I unfortunately have had to postpone two castings because of work commitments..... one day it will happen LOL
Thank you whitewings. I had talked with Dennis in the past but that was about six years back, it's nice to hear from others though about all the changes that has happened since then. I thank you so much for sharing that information.
