CP Delf Discussion Part 14

My friend was kind enough to show me them, as he knows how obsessed I am with Shiwoos. xD I'm waiting for the finished version preview to see if I'm in real trouble or not. So far I see more Chiwoo in the big one, but I do see Shiwoo in the mnf head! (I adore mnf Shiwoos so much omg..ok I'm just a Shiwoo addict in general haha)

I'm gonna need to see the profile for sure. I love me a good Shiwoo nose. (and elf...i love elves)

 

Hopefully they'll do a better job with him than they did with that poor pint-sized Lookback Chiwoo...

 

This is my Lishe, who I've named Nell Fortuna! I'm so pleased with how she looks. I bought her an oldschool CustomHouse body, the newer double-jointed version of which is now owned by Luts as their Senior Delf Type 1 girl body, so it's kinda beautifully full circle for a hybrid. She's so beautiful, and already so special to me.

Type 1 Lishe, Lilykoi 2005 faceup by Jules B, on Flickr

Her faceup is by Lilykoi, signed and dated 2005! I'm genuinely stunned that it's in such perfect condition. Here's a closer shot of it.

Spoiler: Faceup detail

Type 1 Lishe, Lilykoi 2005 faceup by Jules B, on Flickr

I need to reapply her eyelashes but I have another round of full body dolly spa left to do for stain-treating her body, so for now I've put her back together after a first welcome-home scrub to enjoy her a bit... and also because I had to cut her hands free to unstring her. This body is so oldschool it doesn't use s-hooks! Her hands were looped with some sort of cotton thread and the threads were tied and knotted around the ends of her arm elastic! I've heard of such a thing but never seen it for myself, so at the moment she's handless while I wait for a hook set from VolksUSA to arrive. I had a completely different wine red Leekworld wig picked out for her, but I received the one she's wearing as a Christmas gift and I couldn't be more delighted with how it brings out the lighter purple tones of her faceup!

I bought her as a present to myself to celebrate three months of freedom and counting from an abusive relationship. Looking at her and her unique, vibrant face reminds me to be strong, and that I (and everybody else!) deserve to enjoy what I love and what makes me special. It feels only right to mark a hard-won milestone with a truly one of a kind special girl.

 

She is beautiful and so special. I can see why you love her so much!

That is interesting about the lack of S-hooks! I had a Shiwoo (now sold) that arrived to me with his elastic tied directly to his headcap and it was a nightmare. I couldn't take his head off to change his clothes until the S-hook I ordered arrived. S-hooks definitely needed!

Congrats on getting out of an abusive relationship, and your message about deserving to enjoy what you love is a really important one and so true! I'm so happy for you that you found such a special girl to celebrate it with and thank you for sharing her

 

I told myself no new dolls for the foreseeable future until everyone who's already here has bodies but who can resist a fairly cheap whole El I've really missed having an El around so I'm very excited to get this guy

 

@SacredMonsoon as far as resin match goes, most companies these days are doing a very washed out pale pink and calling it NS. You may have the best luck with an older pair with a more saturated tone or blushing to match. I've seen hybrids with CP Delf heads on older Volks bodies, as the resins tended to mellow closer together to be a pretty good match. My NS girl is on a very old CustomHouse body, and the color match is decent but not perfect. Both my Delf girls are already hybrids, so I can't help fit test or measure for hooks unfortunately. Good luck with your search!!

 

I saw her on the marketplace- so glad she found a good home! Congrats!

 

@~Suisei_Seki~ thank you so much!!

 

Took Celandine with me to my parents' house for Christmas so I could photograph this drawing I did of her at age 14:



And attempt to replicate it! Teenage me did not understand how single-jointed dolls work- or don't work, as the case may be.

 

Thanks! She's going off for a new faceup soon; I don't hate her current look, but a few things about it aren't quite what I'd like. The doe-eyes with the dropped lower lashes, the over-blushed nose, and the close-set brows, mostly. But I don't intend to fully take her to the default DES faceup look either!

 

Finally getting around to actually putting this modded Chiwoo together that I recently acquired. He's definitely going to need a new faceup as this one is definitely aged and not remotely what I want for him but at least it's easier to visualize with some form of faceup. And also pictured is a shot of the other Chiwoo/Shiwoo shelf where hopefully he will also be able to fit in once I string his body!

Spoiler: Delf Shelf

 

omg @SuperShawol the DELF SHELF, i love it. Congrats on the handsome boy, what a great addition!

My S-hook set from Volks arrived today, and I ended up being unable to use it. The old CH body she's on has very weird channels in her wrist joint, and even if I were to get pliers and bend the hooks out of shape there'd be no safe way to get it all done without damaging her. So I just decided to tie them back on more or less like they were in the first place with cotton yarn.

2005 CP Delf Lishe, Nell all back together! by Jules B, on Flickr
I still need to re-glue her eyelashes, but for now it's so lovely to have her fully put together! I need to sew or order a fun circus dress for her, I've got a sort of ringmastery, clowny vibe in mind for her to match her whimsical faceup.

 

@SacredMonsoon thank you!! I think I'd like to make her some dresses, I'd had a sort of spooky dark EGL color scheme in mind for her wardrobe, but this wig has sort of turned that plan on its side lol! So I might see what brighter, lighter colors I have to work with that would be more complementary to the more pastel sort of look she's got going for her now. I have some ruffled, pre-layered pink tulle I might make an overskirt or dress out of, to go along with the absolutely adorable Dollmore dress I've got her in now. I still haven't unpacked much of my dolly stuff from the unexpected September move, apart from my dolls themselves. So I've got some other basics she could wear and a lot of fabric I'd been excited to work with but who knows where any of it is lmfao, it's all in storage right now. The pink tulle I know where it is though, come to think of it, so thank you for getting that idea going for me!

I love the layered look on Feather, she's looking comfy cozy cute!

 

@Mamo Your Lishe is just beautiful...I have a Lishe painted by Jaydolls on the older CH body too - it's such a good fit...

Here's a photo of Lily...taken when I first put her together...

 

@Alice80 she's so gorgeous!!! What a versatile sculpt Lishe is, all our girls are so unique!

 

@SacredMonsoon I never get tired of seeing sweet Feather I hope you're feeling better! It's always good to spend some good old dolly time to cheer ourselves up, for sure

 

I'm currently making a pinafore dress for an MSD but I haven't finished the edges and taken it in in the necessary places yet, so I draped it over Nell to see how I liked the idea of a dress like this for her! I need to locate or make her a petticoat too, so I've got a good basis of project ideas for her to work from. But I really liked this pic, so I thought I'd share!

Round 130 Pinafore tests by Jules B, on Flickr

I love her as she is but I'm kinda thinking her eyes are a bit small, or maybe it's just that they're too bright and it gives her that wide-eyed look? Thinking about sizing up, trying some 18mm pairs. I need to remove these to redo her lashes anyway, lol, a perfect time to try out different looks!

 

New thread! I need to get back on DOA more often! I miss hanging out with everyone and our CPs!

@SacredMonsoon, what size eyes did Feather have before? This size makes her look more mature. YAY for Snow getting a body!

Loving Nell, she's got a great faceup! Loving seeing everyone's Delfs.

I took a pic of Ryuichi next to the Christmas tree a while ago. Since I'm trying a new wig on him, I wanted to see how much I liked it. Not sure that I do, tbh. I think he looks way too serious than his usual happy-go-lucky self.


Ryuichi and the Yule tree by Ryuichi Sakuma, on Flickr

And Ryuichi's usual wig. He looks happier to me in this one.

Spoiler: Ryuichi and the tree

Ryuichi and the Yule tree by Ryuichi Sakuma, on Flickr

It is the same color green as Ryuma, his twin's wig, but to me, it just doesn't seem like him, if you know what I mean. *shrug*

Wow, just noticed how bad the tree is leaning!

Ryu

 

She looks so lovely! Those colors suit her perfectly. What sort of dress will you make for her when she gets her own?

Also, Celandine’s head is stuck in postal limbo on her way back from the faceup artist. Argh! She looks gorgeous in pictures; I just want her back home!

 

It’s really nice to see all the love for the old CP Delfs! I went back through the discussions to find out, but just wanted to verify that the Lu-Wen sculpt is on topic for this discussion thread?

 

Yes, Lu-Wen is on topic for this thread.

 

@LupusDarkmoon Thank you for letting me know!

I’ve just recently gotten back into the hobby and couldn’t help but start the revamping with him. Still a work in progress, but I’m hoping to finish him soon and share the full doll.


I have such a soft spot for the older sculpts and soft looking single-joint bodies. I’m glad there’s a lively discussion thread for them!

 

OOOH! A Lu-Wen vampire! *grabby hands*

Aren't they somewhat rare? Does anyone else have one? A regular Lu-Wen? If so, spam us!

Ryu

 

I adore Lu-Wen's as well! I feel very fortunate to have adopted my vampy one from a friend years ago. He's an odd hybrid though so headshots only. lol CP/Fairyland just does my absolute favorite vampire fangs. Omg. Perfection. ♥



@StaciaStarburst, yes 1000% yes to loving the older sculpts and single jointed bodies! There is just something so visually appealing about them to me. And also a lot of single jointed dolls pose wonderfully and are sturdier than their double jointed counterparts.

Also touching back on eye sizes..I wish I could help with trying 20mm eyes in a Lishe, but mine is..I think a dreaming Lishe mod? I really have no idea. I also lost my ability to discern eye sizes at a glance so I have two boxes full of eyes but no clue what size any of them are. (well, a few I know, but most are just ???)

 

I've never tried 20mm eyes in a Lishe, but Crane, one of my Els, is wearing 20mm Mystics. El and Lishe have pretty similar eyewells.

Vampire Lu Wens are out there... People just don't post them very often.

Here's Cloud Mirror, my guy.



My non-vampire Lu Wen is a gal...

 

@~Suisei_Seki~ probably a longer version of the same, a jumperskirt/pinafore type dress with frilled straps! And hopefully some lace detailing if I can get away with it. I'm feeling some sewing burnout after still not even making it to the finish line with the smaller version she's modeling in that pic though, so I may take a sewing round or two (or at least a few weeks) off to recharge. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, after all, so I don't want it to turn into a chore I don't look forward to doing.

I am really loving all this LuWen love we have going on! Keep it coming whenever you guys like Really makes me miss the old days when we all thought these sculpts would be around forever. My miles-long Delf wishlist kept getting deferred for cool marketplace finds and now they ARE the marketplace finds I desperately hope for Someday, egghead Chiwoo, someday.

 

Yeah, I also have to admit that I thought these sculpts would be around forever. My partner recently got one of the newer CP/FL sculpts, and the differences are pretty striking. If we had the room in our home, I'd have a lot more old Delf dolls than I do, but I guess the ones I currently have will have to do (for now! )

I still would love to make a Soony boy, perhaps a little badass punk-type. Oh well, someday, when I have money and we finish redoing the house. *crosses fingers*

@Brightfires, I love your Lu-Wen girl! Is she blind, or does she just wear a blindfold for mystical reasons?

Ryu

 

Cloud is a guy... Jester, my non-vampire, is a girl.
And yeah. It's just a "mystic thing" with him.

This is the only good pic I have of Jester. I know I've posted it before, but I haven't taken new pictures of anyone in about an age.

 

Celandine's back fron the faceup artist! And I'm blown away.



She looks so elegant and dramatic- I love it. My prompt was "gothic Snow White," and the artist did an amazing job with it. This is everything I wanted. But now she's demanding a different wig! Maybe something in black?

 

@~Suisei_Seki~ she looks incredible!!! I love how the tones of her eyeshadow really complement her eyes! What style are you thinking for her wig? I think a dark sidepart would look stunning on her.

 

Thanks! Dark definitely; I ordered a black wig with long ringlets from Zazou this morning. They show it with a side part on the website- I was drawing inspiration from the Call Me When You're Sober music video and thinking of a center part, but I'll play around with it when it gets here. (Side note, why do like 90% of BJD wigs have bangs? Trying to find one without is such a pain!.

 

Oops! I mean he. Sorry Cloud! I'm loving the Lu-Wen spam!

Celandine's faceup looks great! Love the eyelashes. Gothic Snow White...so cool!

This is making me want to change Ethan's outfit. He's been in the same one for quite some time. Here's what he's been wearing, but I think he needs to dress a bit more formally, especially since Valentine's Day is around the corner.


Ethan relaxing by Ryuichi Sakuma, on Flickr


His wig came with that cowlick that I couldn't get rid of, and at first I was annoyed by it, but now he's claimed it as part of his personality.

Ryu

 

StaciaStarburst, congrats on getting a LuWen! I have a real soft spot for the old Delfs! LuWen is an epic sculpt.

Ryuichi Sakuma 13, here's my spam; my beautiful LuWen, Viktor. I always thought LuWen made such an elegant vampire.



Oh yeah! Elegant and sexy!

 

What a handsome man! Yes, they really do make a very handsome vampire.

Ryu

 

Thank you Ryuichi Sakuma 13! There really was something so special about those early CP/Delf sculpts. They are what drew me into BJDs in the first place. I saw a Delf Chiwoo in an advertisement in Haute Doll magazine in 2005 and I was lost!. OMG! It really was a life changing moment.

Here's the non-vampire version of LuWen. When I got him in 2008, he came with two heads.

 

I know what you mean! The first BJD I ever saw was an El that someone had at a con. He was simply gorgeous, and the owner caregiver even let me hold him. IIRC, that was around 2006 or 2007. It took me all the way until 2021 before I finally got an El for myself. Up until then, I lived vicariously through my partner's El. I'm so thrilled that I was able to get Ethan! This is back when he got his first outfit and his wig.


Ethan's new outfit by Ryuichi Sakuma, on Flickr

Ah, back in the day, it was pretty sweet to get two heads when you bought a doll. I have to admit that every now and then, I go to the old Luts CP/Delf pages and gaze longingly lovingly at many of the original Delfs, especially the ones I wish I had bought.

Your non-vampire Lu-Wen is beautiful, btw!

Ryu

 

Thank you Ryuichi Sakuma 13! And congratulations on getting yourself your very own El! That is epic!!! Your boy is so darling!

Wow! I thought I was the only one who did that! I also go to old BJD site pages and get nostalgic over all the beautiful dolls I wish I'd gotten when I had the chance.

The BJD aesthetic has changed so much since those early halcyon days. I really feel like that was the Golden Age of BJDs, and that's the aesthetic that ultimately makes me happy.

But, aside from longing for old dolls, I am thankful for the CP/Delfs I did manage to get.

 

Only a month and a couple days into 2024 and I've already purchased two dolls I received a regular human El in the mail a few days ago, I used to have an El so I'm excited to have one around again! And I just put a deposit down on another dreaming vampire Shiwoo so now this will make 7 Delfs at the house now

 

Thank you! Ethan is a spiritual writer from the 1800s, so the dapper look is what he prefers. Im still looking for at least pants

Naw, I sometimes even keep the tab open to both it and the Cerberus Project BJD Database webpage open as well. It really was the "halcyon days" back then wasn't it? It was also easier to get in touch with others in the hobby since DOA was pretty much the site to be on. Nowadays, I'm trying to have a meetup, and everyone's scattered all over social media. Trying to get people in my area for one is a real chore. Between DOA, I'm also on Reddit's BJD subreddit, (same sn), but there I tend to answer questions more than post My Crew, since mostly everyone posts pics of new dolls.

I too am happy with the dolls I managed to get, especially my Delf crew.

Congrats, @SuperShawol! Be sure to show us their pics, okay?

Ryu

 

I definitely want to try and get a photo of all of them once I'm done with the layaway for the new Shiwoo. It was such a surprise to have another one appear so I absolutely had to jump on it! It's so interesting to see your El and then mine because mine is leaning towards a more casual punk style. Your boy is very dapper and lovely!

 

@Ryuichi Sakuma 13 and @Rabbit-moon - reading your reminiscing has made me so sad! That really was the golden days of BJDs. My first love was the Elf El that I saw on someone's blog. (I think his name was Kyomi, or something similar.) Of course, I never was able to get my own Elf El. I tried to get the re-release of him they put out, but my order was too slow. But my very first BJDs were the Vampire Shiwoo and the WS Juri06. I only got the heads for Xmas, so I ended up making a cloth body so I could play with my dolls, ha ha. It took me awhile to actually get a body. And when I could get my hands on the FDoll bodies, I started gathering CP heads! I had a Luwen Vampire. I had several others as well, and then ended up selling the bulk of my BJD collection. Needless to say, I nearly died when they retired the CP line. I still to this day regret selling every single one of those dolls.

Luckily, I still had my Juri06 NS on an Fdoll body, and have gotten lucky on the MP the last couple of years. I'm proud to own 6 Delfs at this point. I'd love to add more, but they have gotten so hard to find! I really do miss the old days of the BJD hobby. :'(

@SacredMonsoon - Snow looks so pretty in her mohair wig! And the sweater looks perfectly cozy.

@SuperShawol - congrats on getting a new Shiwoo!

 

SuperShawol, congrats on bringing an El home again! Such an epic sculpt!

Ryuichi Sakuma 13, I agree, the advent of so much social media has certainly changed the landscape of BJD collecting. There are so many other places to post now, including Facebook and X, that I feel it's really affected participation on DOA. Back in the early days, DOA was the center of the universe for US collectors and, because of that, there was a greater sense of community.

I am glad that a few of us old-timers are still hanging around and reminiscing about the glory days. And, the original CP Delfs were definitely the glory days.

SacredMonsoon, Thank you! I love my LuWen! But, I have to be careful around him because he's a sly and seductive vampire. He usually gets what he wants, like that ridiculous DollHeart uniform. He's so spoiled! But, who doesn't love a man in a over-the-top uniform?

Love your LuWen girl. That sculpt is beautiful even without a face-up. May I ask what size eyes she has?

Hey Pepperonipizza! OMG! I felt the same way when it was announced that the CP Delfs were being discontinued! How was that possible? People loved the CP Delfs, and they were everywhere! I just took it for granted that they would always be there. I had wanted a Shiwoo and a Soony, but unfortunately I just didn't have the funds to get them. I'm so happy that you were able to replace all the dolls you once had. That's awesome!

(It's funny how it all seemed to happen at the same time; Soom discontinued the Gem line, and Iplehouse did the same thing with the original YID line, around 2011/2012.)

I agree, it makes me a little sad, too. But, at least, some of us old-timers are still around to commiserate with about the halcyon days of this hobby. Those were such exciting times! So many events, and meet-ups, and the Volks Store was here in Los Angeles! We'd go there and meet other happy collectors, and then go to the local Japanese marketplace, Mitsua, to eat Katsu curry, buy Pocky sticks, and show off our dolls. It's was so much fun! Ah! Those were the days...

And, just like you, I miss those days too.

But, we have each other and our love for old-school resin. I love seeing the new dolls, but my heart belongs to the old dolls that first brought me into this hobby. First loves are hard to forget.

 

The "Delfuary" hashtag on Instagram inspired me to finally bust out my camera Here's Ronove, my beloved dreaming El.



Hopefully I'll take more pics of my other Delfs before February is over!

 

@overlordu Excuse me while I go scream my lungs out at how cute he is.

I may just have to throw my El into some clothes instead of waiting for his One.True.Outfit, so I can take some pics.

 

This is the El i just recently received in the mail. He doesn't currently have a faceup so i gave him a facemask that still fits his general vibe. I am absolutely in love with all the wonderful Delfs I see here, everyone is so stylish!

Also a bonus pic of two of my Chiwoo and my first Shiwoo.

Spoiler: Chiwoo+Shiwoo

 

@Rabbit-moon - oh god, yes, IH and SOOM retiring their lines - that was awful. And also Pipos retired their original PI/Jr. PI line up around the same time as the others. Traumatic times. You put everything so well! I am grateful that I joined the hobby at that time, so I have the dolls and memories that I do. I love that there are others like me who still love the oldies but goodies and post pictures, etc.

@overlordu - he's gorgeous!!!

@SuperShawol - your boys are wonderful!