Do you prefer full set or blank ?

I myself prefer fullsets, or at least with faceup and eyes. For 2 reasons: I like to see the doll as a creation by an artist, so the faceup is included in this vision I think. Also my faceup skill is kinda sub-par, so the only dolls I got blank were either the artist did not offer the faceup option, or I got the doll 2nd hand and it was blank.

Also I live in Montreal, and the weather here is a bit vexing, I might have 3 days a year when the temp and humidity % is optimal for faceup (I don't have room inside to spray poison clouds) so I don't have the time and place to deal with faceups.

 

Fullsets! I love having the faceup already done and having a starter outfit so i can have them outfitted and have time to get them their more fitting outfit >w<!

 

Blank. Fullsets are gorgeous/interesting & I enjoy looking at them on-site for companies or owner pics, but theyre never what I want for the characters my dolls embody. The sculpt is always what gets me, not how they're...'packaged.'

 

It really depends. If I had to chose one, i'd probably say blank and then customise the doll myself.

But I also do like fullset, because sometimes.. it just fits. But yeah, I get more inspired by blank faces; they can be anything that I want them to be.

 

Blank for sure. I've seen fullsets that are gorgeous, but I find that I can't connect with a doll that I haven't put the thought into customizing. Putting time and thought into how I want a doll to look is what makes the hobby special to me.

 

I usually prefer blank because I usually intend on completely changing the clothing and wig!

 

Fullset! Unfortunately, I'm not talented enough to do my own faceups

 

Blank all the way for me.
I use my dolls as an outlet for creativity. The ability to customize the doll is the thing that attracted me to this type of doll to begin with and it's resistance to solvents while still being possible to carve and add to is the main advantages of polyurethane as a doll material. That and the durability for handeling and the low wear on the joints.
If I just wanted a static pretty doll that looks the same forever I would go with porceline.

Sure, there are pretty full sets, but they are not for me.

 

If the full set is pretty I will go with full set, if they aren’t what I like I would go with blank ones. If they were only sold in fullest then well x haven’t got any choice.

 

Depends on what I'm looking for. I normally go for blanks unless the character is perfect for what I'm going for in a fullset, which is rare.

 

My first doll was a fullset, and I don't regret her at all. I regret losing her little accessories in a disaster, but I still have the doll and the actual clothes.

I think the next one I order will be blank, though, maybe with face-up because I'm just awful at make-up. I know how to sew, and if I want something more complicated, my best friend is an award-winning cosplayer who is also a bjd fan.

I would never rule out a gorgeous fullset, though.

 

There are certain sets that I just love, but most of the time I prefer to buy blank because it is not only cheaper but I enjoy creating my dolls and who they are myself.

 

Blank, never owned a fullset and most of the styling on fullsets just never interests me however I love some company faceups especially Impldoll’s so I have had those…

 

Blank. The few times I have liked a faceup enough to order it... I have gotten something that isn't like the promo pics and been disappointed. I'd rather do my own customizing, since I can, and have my dolls exactly how I want them.

 

It honestly depends for me. Generally I will buy (both now and in the past) will buy a doll with a faceup (so semi-blank I guess?). And then go with the customization process later on as I have the time and means to do so. I rarely have bought full-sets. The only time I have is when the doll has been a limited run (such as with DOLPAS in the very distant past) and it was the best route to go for me at the time.

 

I prefer getting to style dolls myself, but I don't mind buying a doll with a faceup and/or eyes if I really like the faceup. Usually I will swap the eyes after the fact, but it's nice when they come being able to see, and sometimes the stock eyes are really nice.

 

Semi-blank! I prefer getting a doll with at least the faceup unless I'm not a fan of it, since I'd like to have something to start with when they arrive. I do like a lot of the fullsets I see, but it's less expensive to buy a doll without it and takes less time. I haven't yet seen an outfit I love enough to tack on those extra dollars...

 

I've gotten blank, faceupped, and now a fullset! I think there's pros and cons to each for sure, but I suspect in the future I'll primarily be buying blank dolls. I've gotten the equipment and confidence to do faceups on my own, and for the dolls who I got with faceups, I've had some small things I've wanted to tweak, even though I love the faceups overall.

Personally, the one fullset I have is the only one I've been interested in the whole thing more than the blank doll; I like the style of it and all the bits and pieces I'd not end up getting around to myself. Even then, it's more of a jumping off point than a permanent look for me! She's definitely still getting her wardrobe filled out with other pieces.

But, overall, here's the pros and cons I've noted (and many other folks here have, too!):

Blank Doll Pros:

• A blank canvas! Free to do as you please, and you can enjoy the thrill of the hunt for just the right things
  
• Cheaper
• Less time to send out, generally (if buying as a preorder)
• No worrying about clothes or a faceup not looking like it does in the previews

Blank Doll Cons:

• You have to do everything yourself, or find folks making things that fit your vision
• If you're buying stuff, you may well not know how those are going to look/feel until you have them in hand, too
  
• The above costs do add up, just not as immediately as a fullset
• Depending on how your mind works, may be harder to "see" what the finished doll will look like

Fullset Pros:

• No having to worry about finding a faceup artist (or getting those first clothes for a first doll/first in size, or having the right conditions for doing a faceup when the doll comes in)
• Solid jumping off point if you want to keep crafting for them, already complete if you just want the fullset on display
• If you do want to swap some pieces out, you have backups you know will fit if the swap-ins don't (or other dolls can steal pieces of the fullset)

Fullset Cons:

• Pricier
• Depending on how your mind works, may be harder to "see" the other possibilities with the doll
• If there's adjustments or replacements you want to make, you have to put in the effort for those
• Takes longer to ship out

 

I prefer the nude doll with faceup and eyes. I tend to like a doll for the company faceup, but like to have more freedom to style them however I want. Feel like if I got a fullset I'd end up sticking to it or to the same aesthetic a lot, so picking out wigs, outfits and stuff myself is just more fun. And if I ever feel tired of the original faceup I can then find someone to redo it or redo it myself.

 

It really depends on what I'm going to be doing with it, but lately I've admitted to myself that I have a really bad habit of selling dolls who were meant to be something when they don't have faceups or bodies. I have a hard no floating head rule for myself now, but I have been trying to just pay for faceups even if I know I'll be wiping them later. Just to save them from being sold and so I can bond with them immediately. It's worth the extra cost to me.

As far as clothing goes, that always depends. I have only a few certain styles I like here, so I tend to dress my dolls in my own things unless I really like the fullsets. I do love a good fullset display though. Displaying a doll in fullset outfits is one of the reasons I love the hobby so much. Recently. I've decided to collect fullsets even if I don't use them for the doll and display them instead

 

Blanks. I want to interpret a doll myself. It irritates me that companies rarely let you buy a doll with all resin props and items, like masks/wings etc, but without wig/clothes. If you want all the parts, you need to buy a fullset

 

Blank! Doing the faceup and making wigs and such is the best part of the whole thing for me. I have very clear visions of what I want, OCs I wanna have in physical form.

 

Right now, as long as I can have a faceup done then it doesn't really matter to much. I've been debating with myself on buying blank and sending it for faceups to an artist as a commission but I haven't done it yet. I don't think I want to get into faceups myself just because I'm not very good at makeup in general even on myself let alone a doll. But I may buy some pastels and do blushing myself in the future. I do enjoy buying full sets as well depending on how much I love the set.

 

For me the ideal situation is when you can buy the doll with faceup, but don't have to buy all the clothing and such if you don't want to. I have very limited funds for my hobbies, but I don't have the knowhow or ability to do a faceup myself.

 

Blanks forever. I’m currently practicing after my absolute love for Nichol’s Dreams (Andrea on YouTube). Once I’m comfortable, I am running to CP Fairyland for Coco & Luna RealFee (2023 ed.). But as an artist, and one with specific whimsical taste, it’s easy to say blanks forever. If I was more practical and worked like a normal person, I would probably save up and buy special editions with face-up, clothes, etc. until I found a trustworthy* artist I could partner with. Keyword trustworthy, and that usually takes time.

 

I don’t go for full sets generally but I do get company faceups. I want to have some redone by artists in time but I didn’t want to wait to send my dolls to an artist to enjoy them.

 

It depends on the full set, if it is something amazing and comes with a limited face-up then I'm all for it. If it's just a basic looking full set then I'll probably just going to buy the doll with the face-up and skip the extras.

 

Blanks, but there are exceptions, especially if I think I can reuse that outfit/accessories for another doll.

 

I prefer blanks. However, I will get a company faceup if I feel it matches the aesthetic of the doll I have in mind, especially since I'm still a novice.

 

I typically buy a doll along with eyes and a wig. If I like the faceup, I'll order with the faceup. If I don't like it or isn't suitable to the character I'll do my own faceup. I've only bought 3 fullset dolls. I just really have to like the fullset because most of the time I won't keep my doll in the outfit.

 

Tbh it really depends. Sometimes the make up just fits that's already there. I'm not capable of doing everything ever so I have no issue with a company face up. It's done by hand, it's done by an artist, so there's nothing wrong with buying it. But a lot of times I'll go "meh that doesn't look very good" and hit blank. Sometimes I'll go "oh this body is exactly what I need for said character!" And hit blank. Sometimes I just wanna experiment myself and hit blank. There's never one reason for either.

 

Blanks, definitely. I treat my new dorrie purchases as an open canvas to mold to the characters I have in mind. I'd even go as far as the frankendoll route if the body options with the head does not suit the said character.

 

I normally go for blanks. Sometimes the face-up looks to basic for my taste. I rather save some money and paint it myself.

 

This is such a nice discussion to have with with one another, it has been a treat to read other members' comments. Currently, my BJD obsession is sated by blank dolls. One day, I would love to be able to be in the position to buy an artist fullset as I like supporting their vision by being a client.

Fullsets are the ultimate creative expression for a BJD artist that often incorporates a one-of-a-kind face-up, body blushing, wig, accessories, and ensembles. Sometimes, the fullsets will even include like a modded feature or a resin color not offered with the blanks. This meticulous attention to bring a conceptual idea to a tangible doll creates a high price not accessible for many people. On the other hand, the blanks offer the collector the option to personalize the blank doll into their own "fullset."

There seems to be a trend with some BJD artists where they no longer offer add-on services like face-up and body blushing for their blank dolls. The only way to get the coveted artist face-up and body blushing is to purchase a fullset. In the past, there were a few fullsets that were available for sale that I would have loved to have purchased, but I am not in the position to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on one beautiful doll. Usually, the full sets from BJD artist range from anywhere from 4k to 10k where as full sets from companies range from 1k to 3k.

 

I like the idea of fullsets, just because of the convenience factor. I would be a little antsy sending my doll away to someone else for faceup, but I like the creative control of that option.

 

I always get dolls with company faceups, with the primary reason being that it leads to them being more cohesive IMO. Fullsets are a bit of a different story since I collect Volks, but I believe all applicable dolls I own were fullset when I purchased them I like to mix and match the fullset items after the "newness" wears off though, so I especially enjoy a fullset that allows for this.

 

mostly i get blank dolls ,because i just love to customize my dolls and turn them in my own character. But i also have one fullset doll and i love him just as much

 

I prefer blank, mostly because I just enjoy the diy aspect of the hobby the most and don't want a pre-shelled character. It also helps me feel less precious about the doll so I actually end up engaging with them to my heart's content instead of just leaving them on display or in the box in the fear of chipping the paint. As for outfits, I'm not that much into fantasy or cutesy styles, making most stereotypical full sets not really appealing to me (and casual things I can just make myself). I guess the only accessory I would consider getting the whole package for would be the shoes but those are usually available separately anyway

 

A full set is not worth it to me simply because I haven't found a doll in which I loved everything about the set. So in the meantime, I prefer something in between...a doll that comes with a face up, eyes and wig, but otherwise is "blank" for me to build a character.

 

I’ve had fullset dolls before and i always end up wanting them in other clothes and face up so they can be one of a kind. So, this is why i am set on only buying blanks right now

 

My UNOSS was bought as a used full set but I was extremely lucky with her because her former owner had collected all of both Aika and Seina’s outfits, parts and accessories and 2 additional made-for-her LE outfits besides and I really appreciate and enjoy it all so much! She was my grail that has stayed ‘the grail’ even after she came home and has been here for some years now.

I wouldn’t be against buying another full set doll, even if I decided to later wipe and redo the faceup or only keep part of the clothing or accessories and sell or trade the rest. I probably wouldn’t wipe a one-off unless that was really the only way to get a particular sculpt I was pining for but I don’t think I’d have too much trouble wiping a LE face-up if I really wanted to change it. My issue has usually been that the dolls I’ve wanted didn’t come as a full set or in the case of my version of Sard, I just didn’t like most of the full set items ie the human part, clothing/accessories, eyes, wig or demon hands but I loved his company faceup, hooves-only body version and his horns and the ‘special’ hands. I was really just fortunate that SOOM offered him semi a la carte as a Monthly Doll in the particular combination I wanted so I didn’t actually have to pay hundreds more for the complete set that mostly wasn’t to my taste.

 

I've never had a fullset doll before, but the thing I love about blanks is that I can customize my character to be uniquely mine.

 

I prefer blanks. I can make character dolls so much easier that way compared to a fullset, which to me will never feel like my own character.

 

I prefer blank dolls so I can truly make them my own!!

 

I don't like blank dolls. I'm never happy with my own face-ups, and they end up staring at me accusingly with blank and/or ugly faces...
I don't always like full sets either, but I do prefer company face-ups.

 

I prefer blank and no clothes as most I have found are just to much froo froo stuff that would work maybe one time before it starts to fall apart. I love BJD because they are customizable. I want to create it as a unique one, not a carbon copy of someone else's.

 

For me, it depends on whether I like the full set or not. I have my eye on a Pipos Charlotte III 2021 and Pipos Deer Rudy (27cm) and I plan to buy the full sets because I love the clothes, face ups, and eyes. Other times I might prefer the doll blank so I could figure out how I want them to look.

 

It really depends on the offerings. If I am not excited about the clothing. I usually just go for the doll with maybe the face-up. I often buy most dolls blank.

 

Blank. I prefer customizing a doll in my own way so I get a blank doll, sometimes a faceup if it's offered. The only time I get a 'fullset' is when it's the only option like with Tinyfox.

 

I never had a fullest doll before. Prefer blank dolls and customizing a doll in my own way. Making face-ups myself, choosing clothes and style for them. I think it really fun and interesting part of this hobby.

 

I only have been getting my Luts Zuzu Delfs as fullsets or with company faceups. All my humans/elves have been customized.

 

Hm, I tend to prefer getting my dolls with a face-up on them due to my lack of skill in that area so I guess fullsets? I do often love the look of fullsets so... yeah, fullsets. Nine times out of ten, it is that complete look that will sell me on a doll.

 

Blank!! If I ever buy a fullset it's for the outfit and I'm definitely wiping the faceup anyways. I cannot bond with a doll with a stock faceup. I don't actually know why but I need say in every aspect of their customization to fully love them..

 

I've purchased full sets, dolls with faceups and blanks. Some of those blanks I have sent away for faceups, but the artist I used to use isn't doing it anymore and I would love to find someone in AUSTRALIA, preferably Melbourne that does faceups. If you are out there please let me know!! I have enough to do sewing and knitting for my dolls as well as photographing them, so I really don't want to get into doing them myself.

 

It depends for me. I've bought a variety of combinations and if I like the fullset, I'll get it even though it may not stay on the doll it comes with. As for the faceup I'll only get it from the company if it suits the character I'm trying to create or if the faceup is nice enough when I don't have a character in mind.
Currently I have a Dream Valley The Widow of the Deep Aurelia on layaway and I opted for her complete fullset. Her default faceup is very close to what I have in mind, and I'll utilize her wig and outfit for someone else because I have other ideas for her.
In a bit, I'll be putting a Doll Zone Evan regular ver. on layaway and as much as I like his default faceup, it doesn't suit the character I'm trying to shell at all, so I will not be getting it. I do however really like his fullset outfit so I will be shelling out the extra money for that.
I'm lucky enough that I have a couple faceup artists I like here on DoA so I'm not worried about when I have to send someone out when I don't like the default company faceup.

 

Technically I'd rather get the fullset but I find most fullset outfits kind of overwrought.

 

I typically get dolls blank, just because fullset is more expensive and I usually don’t like the outfit anyway. Company face up’s are also almost never like the picture, so I don’t trust the $80 or so extra dollars to be spent well there. I’d rather commission someone for $90+.
The only dolls I’ve purchased/will purchase that are always fullset are character dolls (like Volks collaborations.)

 

For me full sets are about the story they tell. If I like the story that the character gives, I love full sets! If it is not my vibe, I would prefer a blank and just let me play around with them.