40–49cm Dolls Dream Valley Achelous, human version

Dream Valley Achelous, human version, on B4-04 (51cm) body, white skintone. Factory faceup (human version).
Ordered from DV's Taobao store, via Superbuy.

I'd sold my last mini at the end of 2022, and planned to exit the 1/4 scene for good and focus on my 1/3 dolls... but it was not to be!

I got intrigued by Dream Valley Achelous ~Lost in the Vortex~ when he was released at the end of last year. Achelous has an elfin quality to him, and I was captivated by that little smirk -- partly mischievous, partly serene. I don't buy fantasy dolls, though, so I was prepared to let the merman go... until I discovered that DV also released Achelous as a human head that was not limited edition.

Furthermore, DV's minis are all relatively tall and slender in build -- much different from the 43cm, chubby-child MSD types that I've been used to. Well then. I just had to make an exception for this lil fellow. I decided to put Achelous on the tallest 1/4 body, B4-04 (51cm) so that he can match my all-1/3 crew.

Dream Valley took a solid 6 months to make my doll.

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Everything arrived intact from Superbuy.





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A few extras that came with the doll - face mask (as expected), plus a melamine sponge, sticky tack, and a pair of glass eyes. They look like 14mm with 6 or 7mm iris.



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Such a tiny head! And a lovely faceup, it looks close enough to the promo photos for Achelous human.





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The doll body wrapped like a mummy. Everything arrived intact and safe!



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Achelous fits perfectly onto the 51cm body. The small cards are DV's CoAs.

The body is tightly strung, and a bit creaky as a result. But I'm physically strong and string my 1/3 dolls at similar tension, so I had no issues with putting the head on.



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Graceful, willowy body, with beautiful hands and feet. I love it! I'm also a fan of these exposed double joints - I think they look a lot more aesthetically pleasing than hidden peanut-type joints. (But that's my personal preference!)





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Achelous wears a pair of 16/7mm eyes for now. The irises are a little big for my liking, but I have a pair of 14/5mm eyes incoming, so I'll try that when it arrives.

Tried on some 6-7" wigs. I measured Achelous' head with a tape measure, and got 17.1cm (6.7 inches) circumference.



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I sewed this haori as welcoming clothes, but wanted to wait to receive the doll before making more outfits. Time for me to get back into sewing!



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With the 1/3 crew. From left: Dollstown Rhea hybrid (58cm), DV Achelous (51cm), Kanadoll Mars hybrid (65cm).

The anpiel is home! It's going to be a little genderless creature - one day I'll sand off the privates, but it'll have a male body for now. So pleased to have a small one who can boss around annoy supervise the bigger dolls!

 

Thank you everyone! The anpiel hasn't been here 2 days, and I've already played quite a bit with it, and I'm so charmed by it. Very delighted to have a Dream Valley doll

@Diaspro @nyaaain Ah, I'm not likely to mod the body anytime soon -- I've never modded resin before, and I have other BJD hobby priorities coming first. So the anpiel will keep the male body for some time - who knows, maybe a long time.

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I gave the anpiel some 14/6mm Enchanted Doll eyes. (Stole them out of another doll, who's back to wearing 7mm irises... sorry...) I like these 6mm irises a lot more.

 

Thanks everyone for the comments! Sometimes the anpiel looks tranquil and smiling calmly, and sometimes it looks just cheeky... I'm not sure it looks regal at all, though.

@Rozie Haha, the same thing happened to me! Achelous won me with his smile. The human head has human ears, but otherwise it's identical to Achelous Lost in the Vortex merman. Achelous human head is not limited, I can see it available on Alice's Collections and DV's Taobao store. I bought him as a full doll, but you can get the head by itself.

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I've been taking lots of photos of my little guy. I just adore both the doll and its body. If you're interested - photoshoot, another photoshoot, and a posing review of the body (offsite on my doll blog, not on DoA).

 

@aixx3 Hey, thanks for the comment! I'm really glad that Achelous on B4-04 can fit in with my big crew. The anpiel fits in so well that it's still my only 1/4, although I think now and again of getting another 1/4 to be its friend

How the anpiel looks these days (I've now had it for over 2 years, wow):