Modification Fixing scratch-prone shoulder joints (Impldoll Starwoman MGB)

EDIT TO INCLUDE: A great many thanks to @BlueSand for implementing this rather tricky mod!

In case it wasn't obvious yet from the multitude of photos I've taken of my favorite doll using the body, I'm quite fond of my Impldoll Starwoman MGB, despite its wide shoulders (for a girl, that is!). When I acquired a SartoriaJ Yvonne head via the DoA Marketplace, I knew I'd like to hybrid her with that body.

BUT. Apparently, Impldoll had shortened the shoulders of the MGB without informing ACBJD about it. The moment I unboxed the new MGB, I knew right off the bat that this seemingly harmless change would cause issues. In the original version (on Adhara, below left), the ball of the shoulders do not go inside the torso, hence the threat of scratching is almost zero. On the other hand, the shortened shoulder variant causes the torso socket to overly rub on the arm ball. I gave one of the poor arms some minor scratches, testing how the issue could be rectified. I ended up leaving the shoulders in a permanent shrug because I did not want to risk aggravating the problem by trying to push down on the shoulders to level them.

A small note: After I received my problem MGB, I have seen other people receive the same body type and they don't seem to have the issue. I am not entirely sure if this is a quirk unique to the body I ordered, or if I simply am a little OC with how I want my doll's joints to work.

Impldoll MGB old and new (and issues) by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr
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Since I cannot do subtractive mods for the life of me, I commissioned a local artist to implement the improvements. Theoretically speaking, if we cut larger chunks off the torso piece, we might have been able to give the shoulder joints forward-and-back movements (they can only move up and down). However, there was the matter of aesthetic and the structural stability of the end result. In the end, we agreed that smoothing out the pointy shoulder parts was our best bet.

SartoriaJ heads (or Yvonne's, at least) have H U G E neck holes, even larger than the neck hole of an Iplehouse Scarlet head I have. I had to make a neck adapter out of apoxie to raise the head higher on the neck and further improve head mobility. It's actually quite easy to do, thanks to a tutorial I found in DoA.

Modded Shoulders by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr
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The modder also found a potential issue if we left the pointy shoulder parts, well, pointy. I hadn't thought to test this particular arm movement, and I'll try to explain it as best as I can. If you try to pose the arm forward while the shoulder joints are angled upwards, the pointed torso can scratch the armpit "crease" on the arm. Worse-case scenario, the torso part can chip. Once again, Adhara's MGB does not have this problem because her arm parts do not go deeply inside the shoulder joints.

Arm Movement by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr
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Comparison of the shoulders (left: original wide shoulder, unmodded; right: new short shoulder, modded) from the front. The angle makes the newer version seem taller, but Adhara was slouching a bit on her stand when I took the photo. Also, SartoriaJ Yvonne has a way bigger noggin' than modded Fantasia Doll Vivian (2017 version), so take that into account, as well.

Old vs New - Front by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr
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Back view. Here you can clearly see the "armpit gap" on Adhara's MGB, which the newer MGB doesn't have because of the shortened shoulders.

Old vs New - Back by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr
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So there, if anyone encounters the same issue with their Impldoll Starwoman MGB, hopefully this post helps a little! In closing, here is hybrid Yvonne with her younger twin brother, a LoongSoul Zhuzhao. (They're obviously not identical. )

Great Luck and Great Beautiful Court by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr​

 

It kind of boils down to whether or not you want your doll to have wider shoulders. Personally, I would have preferred to have the wide variant. But perhaps (I emphasize perhaps, because the company never made an official statement) the reason why Impldoll shortened the shoulders was because of comments that the original female MGB's swimmer-esque shoulders is not their cup of tea. So if you want the Impldoll MGB but with the current short shoulders, adding kips to widen the shoulders again may not be the best way to go.

Impldoll cut the "shoulder peanuts/cylinder/thing" shorter. (I really don't know what best to call it, either!) Not exactly sure how they did it, but the newer MGB's shoulder joints are a touch sharper at the edges than Adhara's.

 

@Kymera Short shoulder joints are probably easier to remedy than making longer ones shorter (kips or sueding may do, as @cthulhu suggested). The head I was hybriding on the body is a little large for it proportion-wise, tho. That may have contributed to the illusion that the shoulders are now too short.

@Havra I agree, Impl was probably gunning for a quick corrective fix to shorten the shoulders after receiving feedback from customers. And yes, if there's anything the new MGB does better than the older one, it's the back view. XD Problem shoulders aside, the MGB's leg and neck movements are among the best of my female dolls. You'll probably have a grand time with them, if you do get the body eventually!