IMPL dolls Star, Model and Idol Discussion thread Part 6

greeneyed-soul my Tony is just short of 70cm, but his neck is 12.5 and his shoulders are 18 (outer edge to outer edge of the arms - sometimes they measure across the back and leave off the width of the arms!)

Meanwhile.... My 5 yards of elastic finally arrived in this morning's post! Reluctantly set to restringing this flippin' doll - 4mm elastic so it was a little thinner than the original, but adequate - they were out of 5mm (ebay bungee shock cord) but I think it would have more stretch to it than the 4mm. Anyway - battle now over - I had to roll the ribbon around a wooden spoon handle and brace the doll's shoulder's against my feet, just to haul it up through the body cavity to the neck. Hurt my elbow again though - I'm too old and fragile for this lark!

The ankles are fixed now so they move fine, although very squeaky on the silicon washers I made! Big gap all around for dirt to fall into - they are obviously too small but look fine at a glance, and no danger of the lower leg being chipped again now. But I hate the doll!!! Absolutely unposeable piece of .... which has surprised me so much as the idol boy is a FANTASTIC piece of engineering! Very pretty girl body to have in a doll stand, but it doesn't bend very easily at the knee at all - not like my boy who is a brilliant poser in every way. So she doesn't sit on a shelf like all my other dolls very obligingly do.

Also not heard back from impldoll yet, having emailed them on their aliyun addy a week ago. Seems they are too busy for customer service now business has taken off - I am not holding my breath for any results from Angelesque regarding the original owner of this doll either *sigh* I don't think I'll be spending any more money on the doll hobby now - it has really put me off. The only other doll I have which is equally terrible posing is my Island Doll Hejin - again a doll more about aesthetics - she's a pear shaped dumpling - very cute but a useless poser. I am surprised with this impldoll idol girl though, as my other 2 from them (a tiny and a boy idol) are quite brilliantly designed!

 

elve i'm very sorry for you, i feel you. Stringing back a new doll isn't an easy task especially if you're on your own and you cannot ask help, or you don't have an helper..i do these things with my twin sister so to me it's easy..
I'm starting to wonder if the body is defective or has something wrong..i don't own an Idol female..so i cannot help but i'm just wondering at this point if the body is factory flaw or stuff like that

 

elve: Sometimes you just need to step back from the doll(s) for a little bit when they're frustrating the crud out of you. I'm not saying that'll fix whatever issue this girl is having but sometimes coming back to something once you've had a chance to calm/cool down helps and makes the rest of the task easier/less stressful.

Re-stringing isn't my favourite task either and like you, I've got nobody to help me with the big boys I own should I need to do a full re-string. I'd VERY much love to get rid of the Knot O'Doom (tm) in the head of my Leeke boy (the knot is SO huge it doesn't even have a prayer of fitting through the neck opening making changing his eyes a serious dexterity challenge) but without somebody to give me a hand wrestling that nearly 70cm muscle body into submission, I'm not even going to attempt it *sigh*.

Currently, I only have an Impl tiny and he's a little wonder to pose/stand. And I've seen consistent good stuff in this thread about how well the larger Impls stand/pose so possibly $abbatha is right and you got that 1 in 100 wonky doll. If there was obviously a problem with her ankle balls when she was more or less a new doll, I think it's a good possibility that she slipped through the QC cracks. It does happen, possibly more frequently when there's a large volume of orders they're trying to get out.

My OD Il that I purchased direct from Leeke this past November was one of those QC screw ups. He quite literally couldn't stand because of the size and way the hooks were embedded in his feet. With his feet flat on the floor his body was inclined forward at about an 80 degree angle. Trying to gently force his feet into 90 degrees to his body resulted in some minor chipping on the inside of his ankle channel from rubbing/pressing on the metal hook in his feet (you can't see it unless you pull his foot away from his leg). Fortunately for me, the person I sent him to for a mod and face-up fixed his standing problem but I assume that slid past QC because it was a brief purchasing period they'd opened and he was sent out wicked fast (a touch less than 5 weeks) so were likely firing them out the door as fast as possible.

 

thanks ladies I do feel slightly less full of hatred for the doll now I've had a cup of tea ^_^ Not taking a hammer to it just yet LOL

But no I am sure there's nothing faulty with this doll apart from the ankle balls being the wrong size - which is not an issue now I have them packed up with silicon washers. I've just had another look at the body, tried posing it etc. It stands very well, and the knees bend fine for it to kneel up with the legs underneath. But unlike the boy's knees, there is no little notch at the top of the knee peanut, to latch over the upper leg and keep the knee bent. If you pick up the boy, his knees stay bent until you unlock them and put them straight. Whereas the girl's knees just slide back straight, with nothing to lock them in a sitting position. The other really dreadful thing about her legs is the way they turn outwards. You bend her legs at the hip to sit her, and her knees swivel to point outwards, so that when you then bend her knees, her lower legs cross over each other - Well no lady sits like that! Very badly designed. I also usually prefer a lower torso joint as well as an upper torso joint, but she only has the upper one, so tends to flip backwards to a lying down position all the time. She'd be great in a doll stand though!

I cut the elastic for the loops just at random, being 41 inches, which I then knotted to make the loops. I did it following fishcake's diagram, with the strings crossing, and the knots in the chest - which was actually easier than the way I was doing it before, until I had to get the head hook on of course! Really was a good idea bracing the shoulders against my feet with ribbon for the elastic loops wrapped around a wooden spoon handle though - very much like using a rowing machine! Tried it without the spoon at first, just wearing gloves, but it still really hurt my hand, so I had to think of something better!

Aesthetically she's all I hoped she'd be, and very pretty, although I think now I see her, the shorter legs on the new Star body would look more in proportion to her body and more natural. I just had no idea she would be unable to sit on a shelf, as this is how I display all my dolls! She needs a stand, definitely.

 

Magical Girl legs in reverse! Maybe try rotating her thighs with the knees facing inwards a bit to combat the unwanted leg spread? Sometimes dolls just seem to be fiddly for the sake of being fiddly *rolls eyes*.

I have a boy who does the Magical Girl legs (thighs together properly, lower legs splayed outward) when he sits and it's irritating as heck. I've never figured out what to do to get him to sit properly *sigh*. He has a 2-part torso with the hip joint, BTW.

 

oh success at last! Had an almighty battle to get an Akagi Doll Ban head on this body - it's so tightly strung now - And accidentally discovered how to make her sit properly! Little nubs at the back of her thigh, up inside the ball joint, latch onto the hips - but she can only sit like this, leaning forward! Still - at least her legs now flop obligingly into an acceptable position ^_^

I love this Akagi Ban head - I think it's so cute. I know it doesn't match the resin at all (might match impldoll real skin better) but I don't care! ^_^

impldoll idol girl by elve, on Flickr

 

elve you know seems that engineering is pretty close to Feeple65..at least for hips + thighs

 

Elve, you poor dear! There's nothing worse than hearing glowing praise about a doll, getting one, and finding it all a nightmare! And you just got the worst possible! But look at this way- you'll probably never have a doll problem as bad as this or one so bad you can't look back on this victory and know you can overcome. Believe me, I've definitely has to step away from a restring to calm down! In fact, been doing that for 2 days now with a body (Miro doll) I have restrung a million times and still getting frustrated. But I'll emerge the victor!

She IS a lovely doll though, your girl! And while yes, the real skin probably would have matched better, she is a gorgeous hybrid and congrats on your new addition! I'm sorry you got the rare lemon in the bunch, but wow how much you've learned and grown as a doll owner! Just a sucky way to do it.

 

I didn't know that $abbatha - I am not a fan of fairyland dolls so I've never looked into it - I think I am the only person who doesn't really like fairyland dolls though!

awww thank you chalyss for being such a sweetie I HAVE indeed learnt something - 'Never Again!!!' LOL ^_^ I thought while I was wrestling with her 'people do this FOR FUN??' - because I have heard some people like restringing their dolls often And I have learned that a wooden spoon is an indispensable tool if you are a weakling like me ^_^

But we are all better now As soon as I managed to wrestle that head on, I started spontaneously singing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBr1wqPfTrA And wow - look at her figure (in the video) - same as idol girl! So she's not that unrealistic then ^_^

I love the Akagi Ban head so much on this body though - regardless of the resin mismatch - I kept waking up in the night to 'squeee!' over it LOL - yes it must be love ^_^ I have looked for a body for this head for about year though - so pleased with this hybrid compared to when he was 'Daniel' on an AoD body (way too small for that massive head!) The difference in resin colour is barely noticeable in artificial light too - I was surprised at that! Far more noticeable in daylight - I had to really stare hard to see any difference by artificial light, as it is yellowish I guess.

Meanwhile....Impldoll have emailed me this morning they were busy at an exhibition last week - They will send me the balls free! ^_^ Ermmmm....not that I'll contemplate restringing this doll for a VERY long time - but it's good to know I can fix her up properly when I'm feeling brave (and strong!) enough ^_^

She's big though! This is her in a reasonably large office chair

impldoll idol/Akagi Ban by elve, on Flickr

 

Elve, she's gorrrgeous! And HUGE!!! Yes, the bigger they are, the harder they are to string! It really helps when you can grab some extra hands for them. I've used my teeth and... I don't recommend it. I think I'll try a wooden spoon next time! Ah, but she's totally worth it! You know, my Impl Iris head on Angell Studio body is like that, with the resin match. Iris is real skin and the As doll is a mellowed pink, but to the natural eye you can barely tell at all- while to artificial light, the 'secret' is exposed! I was shocked to see the difference my camera picked up! But I love mine and wouldn't change her at all! (I think Impl has some kind of cloaking or blending technology that works as long as artificial -or worse! sunlight, which exposes ALL flaws- is used. ...Which makes it pretty uses tech except to the naked eye, but...)

(I could not see this resin difference w/o the camera!)

I LOVE your new girl! That head size is perfect on the Idol and she's cute as a button! Personally, I'd never restring her again, but I do not enjoy restringing at all EVER. I just do it a lot. *sigh*
Oh and question... what wig is she wearing? I rather like it. Mucho like it!

 

thanks chalyss - I love your Iris - she's another impldoll sculpt I've always loved, as she has so much character!

My girl is wearing a dollzone wig - they have a variable selection of wigs, most very good, some bad (the older ones for very old models of dolls), all sizes lumped together by category so you never know what you'll get! Some will be big and some will be small - it's best to refer to the doll they were designed for, and check its head measurement. This 1/3 wig is the one my idol boy used to wear before he went blonde - I really love its choppy style as it has a lot of natural movement - I just had a look and Mint on Card sell them! ^_^

 

switching out the ankle balls shouldn't be anywhere near so bad as a complete re-string assuming she has S-hooks in her feet. I switched out the hands on my Leeke boy for DZ armour claw hands (and gave him hooks) and switched out an entire arm on my DZ boy for an RD mecha arm. Since I wasn't fiddling with knots or the actual tension of the elastic, it was actually pretty easy to do. However, if she's strung with elastic through loops in the foot or something... you have my sympathy.

 

hmmmm thanks for that Iron_Dog - good point! Yes I might be able to do it without unstringing her - but the elastic is darned tight - I could barely get the head on! I will see if I can do that - would be lovely to have her properly built. If I slip a small flat screwdriver bit in between the loops to hold it while I take off the foot hook, it shouldn't all fall apart.... *wibble* ^_^

 

I'd advise against metal being used as there's a good chance it could chip/dent the resin. Yes, I've done that *head desk*. Even if the elastic goes up the leg somewhat, it's not a huge deal, honest. Slip a length of strong ribbon or shoelace (I use shoelaces) through the elastic loop and then feed that back through the parts and when you're ready to begin the tug of war, it's actually not bad.

Both my big boys (69.5cm) are strung tight but I was able to swap out the parts I mentioned fairly easily. when you don't need to worry about getting the tension juuuust right, it's a lot easier to deal with in my opinion.

 

Thank you ELVE!!! I'll go look for it on MOC! (that IS a big noggin if it looks in such proportion to the Idol body! Most of Impl's look pinheaded. I love her though! Does she have a name?) And GRATZ on the free balls! For her ankles, that is! YAY Impl!!

 

yes I'm always terrified of damaging the resinIron_Dog - Aaaargh I'm just terrified of damaging my dolls, period! I am an obsessive hand washer too - Shame I don't dust them obsessively though

chalyss she was Daniel and now she's Danielle! Very convenient name - I had no plans to turn 'Daniel' into a girl until I set my heart on getting an impldoll idol girl - but still only had room for 4 big dolls on the doll shelf! I AM downsizing - really I am! ^_^ Fortunately the Akagi Ban head is gigantic - and I just love that face every time I see it The head was sold as a practice head on Alices Collections when I bought it - only $25 so an impulse buy which I fell in love with ^_^

I feel so inspired about dressing this doll though - unlike any of my other dolls - got loads of plans, which I know will cause endless pain, frustration, screaming fits, ultimate disappointment and despair LOL - but hey that's life! I'll give it a try at least - and more than likely she'll end up permanently naked like the rest of my dolls

here is a pic of her next to the idol boy though - she is a big girl! Richard (impldoll Tony) looks terrified LOL - that's a 65cm Dollzone boy on the other side of her - lovely 'tan' they do *facepalm* My camera does elongate the heads of dolls though - the Ban head is not tall like that in real life!

impldoll idol male/female by elve, on Flickr

 

really wood love to see pics of TANK ... just found the company pics. maybe he is to new to have owner pics. but this hunk is hot. did anybody order him yet? just took a look in the waiting room, but nobody seemed to have ordered him
think he could be the one ... but as i bought a guy just from owner pics am not quite sure
can anybody help? thx

 

elve i loved secretly the feeple65 body for such long time, but i never afforded to get one, more over i'm not fond of feeple sculpt so to give it a short cut a long research that leaded to nothing but yeah..the feeple65 body works in the same way of Idol gril body.

Iron_Dog thanks for giving me the idea of using a shoelace, pretty clever!

 

TANK recently came out. I have a head on layaway but no one I know of has brought him home yet. Yes, he's a hunk!! I want one! I think he'd be worth getting! he has a sculpt that allows for a lot of variation on the faceup. He'd be versatile and always look good, I think.

ELVE, I was actually gonna ask if you'd use the name Danielle! *L* I love it when a doll inspires and helps guide along with what they want. I know it sounds weird but it's almost a partnership some times. ...And other times it's more like a monarchy or tyranny. *LOL* I LOVE that she's so big! I am actually very happy to know that! I plan on only 2 Idol girls and that's only because I want them HUGE. ...Okay Maybe 3 idol girls, but only 2 /right now/.

 

I actually much prefer the Impldoll Idol body to the Feeple 65 and here is why--I took one apart once (they are very heavy and hard to pose)--

http://dollsartcats.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-chloe-body.html

 

fishcake thanks for the link..seems like an horror movie...
Good for me that i never got one in the end!

 

$abbatha especially for the price--they are so heavy and expensive! I was lucky to be able to sell that one. To be honest I like the "cheaper" bodies better because they are so much easier to work with

 

I have both a MNF and an AoD and hands down, my AoD boy (both of them) are more solid standers and I trust them to remain standing unattended over my MNF boy. There may be bias there as my AoD was my first doll and he is still my fav after all these years.

The putting together of that FL Chloe seemed unnecessarily complicated based on those photos. I've recently purchased a FL arm and the hand/wrist ball attachment is also unnecessarily complicated *grumbles*. I like uncomplicated. I've never seen an Impl taken apart (and I've no plans to unstring my Impl tiny just for curiosity's sake) but they look like they're pretty straight forward dolls for the most part. Honestly, there's no need to make stringing anymore irritating/frustrating than it usually is.

 

Fishcake, that is so complicated I couldn't follow it even with pictures! Terrifying!!! I will never ever buy one of those bodies EVAR. Too much drama for me! Thank you for the lesson!

 

Chalyss- I think Tank got a lot of potential to make him a great face up cause his face is not so plane like other (not impl specially, just compared to other sculpts and other comanies). The last doll i bought dissappointed me. So this time i wish to be more clever and don't think while unboxing "hell, what have i done here"

does anybody got the new idol male body already?

 

wow fishcake your blog is a mine of information - thanks for that link! I guess I now count myself lucky that Fairyland dolls have never appealed to me LOL - what a nightmare, can you imagine what I'd have done in that situation? And yes Angel of Dream are my favourite company too - because I love a bargain and they are that! My first doll was an AoD - my son has her in his room now, since I temporarily moved on in my tastes a year or so ago - and he won't give her back to me Needless to say I'm responsible for her wardrobe and maintenance still - he never even goes near her! I had a 90cm AoD for my 2nd ever BJD, in 2012, because I was so impressed with my first - and THIS is where my hatred and fear of restringing comes from! Being a newb to dolls as I was, I naively thought that restringing him would be no harder than restringing my impldoll YOSD size doll - took him to bits and then hit The Wall I wasn't using this forum at that time either, so had no advice on hand other than youtube - sold him ASAP on ebay, for less than half what I'd paid for him - and regretted it ever since of course But yes - it put a fear of stringing dolls into me, as it was so devastating!

So I am MIGHTY relieved to have my impldoll girl all better now! And it's purely thanks to your brilliant diagram fishcake, as I really had no clue - Thank you so much!!!!

Meanwhile I was looking at her FEET last night - they are really tiny for the size of her! They are no bigger than the feet on my 58cm AoD girl, length-wise, although annoyingly wider than her feet - so she fits mainly boy's shoes, which I do have a lot of (mainly from releaserain on ebay.com) as I had a mini-shoe mania when I got my first doll But I'm not sure what girly styles I can get her, especially as I don't have her high-heel feet. Funny thing is though I bought these shoes BEFORE I got my first doll http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD13-Boy-Do...532?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9e7f1d1c because I just love shoes in general - and I loved these ones! But they never suited my AoD Qian - they just weren't her style - but I kept them anyway as they're so cute - well they fit Danielle (impl idol girl) perfectly and look great! Hmmm - thinking about it, that choppy brown wig she's wearing is the very same one I bought my first doll too - stupidly gave it away as a free gift, when I sold a bobobie doll on ebay later on, so had to buy this duplicate which Danielle's wearing - but yes, Danielle seems to be morphing into the doll I originally conceived BUT BIGGER! ^_^ hmmmm...and am I right in thinking the Ban head bears more than a passing resemblance to AoD Qian head too?

Her small feet do make her very unstable standing though! I had one accident with her when I went to fetch my camera but thankfully she survived intact - Will not be leaving her standing without support again though! It's a shame they didn't give her feet in proportion to the size of her body I think - they could do with being about 8 cm long at least - They are smaller than my 65cm dollzone boy's feet, although wider than his feet, so she can't wear his shoes.

 

Is it possible for the Idol guys go wear standard shoes you get everywhere? there was a pic on flickr... one guy wears the same shoes as a supergem of a friend of mine got. So think could work then. This is the fact I hate on my Iples- the only non-Iple shoes I found were sneakers.. But thats it

 

elve, now I am curious, I need to measure Erzulie (my idol girl's) feet. I know Mirodoll sells loose heel feet but I have no idea yet if they will fit BUT hopefully I can find out soon since I picked up a Mirodoll girl body today. When she comes I will look and see, and maybe you can get some heel feet that will fit Danielle.
[MENTION=64410]greeneyed-soul[/MENTION] my Idol boy seems to be the same size as the Iplehouse EID, and they have very large feet--he is wearing some EID boots right now.

 

Strange.... Cause there were pictures of Tony wearing The Boots i got here in The picture. Compared to my Eid Boots


Sent from my iPhone

 

I have SID feet in EID sized shoes sometimes... if he can wear both, even better! Impl lists the Idol with 9.4cm feet which is about SID size, so either way, big shoes whether SID or EID, but EIDs would be a definite and blueblooddolls sells them for about $28 a pair, nice quality.

Ah, I see what you're saying. Mega Gem has a posted size of 8.5cm. Impl claims their Idol has 9.4cm... so I would have to say buy at your own risk if you go Mega Gem/Idealian size. It's becoming more common now that two sizes will be offered for the same style, I have several pairs that are identical except for sizing. If the exterior comes in at 11cm, chances are the interior size is 9-9.5cm and will fit, but it may be a gamble and the front may be too narrow. Interior size is THE way to know.

 

main problem with shoes (and feet) is they normally only give the length of the foot. My idol girl has 7cm feet x 3cm wide - Having just measured all my 1/3 doll feet again, they are smaller than both my 1/3 boy dolls by AoD and Dollzone - same width but shorter. I wonder if I got the wrong feet as well as the wrong ankles? I'm sure fishcake has the answer to that question too ^_^

 

Yes, I've had to write to a few sellers on ebay and ask. Usually it's 3.4cm wide on a foot that is 9cm long but that can vary by company. I don't mind shoes being a tad too big, but too small and you can't fit em on at all!

Yes!!!! Fishcake sees all... knows all! She has a crystal fishbowl she gazes into with all the answers to the dolly universe swimming by!

(Seriously... pretty sure she does! Not being facetious there.)

Oh and just looked at the Impl page: Idol is listed as 7.7cm for the gals. You have 7cm? The plot thickens!

 

chalyss i tried the boots i posted here on my SID guy and they don't fit. Too short and too narrow but they fit Supergem and the new Ringdoll RGM3 body. Somehow this is another reason for me to have a non-Iple guy as its easier to find some standard-stuff I thought
OK, I sew a lot but sometimes it's just nice to see something and get it- clothes i mean

 

I totally agree! I have a SID and I know what you mean! Here's my other suggestion... ask Impldoll to give you the New Starman feet instead. They're 8.2cm, they should fit 'standard' SD13 boots and such. I switch out feet now and then to accommodate smaller boots and shoes. Unless there's a HUGE difference between the ankle joints, it should work OK. U can ask them first if the Starman feet will work or not, but it's worth a shot. (SID foot size is 9.2cm, just checked, so Idol is bigger but not as big as EID. Try switching the feet, that may do the trick. I hope so! Or if the body hasn't been sent, perhaps order an extra pair of feet. I think they're $20.)

 

another question- got a good friend also in the hobby and often we sit on the computer and analyze various companies beside others. for example soom dia beside iple sid guy looked too bobbleheaded. does anybody have an Iplehouse EID guy - or better- an EID girl and could post a picture beside an IDOL guy? cause wish to see if the Idol head is bigger than an EID male head and how it looks beside an Iplehouse EID lady

 

Elve you might have gotten the wrong feet--here is an Iplehouse girl (all of them share the same foot mold) and my Idol Delia/Bella:



I measured too-- the length of both companies' flat feet is 7.5, from heel to toe at the longest point.

The width of Iplehouse NYID foot is about 3.25 cm, the Impldoll is a little narrower at 3cm wide at the widest point.

The height of the foot at the arch is the same for both, 2.25 cm, but the height at the heel is 2cm for the NYID and for the Impldoll it is 2.5 cm, which keeps the foot from popping out of the ankle like the NYID foot does. Overall I prefer the sculpt of the Impldoll foot, it's a little more elegant and certainly the ankles are much better.

I will take a look at the new Star man feet and the Idol feet in a minute, too.

 

thanks for that fishcake That is odd - I've just double checked - with a ruler not a fabric tape measure as these can stretch - 7 cm for my idol girl's feet - and barely that. They are 2.5 cm up at the heel to the ankle though. Well if I get these free ankle balls from impldoll, I will find out if the feet are wrong too LOL - because they won't fit I guess! I think ideally she wants the same feet as my Dollzone 65 cm boy - over 8 cm long. It's a shame as she really can't stand safely on such tiny feet! I had a look at Iplehouse's site this morning, to see what their EID girl's foot measured, and gathered that all their 1/3 dolls have the same foot - But I don't think their EID girl is as tall as impldoll's idol girl, so really she needs bigger feet.

 

You could do what I do with my tiny Granado male feet--buy a larger shoe and stuff the toes with tissue so they fit tight. If you are getting heel feet then the smaller size foot is ok too--I have started putting hot glue on the bottom of the soles so the heel shoes won't slide around.

My theory is that you have Star feet on your girl instead of Idol feet. Let me haul out Bella and measure her foot and I will update later!

 

fishcake- could you show me a pic of EID beside Impl Idol?