IMPL dolls Star, Model and Idol Discussion thread Part 9

^_^ thank you...he's my gem. he's pretty much the only guy that hasn't lost his crown even with the addiction of newer dolls. love him to pieces.
i'm impartial to the younger guys so i'm very biased. i can appreciate them but i'm not drawn to them. not just impl's...any company's. i prefer the more realistic mature looks. i vote nic all the way.
I loved my Aurora as well. i sold her to fund other dolls but i may try to get another one again when things are settled.

 

I think you can ask them to give you a specific head... I never had any Problems with that ö.ö even they don´t mention it.

The Problem with Tank is that he have to share the Body with my Marcus from dec 2015 and I don´t know if the resin still match u.u. Plus he is the character of my boyfriend.. I just want him as a photography option cause I already shelled my character (the guy in my ava). For Aurora on the other side I have no idea what she will become.. I just like the head. Maybe I get Aurora as a full doll and Tank as a head... I saved some mone for the LLTD Black Pearl but can´t afford him till the order period is up. Well I can but we need new furniture and needed a new kitchen which was very expensive in our new flat etc.

 

I'm posting this everywhere, but I'm still a bit shocked. You can sand Impldoll Special Anti-UV Tan with no sanding marks after buffing with a magic eraser.

I took off a bit from my Nicolas' chin:

 

Actually, that's really darn good to know! YAY!

 

So many new things here... I been out so long...
Reading back reading back

 

Every time I procrastinate, I go to the Impldoll site (bad habit) to see if the muscle body mobility options have updated. (Clearly, I don't want to doing my required reading for the summer!)

Impldoll keeps taunting me by adding more beautiful dolls. And dolls that have space for a removable tooth mod. Why, Impldoll, why?

Feixu

I really like her eyebrows. They make her look impatient or angry. (She reminds me of someone...Delia? Azalea? Karena? I'm terrible at matching faces...)

 

I just looked there earlier today and this wasn't there! *L* Azalea with a less iconic nose and no elf ears. Super cute! And she'd make a nice boy head too! Must add to my list!

Sean said they'd add mobility to the arms of the ladies I believe- he got the boys done but it took awhile, so maybe we just need to wait? Or ask him! Or I will! *L*


@vevet, welcome back!! Long time no see!

 

@chalyss

It's less impatience and more poor self control and procrastination . And also probably anal-retentiveness, as I like to plan these things months in advance. This doll may actually end up a Christmas gift (to myself), and I'm already planning.

I asked about two weeks ago, and they said they were working on it, so they probably need a bit more time. I'm just warming up more and more to a more poseable and hourglass figured muscle girl because most (all I have now, actually) of my muscle girls are MtF mods (so less curvy).

As a ginger, I also have a huge weakness for freckles, and it makes looking at the muscle body on their page sooooo tempting!

 

Her nose is very cute!

 

@skyealloway

It is! I like seeing it peeking out from under her hat!

 

wow I love the new girl! She looks a Little bit with Azaela. Maybe I getting her instead of Alberta with my Body order. But I wait till after our move and maybe they release meantime thr Boy they teased on facebook

 

hmmmm...she's not much to my taste so i am safe for now ^^ thankfully....i'm still waiting for more mature looking sculpts! i hope it's not a fool's hope :P

for now , here's my Impldoll Lydia. i've had such a hard time shelling this character and waiting to see is Lydia sticks. i love her sculpt so much. she's on a DS body and looks phenomenal. neck could use some suedeing though.

 

Is she a Lydia white skin on a Dollshe pure pale skin? She is lovely! She was on my wishlist even before Bernice was! I like her face up, is it your own?
I've been looking for a slim body for my white skin Karena head for ages.
Does the neck need a lot of sueding? How limited are the head's movements?
Thank you for showing her to us, I'd never thought Dollshe could be a fit .

Edit: I like the new girl. . Crickey, a new head on my wishlist . Where are the blank pictures?

 

Am I the only one who isn't a fan of the new girl? Oops...
She reminds me a lot of the Vanessa sculpt.

 

:* thank you
no she's Impl old NS on DS Oriental. the match is pretty... well to be honest i didn't check ... i did the faceup and plopped her on and it works really well with her blushing. head movement isn't so much limited. it has a good range of motion but no position will hold...just pops back to being straight. probably will be fixed with just a few dabs of hot glue really. i love the lanky DS body. i'd love more. here's a photo of her on the body...link bellow the photo is the nude doll.


Impldoll lydia on dollshe 26

@SapphireStargazer na...i'm not too big on her either...she's cute and all but not my taste.

 

@MaryamDN

Wow! I thought Lydia was making a bit of a duck face in the company photos, but it must have just been the faceup!

She's beautiful!

 

@MaryamDN , she looks so cool! That body is perfect for her!

 

Ooooh that Dollshe body looks awesome with the Lydia head!! Congrats, @MaryamDN!!

I like the new head- I want it as a boy though. Since I can't get anyone to trade my Tokyo Asa head for a blank Asa head, maybe that head would work well enough. Hmmm.... oooooooooooh, new boy on FB? *runs to look*

 

And the new guy on Facebook is a cyborg!!! Robot parts! Someone on Impldoll's staff must be a mind reader! (If only it was a female doll...)

 

Yeah, he's in the Future War (or whatever) section- Sean gets to play into his inner boy child with the cyborg parts! But yeah, good point- Aurora is part of the line but no cyborg parts! No fair!

 

she's definitely got very very full lips. if you don't extenuate either side of the upper lips when doing the faceup though, there's no duck lips look. i like pales lips myself so that wasn't too hard. i feel like i need to work a bit more on her upper eyes and eyebrows though....

@Lilla i really love both her and Alberta on this body!!
@chalyss thank you :*

 

This thread is a danger zone for me...both of my next two dolls will be Impldolls...at the mo I'm planning to save up and catch an event. Also, I want to hybridize one of the heads and I'm researching other people's hybrids. I want to go with a tall, slim male body (60cm or up) for one and although I like the measurements of Impldoll's bodies...but I can't really visualize yet.

 

there is a current event....there might be a better one in the winter....
just remember the new impldoll NS is a peachy color. so when you place an order, you might need to specify what NS you're referring to. 2016 NS was the one i found matched most other NS. otherwise, maybe ask for a custom color or provide a photo of the head you're trying to match.

 

@MaryamDN
The current event is ideal for me, but outta my breadbox. I haven't noticed too many types of hybridization yet, but I'm still researching. I have a suspicion Impldolls have larger heads and necks than other types.

 

Mm, indeed they do. But depending on the size of the body you want, there are options. Someone else just PMed me about a Chad head hybrid with a shorter body, and outside the Starman Impl sells, there aren't many options for a 65cm and lower that the Idol head will fit on. Do you mean a Starman head or an Idol head? Male or female? I have a pic of a Tank head on a 70cm slim DZ body. The neck is only 11cm for the DZ so too small for true mobility. And the head is just at the limit for looking good with so slim a body.

A lot of people give Miro a bad rap but they have a thick neck version of their buff male in 60cm, 65cm, and 68cm- that neck was made to hybrid EID heads and indeed even at 60cm, a Tedros head looks very very good on the Miro thick neck.

A Starman head will be easier to get to look good on a slimmer body but it really depends on what you're looking for and at. Do you know the head/s you want? The Idol and Star girl heads look very good on the smaller male bodies thanks to the 10cm necks.

 

I have a chart of boy measurements that might help. It's a bit out of date because I haven't updated it in a couple of years, but maybe it'll give you some ideas. Impldoll's Star and Idol lines seem to be very similar to Iplehouse.

 

@chalyss
I'm gunning for Idol Tony at the mo, and I have a concept that requires a buffer, thicker body. Just comparing Impldoll's three male Idol body types didn't give me a very good idea of which one to go with. But then when I looked at other dolls, it was clear that aesthetically they're thin, even if the physical joints and bodies "fit" with Impldolls.

@thessalyrose this chart is a life-saver...and also danger zone because I'm thinking "How many of these can I fit on a bookcase?"

 

@A Wee Tiefling - The Idol male bodies are pretty thick compared to a lot of other bodies out there. These guys have big waists and are broad through the chest and shoulders. Comparable bodies would be Iplehouse EID and Granado Evol bodies. And yes, most of IMPL's larger bodies are comparable with Iplehouse bodies. Star SGB are comparable to Iple SID sizes for both male and female.

And because Tony is here's my Aubrey. It's an older pic, but I haven't really taken any good new ones of him since I moved into my new house in March, so...


Aubrey Portraits - 8/11 by Sapphire, on Flickr

 

@SapphireStargazer
It's funny, I'm left cold by Iplehouse so often I never bothered to look in their larger sizes. But clothing, yes, def will need to know how to fit for a buffer dude. Or lady.

Oh Aubrey! Your dimpled chin makes lesser mortals weep!

 

hehehe Aubrey loves attention Thanks so much for the compliment! I'm rather fond of the cleft chin, too.

I really love Iplehouse's face sculpts, but the body posing abilities leave much to be desired. As an owner of both IMPL and Iplehouse dolls, I can tell you that IMPL male dolls at least have far superior mobility to Iplehouse dolls. The Star and Idol female dolls aren't as good at posing as the guys, but they've still got the edge over Iplehouse. The only posing advantage Iplehouse has as far as the girls go is the thigh mobility cut option, but unfortunately it also costs extra on Iplehouse's already expensive dolls.
But yeah, Iplehouse is definitely a great source for clothing for both the Idol and Star guys and girls. hahaha Aubrey has a couple of outfits from Iplehouse (because he has expensive taste), and my girls also have some fancy stuff from Iplehouse. Another source of EID-sized clothing that also works for the Idol men is Freedom Teller. Shops like Tata's Paradise, Nine9 Style and SWDoll also occasionally have stuff in EID size, and a lot of the items offered by Alice's Collections can be custom-sized. Stacy's Pink Ocean also does custom sizing. And of course there's always Etsy

Here's one of my other Idol boys, Gabriel (Gnaeus). He currently needs a new wig. This is also an older pic, but it's still one of my faves of him XD

Christmas (Un)wrapping by Sapphire, on Flickr

 

@SapphireStargazer

I love that face! I am super excited to get my Idol now. Christmas can't come fast enough...

 

@A Wee Tiefling - thanks! Gnaeus was a LE sculpt from 2013, and I fell in love with him the minute I saw him, honestly. He was my first Idol man. It's hard to believe I'll have had Gabriel for 4 years this December. Currently, he needs his faceup redone and he desperately needs a new wig. I'd love to have him looking all spiffy again for his "birthday" on 9 December

@Ipledreamer - do you find the newest Idol man body poses as well as the FGB and SGB? I know the new arms were an issue for some people, but overall, how is the posing ability of the rest of the body?

 

@Ipledreamer - Aubrey and Gabriel are both on the FGB (with the hip joint) and their posing is amazing. The only issue I have with the hip joint is that I feel like a bit of stability has been sacrificed for the ability to pose in that area. I'm actually really interested in the SGB, which looks pretty much like the FGB to me, except without the hip piece. I'm kind of surprised that the balance of the newest body isn't as good as the older ones. I know my boys' balance isn't that great to begin with, so I dread to think how wobbly the new one might be. hahaha the worst bodies when it comes to balance, though, are the Star woman bodies. I have three, and two of them are practically incapable of standing by themselves.

 

The girl bodies are being improved now that there has been an outcry- thigh joints and front slits now. The real problem with the Star and Idol is their stringing and lack of front slits! Impl tried to make the newer girl bodies very sleek and aesthetically they look great but posing suffered tremendously. Now you have options. I need to replace 3 or 4 dolls worth of thigh joints and restring. Once you restring the Star and Idol to not have the crossed string in the pelvis, sooooo much better!

Chalyss restrung by chalyss, on Flickr
Lovely balance, no added support!

I'd already switched around her stringing to the traditional half loop from the crossed-inner thigh stringing Impl sent her with (which made her always want to cross her legs), and today I did it again as suggested by the Almighty Fishcake. Now the legs are strung separately from the torso and it WORKS. It works GREAT!

Fish cautioned about the floppy leg syndrome but mine doesn't have it, which could be because of the thickness of the string which is either 4mm or 5mm. I had to go down a size for the torso as the string was a bit too thick for the head hole. I changed it out but the biggest improvement there was the easier movement in the torso joint which is now functional. I couldn't use it before!

All in all, the new system works beautifully, she is now sooooo much more poseable and thr action figure she's supposed to be! So now I will advocate restringing an Impl Idol and Star woman before chucking the imposeable beast out the window! THANK YOU FISHCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a dolly life saver!! (and Dolly Mama sanity saver!)

I took lots of pics and I am sharing them ALL. I am just that happy!

I still want hip slits and swivel joints.

As for a shorter boy body that can handle an Idol head, there is one I know of... the Miro thick neck buff boy. The body WILL REQUIRE restringing (I suggest 5mm for body, 4mm for arms) and hot glue sueding. Then it is quite serviceable.

Idol or EID head on Miro big neck

 

@chalyss I restrung Sini and Zera using Fishcake's method and I actually don't find they've improved much at all, to be honest. They've both lost the ability to stand independently, although they don't have splay-leg when they sit. My girls don't have "floppy leg" with this method, ether. BUT... I'm thinking of restringing them back the original way, because at least they were able to stand on their own and actually bend their knees, even if there was a splay-leg issue. Ugh...I would love to be able to replace their thigh joints for the new ones with the slit, but Zera and Sini are both custom colours, so probably that's not going to happen, as I can't afford $160USD that IMPL quoted me for them, plus whatever the colour mix service would cost for the parts. My newer Star girl, Caitlin, poses beautifully and can stand independently, so IMPL has definitely been improving the body since its original release.

 

I think each doll is finished by hand so I guess each one might react a bit differently. My girl is a custom color too, so not sure if i can get just parts either, meaning I need a new one or I put in slits on my own with a dremel. Buuut my other girls are standard colors so I can get those done. And weird- I thought we could get the pieces free with just shipping costs. But you know, whatever works when it comes to mobility! If they were better the old way, I'd restring them that way too.

 

@chalyss - I wish we could get the pieces for free and only pay shipping. I was told by IMPL that it'd be $160. Did someone tell you it was free? Because if IMPL would confirm that, I'd gladly pay for shipping and for the custom colour fee to get new parts. Caitlin's posing is dramatically better than either Sini's or Zera's, and I'd be quite happy if the older girls could at least stand.

 

Yes, Sean told me that. Maybe it was just for broken pieces.... I'll have to look back on the email. But in my opinion, if they can't pose for crap, then they're 'broken'. So....

 

@SapphireStargazer @chalyss

All y'all are killin me with this posability issue. I was really hoping my Idol would have posability in the supermuscular new body (the whole point of me getting an Idol was for the meatier body). Are novices ok to attempt restringing such a large doll? I'm scared I might wreck something.

 

@A Wee Tiefling - The males are great at posing. It's the girls that aren't all that wonderful at it. And restringing isn't hard at all. A lot of people are terrified of restringing, but it's not nearly as scary as some people would have newbies believe. I restring all my dolls by myself, including my Idol men (because I have no one to help me). If you have access to a local meetup group, there are bound to be experienced owners there who I'm sure would help you as well.

 

Yes, what she said! It's the girls that have the problems. If you're small it can be hard to restring by yourself one of these 70cm big guys. Ribbons make the best stringers! (Not to be confused with the best strings. No no, use stretchy cord for that.) You're more liable to hurt yourself with a pinch than hurt the doll. Definitely try it though! it is a very good thing to learn and not be scared of.

 

I highly recommend marine-grade shock cord for restringing. It's the best thing I've ever used for stringing material. Also, I second the use of 1/4-inch satin ribbon for threading your string through the arm and leg channels. I also use a tapestry needle, especially in smaller dolls, as it's easier to get the ribbon through if it's attached to something non-flexible.

haha I'm "small" (only 160cm) but I can also lift about 40kg by myself, so... stringing the big boys is not so much of an issue for me. But yes...you actually can get injured restringing, so be careful if you don't have help, or even if you do have help. I've punctured my thumb with a s-hook in a foot before, and I've been pinched numerous times as I imagine almost every collector has. But the main thing with restringing is not to be afraid of doing it. You can learn a lot about your doll and its mechanics by taking it apart and putting it back together again

 

Perfectly phrased!

 

Yeah, when I changed the head on my 72cm boy I nearly knocked my own tooth out when the pliers I was using slipped. Definitely will not do that again without at least my husband to help me. Maybe restringing is easier because you can't string it tighter than your own strength, if that makes sense. I appreciate all this advice though; when I get my Star girl, I will have a friend help me restring her.

 

Yeah, I have almost brained myself when pliers slip or the hemostats pop open and fly through the air-- it can be dangerous. (use RIBBONS) *LOL* But totally worth it, right? RIGHT?? As long as the resin isn't chipped, yes!

Restringing-the adventure begins!!

 

None of these restringing injury horror stories is boding well for my confidence. Maybe I should start with a different 70cm doll? (But I like Impl, grr!)

 

A different 70cm doll isn't necessarily going to spare you the restringing (which really, really is not as bad as you seem to think it is) so get the doll you like. Nothing is worse than getting a different doll because of some perceived advantage over the doll you actually like/want and then discovering that doll has it's own host of quirks/troubles and not having the doll you actually wanted

 

I'm in 100% agreement with @Girrl on this point; a different doll doesn't necessarily mean you'll be avoiding restringing. In fact, some dolls are far more likely to need it right away than the IMPL Idol men are. You really shouldn't have to restring an Idol man when he's new, anyway. The only reason I had to restring Gabriel not too long after I got him was that IMPL used some really poor elastic, and it actually broke off inside his leg. That was back in 2013, and IMPL has improved tremendously since then. I've restrung Aubrey a number of times, mostly because I travelled with him in 2015 and disassembled him for the trip there and once again for the trip home. I also replaced his default elastic for something a bit more durable. Incidentally, it was Aubrey's foot s-hook that went through my thumb lol.

Also gotta agree wholeheartedly with @Girrl about getting the doll you want vs. settling for a doll you think has some advantage over the doll you want, be it a price advantage, posing advantage, shorter wait time, etc. I can tell you from way too much personal experience, settling and/or compromising is not the way to go. I did that way too many times in the beginning and, believe me, I regret all of it. It's the reason I've been systematically gutting my collection, for lack of a better word. I'd much rather have the dolls I'm happy with even if they cost more, have different qualities than other dolls or take a longer time to get, than to compromise and get dolls that are just 'okay' to me or that have problems features that drive me insane *cough*Resinsoul*cough*. Every company and every doll has its good and bad points, and while it's true that some have more problems than advantages, the final decision should always come down to asking yourself if this particular doll is what you really want. This hobby is expensive enough without feeling like you ultimately wasted money on dolls you're not happy with.

And sometimes, it isn't even about how well they pose or any other perceived edge they may have. My two hands-down favourites in my collection are Tyler (Iplehouse nYID Oscar) and Aubrey. Tyler is an expensive (one might even say overpriced) doll from a Korean company, who is absolutely, stunningly beautiful but who's about as flexible as a brick. Aubrey, on the other hand, is from a "cheap" Chinese company and is also absolutely beautifully sculpted, but who has almost too much flexibility for a doll his size, so much so that some stability is sacrificed for it. I can put Tyler just about anywhere and he'll stand solidly. I could never take Aubrey to this rocky beach, for instance. But honestly, I could make a list of the pros and cons of both these dolls, and it still might not be adequate to explain why two dolls that are so different from each other are my two favourites.

The moral of the story, I guess, is choose what you want and like based on the fact that you want and like it first and not necessarily on which might be "better" for some reason.

okay...sorry...that was a bit of a sermon To keep this somewhat on topic, have a pic of Aubrey. I got a new camera, so he was helping me test it, and it's got a soft focus lens filter I just got it yesterday, so I'm still getting used to it. It's a lot different than my Nikon D3200, that's for sure! Of course, Aubrey still likes to be in front of it.

Soft Focus Aubrey by Sapphire, on Flickr

 

@SapphireStargazer I totally don't mind the sermon. This whole thread is helping me weigh the pros and cons of getting my Impl first, or maybe holding off and getting something else until then (Got my eye on a PukiPuki Pong Pong).
I'm interested to know more about the cording/elastic people use. Aside from the company/default string, can marine-grade shock cord work well with dolls in the Impl Idol size range? Are there other companies that sell decent quality "string" for restringing (not actual string, but some kind of restringing material).

(I'm DYING to get my Tony now. Aubrey is killing it with that smoulder.)

 

@SapphireStargazer - Preach! Also, love that picture of Aubrey

Every time I look a Lucie (Impl Sophia) I'm reminded how much I need/want the Idol Muscle Girl body for Lucia (OT Little Rebel Jelle) and maybe/possibly/probably a green Aurora on the Star body to make a Poison Ivy
I'll have to get a picture of Lucie and Lucia once Lucia is all put together and between the 2 of them I'll have a whole Impl in the shot (Lucie is a hybrid on an older Soom SG body) Until that fine day, Bard spam!

 

@A Wee Tiefling - Thanks! hehehe I think he's angling for me to photograph him shirtless hext, tbh Yes, marine-grade shock cord works great in the Idol bodies. I've got it in all my IMPL dolls except for Caitlin at the moment. 5mm is the size I use for the Idol boys. The beauty of shock cord is that you can source it locally, if you live anyplace where there's a body of water big enough to sail on and there's a marine supplies store. Otherwise, I recommend the elastic from Dollmore. They make some pretty good stuff, and I've used it in a few of my other dolls with good results.

@Girrl - Thanks! Aubrey was the logical first choice to test the new camera XD And that's a great shot! Every time I see your Sophia, I feel like I want one. Yours seriously looks better than any other one I've seen.

 

@SapphireStargazer - Thanks! I really lucked out with her company faceup, it hardly feels like I can claim any credit for how pretty she is. You, on the other hand, get all the credit for what a handsome devil Aubrey is (and Gabriel, and Zach - but I can hardly call them devils, now can I? - and Sini, and Zera, and Caitlin...)

 

Aww thank you! Sometimes the company faceups really work out, but faceups are just part of the total package. You can definitely take credit for eye/hair choice and overall styling! Caitlin (Alberta) and Sapphire Rose (Azalea) both have company faceups as well, but they've got their own style anyway Also, Caitlin might not mind too much if people referred to her as a devil

Also, because it's entirely possible that I've never posted a pic of Sapphire Rose anywhere other than on Instagram, have a really terrible quality pic of her from my phone:

From IG by Sapphire, on Flickr

 

@SapphireStargazer She's looking into my soul!

 

@A Wee Tiefling - she watchin' you I really need to take some good pictures of her. You know, ones in which she doesn't have messy hair and doesn't look like she wants to murder someone lol. Also, not using my iPhone might be helpful.
Eventually, I'm going to get a body for her so she doesn't have to share with Caitlin (because Caitlin would never be caught dead in this t-shirt). They're the regular Real Skin colour and I absolutely love it. IMPL also has "anti-UV real skin" colour, which is what colour Gabriel is. Not so much a fan of the anti-UV real skin, to be honest, but at least I can live with it, unlike the doll I had in "tan" which was really more like orange