Los Angeles Dolpa Thread (Nov. 24 & 25th)

i think i'm going to remember you as the guy at the LA Dolpa toting a doll sized armory of guns. my reaction was kinda-> *wants guns*

o, and it's not that surprising if you remember that he started out as a toy maker, that many toy guns come from many asian toy companies.. AND that Volks also covers A LOT of Gundam figures and models.

{edit: wow! yay for page 100!!1}

 

@Izam: I see you also captured khiro and her mom in your boys' pictures. XD

 

That would be awesome ,I know I would be able to make the next one for sure. One Iwould be closer ( cental coast) and two I am going to start saving NOW lol.

They do have some Sato heads now. I had been lusting after the F-14head and went to do full choice at the opening and I almsot cried when they told me it was sato only (in 2005) but now they have it at sumika

 

O! ditto!!1 this was my 1st Dolpa EVAR! i'm so overjoyed that they all came. i really wished that it didn't have to end. it was so fast to me that i was kinda dumbfounded.

*idea* if anyone else wants to do this too or has a group shot of all their dolls together, we could make a large picture quilt!

if we can, each person that wants to can add one picture with your thanks via Photoshop or another program, then pass it on to the next person who wants to put in their thank you pic.. eventually we'll end up with one big picture and we can email it or print it, then we'll send it direct or to the Sumika in Torrence.

 

They also now have the Sato only FCS MSD F-06, which is one of the most popular heads. I'm gonna try and find out what else this weekend.

Yes a card can be given to the LA Store to be forwarded, or sent to Sato in Kyoto.

And the way Mr. Shigeta was talking, yes there should be another Dolpa next year. I think they get so suprised at how much we love their dolls here, but then, with people like the Shigetas, it's hard not to.

 

This is a really good idea, and please let me know, because I do have a special photo I want to add. Or perhaps someone who is good at photoshop and is willing to receive all the photos and do the collage? Or a small photo album or photo slide presentation if there are a lot of photos?

 

The LA Dolpa had a lot of great items for the lottery. I couldn't believe they had Zoukeimura eyes, wigs, shoes, dresses, SD, sei-tenshi and rei-tenshi. I was very excited when I won a sleeping rei-tenshi with pink wings. She has articulated arms and legs and ankle joints. I was shocked when my husband won a sei-tenshi (with blue wings) right after I won the rei-tesnshi. He is very lucky as he won a sei-tenshi with yellow wings playing bingo last year. I think we used all our luck up. I met some very nice people at the Saturday dinner, Holly, Genesis and Cassandra. I hope to see you again at the next Volks event.
Stephanie Y.

 

Wait a minute... does this mean... SD F-14 is now available here??? Oh, Lord, please let it be true!!! And what other heads were there? Is SD F-13 available too? Oh please say it is!!!

 

Yay!! I love the MSD F06. Can you find out if they've got the MSD suwaricco body now too please?

 

Hey, Stephanie. It's Holly . I'm glad we met at the Dolpa. It was so much fun. I can't believe you won both Rei and Sei Tenshi. That was so cool. I hope to see you guys next year. Oh Genesis says Hi too he had a great time too.

 

Whoa - 3 angels in one family!!!! I'll keep going to these until I win one! Alex

 

Did anyone happen to notice who did the faceup on the Mark one-off and who won him? If I could have, he would have been the one I would have put in -- so cute and I loved his outfit!

EDIT: Actually, I could read the card in my own picture and Ciera painted him. However, I don't remember hearing him called during the lottery, so I wonder if no one put in for him.

 

A couple days before Dolpa, I stumbled on the guns and figured I would do some market research there. I'll probably set up something at the marketplace here once I have some downtime during the holiday and learn more about the BJDs.

After opening and dressing my Kuuta acquired from Dolpa, I now kick myself for not getting the outfit they were selling. Or at least some shoes. I found some good prospects online, but am nevertheless slightly annoyed. It's like coming home from the grocery store after buying so much food only to realize I forgot to get eggs.

 

Awww... that's so sad. I hope he finds a good home.

 

Thanks for the informatioin about how to send thank-you cards to the Shigetas and company. I really want to send my thanks to Ciera for teaching my class.

Also, Gunsmith Cat, if you live near Los Angeles, then I recommend checking out the Volks USA store this weekend for YoSD outfits and shoes. I hope they still have a lot of outfits despire the sale this past Dolpa. If not, then maybe the Artmaze Elfdoll store in Glendale has some? I know they have that Christmas party on Dec. 8th, so maybe you could check out then.

Kellyhime, my friend also wondered if anyone put in for Mark, since they basically skipped his number. It does sound like it.

Nytshaed, the number of people and excitement was just so overwhelming for me. I was in and out during the dinner and stayed only for a couple of hours for the sale from 11AM - 2PM. I sat near the door with Nena and other friends. Did you have red pigtails during the Dolpa? If so, I think you were in line in front of me. I think you paid with cash and some change from your change purse. I remember that, and I also remember you with purple hair. I kept my eye out for purple hair. Sorry.

 

please do set up a gun shop. i keep finding the same models on ebay.

which outfit are you referring to?

 

It was good to see people I was actually brave enough to say hi to (Hello Lovely Kellyhime and Mercy!) ^_^; and there were so many lovely dolls! I brought my Jun T, Midori and Suzuna who was clad in her kimono for the first time since I bought in Tenshi no Sato about two years ago. This was my first Dolpa since I'm not able to make it to the East Coast so I'm definitely looking forward to the next Los Angeles event.

 

There was a third boy? Wow. Color me oblivious I swore there were only two! I need to go back into the archives...then again, Mark being so new he probably didn't stick out so much.

 

Mark was kinda dressed like a girl, so he didn't exactly scream out "boy".

 

I said the same thing when Nena told me there was a Mark amongst the one-offs! I had wanted a Mark too! I didnt even notice him in the big rush to do everything in less than an hour before the dinner. But then again, after seeing the price he was at, it seemed alot to pay for an outfit I didnt want (not my taste for a boy's outfit) as the basic Mark is $603.00.
At the summer L.A. party in 2006 (the one before the halloween party), there were more than one One-Off that didnt get any lottery tickets and I dont recall Volks re-offerring the unsold items - those were mostly full choice heads if I recall....Alex

 

Yeah, that was prolly me. Hair that's now reddish brown in pigtails, with glasses, and Yo's in tow. Wait... Cash.... Not unless it was for that BTSSB outfit... I laid out cash for that and paid for Kuuta and clothes for Daeron on the old CC. Well, next time I come to LA, we will have to meet for tea or lunch at Mitsuwa... I love their food court.

 

Yeah, I was in the same boat. Loved the Mark, he's been whispering to me for months, but A) I didn't want another 'sad' looking SD13 boy face, and the outfit was just such a no go with me. And B) I wasn't willing to pay $900 for a $600 doll and would have to try to sell the outfit. My feeling was if I didn't love EVERYTHING about the One off, what was the point of getting it, just to rip it apart?

 

I didn't like the one-off Mark though. I like the regular Mark a lot more ^^ I might get him in the future!

 

Aaaaw, poor Mark!

It all sounds so wonderful, though, I wish I could have gone! Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

 

Thanks for the input about Mark, everyone! Wow! So sad! There's no way I could have gotten him, but I sure wish that St. James had gotten him, so that I could droll all over him at meet-ups.

 

Hes going to be forever known as 'Mark....the one that got away'! Alex

 

I want to kick myself too! I was at your booth a few times, but you and St. James were either way busy or I was just feeling waaay too shy to introduce myself! I was the brunette with the denim jacket and purple scarf. I think I came by later in the day with my kimono-clad MSD in tow too.

 

I didn't get to meet as many DOA members as I'd like to I also did not attend DOA meets. I'm not a good mingler either. Next time we should probably do a photo post of ourselves beforehand so we can find each other in occations like this. I had met St. James too she was so pretty and cool!

*runs to you in slow motion.............I wanted to meet you tooooooooooo

 

I agree! I tried recognizing people by their dolls, but sometimes I just wasn't sure if I was right or not!

 

I'm really kicking myself over not being more social at the dollpa TT; I really apologize for that, it's my own fault ( _ _) But I was extremely weary from travel and a difficult work week prior, I didn't really have the energy.

Still, it did me a lot of good to see so many people talking and having fun. It was a wonderful environment, and it was a lot of relaxation that I desperately needed.

... I'm also annoyed my camera's battery was dead so I really didn't take any pictures TT; ah... well, next year, definitely.

In any case, I was the girl wearing the bright orange hat with colored stripes, usually with a pink scarf and an ACen hoodie, and looking like I was freezing to death (I was...).

I bought an Elena this year. I was going to save up for her, but I saw her in person and just couldn't wait. I feel completely amazingly lucky that the volks SD13 mold I fell in love with was a standard XD;

I was super-impressed by the entire event. Volks was completely wonderful, and everyone was smiling so much and I felt very much welcomed by the company and its employees. I will definitely be sending a card/letter.

Personally I hope they can find a better venue for next year-- I did not like that hotel, for various reasons.

On Monday, I crossed paths with Mr. Shigeta at the elevators, as he was preparing to leave. I took the opportunity to thank him in Japanese for the event and say I enjoyed it a lot. He told me (through translation) that he was looking forward to telling everyone back in Japan about the event and the people who attended. He has a very soothing voice, and everything about him is so 'fatherly'. I regret not having him take a picture with my dolls...

I'll definitely try to go next year, either to LA or NY. I really will make myself socialize more that time ( _ _);; I'm really sorry about that.

 

Loved my first Dolpa and was thrilled to win a Sei. When taking a picture with Mr. Shegita we both said "Fish" so my Sei is now calling herself Halle for Halibut.

 

That could be a thought..so long as I don't go flipping my avatar again (just changed it after...oh geez, TOO LONG..).

 

@nancy: Your Sei is uber adorable! She brings a smile to my face. FISH!!! XD

 

Poor Strawberry Shortcake Edition Mark! ;; No wonder he didn't want to raise his face & be counted. He was too busy planning to beat the crap out of himself after school. If any of you think it's EASY to flush your own head down the toilet while wearing a ruffled hat, think again.

He was a cutie, but Nytshaed has it right-- for a one-off of a regular stock doll, if you don't love everything about it, then why bother? Get the regular one. I'm with you guys, Mark has been "whispering" to me since his release, but I'll bide my time to see if I ever come up with a character for an SD10 sized boy. (Just the difficulty of shopping for that body size is enough to deter me, for now!)

Some angelic person-- please forgive me that I forgot who-- made us some of those avatar nametags, WITH lanyards, at the New York dolpa this summer. I actually still have mine, but since I am a moron, I forgot to bring it.

 

Does anyone know if SD F-14 or SD F-13 is now available in LA FCS? I'm dying to know!

 

I think if they had a girl in that outfit, it would have been a lot better. A School Head B, maybe?

 

OMG - LOVE LOVE LOVE those photostories!!! Too cute and adorable! Thanks so much for posting them. After a horrendous day at work, that really lifted my spirits. So glad to have met you at my first Dolpa!

Lady Diamond is going to post pics of Rama very shortly

 

Too cute! I wanted him too! Alas, i couldn't afford him and Luna has only one dress...she needed the white baby the stars shine bright outfit

 

Aww, poor Mark.
He can't even give himself a swirly properly? For shame.

I had the opposite problem with that one-off.
I loved the outfit, but not on Mark, who isn't on my list anyway.

I just wish I had known what everyone looked like ahead of time.
The only people I recognized were people I had met at past meet-ups.

Few people recognized me too, despite that I wrote my username on my nametag.
I think only ria_ria and a couple others did.

But yeah, if anyone saw a fatty-chan in a black BtSSB jumper bouncing around on Saturday, that was me...
I was also the second person in line for the market on Sunday, but I was just in jeans and t-shirt.

 

HEre is Rama

Isn't he dreamy??

HEre is a normal picture of him and Mirë...

 

aren't they gorgeous? ah what a beautiful pair of dollar-fees.

 

Dood. Don't get me started on School B! *chuckle* I fell in LOVE with that sculpt when I was at the Tea Party in August.

When things are more settled, I might go on a hunt for that head...

 

I'll have to get my daughter to shoot more photo stories, she does GREAT ones of the dolls, while I do the portraits. We have TONS more dolls since those were taken, so I will set her to doing some this weekend.

 

Hey, I was just wondering, since I have MONTHS to do so until my Kitty Boy arrives.... I wonder if Volks produces the FCS orders in Numerical Order? What do you guys think, or know?

 

Nytshaed: Hello! It was nice to see you again. I hope I didn't seem standoffish--I was up before 4am on Saturday to catch my flight, as a resutl I was a bit rum-dumb...
I think there were about 24 persons doing an FCS. I wonder how many from the SF Bay Area? We need to have an FCS party! I'm looking forward to meeting your Kitty Boy.
It makes sense for Volks to do the orders in numberical order. All I can do is guess. Possibly, Volks separate the orders into the various sizes for different sub-teams to do?

 

I did FCS, and I live in the Bay Area. ^ ^

They told me it would be March 08 before The General would be ready. I'd love to see how other folks' FCS orders come out.

 

Does anyone know if SD F-14 or SD F-13 are now available in LA FCS? I'm getting desperate!

 

Hello! You were fine when I met you. We were ALL humming on adrenalin, cute, and too much caffeine!!! I agree, we need to have an FCS Meet up some time in the spring. I am hoping it won't take three months to get my Kitty Boy. When I ordered Daeron in January of 06, they told me three months and he arrived in March of 06, just over two months after ordering. I am hoping that is the case again. This one is going to have such a precisely ordered face up, I can't wait to see what they do with it this time...

 

I am hoping they won't take THAT long to arrive, and I will be definitely post pics of him when he arrives.

 

Please tell your friend how much I LOVE her entry! She absolutely rocked my sox. I completely belong to the Addams' Family and she did it PERFECTLY

 

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say "congratulations!" to all of the lucky winners at the Dolpa in LA and that I had such a complete blast there! Arie Joo you were so sweet and Elizabeth (I sat next to you at dinner!) and Aimee (I sat next to you during our makeup lesson). I'm so very excited that I got to experience my very first full choice system at the Dolpa and unfortunately, the wait for my newest dear will have to be until March as well. It'll so be worth it though!

It was truly a dream come true for me to see so many creative people with their gorgeous dolls everywhere the entire weekend. So many kind people. All of the contest entries and winners were incredibly amazing in every way and all of the vendors were just so so so sweet. Such a memorable good time!

 

You know, Onihime, I had the opposite problem-- people kept recognizing me even after I had lost my nametag. It is enough to make a paranoid girl turn suspicious. ^^

Those "B" heads are unisex too! I think it looks more like a chibi-Tsukasa than a girl, even though you usually see it as a girl. Mine will be a boy.

I painted up my SchoolB for the 5:30 Makeup Class on Sunday... I was hoping I could find Ria_ria to show her, because it was she who sold me the head last year, and I didn't paint him until now. It's just as well I didn't find her, though.... My 2-hour-rushed faceup was serviceable but sloppy. :P I KNOW I can do a better job before Little Mr. B makes his societal debut.

Those painting classes are teh bomb, though. They may be rushed & simplified, but they really help show you each artist's way of approaching the basic faceup from the ground up. I feel I could attend (or eavesdrop on) every single class they have, make the rounds of all the different artists from year to year, & never learn the same techniques twice!

I was especially thrilled to meet & be taught by Mikey, who is one of the major heroes in my Volks-Mikey-boy-dominated household. She was thrilled to meet Karsten, the Isao v2, and to hear that he had a v1 twin at home. I was less-thrilled when she took my picture along with him, but since it was for her, I didn't mind in the end.

 

green_judy: Hey there! The General? Now that name sounds intriguing! We now know there are three of us from the Bay Area who did an FCS.

When the time comes, I'll post an announcement for a mini-meetup for the LA Dolpa FCS folks; open to everyone of course! What a kick that gathering will be!

Who else from the SF Bay Area did an FCS?

 

Oh, that is a good idea... I would love to see everyone's new fcs dollies when they come in (March...ouch!! What a wait )

*edit* JennyN... yes, once again forced to have your picture taken with your oh-so-popular boys!! It is the price of fame...