Body Comparison Luts SD Muse and SWITCH Labyrinth Comparison (I did it so you don't have to)

The Luts Senior Delf Muse and SWITCH Labyrinth bodies are two popular options for 64cm "Genderless" bodies. I have a Muse, and my partner @Ashel has two Switch Labyrinths, so let's compare them!

Let's start with measurements and meet our models.

Luts Senior Delf Muse
Height (with head): 64cm
Neck Circumference: 9cm (The doll in this photo series has the "Compatibility neck", which is marginally longer and has a 9.2cm circumference)
Shoulders: 14cm
Chest: 25cm
Waist: 18cm
Hips: 25 cm
Foot length: 7.8cm
Price as of this writing: $397 USD (some resin colors more expensive)

SWITCH Labyrinth
Height (with head): 64cm
Neck Circumference: 10cm (a 9.4cm neck is also available, but both the dolls in this photo series have the 10cm neck)
Shoulders: 14.4cm
Chest: 25cm
Waist: 17.3 cm
Hips: 27cm
Foot length: 7.2cm
Price as of this writing: $460 USD (some resin colors more expensive)

Note: Neither of the Labyrinth bodies are equipped with SWITCH heads and should not be taken as an indication of how those heads fit.

Anyway, here's Iser, Tide, and Eiji, our (very patient) models. Give them a round of applause!

Iser: Labyrinth Powder Beige with Heel Feet, Luts SD Bory Romance head (this was an event head in uh idr year)
Tide: SD Muse NS with Type 2 neck and flat feet, SD65 Dian head
Eiji: Labyrinth Milk Tea Rose with Flat Feet, Joydoll Lai Head

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Immediately, you can see that the Muse body has a 2-part torso whereas the Labyrinth body has a 3-part torso. The overall level of detail on the Labyrinth body is greater than the level of detail on the Muse body, especially around the knees and on the chest. The Labyrinth body came pre-sueded with silicon kips, while the Muse body did not. While both of these sculpts are "Genderless", the general impression these bodies give is that the Labyrinth is more feminine in shape, and the Muse is more masculine. The Muse body has larger hands and feet than the Labyrinth body.

All three bodies sampled had matte, toothy resin and noticeable seam lines on some pieces, as is the fashion for Korean manufacturers. Luts NS and Switch Powder Beige are similar colors but not an exact match - Switch Powder Beige is slightly peachier. (They're close enough with blushing, though.)

Sitting Poses:

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All three dolls handle a basic upright sit very stably. All three dolls have hips which lock into place to help the doll stay upright; the Muse has one position for this upright lock, and the Labyrinth has two. When sitting upright, it was possible to bend the Labyrinth's knees slightly so its heels made contact with the surface below them. The Muse's heels floated slightly in the air, and I could not bend its knees only slightly. (This may be resolved with wiring.)

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Moving on to a kneeling pose, it is important to note that both dolls have "hidden peanut" type knee joints. As shown in the first photo above, the Labyrinth has a much longer knee peanut than the Muse, which allows it to kneel in a much lower position than the Muse, though both flat-footed dolls are able to kneel quite stably. (The Labyrinth with the heel feet, meanwhile, would not kneel, and attempting to do so resulted in him falling over and taking out the other two dolls with him, so, uh! Make of that what you will.)

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All three dolls are able to sit stably with their legs to the side, though the Muse looks a little strange doing it due to the knee needing to be dislocated. (This pose could probably be prettier with a little bit more fussing with the thigh joint, to be honest.)

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The Muse and the Labyrinth are both able to engage their mobility thigh joint to sit with their knees to their chest. Both bodies have ledges built into the joints to help with holding this position stable, though the Labyrinth was generally easier to handle and pose in this regard. The Labyrinth body can fold its knees much closer to its chest and will hold this position with no additional help needed to balance. The Muse body, in my several minutes of attempting to pose it, would only balance in this position with one hand extended behind it for support.

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The Muse and the Labyrinth are both able to balance naturally while sitting with one leg crossed over the other. The Labyrinth takes this position slightly more easily; the Muse needed to have its mobility hip joint engaged.

Flexibility

As we have already seen, the Labyrinth is significantly more flexible than the Muse even in basic sitting poses. In the next images, I tested the range of motion on the dolls' torso and hip joints.

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The images above demonstrate the torsos' maximum forward and backwards tilt.The Labyrinth is the clear winner in this regard, even before the pelvis joint is engaged.

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The Muse, like most newer Luts bodies, has legs strung separately from the torso via a peg system in the pelvis. This prevents it from being able to do the splits or rotate its legs very much side-to-side in their socket. The Labyrinth, meanwhile, happily does the splits like a seasoned ballerina.

Stay tuned for Pt. 2 - Standing and Conclusions!

 

Standing

Iser had to sit this round of tests out because, as he has heel feet, he is unable to stand barefoot (more on that later). This was the one area of tests where the Muse performed as well or potentially better than the Labyrinth - it is a very stable stander, whereas I found the Labyrinth's legs and hips somewhat prone to twisting.

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Minimum and maximum stances are shown above. The Muse would balance with its legs slightly closer together than the Labyrinth would - closer than shoulder-width apart caused its hips to become very twisty.

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Both bodies are able to hold their arms fully extended above their heads.

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Both bodies will serve attitude, though the Labyrinth looks slightly more natural when doing so.

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A back-to-back comparison of both bodies in a neutral standing pose, showing posture and proportions. They're allegedly the same height, but the Muse seems to be slightly taller - this may just come down to head size.

Conclusion

I think these bodies are a great example of how two different companies can set out to make something with an identical concept ("Androgynous 64cm Doll Body") and come up with completely different results, and I genuinely like both of them.

The Labyrinth is beautifully engineered and a joy to pose, though I wouldn't trust it to stand unaided for very long. (The heel footed body, while not able to stand barefoot, stands well in properly fitted shoes.) It has some lovely details and finishing (like the silicon kips in the joints) which clearly justify its price point (Over $60 more than the Muse). Its proportions are generally more of an hourglass than the Muse, just flat-chested.

The Muse is a sturdy stander with clean lines and just enough detail where it counts. It may not be the most flexible poser, but it will hold a variety of positions quite nicely. The price point is in line with the rest of the Luts lineup, as is its engineering and design aesthetic. While it isn't sueded, its shoulder and thigh joints have notches to help with holding specific positions. I think it would benefit from a 3-part torso like the SD65 Slender Male body (its closest cognate) has, but the real limitation here is the engineering of the legs.

• Upon closer inspection, it does appear that the muse body has channels drilled for stringing the doll in one piece instead of stringing the legs separately, provided you removed the peg. It’s not a modification I’m going to try just now, but it should be possible. (I know people have made this change in smaller Luts dolls using the peg system.)

Anyway, give our guys a round of applause! They were such good sports.

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You're so welcome! I see these bodies mentioned together quite frequently and, having handled both of them, wanted to put together a good guide comparing them. They're really quite different despite having the same underlying concept.

 

You're welcome! It's a very nice body and I highly recommend it! (I recommend the Muse, too, for that matter - they've got different core aesthetics and each lend themselves to different sorts of characters.)

 

If it's an NS event head, Powder Beige is a workable match - it is slightly darker and slightly pinker than Luts NS and can be made to match with blushing. (The head on the Powder Beige Switch body is Luts NS - you can see in the side view pictures that it is not an exact match, but from the front it is not as noticeable because the head is blushed.)
I can't speak to how Luts white and Switch white match, as I don't have a sample of Switch white.
If the event head is a Senior Delf or SDF65 size, I recommend getting the Labyrinth with the 9.4cm neck instead of the 10cm neck. It will be a more natural fit.