50–65cm Dolls Maskcat Yael

This is my first BJD. When I decided to dive into this world, I did not want to go half-hearted about it, so I went straight for the company I liked the absolute best. I cannot express how happy I am that I made this choice.

I made the order on December 19 and she came home exactly 5 months later, mostly due to Spring Festival and Golden Week in the middle. Shipping was super fast when Banyo sent her to me (May 18, arrived on May 21)

The box! It is beautiful.



I did shoot a few pictures during the unboxing itself, but it was what you'd expect: cardboard made to fit the box inside, and the contents sandwiched between two pillows. Everything was nicely packed in with lots of bubble wrap.

I like the scent of resin.



I chose 1/3 Yael Normal skin with all extra hands and feet, extra jointed hands, and a silk dress (the lovely necklace from its showcase photos was included, but I only found it later so it's not pictured). Each pair of hands and feet was packed in its own bubble wrap, and the jointed hands were packed individually. Cute tote bag came as an unexpected gift and it's so nicely made with an inner lining and a pocket. There were also two replacement ball joints for the wrists.



The sculpting is fantastic. There are creases in the skin and blood vessels in detail. I thought I'd feel the absence of body blushing and the sculpt would look "bare" but there's no place where anything looks flat or featureless.

I have nothing to compare the resin against, this was the first time I ever touched a BJD. The resin feels very smooth and silky. There is no shine whatsoever, every surface is completely matte. The resin is also a lot heavier than I thought.

My heart skipped for a second when I got to Yael herself because her face protector had come a bit loose during transport. It still did its job and she was unscathed. I think photos can't do justice to how beautiful she is. The face-up has subtle shades of color that don't come up in photos and looks incredibly lifelike.

The silk dress is gorgeous and it has snaps on the cuffs to help the hands through. The clothing is so high quality! To my relief, Dollmore SD shoes fit perfectly on her heel feet, but I haven't put them on because... I still need to find the courage to swap her parts haha. I am still in the silk gloves phase.
I have never posed a strung BJD before but she's a pleasure to handle. I expected some degree of snapping or resistance, but there is nothing jarring whatsoever. She moves smoothly and stays put the way you pose her. It's so nice.

I did stand her briefly I did swap her feet eventually and she stands beautifully even in heels! But my humble desk light did not reach tall enough to give good lighting and I wanted to set her on a soft surface for the time being, so please forgive that (I would've cursed myself forever if she face-planted while I was taking photos).

I was planning a straight black wig on her. She came with a long wavy red one, and honestly it looks so beautiful that I might not change it at all in the end. The eyes she came with are lovely as well, a deep violet.

Here she is wearing a Dollmore SD outfit.



Everything is so lovingly made. I am grateful that I got to own this doll.

 

@StellaMarigold I care a lot about posing and I'm really happy that she didn't disappoint, though I think I would've loved her to bits even if she didn't pose so well to be honest
I am still a bit taken aback by the size especially! I love that she's so tall, but she's tricky to photograph while standing with the kind of setup I have. I really love the weight.
@Katyunrai Thanks!

 

They're making a new 1/6 soon and she'll have a new body with every feature of the bigger ones. She's looking really great. I gave myself sort of a rule to stay in 1/3 scale but I'm still tempted.
I've got a whole lot of ideas, two clothes orders incoming, fancy eyes I don't have the courage to swap yet (maybe tomorrow)... I'm going to be really busy I have no idea but I did get the feeling that Maskcats are good first dolls, easy to start with. And I love that I bought a bunch of SD size things blind, and they just fit!

 

Thank you for clarifying further! I thought my pool was strictly SD10 and SD13 because of the slight sizing difference with SDGr. The clothing options were a secondary reason for choosing Maskcat but I am really glad that they're a "standard" size with a huge selection of different styles. It's going to be fun to see what she looks like in a kimono when I get one

 

@StellaMarigold thank you so much for the heads up! I'm looking at their catalogs right now!

Thank you! I can only say she was absolutely worth the wait. Banyo was always the nicest throughout, and I can't stress how comfortable it is to have such good communication with a company.

 

@Lotte Rotten @Follow-the-Wind My heart melts every time I look at her.
I'm really really glad that I got to join DOA before she arrived. This community was the most welcoming and friendly I've ever been in, and being on the forum made the last stretch of waiting much more bearable
I'm looking forward to a long time in this beautiful hobby; the more I learn about it the more I love it.

 

Out of curiosity, I weighed her with no wig or clothes: 1217 grams (2.68 pounds)

 

Here she is wearing the silk dress from Maskcat.

 

@cobaltconduct I will! I've got new clothes in the mail today, as well as the most coveted treasure of all: a silicone head cover so her hairline doesn't move every time I tilt her head
She looks gorgeous in everything I throw at her but I have to find a decent setup for lights so I can photograph her somewhat faithfully. I wish I had a proper camera and not just my phone.