Soom Faery Legend discussion part 4

Well Soom answered my Q&A...and I'm not exactly happy with the answer.
I asked this: "Hello. What will be included in Azur's release? Will it have human parts option? Will there be a wig or outfit option? Will there be an eye option? Thank you for your time and help."

and they answered with: "Thank you for your inquiry.
Azur will be a mermaid which is not a human body and other options are not available.
Also it will be released in limited quantities and you can check the further details when the doll is released."

What makes me unhappy is the lack of human option parts. The whole reason I don't already own an Azur is because everyone who has been selling him has him as a mermaid. Now don't get me wrong - he is a pretty mermaid - but I don't collect mermaids.
I collect elves.

I feel like the wind has been completing taken out of my sails. I was excited, then nervous/stressed, and now I'm disappointed. I'll still probably look at the sale page once it's live but now I wonder if I'll even buy because I'm going to want the human body and I haven't seen anyone put those up for sale on the market.

 

Does "other options not available" mean no wig/eyes/costume? So it's a super bare bones mermaid? I wonder if it's just extra stock that they maybe had on hand then, rather than an actual run. So sorry it's been so disappointing Since he's CW resin, then maybe you can hybrid him with another boy out there? I could imagine someone out there would love the mermaid fin and would be willing to trade some legs for it!

 

Who knows, it could be extra stock, it could be another run. Regardless, it is very disappointing. I don't know if anyone would want to trade - I rarely see the male faeries up for sale here or elsewhere. It's just a huge...blow to my faith in the company. I don't understand why everything is just literally a doll, maybe there's an outfit, maybe there's some new eyes, but no wig, no shoes, or in some releases nothing at all. No fantasy parts or maybe no human parts. If you have loyal customers, willing to buy it all, why not sell it all? I had really wanted to buy him so I could stop looking - now I may never stop looking and he will always be a pipe dream.

Thanks for listening to me rant. I'm just upset and I know I lost sleep over his release tonight and now I feel like I wasted a whole week worrying for nothing.

 

The last time they did an FCE with Azur, the mer body wasn't part of the sale. At the time I'd been looking for him with the mer body so I was quite disappointed then so I understand your feelings @jessholy They do pop up sometimes 2nd hand. Both of mine were purchased here on DoA so it can happen.

 

@Iron_Dog All I can do is keep bumping my WTB thread. How long did it take for you to get yours? I have been bumping my post for 3 years.

 

I think Sleet (Auber Storm Sprite, grey resin) was about 2 years after his release. Iwa-Xine (Boehm Smoke Sprite, green resin) was maybe 3 or 4 years after his release.

But, it also took me 7 years to acquire my grails, Mkhai (Impl Miguel the Demon Hunter LE100, grey resin) and Kathiel (Unidoll Ark, WS) so it can take a while before what you're after finds its way to you.

 

@Iron_Dog I guess I have to be patient and have faith. Or give up. Or settle. At least I do have the 3 faeries I do own.

 

@jessholy I suppose it comes down to just how desperately you want him. I'd given up on getting one and switched the character to another sculpt (DC Clemans) which actually worked out well for the character and I'm happy with the end result.

 

@jessholy You should check the for sale posts also. Not everyone who lists something thinks to check the WTB's.

 

@Iron_Dog I think with my faeries, their sculpt is their character. I haven't renamed Idrial, Nenad, or Rick. They've stayed with those names and have let their personalities shine through how they pose and what they wear. I always liked Azur's face and how calm he seemed.

@nancy_schroeder_ca I do occasionally search through those - I haven't had too much luck but I do check when I am in active I WANT THISSSSS!!! mode. I guess I could make it a daily thing now that I am stuck at home due to the pandemic.

 

@jessholy Ahhh. I suppose I'm fortunate enough in that my face-blindness allows for me to have more flexibility with regards to sculpts for characters. It's not always that way mind you. Some characters MUST be certain sculpts but I have switched things around when certain dolls fell through/I missed out on.

I know he's OT for this thread but have you seen the new 30cm boy Granado is releasing as part of their 9th anniversary? If you wanted a gentle, serene sort of look, Galileo fits the bill in my opinion. I know you said the sculpt is the character but it doesn't hurt to look, right? The release of the Zen body in 30cm format is wildly tempting, too, but I literally just purchased a doll yesterday and I'm tapped out on funds *sigh*.

 

@Iron_Dog I find a lot of dolls to be cute or pretty but I only own the few I have because something in their sculpt said I AM SOANDSO, BRING ME HOME!!! Like yeah the faeries don't have names of their own but all my bigger dolls are Tolkien characters. I don't have an actual army of elves because I am at least a little discerning. (Now if I owned a huge house, was a millionaire, I would have an army of elves haha!)

While I am not fond of the head sculpt, the body is a possibility if I somehow end up with an Azur head and no body haha! It's nice to know there are other options for bodies even at this size. Resin matching is where I fail though.

I slightly regret cancelling Metato Cosmic Sprite but I know I cancelled for a reason. Maybe I can buy him later or his outfit if I find I really regret it. Rick very firmly told me "I am NOT wearing that. Forget it!" when I thought about just getting the outfit. He's my manly man elf/faery who might end up working for Melkor if I ever stop sticking them in Barbie clothes. (They fit so well though Rick certainly lacks outfits, Nenad and Idrial have a TON of clothes.)

 

I'm a dolly hoarder. I own 65 dolls. Thank the gods that not all my characters demand to be shelled in resin or I'd have as many as my wallet (and space) would allow.

If you're looking for bodies, MiracleDoll also does mature tinies. I have the 63cm Snake Demon and he's a beautiful doll (i'm obviously biased here), their quality is very good and the price won't totally kill your wallet. While Hylocereus is technically SD in size due to the length of his tail, he's actually more in line with the FL Chicline dolls (smaller, slender mature MSD) for scale purposes. I'm not 100% sure but I think I saw that you can purchase just the body. This is the mature human body with a pointy-eared head: BJD YanXi Human Ver. 30CM Boll-jointed doll_1/3 size boy_Miracle Doll_DOLL_Ball Jointed Dolls (BJD) company-Legenddoll

 

If Soom is not going to offer non-fantasy options for some of their dolls, it would be nice if they did FCE offerings more often with that as an option. That's how I got my tan Soom fairy/elf. He's a Boehm head on the Azur human body. Though doll lines this scale seem to get very little love. While mermaid dolls are cool, I no idea what I'd do with one.

 

@Leo Pheonix I'm waiting to see what they post. While mermaids are not something I collect, if the blushing is right, maybe...I just don't know. I've wanted Azur for a while and missed out on the FCE.

 

Well, if I am reading it correctly, it seems like he comes with the Mini Gem Body AND the mermaid part...but it's unclear if he comes blushed or not. I asked them about it on the Q&A but we'll see how long it takes to reply. =/

 

Well they replied that face up and body blushing isn't available. Anyone know someone who does face ups on such tiny dolls? And possibly body blushing?

 

There’s a few people probably on the marketplace that do!

Also what sort of clothes fit the female and male mini gems? I’m struggling to find clothes that fit and I’ve just bought a second hand Aenigma!

 

My fairy girls can wear some Barbie clothes, and clothes made for Ken or GI Joe type action figures tend to fit the guys. Some things may be a bit loose. Men's shoes made for the same dolls tend to fit too. I sew most of the clothes mine wear using patterns made for Barbie or Ken and having things loose the shoulders is my biggest problem. I've got a pair of Ruby Red Galleria shoes that fit my girls.

 

I make all my guys clothes so I'm not much help on the where to buy thing. I tend to use stretchy fabric that's also thin (dress socks are pretty good for this) and wide ribbon that's more or less open in the back so they can wear their wings.

 

Also the Who's that girl? line from Volks fits them pretty well too - the looser the style the better. But yeah, mostly Barbie doll clothes. I think Blythe/Pullip clothes would fit too.

 

I am also going to need a wig...or I am going to have to change my WTB post to just his full set items. I loved his original wig.

 

Blythe clothes are a bit too tiny round the waist when you look at the measurements sadly (at least according to Soom’s chart) but thank you I’ll look into making clothes or buying some Barbie clothes for now

 

If I can ever convince Nenad and Idrial to go through their clothes, I can always send some your way. They are of course modern in style - fantasy Barbie clothes might have to be found on ebay or snatched from collector dolls. Or like you said - make them yourself! One day I will get to that...maybe...

 

Awww that’s super sweet! The style I would want would be pure fantasy sadly...that’s the issue of course because there aren’t that many around! Making them seems like the best way forward!

 

Azur already “sold out” wow...

 

He was only 20 in quantity. Here's hoping that when he comes home, he has the mini gem human body with him.

 

Did they say he would?

 

The sale page made it sound like he would while their Q&A response made it sound like he wouldn't. So I took a chance and ordered him. I guess we'll see when he comes home.

 

Hmmm that’s really weird of them! Bit disappointing about the lack of clothes and wig though...

Wish they would actually make more clothes for their dolls. The shelves are looking a bit empty nowadays

 

@Muraki88 Oh yeah for sure. As a company, their recent releases have been pretty...lackluster. Either no eyes, no wig, no clothes, or one of those but not all. In some cases - like Azur - it is literally just a doll!

 

That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me at all...

 

@Muraki88 I think it has to do with whoever is in charge of the company these days. Not too long ago they were bringing Idealian design teams over for sculpts, so who knows who is in charge of this or that. All I know is there no true Full Set with them - at least on the Gem site - anymore. Their Customer Service team...doesn't seem to care that it bothers customers. Clearly enough people buy their dolls that they figure they don't have to please everyone or make everything they show in a picture. It's frustrating and disappointing.

 

I guess we'd have to start going second hand in order to show our frustration...

 

@Muraki88 I guess? That works for older models or certain things for sure. I might go second hand for that Metato...I keep slightly regretting cancelling him but at the same time I cancelled him because he would just be a doll and an outfit. I would have to search out a wig and eyes and at the time, I wasn't willing to do that. It's different with Azur - I've wanted him for 3 years so I jumped on getting him.

 

Of course, if you see a doll you really want, I would never ever suggest not getting it

My problem is, Soom are already expensive, to not get the option for full-sets seems like a p**s take to me. Definitely not got the customer in mind here in my opinion.

 

@Muraki88 I passed up so many of him because it was siren body only, so I am hoping this one has the mini gem boy body like it said, and if not...well maybe he'll go on the market...I don't know, it all depends on what I get when he finally comes home.

I agree, they are expensive. Maybe not the most expensive out there but definitely not the cheapest. I think it's ok to have the option to just buy the doll for people who don't want the wigs/eyes/outfits but some people like to have exactly what they see in the promo photos. I know I tend to want it all unless I can envision them in something else. At this size, I appreciate being able to buy clothes and a wig WITH the doll. Those are harder for me to find and I am not a crafty person. I do not mind paying people for their expertise in doll clothing or wigs...or paying the company if they will sell it to me.

I'm still surprised they weren't offering face up or blushing. I said I was willing to pay for it and they said no so I feel like this release was to move stock they found in a warehouse or something.

 

I'm one of those people who never buys a full set because my vision of the doll is usually way different than how the company styled it. However, I will add a face-up to my purchase if I like the style and it fits with what I have in mind. Quite a few of my guys have company defaults and I purchased them that way. To not even offer the face-up as an option seems... backwards to me when I'm absolutely sure there's people who'd check that box thus giving the company more money. There's a lot of people who can't or don't want to do their own face-ups and it's nice to get a doll painted straight out of the box.

 

@Iron_Dog I told them I wanted to pay for one and I got a "we're not doing it." I guess I could keep pressuring them but at this point I don't even see my payments coming out of my account so I am kind of concerned where I stand order wise. Regardless, you would think a face up would be a basic thing to offer but Soom is...on a path I cannot follow very far or fathom to understand.

 

Yes I completely agree with this! I’ve got to the point now where I never order a faceup or body blushing because I love to do my own.

However the fact that the option doesn’t even exist is beyond my understanding...

 

That is strange for them not to offer a face-up. Especially with a doll limited to only 20. The last doll I ordered from Soom was Juchy back in 2016, and they were still providing to option to order the doll as shown. Except for sometimes misleading resin color names. Both my Noellia and Juchy were a different color than I expected.

 

It makes no sense to me! However I suppose it’s good for individual artists, perhaps they will receive more commissions now!

Oh really? What was the difference in the skin tone?

 

Noellia is "Coffee Black" but is the color of grape juice. Juchy is "Light Violet" but is light blue with a purple tint. Here's my Juchy in her wings with a Real Puki friend.
Fairy and Witch

 

Soom has interesting ideas about resin colour and maintaining the same tone through out. I have a new-to-me Soom boy coming in grey resin. He'll be my 3rd Soom guy in grey. ignoring the mellowing he's supposed to have (he's from 2008), I'm willing to bet a large hunk of change that he'll be a completely different shade of grey than my other two guys (who are also different shades of grey *sigh*).

 

@Leo Pheonix Yeah, I even offered to pay more but nope. It is not being offered. It's also unclear if he does or doesn't come with all his parts for his price. On the Q&A board they said mermaid only but on the actual product page it said all the parts. So...I'm unsure what is what but I paid for him and I guess I have to wait and see. Their service as a company has gone down in my opinion.

@Iron_Dog So you might have fifty shades of grey?

@Muraki88 I'm willing to commission artists when I need to but I did always love Azur's default face up. Now I will never have it.

 

I own 12 grey dolls (I have a wee bit of a weakness for coloured resin, grey in particular). None of them are the same shade. That's fine though as most are from different companies so I don't expect them to be the same. I love the dark grey of RS, the purple undertones of Granado's syringa (which is actually the scientific name for the lilac tree!) and the unique greenish cast of Lume Doll zombie skin. Most of my other grey guys are light/medium grey without interesting tones but I adore those, too.

 

Because of the unique size, I would think the faery legends would have fullset options! It’s so disappointing that even newly released dolls might not have fullset options. What if it’s your first faery doll? You’d have *nothing* that fits it. And they don’t sell them in their shop either... Really disappointed (and sad!) to see how far Soom has dropped in collector’s estimation. They used to be the best fantasy BJD out there. In a perfect world there would be monthly new releases, bi weekly outfits for all sizes, and a FCE every quarter for skintone and mix and match sculpt options. What a world that would be

 

Just chiming in regarding the lack of face-up option, it's possible that due to the pandemic, respirators and other necessary supplies are out of stock and/or that they are operating with fewer artists than normal.

 

But I think the other dolls released have had a faceup option recently right? You may be correct but if that’s the case Soom hasn’t said there’s a stoppage on faceups as a whole, it seems to be Azur only.

 

@Arekushia @Muraki88 is right. Azur and the other special online event doll did not have the face up option. The other releases this month, do. So why do these other new releases get face up options and these ones don't? I don't think it's a matter of staffing.

In fact, my Azur is already "preparing shipment." So I forget who said it - maybe it was @Anneke - but I think they found 20 lying around somewhere and are shipping them out. On one hand I am hoping it's a mini gem human body + all his siren parts. On another, I hope he was kept somewhere safe and dark because I don't want to have paid a company over $300 for a yellowed, neglected doll they forgot about for a decade. Either way it's good to know my order went through.

 

This is what gets me it says:

Including
+ Mini Gem Boy, Azur : Cream White
– Mini Gem Boy Body
– Siren Parts : Mermaid Belly Parts, Fin Parts(4pcs) (*Parts Color : Blue Ice Pearl TR)
– Azur Head (Pointy Ear)

Does that mean "boy body" as in human, or just the mermaid bits? Very confusing. I have to say the number of re-releases vs original designs is pretty poor. I'm a bit disappointed in them tbh. As at @Anneke said, there's also no shoes, clothes, wigs and eyes (?) for the little gems. So you have to make and/or commission everything, which is great IF you can...

 

They have been doing releases without faceups for some time. I think it may be related to staffing. Azur may have been planned for some event.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm happy to be wrong!) but most if not all of their most recent dolls, up to and including Galena, seem to have a faceup option. Am I missing something here? If staffing is an issue, it would be completely understandable, but I went back and looked as far as Isha Breathless moment, and can't see any other dolls without faceups offered.

If this is the case, why is this Azur release so expensive when compared to the original if we can't even select a faceup?

 

@nancy_schroeder_ca They seem to offer face ups for the SG. Which other releases aren't getting face up options?

 

I just looked and as far as I can see it's only the little/mini gems that aren't; as in Azur and Nive. This would lead me to think there might be a staffing issue...if so perhaps they will announce it? Seems strange to also charge so much for a totally blank Azur, but this may be due to inflation and the cost of materials...however, other companies seem to be releasing dolls with faceups and outfits just fine. So I'm going to go with potential lack of artists at Soom HQ right now.

 

There have been Idealian releases without a face up option:
Kay Sept 2019
Amor Oct 2018

It may depend on the faceups ordered recently.

 

Speaking of wigs and eyes, I've been hunting 8mm eyes of course, but when it comes to 4" wigs it's been a challenge. Does anyone have a good source for wigs that fit these lil things? I found this seller on Etsy, but since the wigs are 4-5" I'm a little nervous they'll be too big.

 

Monique are pretty good. Iwa-Xine wear a Monique Pretty Girl in electra. Sleet wears a wig I made him so that's not going to help you much.

 

They're technically a size 3-4 wig. I need to find a Monique wig I like...or commission one.

 

Jpop also has some very small wigs but the styles/colours are rather limited. Jpopdolls, producer and distributor of artist Ball Jointed Dolls