Souldoll and unbalanced molds.

I began to notice this too...T__T Especially with Hye, and I believe Gisele sculpts were having issues but unfortunately I have not seen any blank Ize's-- do you have any pics of the blank ize head before modding? Also has anyone pointed out these issues to Souldoll??? Because seriously..in some of their promo pics I can't see the asymmetry...not until I see owner pics.

 

this "is quite distressing to hear, it's not like their products are selling for any less either, as a matter of fact they have some very high priced items. i have a sleeping Ize on order as i just love the sculpt, and am now quite worried. it is however, reassuring to see how beautifully your Ize has turned out in the end, he is stunning. i guess i will prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

 

ah yes...I didn't think they edited their pictures either...but they do an impeccable job of showing dolls at the best angles to mask the asymmetry. It just baffles me that if they have gotten complaints from their customers why they don't correct the problems on the dolls?? As MissAlly has said..they charge a lot for their dolls in comparison to other companies...so why the terrible mold quality?

I hope you can show them some pictures, and make a proper complaint..I think if more people step forward and tell them they were not happy with their product they will *hopefully* try to do something about it. It's very sad, because I do have one Souldoll, a Jinwoo...but I believe he was made from a different sculptor entirely than the souldoll team, and he was crafted beautifully. I felt that it was safe to order from them again and get another doll like Ize. Thanks for sharing the info~ I wouldn't have known, because as you said..there are not any front view shots of sleeping ize on their site.

 

Argh D:
It isn't just me, then. I had suspected that Giselle has uneven eyes too, but I was hoping that it was just me because I had really liked the mold otherwise.

Thank you Naiara for this post.

 

wow, no kidding. i saw some of those photos before and they just didn't look quite right to be although I couldn't put my finger on it. It's true they do photograph the dolls in a way that they difference look like they are simply caused by perspective or the angle. Gisele seriously looks like she had a stroke and had half her face paralyzed. O_o

Is it just the Soul Double or do soul kids have this problem too?

 

but a lot of companies have unbalanced faces.... look at volks and limwha (i'm serious - look at mano - his face is REALLY asymmetrical) - people don't go bashing their quality because they're not even...

it's really hard to make an even face, you know.

 

i am aware of what you said - and the limwha mano is NOT balanced. his mouth is at an angle, volks often has eyes that are not the same size. heck, even look at the minimees! they are often "unbalanced" and asymmetrical - are you saying that unless the face is perfectly sculpted it's bad quality?

but souldoll is not hiding anything in their pictures - you can see that the faces are off.

i really don't see why it should be such a big deal to some one when you can see it in the picture.

 

i don't see why i (or any one else) should when it's completely NORMAL.

it is NOTHING BAD. (and yes, i've owned several souldolls myself)

 

I'm assuming this is with the more recent Souldoll molds?

 

@Devil's Trill: yes and no. Hye has had these imperfections and she has been around even before they discontinued all their old sculpts. However the recent sculpts like Ize and Gisele have had the same issues. I don't know how the Star, and L-heart have turned out for people though.

I'm just going to add that I think Naiara and others understand that yes there are many companies that have their share of asymmetrical faces, however, I think that Souldoll's products are crossing the line a bit when their promo pictures mask the asymmetry by only photographing a doll at certain angles to hide any sculpt errors. In my mind they are not being truthful with the product, and i have to disagree that all of the asymmetry in the molds is apparent in their promo pics. Looking at many of the pics of the girls, you'll notice they tilt their heads a lot to counteract any imbalances in the face. Never has anyone said that a sculpt need to be 100% perfect..that is impossible of course, but at the same time when spending $587 of money on a doll [well over many companies prices for dolls] you do expect at least that the dolls eyes and mouth to be roughly even and balanced on the face. I really do not think that is too much to ask at all from a doll maker. Slight asymmetry is completely normal in dolls, however, what's abnormal is when you get a doll and the eyes are 3 mm higher and 2 mm shorter on the face, and needs modding to correct all of these imperfections. That is too big of an error if you ask me.

 

My Lily C (new mold) has uneven eyes. One is wider horizontally than the other.

But I'm really not bothered by it. I think the sculpt is beautiful and the uneven eyes just remind me that a human made her.

I feel I should warn people because although it doesn't bother me, it might bother some people.

 

I'd guess so. I've got a Soulkid Tiffee who's perfectly fine, and I haven't noticed any facial oddities on the other old Soulkids.

 

Hmmm.... must be the newer molds. I have an SD Marvin head, and I've never noticed any serious asymmety in her features.

That's too bad, since I was eyeing Giselle for a potential future purchase.

 

We have had quite a few Soulkids pass through our house over two years I have never noticed an obvious unsymmetrical face mold in the older Soulkids (such as Snyder, Tiffee) or the newer Soulkids (Mayu). We have owned a Soulkid Miryu from 2 years ago and recently bought a new one and there isnt a difference in her facial shape.
I do not mind assymetrical faces, I actually encourage it in face ups etc, as we are not perfect ourselves.
However, I can see the obvious imbalance on their larger dolls such as Gisele, her eyes are definitely noticeable. The shape is different in each one. I do not know if this would put me off or not, I guess people would have to see them in 'real life' to judge.

 

i had Giselle and Star...i dont see anything wrong with them.besides i own 10sd-size dolls from varies company...each have their own beauty and unique...

 

ok, i'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that every doll that i've seen complaints about, i could see clearly that the mold's eyes were way off. Maybe it just jumps out at me, but to me its not even masked through photography, or angles. its clear as day to me. I just wouldnt have bought the mold. To me, this is not a huge deal. if the doll had bubbles on the resin, or parts that were a different color, that would be a bigger issue. All of the things ive seen complaints about can be corrected by an aesthetics artist. a little exacto knife here, and a little sandpaper there, u know? but this is just how i feel. obviously, everyone has their own feelings about this.

 

I've had a few Souldolls myself and I see imperfections in their face but in my own opiniong I just think it gives them character. As stated above, small imperfections can be altered quite easily. And I agree I can see the imbalance in the faces when I look at the pictures from Souldoll. I don't think it makes the quality worse however. These aren't Babs being spit out on a machine line, they're human sculpted.

 

I don't think that's what Naiara is saying... she's not talking about the natural imperfections and asymmetry that give doll sculpts (and human faces) their realism and character. The flaws in question sound more to me like problems in production, not in the sculpt - for example, the eyes in comicbookartistboi's link above. That is simply ridiculous, and something that could very, very easily happen in the sanding and cleaning process. In fact, it's probably why she was finished as a dress model and not offered for sale.

The mouth and teeth problems could also have a great deal to do with how the doll is pulled from the mold... true, these dolls are not coming from a giant assembly line, but they are being mass-produced in the sense that multiple objects are coming from one or two molds. Resin is a tricky thing at the best of times. Plastic is, by definition, plastic and malleable.

I'd like to see comparison photos of different people's same sculpt - for example, a Giselle the owner considers acceptable and a Giselle whose owner feels she is too far off symmetry. It would be helpful for potential purchasers to be able to judge for themselves.

 

Do you think the Souldoll Double bodies could be off aswell? I just ordered one for christmas.

 

I never thought a wink at there being flaws with Giselle. I almost got her. And then I saw a girl on doa who had one and said it took lots of modding to et her face semi decent. Now looking back at the site photos I see that I coulndt have told that in a million years that girl had uneven eyes. If truly was masked by the pictures. Now Im very uncertain about companies that dont have pictures of there dolls straight on or lots from the same angle of there face. Its sneaky and I don't trust it. I hope someone can point this out. I woulndt have been very happy having my first doll so imperfect, when my dolls are my image of perfection.

 

For what it's worth, my Lily C looks exactly like the shop photos. (Left eye slightly wider/rounder than right, right eye slightly longer horizontally. You can see it clearly on the shop photos if you want to see what I mean.)

As a customer I do not feel tricked, misled or lied to by Souldoll or their photographer. Souldoll sent the product promised, with the exact same sculpt and quality of face up as their photos show. I've bought dolls from other companies which look nothing like their shop photos, and have been very disappointed. I could make a long list. But Lily C is not on it.

For anyone worreid about bodies: As far as I could tell, her body was fully symmetrical and all the joints fit and worked absolutely fine. I sold the body for something a bit 'softer' to go with her soft face.

 

My double body is perfect, SystemRose... and it's new in the last three months.

 

Phew, thanks babytarragon and Ann Marie that gave me some peace of mind.

 

...I think that unless there is a problem where the doll is being misrepresented or sent with serious quality control issues (airbubbles, cracking or chipping resin, scuffs, etc.), a thread like this is not appropriate. Perception of the sculpt comes down to your personal preference, not dishonesty on the part of the company. The issues with the sculpts themselves are apparent in the sales photos; they're not modifying their sample heads and then sending something different and inferior.

(Also, Naiara, please use the word "thread," not "threat." A "threat" is something different entirely. ).

 

I would love to see comparison pictures, please! Since this is a buying/shipping advice forum I'd think it best to pm me them. Thank you so much.

 

i'll post a little here since i know what Naiara is talking about .

i'm in the hobby for about 3 years now and got the chance to see plenty of blank mold , but personaly it's the 1st time i saw so many symetrical errors on a mold.

i'm owning a Gisele : believe me the symetricals errors are huge
i'm sorry not taking a picture before my friend modded it but i was nearly posting a FS post immediatly after the box opening because of that (if the post still exist in few weeks i know somebody that owned it ,so will post picture at this moment ^^)

the default : the right eyes is like 3 or 4 mm upper than the other one and the left one is very smaller
the nose going all left and the mouth following it of course . so if you look at your doll from above you'll see all her face going left , chin too

Souldoll took great photos , they do shots only from the side the defaults are less visible
and their make up are dark enough to mask it a little too
but with a very light make up the doll is really looking like a picasso ............. (just a word , i don't have anything against picasso XD)

so i was very disappointed about that problem too , fortunally i know somebody that can do modifications and even if it's not perfect the result is magical . i will surely buy again in their company since their molds are lovely but i'm really hoping they'll be more careful about that sculpt problem


also i'm very sorry for all thoses who wanted one gisele and don't buy it after reading my post : soooo sorry >.<

 

I did the modifications on the moachan's Gisele, and I'm totally agree with her. Since 3 years, I modified a lot of dolls for my pleasure and my personal taste but for the gisele, i was just obliged to do that because, otherwise, her face looks too much "bow-legged"... I understand, the BJD are never perfect, it's normal, it's not industrial works, but those imperfections are too much important, in my mind... I think, in that case, it's not a question of taste but a question of finishing...I have bought another Gisele after doing the modifications of Moachan's one because she's really really nice when her eyes are on the same level...

 

It's probably good to warn people because I know a lot of them care quite a bit about having symmetry in the sculpt. But on the other hand, some people don't care/ don't mind. As I've stated before, I actually prefer slightly asymmetrical sculpts as looking more "real". I get bothered by too much symmetry. The 3 mm imperfections people are describing in Souldoll sculpts probably wouldn't bother me at all.

 

The shoulders on my Souldoll Double boy body are a little off- one is higher than the other and his elbows are at two different angles (it's hard to explain)- but the body works perfectly, and you can't really tell without getting up close. He does seem a bit funny shirtless sometimes though. I have one of the older heads though, so I can't say anything about their new faces.

 

I see what Naiara is talking about as well, especially with Hye;;;
Souldoll does seem to have an issue with symmetry, and sometimes it's hard to tell unless your looking for it in the promo pics. So I think it's worth mentioning. Some people like the molds how they are, but maybe for some it will not be what they were expecting.

 

I painted Miribyeol for a friend of mine and the head was terribly lopsided. It looked like the right eye was sliding down and off the face. My friend eventually ended up selling the doll because it was so asymmetrical.

 

I just recieved my new Souldoll Gisele today, and I don't see anything wrong with her.

She may be slightly uneven, but I don't even notice it. She's incredibly beautiful. The only complaint I have is a mysterious black stain on the back of her head behind the magnets, and she's a little tight.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2ccxton.jpg

I think she looks wonderful. Don't know what you guys are talking about. Souldoll might have fixed it on their molds, but I don't know.

 

I have a Souldoll Byeol and although I love her to death, her face is very unbalanced. The best way to tell is to rotate the pictures of dolls horizontally, like so.

Here she is normally. You can tell that there is a little bit of asymmetry but it's not too bad.


Here she is flipped horizontally, she looks very uneven. I noticed this the first time when I was looking at her in the mirror while holding her.

 

I've realized some of Souldoll dolls are uneven for the first time I saw them. But I've been a great fan of Souldoll's sculpts. They are so beautiful that I couldn't find the same style from other brands. Just like a human face/body that never exactly the same between the right or left side, that's how I appreciate Souldoll's sculpts.

 

It is a beautiful mold, but the left eye (and ear...?) is much higher than the right. You can tell in that photo by not only flipping it horizontally, but noting that the left eyebrow was placed higher than the right.

I was going to buy from Souldoll, but none of the photos sat right with me... needless to say, I knew something was off, but I didn't know what. @_@ I have a huge issue with symmetry, and while I know that people aren't perfectly symmetrical... for some people, perfection is a part of aesthetic value.

 

i just now opened my Souldoll box, i bought sleeping Ize, and honestly? i don't see anything wrong with his face whatsoever. in my opinion, he looks completely balanced.

 

Miss Ally could you post some front view pics of your boys face? I've been on the fence about getting an Ize after seeing this thread, but since you've got a sleeping Ize unmodded maybe i can see for myself before all the modding. ^^ I would greatly appreciate it!

 

lilartistgrrl That is totally weird! it looks like her nose is in the wrong place or something. I just decided I am saving for the human centaur so I am a little worried. I appreciate the warning... I'm not sure whether I want to go through with the purchase now.

 

not the best photo (kinda dark) but here is my Sleeping Ize straight out of the box. i guess you can decide for yourselves, but i don't see anything wrong with his face. i must say his head is a wee little thing, really small.



his head is slightly tilted,so take that into consideration.

 

hmmmm i might nnot be an expert at these things but to me i see a diff and it kinda bugs me....>.< maybe its just me

 

@ Miss Ally, Thank you so much for sharing the picture!!! I can see a little bit of the imperfections..but it really isn't to the magnitude of what I see on the Hye and Gisele honestly.

Actually the unbalances are so hard to see on this guy...i had to stare at him for some time to really see it. His eye on the right does dip down a little farther than the other...and I can see what Naiara was talking about on his mouth, it's a bit skewed downward to the right a bit more, but it doesn't really jump out to me initially. Thankfully, I think he is workable. Sorry I don't mean to nit pick at the imperfections, but I just really love to see the doll [both things i like and dislike] before i buy. ^^ He's a really lovely mold..and I think i can deal with the unbalances, even if i couldn't..he can still be modded a bit. Thanks so much Miss Ally for sharing him, and I really hope you share more of his pictures too!

 

I've got a soulkid Mayu and yeah, her mouth is a little off. I actually didn't notice until it was mentioned and I was looking for it. Her hands look huge too but that could just be me not having experience with doll hands :'D So I'd say in my case you won't notice an imperfection unless you're out looking for it. But it's good that you're letting potential buyers know about it!

 

oh well, i guess if you guys see him as imperfect, then so be it, "i" think he's perfect. after all, no human is perfectly symmetrical, we all have slight "unbalances". since you seem to think his features dip down to the right, i want to mention again, that his head is tilted down to the right, it is not straight on his neck. i think if his head were absolutely straight on, the "slight imperfections" would hardly be noticeable, assuming there are any. one last thought, any unbalances could be altered quite simply with how the face up is done. he doesn't bother me one bit.

 

Miss Ally, I'm sorry if I offended you about your boy. I do find the Ize mold very beautiful, even with the 'unbalances' but I was simply looking at the mold and Naiara's initial post to see if her claim about the Ize's mold to be true. The way the original post was stated, I thought this guy was going to have some major symmetry problems like I've seen on the Hye and Gisele. No offense to Hye and Gisele owners either..everyone has their own opinion about 'imperfections' on dolls, and some are more critical than others. I understand that his head is tilted to the right, which is why i said these errors are harder to see on him. Granted, there are a few things I can see regardless of the tilt. But they really aren't big enough problems with the mold for me to not buy him...I still love the Ize a lot. Anyway...just wanted to clarify that my intention was not to rag on the Ize at all. If you think he's perfect that's all that matters.

 

Dybbuk, no worries! i was not upset with what you said at all, i was just trying to point out the head tilt incase you didn't realize it, and it would change your perception. i can conceded that "possibly" the eyes are "slightly" different and the mouth is a "tad" wider on one side, but i don't think it looks unnatural, that's all. i hope you may decide to add Ize to your collection one day, he really is a gorgeous guy.

 

Miss Ally~ ah ok...^^;; haha I really wanted to clarify, because, i definitely did not want to rag on your new boy. Ize really is a gorgeous guy, and I definitely do plan to get one of these boys one day. ^^ Thanks a lot for sharing your picture, it really just further convinced me I need one XD and please do post him when he's all done~~