Volks Dolls Party in LA 4 [7-8 Sept. 2019] (After Report is up!)

i have a general question about the sumika shop for those who have attended dolpa in the past!

is it mostly things like outfit sets and accessories? or do they bring items like hands, care items, and tools as well?

and i know that the dsd, coordinate models, and botb are all lotteries, but do they tend to bring sd and dd standard models for general sale?

sorry if this has already been answered somewhere.

 

For both the 2015 and 2017 LA Dolpas (the only ones I've attended), there are outfits, wigs, shoes, eyes, hands/feet, tools (a great time to pick up that head-puller as it's one of the single most useful tools ever), care items/faceup supplies, string/hooks, DD heads, and whatever full SD and DD standards that VolksUSA had in stock. They also have sold extra wrist balls for hands (pureskin normal/fair only), which are great for those small, delicate SDC wrists. I'm kind of embarrassed by how much I bought each time, but I'm weak when you put readily-available things in reach of my hands.

 

@c4tbus They will definitely announce any special items ahead of time also. So keep an eye out on FB and the webpage.

Yes. I am sure you will see some standard dolls available. If there is anything you are interested in, I would suggest you email them and ask or maybe you can place and order and pick up at Dolpa?

In 2017, Volks brought the BtssB pink and black outfits that were quite newish and I think the little Btssb bear/rabbit bags? Yes, there were left over hand and wrist parts from 2015 too. I feel like they brought a number of outfits, accessories, etc ... that had been sold out. They also had some furniture, doll stands, carrying bags, etc ... Lots to pick through. I think they even brought some of their promo items that they sell for charity like volks pens, can badges, cookies, post cards ... This year with the Pink House girls, I'm guessing we will see a Pink House collaboration corner like they set up in Atami and now Sato with t-shirt, bags, etc ...

Also, the Game Center was really fun too! And you can some cool little prizes like clothing and wigs. Very fun!

Edit : I recall last time during the panels, you could also buy doll care items in the panel room as well as in the Summika.

 

@InvisibleWings that is really informative! thank you!

i was hoping it would be like that! i prefer shopping in person instead of online, and fully agree with you about being unable to resist when something is actually in your hands. but it also makes deciding easier! like when you hold something and it sparks no joy you can tell right away instead of having to hope that you really like it when it arrives!

edit: @pris84 thanks for the heads up! good to know about care items potentially being available at the panels. and i am not looking for anything in particular, just curious about the kinds of items that will be available outside of outfits and accessories. i am super excited about the games, they look really fun! and i hope you are right about the pink house stuff! i would love one of the tote bags!

 

Hi @delicato ! I'm looking forward to working beside you in the dealer room! Most folks use Instagram here.

 

Yeah, I'm only interested in boys from Volks right now, no girls so that's a easy choice made about who to go for! I cant afford the big boys that are like $1,500 so hopefully they bring some cheaper boys to!

Also, I'm going with someone as their companion ticket to the tea party, does anyone know if that means I have to still get registered or does my part of the ticket include the registration to?

 

Your registration is included in the +1.

 

@Megami-Landing That would be amazing, thank you for offering to take photos! There definitely needs to be more owner photos out there. If you don't mind me asking, do his defaults not fit correctly, or are these a different pair of eyes that aren't fitting correctly?

@TabletopPhantom I'll take a look at your Instagram, and you're spot on about his face, Volks did a really good job adapting his personality into resin form. Sweet and soulful, just like the character himself, aahh!

 

I hope the sumika shop has those 1/3 scale doll bags. My Lady Oscar is a doll collector, so it would be amazing for her to be able to carry around Blue Bird.

 

@St. James oh!!! I do hope so! I am also waiting on the release of the sailor dresses. Don't remember if it was supposed to be with Dolpa41 or the one before that.

 

The defaults fit fantastically! They're 18mm with small irises, which is really odd for Volks. But I wanted sparkly shoujo eyes, and I received 20mm by mistake. So now he's wearing... I think 16mm high domes, because they were crazy sparkly and the only green ones I could find. With that said, it is super totally after 1am, and I meant to check DoA at a real people hour and forgot, so I'll leave the thread up to remind morning-me to actually get those photos for you!

 

@St. James the tiny doll carriers are so cute! its my favorite piece of volks merch that’s been released for a while! i think it’s going up for lottery with the rest of the dolpa 41 outfits on the 5th of july! i’m probably gonna go for it so that my little yosd can travel in style to la!

 

Lol, I never got the hang of using Y!J, Strow.
Everytime I try I just get a page full kanji and no pictures.
Unfortunately, I can't read kanji.

 

I'm really really really hoping Volks brings some SDC hands. My SDC Renee has gotten herself into quite a few fights with her fist hands and I'd like her to behave herself for a bit, lol.

 

@justkatie179 Volks did bring SDC hands to the last LA Dolpa in 2017, so there's a good chance you'll see them at LA4 too.

 

Is anyone else planning on dressing up for the Tea Party? I know it's not required or anything, but it'd be kind of fun.

 

I’m doing a dolly and me dress up! But like you I’m flying, so I’m not able to follow the “Grand Ball” theme since flying with a human sized ball gown sounds... not possible. But by chance I found a second hand sailor dress that perfectly matched those sailor sets volks just released for best of the best. So I will be matching my doll, just not the theme. Oh well

 

I was thinking of a dolly and me idea too. I've got a flexible hoop skirt that should pack down into a suitcase if needed. Just need to figure out the Grand Ball aesthetic.

Right now I'm thinking:
1. Victorian
2. Regency
3. 1950s glam (a la live-action Cinderella)

 

Please, does anyone remember seeing anything about us needing to have our Volks membership cards with us?
I know we didn't need them for the last LA Dolpa, but my friend thought she remembered reading something about it connected with this Dolpa.
I have no idea where my card is at the moment, since I haven't needed to use it in ages. So if we do need to bring them then I will need to see about getting a replacement asap!

 

I'm quite sure I haven't seen anything like that.

 

No, you don't need a Volks membership card. Those don't exist anymore. Volks discontinued their function a few years ago.

 

Whew! That's a relief!
Thanks Cynthia and Daniel, that's good to know.
Lol, I kind of thought it would be strange for Volks to suddenly require them after all these years, but figured better to play it safe and ask here.
I think the last time I actually had to use mine was at the first two day LA Dolpa, the one that was held at one of the hotels right by LAX. Gosh, the time has flown! I'm so glad Volks has started doing U.S. Dolpas again!

 

Never mind! Answered above!

 

I also got an official "you lost" email about the tea party, but I decided to attend anyway. Hopefully I can find something to do nearby to amuse myself while the other friends I'm attending with are at the tea party! ♥

 

Volks just posted on Facebook what the Best Selection dolls will be at the LA Dolpa. Of course there’s only one of each and it’s a lotto. I’m green with envy that there’s a tan Shiro! I wish he’d have a regular release.

 

Event Limited Dollfie | Dolls Party in LA 4 2019 | VOLKS USA, Inc.

DearSD!!! Vanessa, Tiffany, Megu, Megohime!!

Dolpa Dealer's Market | Dolls Party in LA 4 2019 | VOLKS USA, Inc.

Japanese dealer update!

 

Noooo, noooooo, NOOOOOOO, not DSD Ichima Megu!!! !@#*R^#$^E&, I'm ALREADY PAYING FOR ANGELA!

 

Aww man, I was hoping for a DearSD Nono I guess it's better for the wallet in the end.

 

Am I mistaken, aren't these the exact same ones we had at the last LA Dolpa, in the exact same outfits?

 

Yes, but with the addition of Megohime. For whom I will be entering!

 

I feel like Vanessa and Tiffany are the mascot DearSD of North America and USA Dolpa kinda like how Ruby and Garnet started out. And to be fair there are only 8 Vanessa and 8 Tiffany out there in the world. So, I think VolksUSA is trying to give a few more people a shot at them. I thought we might not see Megu this time but she's a classic 4 sisters/F01 and so many love that cute face. Megohime is a nice surprise! So very cute and a wishlist doll for many. I'm just so happy we get DearSD! Yay!

Good luck to everyone who is going to try to welcome one!

 

I'm still assuming there will be one-offs at the Tea Party, right? And an auction doll? So there may yet be more enticement.
I am basically going back for another chance at a DearSD, so everything else is icing on the cake. For all I know, I'll be trapped at my dealer's table all day and miss all of the sumika shopping. It looks like it might all be in the same ballroom though? So I can at least be in earshot when they draw all the winners?

 

the japanese dealers list is really exciting! there should be a lot of really cool stuff!

for the dear sd, do they bring multiples? or only one of each?

 

They had a handful of each last time. I know the event photos from last year show them all lined up.

 

There were 3-ish copies of each DearSD last time. But they were individually numbered, so you had to guess which number might have the best odds and pick one individual to try for.

That is, you could pick one individual from each category to try for. So, one DearSD, one SD Coordinate, one D'Coord, and one DD Best-Of. I think there were duplicate headsculpts for some of the Coordinate Models. The Dollfie Dreams in both categories were one copy each though.

 

Yeah, it was a little sad to see some of them go unclaimed. Why not let some of the losing entries for the other Megus get a second round or something? I'm sure there was some convoluted logic, but I am just not that particular about what color of outfit or wig they come in.

 

@St. James some went unclaimed? that doesn’t seem right. were they wearing different outfits or something? or was it just not clear that there were multiple versions to enter for?

 

I think there was a ballpark of 40 - 50 DearSD in total. Price last time was $643 USD + tax.

@Holo's Apple Tree I tried to go through my photos but messed up on my photo perspective but I think there weren't even numbers on the colour of dresses for Tiffany and Vanessa. I think there were more Tiffany in pink (7?) than blue (4?) but Vanessa was in blue (6?) more than she was in pink (4?). But could just be my photos which is likely the case.

@c4tbus I think it was just the way they held the lottery. People had to write down the specific number of the doll they wanted. For example, if you wanted a Tiffany, you had to pick out the Tiffany you liked the best and write down her identifying number on your lottery form. No one knew if there was going to be any dolls left unclaimed because there wasn't a box in front of each doll but a single lottery box to put all the ballots. Volks had come back in the room with a board of all the winners. I suspect that they did it this way because of the time constraint. And I guess on the plus side, it gave others a chance who could not attend LA Dolpa to try for the unwanted DearSD via online lottery later on. At the Japanese Dolpas, people draw a number and then line up in order to pick a whatever doll you want until they are all gone.

@St. James I'm sure we will have one-offs but hard to say on an auction doll? I don't think there was one at the last Tokyo Dolpa? And there wasn't an auction doll for Atami. But who knows from Volks? haha What I would really love is if they would have some silent auctions or even regular auctions for Sei and Rei Tenshi!

 

The line up method of Japanese Dolpa ensures that all dolls get claimed but I suspect that the lottery method is also an attempt to weed out scalpers. By taking all the ballots into the back room and picking the winners in private it gives them a chance to do some vetting.

@pris84 Aren't Sei and Rei always gifts though? It would be weird to make people pay for them in an auction.

 

Vanessa and Tiffany are back! That’s great! I’m safe against DSD Tiffany this year though. Seeing that little freckled cutie in person is the reason I had to hunt me down a F-73 head for my very own. I ended up putting her on a Sdgr girl body instead and have had no regrets!

I was however anticipating DSD Show/Syo!

 

@St. James They are gifts/door prizes so yes, I can see the weirdness of it. But even if there were some as gifts and some as one offs auction ones? I'm fortunate enough to have a ReiTenshi from NY Dolpa 4 but I'd love a SeiTenshi. It's the one doll that I don't want to buy second hand but a chance to buy it from Volks, would be something I'd personally love to do. And if the money went to charity, then I think that would be very fitting. But that's just my two cents.

@Seditionary I second the DSD Show!

 

Yes, Megohime was the only one I wasn’t sure about. I remembered there were two wearing the Kimono outfit last time, but Megohime didn’t really look familiar.
All of my photos from the Dolpa were lost when my iPad suddenly died, but I did some online digging, and went back to the 2017 Dolls Party page. The other DSD in the Kimono outfit was the closed eyes version of Megu.
Lol, that’s probably why I couldn’t remember her, I’m just not particularly interested in closed or sleepy eyed dolls. That, and also the fact that to my mind she is still essentially Megu.
I was kind of hoping to try for one to keep as a girl this time. My other DSDs are both boys, but their little default outfits are so pretty, I thought it might be nice to have a cute little girl DSD who could wear them.
I do love that Kimono outfit, and I really love Megu’s face shape and her eyes... I’m just not too fond of her mouth.
Hmm, wonder if I could re-paint her mouth to look less puckered up.... give her more of a slight smile so she doesn't look so much like she's getting ready to cry.
I do love Vanessa's sculpt and Tiffany's as well, so maybe I'll try for Tiffany this time...
I don't really mind being offered the same sculpts again, it just would have been nice if Volks had opted to maybe make Tiffany in sunlight skin and Vanessa in normal skin this time around.
Even just putting them in a new or at least a different outfit for this Dolpa would have been nice as well.

 

@Holo's Apple Tree @St. James @pris84 thanks for the insight! i am so curious about dsd because i have never seen one in person! it is hard to get a sense for them through just pictures because of their unique scale and proportions. i am also a little worried that i will fall head over heels in love with one or more.

 

Lol, you very well might c4tbus, these dolls have a way of sneaking right into your heart.

Not just the Dear SDs either, I ended up entering for and winning one of the coordinate SDMs at the last Dolls Party.
One that I had no intentions of trying for, and didn't even like her sculpt in any of the photos I'd seen!
On top of that she is a girl, and a complete princess, while I really prefer boy dolls and quirky interesting girls as a rule!

 

They're on the JP site but not released right now it seems. I really want one of those bags, so I hope they send the update email when they get released.

Still not sure if I'm going. I didn't get a "sorry you lost" email, so I haven't gotten anything either way, checked my junk folder and everywhere, it's odd. The chance for Shiro Tachibana is hard to pass up though...

Am I reading it right though, is Volks saying there will be only one of each from the Best Selection dolls who will be available by lottery?

 

It will be lottery and there will only be one Best Selection doll. You get one entry per person/pass. Volks hasn't said anything on the Tea Party lottery or if there will be a charity doll.

 

Thanks. That's really too bad. i just wish there had been more than the two Pink House girls available in multiples. Any boy would be good, I had a slight hope for a Romantic Glance Williams but that's ok, saves me money on a trip.

 

They are available via lottery from VolksUSA as of today. I entered, so fingers crossed. Would be awesome to have it ahead of Dolpa!

 

@JRyu i have been trying to convince myself that because i bought angela i won’t need to enter for any other dolls, but the likelihood of that actually working out the way i planned is seeming bleak. fortunately my voice of reason will be there with me to keep it from getting out of hand.

the coordinate models are always so sweet! and nothing quite beats the charm of a sdm in person! which one did you wind up with at the last la dolpa?

 

Sera was the white skinned F-39 SDM girl.
She is quite the little princess, and terribly feminine.
Lol, she will only wear old fashioned little girl dresses that are pink or have a lot of pink on them. (I hate pink.)
Also beige and ecru, which she insists are "antique" pink. Full skirted dresses with lots of frills and flounces, lace and petticoats, and hems never above the knee.
She's pretty much the absolute antithesis of what I like in my girl doll characters. Lol, and yet she some how has managed to quite neatly wrap me around her little finger from the moment I made eye contact with her at the Dolpa.

 

I'm safe from the DearSDs... Although I said that last year and Tori had other plans so. XD

Couple of nice ones from that selection of old limiteds.

 

Thank you for the heads up @Nell !

I wonder how much of each they’ll bring! Last year I didn’t even get to see the tatami by the time I got in the room. If I get a good number I’m doomed; I’ve been wanting some of these things for a while.