Volks Super Dollfie - SD, SD13, SD16, SD17, SDGr, SDGou & FCS - XXIX

Goodness sake, I never realized how big the 4 sisters heads are until seeing this lovely line up.

 

Agree, I find a lot of Volks heads now have similar facial features that's losing the individual identity we were seeing back between 2000 to 2010...But also after making so many heads, ideas can run out on design. I wish they'd look into those earlier ones and put up some ideas there too tho lol

 

I'm... at the opposite end of that, honestly.

To me, the very oldest Volks sculpts (The girls in particular. More than the guys, anyway-) all sort-of blend in together. I have a tough time telling some of them apart. I haven't had that issue with most of the sculpts done in the last-.... Let's say the last ten years or so.

 

Thank you very much @Dolly @yin801122 and @Wickedgood for the insight and the photo! It's super helpful.

Very interesting to see the 2 resins compared side by side because I think on their own, the difference isn't that obvious. Rapunzel does indeed look a lovely colour. I'm not really a Disney princess fan so the clothing doesn't really matter to me. But it was the repaints that made me look again and think about bringing Rapunzel home. Right now though, (like everyone else haha) I'm waiting it out for the Frozen ladies. Looks like the second hand Rapunzel aren't too bad so that's encouraging if Elsa and Anna don't work out for me. It would be really nice though if you could order hand and leg parts for the Frozen ladies, especially if there is that much of a difference in colour. Ah well .. I guess all we can do is wait.

 

I'm still learning the Volks "eras," which seem to me to have a lot to do with who was their most prominent sculptor at the time. Speaking of which, I see people mention sculptor names in connection with their work, but...How do y'all know who sculpted what? Is there a site that has the information compiled somewhere? (I know about Angel Den, but they usually just list "Zoukeimura" instead of an individual sculptor)

To me, a lot of the older sculpts are instantly recognizable as Volks, while a lot of their newer ones just...aren't. Don't get me wrong - I love some of the newer releases! Saki/F-59 and Chiyo/F-61 are two of my favorites! But they don't have that Volks Aesthetic™ that the older sculpts do. Classics like Masha, Kun, Chris/Lucas, Luna, the Four Sisters...Even though these sculpts don't look very much alike, they're all instantly recognizable as Volks dolls, even if you've never seen them before. (Whereas I feel like Saki and Chiyo could have been done by a lot of companies.)

That said, I don't think I have a favorite era. I haven't seen a lot of pictures of the REALLY old timers, like from the OG catalog. And I'm still getting a grip on when exactly different sculpts were released. But I think all of them have their good points. I like the cuteness of the "small lips, big eyes, upturned nose" era that your girls are from, and I like the versatility of the "thin lips, slight smirk depending on faceup and angle" era, and I like the gentle elegance of the current sculpts.

When I first got into the hobby, I didn't understand why Volks was such a popular company. I thought their attitude was weirdly elitist, and the price point was rather high for no obvious difference in quality (single jointed elbows and knees?? Not even a waist joint on the standard body?? I mean, yeah, it's cute, but...Come on, dudes. It's 2015. Let's have some engineering, eh?), and the hype seemed to be more about owning a doll from the "original BJD company" more than because of any real merit of the dolls themselves.

Boy was I wrong! The longer I'm in the hobby, the more I find myself appreciating the subtleties of Volks sculpts. Their bodies aren't as posable as some, but they make up for it in beautiful lines (less detailed, perhaps, but perfectly balanced and elegant both in and out of clothing) and rock-solid stability. The hands and feet are so dainty and cute! The weight and heft of the bodies make them the most huggable dolls I have ever encountered. The resin - oh! the RESIN! Volks Pureskin is such a wonderful, almost velvety texture. And again, the weight of it is fantastic! I never understood what people meant when they described resin as "creamy" until I held a Volks doll.

And the head sculpts! I'll admit, when I first started reconsidering Volks dolls, I mostly preferred their newer, less "Volks-ish" faces. Smaller eyes, softer noses, fuller lips...But I've really come to appreciate the nuances of the older heads. There's a surprising amount of subtlety to them. I'm always taken aback at how different they can look depending on the angle and the lighting. Moreso than with many other companies, and moreso than with their newer sculpts, the oldschool Volks faces have a ridiculous capacity for "expression." I have no clue what it is about them that makes them this way - their faces are usually sculpted very neutrally when you look at them straight on and unpainted! But you tilt the chin a little, change the light, and suddenly a smile becomes a worried pursed-lips almost-frown. It's amazing! And that's not even scratching the surface of what a new faceup can do!

Anyway, enough babbling. Your girls are all gorgeous. I'm especially in love with your Mia and Luna. Something about them makes them look like sisters to me. Utterly adorable!

 

What gorgeous girls..! Oh man, I actually spent so much time staring at the computer that a family member walked in on me and asked if I was memorize their faces...

Hm... To be honest, I'm not all that familiar with the Volks eras. I pretty much followed their beginning, OG sculpts - had a huge gap in the middle - then started staring at all their new releases in the last few years. Lol. Staring and admiring, but not quite making the leap to get any of them when I started out in this hobby.

I think I do tend to gravitate towards the more 'mature' sculpts - slightly smaller eyes with wider lips... But the real answer is: I genuinely want at least one of every type of doll. I want the super cute, feminine girls with wide eyes and small pouty lips. I want the males with stronger jawlines and almost-glaring eyes. I want the 'puppy' eyes with the shy smiles. I want the upward 'cat' eyes with a self-assured smirk on their faces..! If my wallet supported it, I think I'd have a very non-cohesive doll family filled with completely different sculpts all around. Makes me feel like I'm a really finicky yet indecisive individual, but I'd be the happiest being surrounded by very different dolls all around.

That being said... My first Volks doll has finally arrived! My Hijikata Toshizo (soon to be re-named) is here!!!

Spoiler: pic 2

I am just over the moon with him. Like @GammaVector mentioned, I'd only heard about how good the Volks resin felt but it really is another thing to actually feel the high-quality resin with my own two hands! There's just a wonderful 'stable' feeling I get when I try to pose him, but then the overall weight is also lighter than expected for the size.

... I seriously want more of these dolls. Now. I know I should save up more given how I much I just dropped on him (already have 3 full outfits ready for him as well, lol) but I just feel greedier and greedier...

 

First, my heartfelt thanks to those who kindly complimented my girls. I did not post it to fish for compliments but rather to share my "stage" of collecting, so to speak, so to see where others are with their own perceptions. I am really more interested in what others have to say on the topic so will leave it at that.

Yes, it is quite jarring, lol. The truth is, however, Kurumi and Luna are really not that far off in terms of head size. Although their faces are smaller, they have more bulbous heads. I have to really fight to get smaller SD wigs (DD size) onto especially my Luna.

This. Yes, I agree. I would love to see the attention to detail in the Rosenmaiden sculpts put into a more modern sculpt. There is not a sculpt quite as graceful as Suigintou and even Shinku's chubby cheeks with shrewd expression cannot be matched. Even a Tenshi SD Mamu would be pretty awesome since the Mamu sculpt in SDM and YoSD sizes is so strikingly similar to Sui/Souseiseki.

I can actually answer this, yay! Mostly, there is no individual sculptor and it will say "Zoukeimura" or "Volks Doll Design Department." On occasion, however, there is an individual name there. For example, Volks Victorique states "Volks Doll Design Department" while Volks Mia states Ciera.

I asked a non-collector Japanese friend about a possible cultural link regarding Volks and she shed some light on it for me. She indicated to me it is very "Kyoto" in terms of Japanese culture. Kyoto is special and unique with a long history that the local people born there take a great deal of pride in, and that can be seen in how the dolls are presented, I feel. There is value placed on tradition so that could translate into celebrating/focusing on the first bodies created rather than over-engineering them to be too posable and losing all that original charm and beauty. There is value placed on quality so to uphold the perception of the brand and that can be seen, as you mention, in the quality of the resin. The desire to keep the dolls feeling special can also interfere with accessibility and that, too, can be seen in the Kyoto culture. They are a family business that takes a lot of pride in the products they create and that means they tend to opt for quality over quantity.

Yes, I agree completely and it strikes a cord with me. Once I had my Luna my perspective on my collection completely changed. I sold so many of the newer sculpts because they simply lacked that subtle complexity that gave the older sculpts so much versatility. Recently, on Instagram, Volks took a video of their new YoSD sculpts (Mai, Nico and Mel), and it was very smart because photos simply cannot capture the subtle features of those tiny faces.

You see that, too?! I thought I was going crazy because I was like "no way can she look that much like Luna," lol. I heard from other collectors that it was Lucia that looked like Luna, but I never saw it. For me, Mia was always my preference.

This is a really wonderful description of the variety Volks can offer. I really enjoyed reading about your interpretation because the longer I am in the hobby, the more discerning I can become and not always in a positive way. Thank you for this!

Congratulations! I am so excited for you!! If you are on Instagram, I would love to follow you so to see how your collection evolves.

 

Beautiful dolls, everyone!!
Can't tell you how much it brightens my day looking at them! Don't stop posting!

My goodness,@tiyama!! You're brave hiking with a big doll, lol. I can barely do that with my dog cause he's small and old and I have to go all the way back carrying a 25 lb dog.
What place is that?? It's beautiful!!

 

On the topic of Volks design eras, the newer sculpts all seem to have very similar design elements to me. Their eyes are sharper and less wide, their faces are often pretty shin, lips more matched to the face lines...but I find that I liked the old and imo somewhat "clunky" design elements of past sculpts.

Maybe its to do with sculptors currently working versus then? The variations we used to have were pretty wide: big eyes and sharp eyes, tall faces and squat, protruding pouts, small noses, pointy noses, big noses...the shapes were different and numerous to me. There was definitely something for everyone back then, while the newer sculpts, many of them match more of the industry standard looks these days (to me). Not a bad thing or good necessarily. Volks continues to make many sculpt styles available in one way or another or as in my case, many of us probably need to log off Mandarake and save ourselves from adopting every old sculpt that appears...

Whatever the case, I think Volks clearly still has a lot to offer for many of us, and gains fans as always. They may not evolve very quickly with the times, but there is as much life left in their creative offerings as there ever was. Maybe if this release wasn't for you, the next one would be and so on...its best if not every release is exactly what we all want all the time, because our wallets are only so thick lol.

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly, especially about how there is something for everyone. The above question, however, made me wonder if it is less with who the sculptor is but rather how the sculpting process has changed with the introduction of computer doll design software. When faced with a sculpture right in front of oneself, it could be easier to create the little subtle details as one goes along and see it from all angles. I honestly do not know but it is something I have often wondered about since the line between not enough detail and overly exaggerated detail can be a very fine line that is not always visible on a computer screen.

 

I think there's an interesting amount of asymmetry in some of the older, enduring Volks sculpts that you don't find often in newer sculpts now due to mirroring in 3D sculpting programs. The crooked mouth on the 4 sisters, Lucas's uneven jaw line, or even Syo's eyelids that don't line up, there is something subtle about them that make them really have the sort of asymmetry real human faces have that add character.

I love Volks older sculpts because they have a real charm to them. That's not to say I don't like their newer sculpts, I think some of their more recent FCS heads are actually harkening back to that earlier look. I overall like dolls that look like dolls, and am not a fan of small eyes and hyper realism. Volks has always been my fave company with my fave aesthetic because they really hit that for me.

 

Hi everyone! I hope it's okay to ask this in here, Is it possible to buy spare parts from Volks? I read some time ago that they do accept orders of spare parts but it has to be a direct buyer / can present a proof of purchase from Volks not from proxy service/2nd hand shops.

Here's my problem. I helped a friend to get a SDGr Girl body from Y!J. We found one and it seems okay and in good condition. I was able to win it at a decent price. So after a month, I was able to receive it and I found out that the seller was dishonest with the condition of the doll body. Everything is perfect no damage and yellowing is minimal except for the missing an elbow part. Here's the photo I took.

Spoiler: image

I don't know what to do anymore and I feel so bad for my friend. The doll's body bid page, it's not clearly seen and it was not mentioned by the seller. Please help

I'm sorry if this post is off-topic for this thread. I'm quite desperate.

 

I am really sorry to hear this happened to you. Unfortunately, no, Volks does not sell spare parts. What they do is replace parts for a fee but for that to occur one would need to have the original part to exchange. In the shop, there is a form one fills out requesting a "service" on the part in question. The fee is paid and Volks then does the service whether it be sanding or seam line removal or part replacement. The original part, if replaced is not returned. The issue here is that the elbow joint is missing so there is nothing to exchange so Volks would refuse to provide the elbow joint part. I am sorry I do not have better news for you.

And, I am at a loss on how to rectify something like this. The only thing I can think of is perhaps seeing if the SD16 girl body has the same elbow joint or if the SD/SD13 double-jointed elbow joint is the same size. Then, at least, the search for a new part can be widened to other less popular body types.

Edited to ask: After looking at the photo again, it actually looks like the entire right arm of the doll is not the SDGr girl body arm. Or, am I seeing things?

 

Thanks so much for your response. It's just the elbow joint is missing and there's nothing wrong with the entire right arm. The seller replaced the missing elbow with wrist part of SD hand part. Hence, it looks short and doesn't sit well. The only thing I could come up with is to replicate the left elbow part since it looks like it doesn't have a Left or right side or I could borrow my other friend's doll's right elbow part. Then look for the original part in the marketplace.

 

Really? Aw, thank you. I'm glad the things I wrote could make someone happy. Once I have a few more dolls and have better photography skills, I'll think about starting something on instagram/other social media.

I've also noticed this - a lot of recent trends with other doll companies and/or social media seem to show a lot more 'realistic' dolls. I do like looking at them, but I like the older 'doll aesthetic' where the dolls have a unique look of their own.

@BlueSand Ouch, really sorry that happened to you. It wasn't fair of that seller to completely omit the fact that a joint was missing... I really hope you can find that part in the marketplace somewhere!

 

@himitsu
It's the East Dam of High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung, Hong Kong.
Really worth all the effort going there. Just I didn't have enough brain cell left for photography lol

@BlueSand
Sorry to hear about that
Though Volks doesn't offer spare part purchase, it doesn't hurt try emailing them. May be they are willing to offer help. Who know...?

 

I see the same, the entire arm is not correct!

@BlueSand did you use a shopping service or proxy? I know many have protection if the item is not as described or misrepresented. Unfortunately, as stated, Volks isn't going to be able to help, so this puts your friend in a weird spot. I personally would see about trying to return it. Even if you lose some money in the process, it won't be as bad as being stuck with a strange body like this! I'm sorry that this happened.

 

Thanks everyone for your sympathy.

@I<3MySD It's just the elbow that has the problem. The position gives it a weird angle maybe... I don't know anymore what to do. I tried reaching out but it's no use. There's no return thing stated on the sale. This problem gives me a lot of stress. What I think I could do is to look for spare parts in marketplace.

 

@elphsnt That's an interesting question. For VS Dollfie Dreams I think my favorite sculpts do fall in line with the timeframe in which I first started buying dolls, but contrariwise for Volks' SD side I think my favorite era actually predates my entry into the hobby.

Looking at the SDs I welcomed home, I seem to have a preference for one of the older sculpt styles as well, that is heads with thinner lips and pointy noses (e.g. Sylvie, Cyndy, Renee). The actual dolls I have are re-releases from the last few years, but the sculpts themselves I liked most all turned out to be mid-00s vintage if I remember correctly. I didn't consciously think about the pattern until today, yet there it is.

 

Look closely and compare the shoulders, as well as the forearm resin. It's a distinctly different shape around the elbow joint as well as the forearm itself. No returns typically refers to no returns without reason, but you should still have some sort of buyer protection! I wish you the best of luck, that is not okay, especially with the cost of SDGr bodies!

 

Yeah the entire right arm looks different.

 

@BlueSand Is it possible to get a better photo of the arm? Maybe it’s me but the right hand doesn’t look like an an SDGr. But maybe it’s the angle. I’d still contact the proxy service and complain. As you said, it wasn’t listed in the auction. If that fails, I’d reach out to Volks. They may take sympathy on you. If not, maybe your friend could just resell her for parts? But yeah, that elbow looks like a wrist joint, the lower arm and hand look off. Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

I agree, the entire arm looks different, not jus the elbow joint. It even sits in the shoulder differently. Unfortunately many proxies are hands off, or don't check items without paying extra fees. Even if they did I don't know that they'd know something was wrong. There's no way that the proxy didn't mark the package as received, so seller has gotten your money already.

Yahoo!Japan doesn't get involved with sales (unlike EBay) so it's tricky. Especially if the proxy won't get involved, and after so long as well. You should push the proxy hard to contact the seller. Sometimes that's enough. If they refuse the only way I've seen it resolved is if you threaten to contact the sellers local police.

If you're willing I'd be really interested in seeing the listing (you can PM if you're uncomfortable posting publicly).

Restyled Vayne today~

 

@revien I'm generally not a fan of the Michele sculpt, but yours is gorgeous! And I love the outfit.

 

@BlueSand Hoping you manage to find another part or Volks helps somehow

A new picture of Mischa in a very old outfit that I still love

 

@BlueSand You could also try sculpting a temporary replacement piece with Tamiya Epoxy Putty. I had to do that for a really cheap body I got one time. It's not a perfect solution, but it could get you through until you can find a new part.

 

The one-offs for Dolpa 44 have been posted (held in person at Tokyo Big Site)

ドールズ パーティー44 - SDメモリアルワンオフモデル

The Romantic Glance Williams literally took my breath away. So many gorgeous dolls, I hope we will see some owner photos after the event!

 

I've always loved the older Lucai molds and I personally own, Lucas, Lucas Swd, 2 x F-16, Ernest, as well as Theodore (still Lucas lol), but I've been in love with the new standard girls they've released over the past few years, especially Saki and Mel.

My Saki was stolen by a faceup artist a few months ago (long story...), but I was lucky enough to snatch up a Mel recently! She just came home a couple days ago, so I wanted to share a quick snap of her! (poor lighting, sorry, but I'm excited to have her!)

 

Omg, that Masha nearly killed me. She's SO beautiful! I really hope I can find photos of her after...

 

Oh my god, they are all fab! (am I sad at Souseiki/Suiseiki being offered now that I have no chance getting them? Yes )

@Constance I am so sorry about your Saki!!! But your Mel is incredible lovely

 

Congratulations on your Mel! Mel is a lovely sculpt and I am so happy she arrived home safely to you before the holidays.

I am truly sorry to hear about your Saki. I am not sure if you are ready to talk about it and am not pressing for any details, but if you have any advice on how to avoid dishonest face-up artists I am sure there are many of us who would be grateful to you for any pointers you may have to offer. Also, if you are interested in a good face-up artist who can be trusted I am happy to share with you who has painted my doll heads via PM.

Thank you for the link!

I really like how Yui painted Suigintou because she feels like she is daydreaming. That is one of the nicest face-ups I have ever seen on that doll. Kinoko also did a really sweet face-up on Shinku. It really makes her feel youthful and innocent. I am not sure about the black line on the eyelid of the Luna, but it does make that Luna more unique and more dream-like. Luluco also did a wonderful job on the Suiseiseki and Souseiseki pair although I do prefer the one in the red (Souseiseki) a bit more because she seems to be smiling a bit more. Tsukimi painted such a pretty Masha, too. She feels like the classic Masha and that eye color choice is really pretty. I like the way Rumina painted Lieselotte as well. I like how Ciera painted the eyes on the F75 boy but her work on the F90 girl really brings that doll to life.

I tend to gravitate towards Ciera's face-up work but this time I feel like I like Kinoko's approach to the Shinku sculpt the most. It seems I prefer the "less is more" on that particular sculpt. That said, Luluco's work on Souseiseki is a close second for me.

 

Thank you for posting! So many female sculpts this time around... I'm always a sucker for the boys, but not complaining because they included a lovely Suigintou! Although I'm not partial to the amount of blushing Yui does, she still has done beautiful work!

Also, on an unrelated note, I lost out on a Cecile Scarface on Mandarake by a day, and it's been killing me since. He was the first Volks boy I saw in person, and I have had a long-time eye on him since! The extravagant fullsets were always out of my possible range of spending on a doll, but the Mandarake Cecile was just the doll in all his pouty scar-faced glory only 60,000 yen....aish.

 

My SD10 Williams arrived a couple days ago. more of his box opening will be here since I can't put it all in this post: Login • Instagram
He got the most customs charges i have ever received, almost $150 so Americans, consider yourself lucky.

Here's a comparison of him with my SD13 Williams and Midi Williams, he feels a lot more similar to my midi Reisner in my opinion though, it's the lips.

Spoiler: image 2

He's my first new from Volks doll, all my other Volks kids have been secondhand so that was very fun! He is such a cutie with that soft faceup but I need to change out his eyes and decide on a wig to get/look.

Spoiler: image 3

Spoiler: image 4

 

I agree with so much of what you said. And more than that, your comments made me really take a better look at the details of these one-offs. Before, I was so starstruck by all the pretty that I couldn't really appreciate the details properly. So, thank you!

I super duper agree with you on Shinku, btw. A lot of one-offs seem to give her very dramatic makeup, which I don't like as well on her. "Less is more" indeed!

What a shame that you missed out on him! Still, I'm sure you'll find him again. Persistence is key in this hobby!

Oooo, he's gorgeous! I'm so jealous! I didn't realize I liked Williams so well until I started seeing owner pictures of his Boyhood version. Now I'm kicking myself for having missed him, lol!

That said, I think the SD13 version is my favorite Williams sculpt. I hope you post more pictures of your lovely boys!

 

Thank you! And yeah I feel it goes that way a lot of the time with Volks sculpts, you don't really know the possibilities until you see owner pictures. I feel like they will do a rerelease on these guys at some point though.
And I have to agree about SD13, he was my first and was my grail since I started in the hobby so he is really special. I would really love to own a Romantic Glance Williams but finding one for non-scalper prices hasn't happened thus far so I'll wait.
Here's a solo pic of Orpheus for you, I usually post on instagram since it's such a hassle to add pictures here unfortunatley. ^^;

 

Actually, Volks does the trade exchange service for body parts.
Upper arm + elbows + lower arm is replaceable. They charge $143 to replace it in LADP. However, the entire are looks wired which I don't think you will be able to get it replace with SDGR girl arm.

Congrats! He's so cute. Looking forward seeing more pictures of him.
My SD10 Williams is stuck somewhere within the USPS network since Nov 28th.
Hope I can get mine soon.

 

Now that December is upon us, did anyone take any photos this year or in years prior of their dolls in an autumn setting? When taking autumn photos, what colours of leaves do you prefer? Do you prefer leaves on trees or on the ground? Do you have a favourite spot?

Sometimes, I make it outside for doll photos in the autumn season but it does not happen every year. I actually really love yellow leaves but in Japan, the red leaves are the most popular and tend to be smaller so photograph better with dolls. It is my preference to have leaves on the ground since the leaves create such a pretty carpet as long as they are not yet too brown and shrivelled. My favourite spot for photographing dolls with autumn leaves is the garden at Tenshi no Sato.

Here is my Allegra (Volks Coco) with some Japanese autumn leaves:

​

This year, I actually made it down to Tenshi no Sato when the leaves were covering the paths so could take this shot of my Allegra (Volks Coco) among the fallen leaves:

Spoiler: pic 2

​

 

Looking at all those gorgeous one-offs and I realize that the more one-off Victoriques I see the more certain I am that the face-up I love most on her is her default face-up ... Don't get me wrong, the one-off Victoriques are all stunning, there's just something about her default face-up that really, really connects with me.

 

Well, I’m stuck home this week since there was a positive covid test at my school.

At least I have plenty of projects to keep me busy at home, like this cute girl. I’m planning on doing some hand blushing, and I will be attempting to sand an older body to lighten the yellow a bit, too, for a different project doll.

 

@reaperofleaves oh he's such a well dressed cutie!

@elphsnt Allegra is adorable! I always adore autumn for its bold colors so I did drag my girls out a lot! (tho I am very envious of those perfectly in scale leaves!)

@Aiko-chan stay safe! (and do provide more pics of the little darling!)

And I can't believe I am writing that, but due to an absolute insane combination of karma or a personal 2020 redemption arc, @I<3MySD has just won me the elusive discontinued F15 I was hunting! (not Show/Syo, the pre FCS F15) on a real life estate auction!
I might be still in shock means I finally have a full set of all the pre FCS discontinued heads holy heck
Can't wait to glam her up and put her together with her sisters!

 

Thank you! I’d love to see one of your favorite photos if one were to stick out in your mind. And, congratulations! That’s wonderful news about the SD F15 and I hope you’ll share photos

 

@elphsnt I think my own fav would be this one here

And there will be so many pictures you all will be begging me to stop she's the reason I consider unprivating my IG again just so that people have an easier time finding references for the old discontinued Volks dolls because that on occasion drove me bonkers

 

Oh, I adore the pumpkin backdrop! It showcases your beautiful girl so well.

 

Ahhh, those photos are so pretty! I love autumn photoshoots! Alas, I live in Florida, and we don't really get much autumn, let alone fall color. Some years I manage to visit relatives in the mountains while the leaves are turning, but not this year. I'm just gonna have to live vicariously through other people's photos for now!

I really love that hooded sweater Allegra is wearing. It's so cute!

Oh my goodness! What a lucky find! A thousand congratulations to you!! I hope you'll share some pictures once she's all glammed up. It's so hard to find good shots of the OG sculpts!


EDIT: Derped out for a second on how the quote function works, lol

 

It was a long journey! I drove about 600 miles round trip, but it was worth it. I wasn't going to go until I saw that the owner's website had the F-15 listed. We couldn't find her in the online auction photos so the only option was to go and see for myself! Covid precautions were followed to a T, and I kept distant from everyone. The bidding was intense, but she has been secured! She is definitely in a sorry state right now, but it's good to know she exists!

Spoiler: A well-loved FCS F-15. Almost hard to recognize her under all that makeup!

I cannot wait to see your old FCS crew complete!

This was all payback because @Roterwolkenvogel sent me an oldskin SD G body completely free of charge, so I had to return a kindness!

 

Has anyone placed an order on the Volks international site lately? I placed one days ago and they put a hold for the total amount of my card but now it's disappeared and my order hasn't been updated. Not sure if this is typical for the site or not!

 

@TabletopPhantom
I did last month. My status didn’t update, but the funds cleared after 3-4 days. It took about 2 weeks to get a shipping notice. My items were in stock (not lottery or pre-order). Once it shipped I got my order in like 3 days!!

 

I had an order done just a couple weeks ago and I have noticed that it's taken a bit longer than usual for the orders to process. Typically, get the payment pre-approved (and it shows up as pending in your bank account), and then they charge/process the payment once the order is actually sent out.

Does it say that your order is getting processed in the website? If so, I wouldn't worry.

 

I have also placed a recent order on the international webshop on the 12th, though there has been no update in status just yet.

So I have been away from the doll hobby for some time figuring out life and getting a routine up, but found I still missed playing with dolls! Although I may be sucked away by life again come January, but I’m hoping I can still have motivation to make clothes and things for them.

I bought a couple of new dolls, and a white SD Mai was one of them. She arrived today! I love her default faceup, eyes and wig so she will be kept as is.

 

Thank you for your kind words! I hope you will be able to make it to the mountains next year.

The reason I wanted to respond, though, was to share with you that I found Allegra's sweater at a Tokyo Dolpa. It was made by this Korean company: PrincessDoll

 

Ah, thank you for that link! I'd never heard of PrincessDoll before. They have some very cute things!

 

Glad to see you finally got ahold of one, I can't wait to see her all cleaned up and put together!

 

@Melissa can't believe it either you and your F15 definitely saved my sanity while I searched for my own!

 

It seems 2020 has ended on a high note... kind of. Although the situation in Japan is not great in terms of the outbreak numbers, I now have a new doll muse to distract me from it all. Yay for escapism!

Here is my newest girl, Alouette, who came home earlier this week. She is a one-off Victorique, one of my favourite sculpts of all time:

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Although this ensemble is not quite my style, I do love the vibrant colours and festive feel. It actually inspired me to plan a whole season greetings kind of thing earlier than usual. Usually, I am scrambling at the last minute throwing together some stuff as the light is fading on the 23rd of December so I can post something on Flickr and IG.

This photo is one of a series of four photos called "High in the Clouds." I am not much of a photographer due to a lack of patience, but my goal is to be more creative with my photo backdrops. For this one, I actually did a trial run the evening before just to see how all the little lights photographed, but I really probably spent too much time setting it up considering I only kept four photos.

Question: How do you create backdrops? Do you have any tips on how to create backdrops?

I have noticed in Japan, at least, a lot of collectors have permanent little photo set-ups with props and stuff, but I honestly do not have the space for something like that in a well-lit area.

 

@elphsnt shes beautiful, congrats!

@I<3MySD how exciting!

@yoake she is so beautiful in that white skin!

My FCS boy from the latest round is home at last from the faceup artist (Pepstar) after being stuck in the mail for a bit. He’s an F-57 in white, I love him so much! I have so many character ideas swimming around in my head for him.
Sorry for the dark picture. The evenings are so dark here!

 

@elphsnt so nice to see more shots of your Alouette! She looks good in this interesting western ensemble made from traditional styled Japanese fabric.

For photo backdrops when it’s temporary, I collect large fabrics (tulles for easy draping or fabrics that can pass off as wallpaper) to hang at the back, if not, use printed photo backdrops scaled to 1/3 size. I used to have 2-3 such backdrops though would need space to be stored. Setting up and taking down was always quite a chore. ;p

@Majenta yay to your new fcs boy! It’s so exciting to be able to order just the doll you want. Hope you get more time to take photos of him in daylight!

 

Thank you! And, congratulations on having your new boy home from the face-up artist! It’s always exciting to get to know the newcomers. Out of curiosity, what is your favorite feature your F57 head possesses?

Thank you! I tend to take iPhone shots and camera shots, but this is a camera shot. My iPhone is great but my camera lens captures and interprets light a fair bit better.

Thanks for sharing your photo backdrop tricks! I have not used photo backdrops but use a lot of fabrics, too. I think I’m growing tired of my fabric choices, though... Maybe I need to get more tulle and sheer fabrics in different colors.

 

@yoake it is so nice to see you back in the hobby! And you picked such a lovely girl

@elphsnt ooooh your girl is amazing! And such a clever idea on the backdrop!

@Majenta just hot d a m n /swoons

My stressed Yahoo purchases (the wait for the auction re F15 got to me okay lol) arrived today and the dress I splurged on absolutely needed some picture time!


Agrippa (Michele) & AJ (F16)

 

Thank you! She is quite the little charmer.

Congratulations on your new dress! The sleeve details are especially exquisitely done and the colour is beautiful. What a really wonderful find.