VOLKS USA SD17B Shiro Tachibana In-Store Lottery

Well, he's really, really, REALLY pricy! Yikes.

 

It looks like it's geared more towards locals (with a high monetary allowance for dolls) since you have to enter and pickup at the store. No shipping available.

 

He's still way less than I paid on YJ! >_< ... If I lived in LA, I'd've saved myself several hundred dollars. And no shipping, hoo hoo.

Good luck to all those who get up early to wait in line for this rare beauty! I gotta admit, he is worth a hell of a lot of hassle.

 

If I lived in LA area I would be all over that.....Goodluck to everyone who plans to go there and enter for him!!!!!

 

Gorgeous guy , even if i live in LA I do not have that type of money to spend on dollies

 

I'm with you there chinadoll. Ability to enter, yes. Ability to afford? no.

 

There's no need to wait in line. But hey, this makes him even more rare and special since this narrows down the number of people within the lottery and the quantity of the doll itself.

 

I agree with you carmen171. He's absolutely gorgeous, and a rare treat for some lucky person in the LA area.

 

Sorry. These dolls are NOT worth the hassle.

 

Really? You come on to this thread just to tell people that the doll they want isn't worth it? That's rude.

 

I am looking forward to hitting the store and taking a look at this new skin tone (and how it's different from the other dark tones) since they mention he will be on display. I wonder if they will start to offer this skin tone in other dolls.

 

I would love to get him someday. I wonder if Volks will ever offer him in other skin tones at a later date, so that everyone can have a chance at him.


Briar

 

@BriarRose: I sincerely hope so!

I double checked to make sure Volks doesn't charge extra for tan skin dolls (Kaelin and Irvin were the same price when they were offered). I'm trying to figure out if $1,925 is the rough figure we are looking at for the adjusted price of SD17 LEs. If so...... oooooouch. >__< I knew it was going to be high, but wow. Still so much cheaper than whats being offered on Y!J and eBay.

.... I wish I didn't like this doll so much~ ><;

 

He is gorgeous in that color, but man oh man I paid enough for my FCS so I am tapped out on spending that kind of money again. If I had unlimited funds I would hop on a plane real quick and try my luck at getting him.

 

I also paid more for him at Y!J :-/ But I do not regret buying him at all. I personally agree with Jenny, he is absolutely worth it! So good luck to everyone who will try for this gorgeous boy!

 

That's a good idea! I'd like to see how the new skin tone compares to my Irvin's ebony skin (although he is a few years old) and the sunlit skin of their FCS lineup.

 

For real.... Some trolls. Ermm, I mean, some people. No filter.

Seems to me that if you haven't gone after the doll, you have no idea what hassle is actually involved, & therefore you have no idea whether it's worth it. Once you go through it, then you're qualified to determine whether or not it's worth it. For me, Shiros are always worth it. I would've liked to know that this in-store opportunity would be coming later, because it might even have been a good excuse to take a trip to LA.

It seems both brighter and redder-- Volks's notes were that it's supposed to be redder than Sunlight, to "strongly suggest Shiro's suntanned copper-colored skin". In some lights it's very yellowy, though. In natural light it's a really nice toasty tan color. But YMMV-- it seems to look different on absolutely everybody's camera & everybody's monitor so far!

Before Volks's unilateral price-increases, Shiro's original base price was like ~$1800-- so my guess is yes, this sounds like the adjusted price.

Not sure if they're now charging more for the special new color of resin, but it's possible. I thought normalskin SD17s used to be more like 1500, but the dollar is taking such a drubbing from the yen these days, it's hard to tell what's a markup & what's exchange-rate damage.

 

Man, I REALLY wish I lived in CA! I couldn't afford a Shiro, but at least I could go catch a glimpse of him in person. No way could I afford the doll or the airfare... (...Although if it were a tan Genji, I would sell my kidney and hop on a plane.)

Anyway, he's quite lovely, from what I can see of the owner pics. That dark skin is gorgeous!

 

I've seen Shiro in person and he is really amazing! I would love to own him, but I just don't have the money to spend now or the room for another SD17B.

With Volks USA's recent price increase, I would expect future SD17 boys to be similarly priced. With that said, I think anyone who's interested in him that can enter the lottery should do so. It's not often that Volks releases darker skin dolls and Shiro is truly one of a kind

 

expensive boy><
but he's really lovely! have seen photos of Shiro from my friend, he is truly gorgeous!
no shipping is kinda bonus point lol
congrats to LA people!

 

When I say its not worth the hassle (to me) its not the price or the quality of the dolls. (Hijikata or Genji are the ones I'd think about looking at plane tickets for rather than Shiro, BTW). Volks makes lovely dolls, w/consistently excellent quality &#8211; I OWN 2. Its the HASSLE which I really don't have to experience to know it is one - you know, trying to find somebody to buy the doll for you etc etc etc. I never will understand why Volks out of all these doll companies does this. Making a doll limited, expensive, even a lottery - sure., BUT their marketing insanity just leaves me cold.

 

JennyNemesis:&#8203; Yeah, I read that the new skintone is redder than sunlight, but I wonder just how different it is from Ebony. People say that Ebony oranges over time. Maybe Shadow is an updated version of the formula? Either way, Im looking forward to the comparison. Im hoping that it'll be placed in an area where photos are allowed, but it probably wont be as previous One-Offs, displayed at the store, were not allowed to be photographed.

Teleri: Volks is one of the few bjd companies to have a physical store. Off the top of my head, I think that Bluefairy also has one - Sora Iro. And yes, Bluefairy also has store-only exclusive dolls. And even other companies like Dream of Doll releases site-specific exclusives, like their tanskin DOI elven boy that they only released at a South Asian doll convention. Most doll companies have that hard-to-attain Limited.

I could be wrong with the specifics of other companies, but the fact is that Volks makes their dolls more attainable for Americans by providing us with a physical US-based store, official retailers, and an international site. There is no other company that has done ALL of this and still exists today.

 

Being an otaku (major anime fan) I have to agree about Japanese marketing. Right now Jdramas (for instance) are losing out to Kdramas due to this myopia about foreign marketing. What to do... an Atlanta Volks store would be very nice

 

lol.....I just love Volks!! And, I live in the store if they'd let me.

 

And something in the middle as well, for those of us who do not live on either coast. I perked right up when I saw that he was being offered, but tacking on the price of airfare to LA puts him in the "absurd" price range for me. Oh well.

 

This doll has already been offered in two online lotteries and now they're offering some left overs to those who come into the store. I don't see how that's making it a hassle to get him. There were plenty of opportunities to get a Shirou before this.

It's like getting mad at a store for making you go there in person to buy something or take advantage of a sale. Volks USA is an actual store front. They like encouraging people to visit the store. That actually makes it worthwhile to continue to have the store front, as I highly doubt they turn much of a profit, if any, on it.

 

Neither the price nor the timing nor the method of sale should really come as a surprise. VolksUSA mentioned months ago that they'd be doing this in-store lottery. He'd have to have arrived at the store in the Saber/Yukinojo shipment, so it couldn't have happened earlier. The price increase is despair inducing, but so was Hasekura's, and the exchange rate is not something Volks can manipulate without a huge loss at this point. I'd rather they stay in business in the US, thanks!!

 

Store photos probably wouldn't help much anyway... you know Volks's store & event lighting is always horrible. xD I swear if they ever do hold another domestic Dolpa, I will be donating a crate of good lightbulbs and decent lampshades.

Ebony seems more orange-y at its base. Shadow seems brighter. They are different, but I can't quite put my finger on a good shorthand description! - I do know one or two Irvins locally, but I've not yet gotten to see them next to my Shiro IRL. Wish I had a photo to contribute. (Perhaps the discussion thread or database has somebody's photo of Shadow next to Ebony?)

As for how it ages, we'll be finding that out soon enough!

 

How I wish I could hop on a plane to LA for this boy! Guess I'll have to be content to admire him from afar. Good luck to those able to enter the lottery for him!

 

And those of you who are nearby or willing to make the trip are quite welcome to do so. I was reacting to the comment that it would be a lovely dream to have a physical store near here ("near" as in those of us who live in that great space between the mountains could get there reasonably efficiently).

You don't have to agree that it is a nice thought. Nor am I attacking Volks. But it does put him out of my range. That is all.

P.S. By the way, whether he was readily available before this is a moot point. If we'd already gotten one, there's a good chance we wouldn't have been interested in this offering. Right?

 

I always thought it would be cool if they had an NYC store since it'd be convenient for my occasional shopping trips into the city. But alas, with the death of the NY Dolpa, I doubt that will ever happen. And I really do wonder how much actual business the CA store gets.

Well, I mean, this is like.... the 4th release of the doll, you can't say they've been forcing people to jump through hoops to get him because they've already given ample opportunity before now to acquire him.

I can't get over his story. Really? Talking mountains? Shirou may need to lay off the bong and remember that most mountain rescue is to get annoying tourists down from ski slopes they're not good enough to run.

 

Kim - LOL!! I thought something rather similar after I read Shiro's story. Maybe there's something in his self-tanner? ^o^ And I agree, I would love an NYC store (Or maybe a kiosk? A traveling cart? Table on a street corner?), but the timing isn't right. At this point, I'd be happy just to get another NYC Dolpa. *sigh*

Like I said earlier, I envy those who get to go to the LA store in person for this guy. Have a blast, everyone!

 

I do hope a bunch of people show up for the lottery and are actually able to enter! It would be a little embarrassing to have all the fans just standing there looking longingly at him but unable to afford the price tag.

 

I love the new Shadow skin tone that was used on this Shiro, and if this had been used on Yukinojo Gou, I'd have be over the moon! I must admit to being a tad envious of those Volks fans who are local to Volks USA.

I'm also longing for another US NYC Dolpa. Even one in Chicago would work for me, but I guess if I must journey to Torrance, CA so be it. Nothing against the LA or Torrance area, just that being a non-driver, I have the idea it'd be it more difficult for me to work out a way to get to the actual Volks USA store, verses navigating around public transport in NYC or Chi-town.

Meanwhile, for JennyN and everyone else curious about skintone comparisons, I did find a Gallery thread with photos of Shadow Shiro and Ebony Ruby together! Here's the link:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?535955-Sparrow-Volks-SD16-Ruby-ebony-pureskin

Since Shadow Shiro has been so popular, my hope is that Volks will continue to make more dolls in deeper skintones like Ruby (hint-hint)!

Juli DC

 

ROFL! A travelling Volks kiosk! I love it.

 

Hot dogs! Pretzels! Rolexes! DVDs! Volks Dolls! Get 'em while they hot!

 

I'm picturing some shady guy in a trench coat lined in recasts, lol!

julidc, thanks for the link. I was thinking the shadow skin would be a little bit darker. I really like it though

 

Shadow resin looks a lot darker IRL than it does in those photos... those are really really bright. (My Shiro's nowhere near that pale.)

 

Lucky you for USA ! It is an amazing guy !!!

 

Oh man!!! I always loved the Shiro Tachibana sculpt and in tan he is even more lovely

I have seen owner pictures of this doll and he looks fabulous, the price is too high for me but worth it! I would not think twice if I was living in LA...but reality sucks sometimes

 

HAHAHA! Could you imagine the weight of that coat (when he goes to open it and there are all of those rows of dollfies)?


"Volks dolls, get yer Volks here. I got Shiro, I got Yukinojo here - Ow. Dumb Gous are killing my back..." *snerk*

St. James - LOL! I'm sure there will be plenty of people actually getting him.

 

Did any lucky one win shiro? I can't wait for more shiro spam!

 

The Shiro lottery results will not be until Oct 27.

 

I wish I had the money for a Shiro. He is a very gorgeous guy! Looking forward to owner pics.

 

Thk u for the clarification! Im crossing my fingers for all who entered!

 

Just saw the SD17 Shiro at VolksUSA and compared my ebony-skin Irvin. The shadow skin has more of an orange-yellow undertone to the resin, and its a lighter brown. I usually think my Irvin has oranged since I first bought him, but his skintone looks more brown in comparison to shadow skin.

 

Is there anyone who knows how many Shiro be released ?
There was same event in Volks Korea, they released about 10 shiros .
I have to spend money to buy other doll, so I can't participate in this event though I live in LA T- T.
Anyway I will see him in Volks store, it's sooo exciting !
Fingers crossed for everyone who will apply this event!

 

Oh another week. I wonder if anyone on DoA here will win him!

 

Good, super luck to everyone! I can't wait to see gorgeous pics of these boys! ^____^

 

I wish best of luck to everyone who enters!! I am very curios who the lucky winners going to be.
LA locals who wins him would be saving hundreds of dollars...I heard some people who got Shiro through Volks Japan had to pay nearly $2800 cuz of horrible exchange rate, yikes. x_X

 

The big day is upon us! Please take lots of pics if you are going to share with us!!! I am so excited for everyone who can attend !!!!!

 

Did anybody go?... And did anybody win a Shiro?....

 

I'm wonder that myself. Maybe no one local could afford him...

 

yes. There were 5 lucky winners. I don't know how many people tried to get him but I saw the winner board on Saturday and there were 5 people on there.

 

Excellent! Kudos to those lucky 5.
(Wow, were there really only 5 Shiros available...? Or were there really only 5 entrants?)

 

I was at the Volks store last Sunday and he was breath taking. A lovely lady who was at Bruce's con was there and purchased him. ( Nice couple too, did not get your name but you had a picture of all your dolls on your purse ! )

 

Hi Aichan, that was me and my boyfriend -- so nice to meet you!

I was amazed to see tan Shiro FS; so lucky that we stopped there on our way home after the SD con. He's settling in nicely here -- though his younger self (my SD13 Shiro) isn't so sure about that...

 

Yay! Congratulations! That is some excellent luck!