Which do you prefer: Buying heads and bodies separate or complete dolls?

I prefer getting whole dolls, head and body from the same company, but I have found I am very specific with bodies. They need to have a certain shape and flexibility about them. A head I may like may not have a body I like, so I will just get the head, and a company may make a body I like so I will hybrid it. I currently have a Mystic Kids Evelyn head on a LoongSoul 3-part torso body and am much happier with it than the Mystic kids body.
But if I could find a company who I love both body and head I would definitely prefer it!

 

im a newbie so the thought of hybriding a doll is a tad scary... im worried about resin not matching, or the body looking strange with the head. so i think in general i will stick to buying complete dolls, with heads and bodies from the same company. it also just feels better to me if i get the head and body at the same time.
though i have bought an event head, im worried ill never be able to get a body for him... so i dont think ill do that very often!

 

As a collector, I prefer whole dolls, but I made an exceptions when I bought Athena's (my Iplehouse fantasy Grace) head because she didn't come with a body, and it's also a bit difficult to find her sculpt on the market.

 

I think personally I would like to hybrid my dolls, buying a head I like for a character I have in mind and a separate body that might come in a different shape or look than the one that might have been originally sold with the head I think gives me more chance of making my doll look a bit more individual, and I have a better chance of getting the body and facial features that I would like for my character :3 I also find collecting different parts of a doll and bringing them together kinda fun and exciting~

 

In the past I'd buy the whole doll. And I'd still rather do that I think, as long as the body is good. When I first got into the hobby my requirements were basically just cute face and affordable. It's become double jointed body, nice face and affordable. Getting all of those in a single doll is often pretty difficult.

So buying heads and saving for bodies or using existing bodies allows you to work on character before hand, and also makes sure I can get a body I like for the head in question.

So I guess it depends. Id rather buy them all at once, but there are a lot of circumstances i just can't, or wouldn't, and it hardly annoys or upsets me when it happens.

 

So, my question is do you prefer to purchase heads and bodies separately or full dolls and why?

I prefer to buy heads and bodies separately because I rarely like both the doll and the body from the same company, let alone that sold for the doll. I value poseability, and therefore want mobility thigh joints and hip joints, and I prefer my knee and elbow joints to be "floating" rather than a hidden peanut.

I usually end up dyeing both the head and the doll body anyway, so resin match isn't as important. (You can also blush or airbrush the head to match--which I did with my most recent mod: "Hermes.")

I guess, unless you love bodies/heads from the same company or sister companies (Dollzone/Doll Chateau or Dollshe/Dollstown, for example), you have to decide if the head/body is more important, or the resin color match.

 

I'd prefer complete dolls, save me the troubles of looking for matching parts from different companies. But if said doll is only available as heads only, and I really wanted it, then I have no choice, haven't I? I'd get the head and search the body for it...But it's not always easy as it involves a lot of searching and it may eventually cost more than a full doll or if you're lucky, it can be cheaper. It really depends. But as for my own experience, the only downside is that the waiting time is stretched even longer, but I'm not complaining because I know it's going to be worth it. ^_^

 

Straight from the start, I've aimed at buying full dolls and I still prefer this way of collecting.
There are many disadvantages in buying a head then a body, especially if you want them new.
First, you usually get a better price by buying a full doll. Secondly, different companies do not propose the same skin colours and the same neck sizes. Thirdly, the styles of the different companies come through their sculpts. This means that even if you succeed in finding the right colour body and the right neck size, you'll subconsciously be looking for the 'right' body because the aesthetics of the body and the head differ - well, this is my experience, anyway -.
By and large, I find it cheaper and less annoying to get a full doll.

 

I say, having the whole bjd is easier, but have acouple of hybrid's in my collection and recently, I put my FL Sienna head on my Mirodoll 60cm girl body with big bust, it worked wonderful, love her to bits. Also was hoping my new boy AS Jeremy would go on my Mirodoll 60cm Boy with thicker neck, but unfortunately does not fit, so I got to either mod the neck or but another head . I'm rather sad on that last one, I spent most of the year looking for the right head and body. If anyone has ideas for the body I have, please get in touch Merry Christmas

 

I prefer getting whole BJDs if I agree with both head and body. But I have an hybrid and I would have more if the character needs a different body for a certain head. It is sometimes difficult or stressful to find the perfect match (I have bought 3 different bodies for a head till I found the perfect one) but when you find it, it's magical.

 

I feel more comfortable buying full dolls, mostly because I feel guilty if I have just a floating head lurking around. I got a guy right now that I bought from a friend that is just...sitting there all sad in my craft room.
I do think I messed up a bit in my last doll. His body is so beefy and his head is proportionately small so...maybe in the future I'll have to see if I can get separate bodies.

 

As I'm just starting out, whole bodies are easier but there are a few heads by themselves that I really like and would have no problem buying separately to just get them and then worry about finding a good fit of a body for them.

 

I only have one doll at the moment and she came as a full doll. Seeing as I have no other experience with bodies, I think for beginners, it would be better to buy a whole doll, since from what I've gathered reading through the forums, hybrid takes some time to master (resin matching, etc.). Also, as a newbie, I'd like to decide for myself if I like a body or not.

 

Buying full dolls is much more convenient - but I find that I'm very picky and I like being able to find the perfect parts for what I have in mind. However, making a hybrid requires a lot of research. It can be tedious. Despite that, I might still prefer to buy in parts. I don't want to buy a full doll and start to dislike it just because I'm not happy with the parts.

 

It looks like I prefer to buy them seperately

Doing it this way makes buying a doll more affordable, you can spend time working on just the head until the body arrives. It prolongs the excitement of waiting too, lol --Which is one of the best parts. And double the box opening joy.
And you can make sure the body is exactly what you want too.
I have three dolls I've put together in this way, one in the works, and another one I'm planning on and I feel like I have a greater enjoyment of those dolls.

 

I...like to do both, in a...complicated way, I guess you could say.

There are times where the head really suits the body, and so I get them together. On some occasions I've liked/needed both head and body, but for different characters. In those cases, the head and body get swapped to be hybrided with another head/body. Other times I just like to straight up get just the head or body separate.
It's all based on what options are available, and what specifically works for the character I'm working with at the time

 

I have to say that I prefer buying full dolls; it's just a really good feeling when you open up a box and there's a doll in there ready to go. Not to mention it's always nice to not have to fret over resin matching (if that's something that tends to bother you a lot). However, that said, the next doll I'm buying for myself in a few days is going to be a hybrid. I fell in love with this Dikadoll head but I just don't like the bodies that they come with at all so the plan is to get her head and buy a Myou Doll body for her. She's going to be my second doll and my first hybrid

 

Complete dolls are more convenient for me xD
Hybrids can actually save you a lot of money, but since I live quite far from where these companies are based, buying a head and a body from different companies will just mean more expensive shipping cost Dx

 

I tend towards hybrids with human dolls due a couple of reasons.

First is the curse of tiny British housing meaning I simply don't have much room to have more than a couple of dolls out and I don't have storage space for extra bodies/dolls etc. I'm also renting so that mean moving regularly so I have to keep the amount of possessions down as it's a pain to have to move a load of stuff everytime.

Second is that i'm very picky about the possibility of the bodies so i'd rather have a couple of really good bodies and use those. As most of my characters tend to have full outfits/costumes, most of the body is covered so the aesthetics of the body isn't that important.

Third is cost, it's usually much cheaper to buy a head than a full doll. And finally I like the flexibility of being able to change the character with a head change as I need plenty of variety to keep me interested in something.

Of course there are the usual disadvantages of resin/proportions mismatches and some companies don't sell heads separately; which is a pain when I see a head sculpt I really like but don't want to have to buy the body as well.

With anthro dolls I tend towards getting the complete doll as the overall aesthetics are more important than with generic human shaped dolls (also anthro dolls tend to be sold as full dolls and far less easy to hybrid etc) XD

 

I like getting full dolls since I'm not a very big fan of hybriding due to resin color difference. But there are times when I have no other option but to buy the body and the head separately, like when the company only sells heads and they don't offer any bodies to go with them. There are also times where I choose not to get the body from the same company. That only happens when the body is not readily available and it's too expensive second hand and I know for sure that there are other companies that would match the resin color.

 

Complete dolls, easily. That said I DO have two floating heads since one is a head I bought on discount sale since I needed that head for a modding project, and the other one because its's a male head I was planning on using on a female body.

 

Complete dolls. Im too lazy to find a matching head for a headless body. A full doll ismless hassle and i don't have to worry about thier skin tones matching either :3

 

I like to buy complete doll and with face-up from company too.
I'm too impatient to wait separately for doll's head/body. One month wait time is already hard for me XD

 

I like the doll choice that Iplehouse offers so you can mix and match sculpts and body features.

 

I like buying heads and bodies separately. Buying a complete doll is easier for sure, but I like having different options for bodies, especially if I have something really specific in mind for that character. It takes some extra research and makes things a bit more complicated (resin match, proportions, etc.), but I think it's so worth it to have a doll that is exactly what you want.

 

I prefer a complete full doll.

 

I also prefer complete dolls, event heads being an exception.

 

I like complete dolls because I everything at once and its a 100% match. However, it can be a lot cheaper to buy a head with a different companys body.. The problem is the neck girth and color match. I've still yet to buy seperate, but I have plans.

 

In a perfect world I would like to buy complete dolls, but unfortunately that isn't this world lol. I have only bought 1 doll complete so far. All of my others have arrived to me separate. It is usually just because I will see someone selling a head sculpt that I want, so I will end up buying the head, and then having to search for a body for it. That or they are selling a whole doll but I don't like one aspect of it (the head, the bust size, etc) so I buy it whole and then resell the part I don't like. Its a hassle, but its nice to buy them separate if you know there is something about the full one that you don't necessarily like. But in a perfect world they would all come exactly as you would like them lol

 

I do prefer to buy complete dolls, my first doll was complete. But my 2nd is a floating head currently, been a hard job trying to find a body I like that will match in resin tone and size of the head.. it is quite frustrating. I think I'd rather just get a full doll and save myself the hassle and worry of the body not matching the head when it comes.

 

I go for hybrids 90% of the time. I want the body to be as good looking as the head, and I like a good poser. I'm jealous, though, of how easy it is to buy a full doll, because there's a guaranteed match and there's no awkward wait time where you have a body sitting around without a head because it hasn't arrived yet

 

I prefer to buy my own choice of head, body & parts plus whatever wigs,outfits or other gear they have. You always have a dislike or something you like from the other doll set being offered. Usually it's better to buy from the same company so matching with the same skin color is not a problem. Then your shipping cost does make up of the cost too. I usually do it in layaway cause it's gonna be months to arrive. But sometimes doll choices does not permit it.

 

I'm getting more and more into customizing dolls, as I hope to one day actually make my own. This means for me I am leaning more toward either a whole doll, but unpainted or unpainted separate pieces. I also sew or crochet my own clothes. The thing I want to do next is make my own wig and wig cap.

 

well i would prefer to buy a whole doll i dont think i'm brave enough to do a hybrid

 

Complete dolls are by far my preferred option.

(Resin matching does my head in!)

This isn't to say I don't have a few hybrids, as I do, but my definite preference is for the doll to come complete. (And, yes, this also stretches to arriving already face-upped!)

 

For me... most of the time it would be a full body but I love the idea of hybrids. So I am looking at bodies & heads for future projects.

 

it depends, i only like loongsoul's body so if the face sculpt is not from loong soul i would most likely just buy the head only or i will buy the whole body and sell the body.

 

I will definitely always go for complete dolls. I would always worry that the resins may not be a good match and that I might procrastinate and not get around to buying the necessary body or head!

 

I prefer to get the heads than a whole doll cause most of the time I don't like the original bodies that they come with, plus matching heads to bodies is super easy!

 

I gravitate toward complete dolls so the skin all matches but that being said, one of my favs is a hybrid because I could only afford the head at the time and I was afraid it was going to be discontinued. Turned out to be great because the body was a better match aesthetically.

 

I'm fairly new to the hobby. Maybe someday I'll experiment with hybrids, but for now I'd rather buy complete dolls. I'm not ready to play the resin-matching game just yet.

 

My first few dolls are full dolls as I was quite drawn towards 2 companies. And I was new into the hobby, I did not explore much into hybrid. Then I got into fantasy 1/6 and wanted all their parts to be from the same company to have close resin match and purely all parts from that company. So I do have hybrids but all parts from the same company.

Then as years goes by, I started doing research on certain companies. I like a head from a certain company but not so much on their body. Same goes to doll body from another company, but didn't really like their heads. Seeing some hybrids out there who had the same combination I wanted, I decided to give it a try!

Got a floating head and currently waiting for the body to arrive!

 

I have a hybrid and the common reason is: I did not like the body that came with the head. Ideally I prefer complete dolls because in my opinion, it is a pain to look up hybrids, especially finding out the skin tones don't match after you bought it. For other people, it might be fun because it is a chance for them to be creative and connect with interesting people who also like hybriding.

 

I love getting complete sets, if a company doesn't have a good body to correspond with the head i'm not gonna take the risk that the head will fit something else I own. If I already have a body from a company I'm happy with I'm happy to have a 3:1 head to body ratio

 

I personally like to buy a full set because having floating heads or bodies with no heads would sort of look creepy. XD But it's really all in what you want and what would make you happy.

 

I absolutely prefer to buy the doll standard and complete. It saves so much hassle and the arrival is far more satisfying. However, we don't live in a perfect world and sometimes the body isn't quite what you had in mind for the character, will make him the wrong height, isn't known for its posing, or a hybrid would be significantly less expensive and you just don't love the original enough to justify the cost. There's a lot of research involved for fit, resin match and proportion, and sometimes the info just isn't there and you have to give a blind leap. If things don't turn out right, it can leave you feeling underwhelmed or sad.

That said, I have 3-4 hybrids with varying degrees of success. I have found I do not bond as well with the hybrided dolls, whether due to cheaper bodies and slight resin mismatch making more 'work', or some vague sense even when finished that they are not perfectly cohesive.

 

I buy complete dolls whenever possible. If I really fall in love with a hybrid project, I need to be able to buy the head and body close together or I just don't have the time or attention span to dedicate to a doll in pieces. I take long enough to get to faceups and clothing as is

 

I recently got a highbred from another collector that I totally love, she's a minife head on a D.C. body. I'll have to post a pic as soon as I figure out how to, she's so cool!

 

I thought I was never really gonna do a hybrid. But then I found an artist who made only a head sculpt that I am in love with that I plan to buy when she puts it on preorder this month. So I am currently looking for a body, and I am starting to realize how picky about the body I am.

Luckily most of the dolls on my wish list have decent bodies. But I wouldn't be surprised if I end up putting a lot of floating heads onto bodies from other companies that I like more. E.g. I'm really picky about hands and body shape, and in my current search for a body, I found out that Spirit Doll has bodies that are basically perfect for my current desired aesthetic. So I might end up just putting spirit doll bodies on heads from other companies xD

However for my first dolls I'm definitely buying full dolls. And if the full doll comes with a body I think looks fine I'll keep it that way.

 

Completes Dolls. I'm completely lost when I need to do hybridation. I really need the perfect match between colors of head and body ... Annnd, it's very difficult to obtain the perfect match in my opinion.

 

Usually I go for the whole set. But if I find a head I fall in love with I will look at bodies to go with it. Or if I find a great price on somthing I may get it whether I will have plans for it or not! XD

 

I personally prefer full body purchasing so that I know for sure that the resin matches 100%. However, if the resin not being exact doesn’t bother you, go for it. Also, a lot of companies also do color matching. So if you have a floating head around, that could be a way to go.

 

I'm pretty new so I would prefer to buy the entire doll in one go, since I don't really know how to tell if the doll's head will fit to the body.. but it seems like all the companies I like sell the bodies and heads separately. Does anyone know a good place I could buy a full doll?

 

I would prefer whole doll because it is very painful to assemble another body or head. It might not fits or it have different skin tone between heads an body.

 

Complete. Because purchased separately head and body may have different colors.

 

I’ve only bought one doll so far and plan to buy more, but I think I prefer buying the head and body together, since they’ll match each other best. That’s my thought though, I could be wrong since heads and bodies are all cast separately from each other as far as I know

 

I would prefer buy a full doll buuuut if I have no choice (artist head for example) I would buy just the head and then look for a compatible body

 

I do prefer buying complete dolls, it's cheaper and easier to get the match, but sometimes I find a beautyfull sculpt but don't like the body (sometimes I even find a nice body with funny specials, but don't like the sculpt, sold with it).

 

I prefer to buy full dolls just so they're complete in that way. I recently bought a head, and I'm hoping the body I want for her will show up on the marketplace. It's kind of fun to browse and see what's available, but at the same time I'm eagerly waiting to dress her up and customize her!

 

I prefer having a complete doll, so: body, head and faceup. I think it makes things easier and receiving them as a full set just feels complete. ^^;