Would you ever Face Up a Limited Edition Doll?

Is the limited edition doll in question one that belongs to you?
If it is, then it is 100% OKAY to do WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH IT.
Give it a new faceup every week if you want. Mod it. Play with it constantly.
Or, keep it pristine, hardly ever touch it, keep it behind glass. Whatever floats your boat, man. Doesn't matter if it's limited, or if it's a super popular non-limited. Doesn't matter if there were 5 ever made, or 500 and new ones being ordered every day.
IT IS OKAY TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH THE DOLL THAT YOU OWN. Period, the end.

 

99% of dolls I buy blank, regardless of if they are limited or not... so yes. Plenty of folks give face-ups to their LEs. This hobby is all about customization, so if you want to paint your LE, I say go for it!

 

Most of my dolls are LE for some reason and all have custom face-ups. I don't think it's considered bad form. To be honest: Even if it were, they're your dolls, so in the end it's your decision .

 

Would and have... I did the faceups on both Teacup and Kaedae (my open-eyed and sleeping Elf Shiwoos-). Like Silk said, if it's your doll it's your choice.

Aside from limited sales where the faceup and costume are the ONLY things making the doll different from a standard (Dolls like CP's old Cyber Bohemian Shiwoo, for instance, who was just a better-dressed and differently painted example of the common sculpt-) and a few unusually picky purists holding on to the "Mint in Box!"-sensibilities they brought in from fashion doll, action figure or other collectibles hobbies, I've never seen anyone grumble about Limited dolls being given custom faces.

 

All my dolls have custom face-ups, limited ot not. I live this hobby by the saying "do what you want cause in the end you paid money for the doll and are allowed to do with it what you want".

Though as previously already said, I have never seen anyone grumble about limited dolls with custom face-ups.

 

Why not? Do you think it is a bad idea? When people buy dolls without face up , in my mind they try to make their own character and it is not bad. If you think that "first" face up is a bad idea for a limited doll...well, owner can clean it up. So there is no problem at all)

 

Definitely. I have a couple of non-basic dolls in my crew, and they all have custom faceups. Except for the latest addition to my crew; I'm still trying to get a feel of his overall style before I send him out for a new face. To me, I get dolls for their sculpts and not their official "looks". So faceups and outfits that comes with a limited doll aren't that important to me. I'm the kind who would wipe off a faceup even if it's on a one-off doll. haha

However, I do know a couple of collectors who try their best to keep their LEs in mint condition. These dolls are usually kept for display and photography purposes and do not really have any character or personalities.

So ultimately, it really depends on what kind of collector you are.

 

I also modded limited dolls *gasp*

Serious: you have some people who are keen on keeping limiteds the way they are, but this hobby is pretty open towards customizing most of the time.
Face-Ups are not permanent (they can be damaged, fade, sealant yellows etc.), blank limited heads can be ordered and the hobby is all about making the doll “yours“ anyway.
Unless you are a collector who wants their limited releases to stay the way you got them from the company there is no reason to not change a few things.

I think more people have a few sculpts they rather not see modded (because it's already very hard to get that certain face the way it was released), but default face-ups are not that important to the majority here.
You see that more with the Dollfie Dream crowd, but the whole full-set thing is handled differently there anyway.

 

Of course. I don't believe BJD's are meant to be preserved to their original look, especially since resin isn't material that lasts forever. There's no reason to keep a face-up if you don't like it, doesn't matter how special or rare it is.

 

Look, people destroy expensive things that they own all the time. Giving a new face-up to a limited edition doll is not necessarily destroying it (in fact, if the faceup in question is fading, chipped, whatever, it's just good maintenance) but it CAN sometimes negatively affect the resale value of the doll. So it depends on if that's an issue or not.

 

My first ever doll was a Luts Yul Satyros with the face-up and the blushing and everything. Recently, I wiped his limited edition face-up and gave him a new one. Why? Because I didn't love him with the old face-up anymore and it was breaking my heart. It took me ages to work up the courage to wipe him, but at the end of the day I never intend to sell him, so the fact that he didn't have a face-up I love just because I was worried about resale value was stupid.
It's all about doing what you're comfortable with, based on how you want to enjoy the hobby. For me, my dolls are creative outlets and things to play with rather than collectors pieces, so as long as I'm happy with them, that's all I care about
(though I did take a bunch of pictures of his old limited face-up so that if I wanted I could recreated it or get someone else to recreate it)

 

Definitely, yes. I would in a heartbeat. I got into this hobby for the customization aspect. If I want a sculpt but the faceup isn't quite right, I wouldn't hesitate in changing it.

 

Yeah, why not? It's the sculpt that's limited edition, not the faceup itself. Even if the faceup is too, with proper pictures a faceup can be reproduced.

 

One of my floating heads is a limited. His faceup was modded by the original owner already, and while I like it, I plan to have it changed because it does not match the character the sculpt itself is for.

Modding, painting, or whatever on a limited doll is just as okay as it is a regular doll. It's your doll; you do as you want with it. Whatever lets you get more enjoyment out of your dolls.

 

Depends. Usually for LE, I must love her/him for a whole doll. Not just any special like faceup/costume/etc. In this case, Volks LE will be my enemy since I don't like their default faceup

 

Yes, of course it's OK to do that - it's your doll once you've bought it, you can do what you like with it.

Teddy

 

Yup! I would definitely put a custom face-up/my own face-up on my limited dolls

 

I've done it before & I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

Absolutely!

It doesn't make a difference if my dolls are LE, discontinued, or standard basics. I buy them to shell my OCs, so it's important that my dolls look like my OCs. My dolls are for me to enjoy, not to be investments.

 

Yeah, of course it's perfectly fine to faceup any doll that you own. Did a faceup, body blushing, and tattoos on one of my limited dolls.

 

I know a lot of people do, but I personally would never change the face up on a limited edition doll *unless* she/he was very cheap and the face up was already in awful condition or changed. I buy most of my dolls second hand, so this is always a possibility. I prefer to keep my dolls as original as possible though.

What you decide to do with your doll though is all up to you! It's your doll and I believe you should enjoy him/her to the fullest.

 

When you pay a ton of money for something you should do whatever you want with it regardless of what people think

 

My goodness, yes! If you paid for a limited, why not make them look their absolute best with a gorgeous face-up? If it looks like butt you can always wipe it and try again, or leave the doll blank if you prefer. I personally don't own any limiteds yet, but when/if I do I'll definitely want a face-up for it. But that's just what I myself would do. You are free to do what you like with your dollies.

 

I do all my doll's faceups including my Volks Kohya who is my only limited.

 

I feel like this is such an important thing to remember, wonderful job wording it! I agree completely with you, and think that even if it's a limited doll, and it's yours, you should do whatever you want with it. I was so nervous about first doing anything to my boy (he's not limited edition, but I thought I'd make a connection), but then I realized he was rightfully MINE and I should be able to mess with him if I wanted to mess with him.

 

You heathen! I can't believe you could do such a thing *keeps her modded Williams hidden behind her back*

To be honest, the only time I've seen a custom face-up negatively affect the resale value, was when the face-up was the thing that made the doll limited. Like in the case of a one-off.

 

I would wonder why I bought the doll if I couldn't bring myself to give it a face-up. It would be like getting a birthday cake and not being allowed to eat any of it.

 

Sure, as long as it wasn't the faceup itself that was LE.

 

If I fell in love with the limited edition faceup I personally wouldn't change it unless it became damaged. However, if I am buying the doll because I like the sculpt and i'm not crazy about the faceup I will change it in a heartbeat. I only have one LE doll and I ordered her blank.

 

I accept sometimes you may end up with a second hand doll that is a limited edition but may not be your ideal look, but do you think it's okay to give a limited edition a faceup?[/QUOTE]
I think if someone buys a doll it is their right to do what they want with it. I personally wouldn't even faceup anything more than a practice head as I am afraid of it but I do draw and paint so once I get comfortable and find a cheap practice head and have the money to get the right pastels and everything will maybe try but I think the issue here is something more. When I have heard people complain against it it was because they wanted to get said doll second market like whoever does it is going to put their doll up for sale and immediately take any offers: that doesn't happen. Most people that [not scalper etc] buy a limited edition have no intention of getting rid of it and when they do have to right to have enjoyed it the way they wanted as they are the ones that won the lotto or however else they got it. Once again, I don't think anyone has the right to tell you what you can and can't do with your doll. You have the right to create its persona, style and looks in the manner that it suits you.

 

Sure. Several of mine are limited and they came to me blank. It's your doll, do what you like, they're no rules.

 

No, I would never faceup a limited edition doll. NEVER EVER. Because I do terrible faceups. LOL!

As has already been mentioned, a doll owner can do whatever they like to their property. But I wouldn't change a limited doll's faceup IF I thought I would possibly want to sell it in the future. Some limited dolls maintain their resale value better if they have their default faceups. If I knew I wanted to keep a limited doll forever, I would have a new faceup put on it if I didn't like the default.

I agree.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I would never faced an LE doll myself, because I have the artistic skill of a potato, but I would totally commission someone to give it a face if I wanted to change the way she looked! I mean, like everyone else has said, if you paid for her, she's yours, you can do whatever you'd like with her. So if I wanted to change the way she looked I definitely would!

 

Well yeah, if I was dead set on keeping it!

 

I prefer to paint on a 2D canvas, so no, however, I would if I enjoyed doing faceups! I don't care if it's limited. It's my doll and I'll do what I want. I don't buy dolls to keep them perfect and sell them for top dollar down the road. I buy them to enjoy having them around. If I enjoyed doing face ups I would totally do that!

The only reason not too is if you love the original face up, don't enjoy doing faceups, or do care about the resale value.

 

I really enjoy giving my dolls face-ups as I feel its part of the bonding experience with them. I think half my girls (and now boy!) are limited, but some (like from Switch) come blank anyways! I figure that if I'm spending all that money, it's worth it if it helps me bond with them

 

Of course. I love this hobby because you can change things. If you love the faceup, keep it. If you don't, don't. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilt over doing something like that. You bought the doll to make you happy and if the faceup doesn't give you joy, then you can change it. That's the freedom of these dolls and one of their finest attributes. Besides, it's rare that companies come out with a faceup that is exclusive in itself, it's the sculpts that are limited so wiping the faceup is unlikely to affect value if that's what your worried about.

 

Yes, I have done so, the doll in my avatar photo was an LE with an overly dramatic faceup, he had a lot of red and purple on his face up, I didn't like it, so I repainted it. I am very happy with it now.

 

well admittedly i'd think it would a bit of shame to wipe a limited face up and i probably wouldn't unless i hated the face up but ultimately it's up to the owner and if a custom face up makes you enjoy your doll more then the default then i say go for it

 

i would, because most likely i bought the doll for the sculpt and might have my own vision for the characters faceup. if there are options to buy them blank, i probably would do that over paying for the LE faceup anyway!

 

Of course! I feel like customization is at the very heart of this hobby! Like hoothoo I'd probably buy future limited edition dolls blank.

 

Sure! Just because I like a limited edition sculpt doesn't mean I like the default face-up.

 

I have a pair of ramcube tiger twin les that I had face upped. They came to me blank though so it didn't really faze me. My Ringdoll Andrew fullset on the other hand well he's not getting a new face up until WELL after he needs it. I just don't like the idea of having the old one removed for a couple reasons. One, it's part of his full set which leads to two) it feels wrong since its part of the artist picture as a whole. I feel it's up to each person though, enjoy the hobby as you see fit.

 

Definitely. It's your doll. You are the only one that has to be happy with it.

 

I buy blank heads, limited or not, so yes, I will do a face- up.

 

Yes! I have a few limited edition dolls. I like doing their face-ups so I just purchase them without the face-up.

 

I'm kind of stuck on this right now, actually. Normally I wouldn't have any trouble with wiping a company faceup and doing one that better suits your character, even if the faceup is limited. But I have a KDF Yul right now with the faceup from the Moonlit Song limited release, and, though I originally planned to wipe it and get a faceup that better fits my character, I've now really fallen in love it with and don't want to get rid of it... It's a conundrum for sure! (I'm actually hoping [maybe pointlessly] to find another WS elf Yul that I can get a faceup like I want, so I can keep the Moonlit Song one as well. It's just so gorgeous! )

 

Why not? It's your doll afterall and it's up to you what you want to do with it. Personally I'd think twice before totally wiping a limited edition faceup since I am also paying for the faceup, so I would kind of find it a waste to wipe it unless I got the LE doll blank to do a custom faceup on. My Switch boy came with default faceup but because Switch didn't accept custom requests I had to add in a scar on my own simply because the character he is has a scar. (It was reaaaally nerve-wrecking because I was afraid of ruining the original faceup so I only had one chance to get the scar right). Some people might balk at that because it might "hurt" the value of the doll or something, but he's here to stay and I love him even more for all he is, scar and all, because he's now a little more "my" doll than just another Waseon out there (if that makes any sense).

 

I mean? To me, it would depend on the head. If I liked the faceup, obviously I'd keep it. But I think there's nothing wrong with wiping it if I don't like it, or if it's damaged or something.

 

The general consensus in threads like this is usually "if you own it, it's yours. Do what you want." Personally, I would if the original was damaged or if I had a very specific vision for the doll and the limited edition was the only way to own it.

That said, if I/you later decided to sell it, we can't be surprised if the doll loses value because of it. So if you're counting on a doll holding it's value you probably shouldn't - but at the same time you really shouldn't count on that regardless, so if that's your deciding factor that's worth reconsidering on its own!

 

LE or not, I always buy my dolls blank. I like to do my own face ups. I play with my dolls a lot, so like to be able to redo the face ups when they get damaged.
If I buy a doll second hand, Its usually either to shell an OC, which i will need to wipe the face for, or because I love the faceup that comes on the doll, in which case, the doll tends to be handled way less than if I had done the face myself.
Weather or not I remove a face never has anything to do with how limited a doll is. The beauty of these dolls is how customizable they are. Its almost impossible to find two dolls alike unless they are full sets with original faceups.

 

I personally wouldn't do it. However, it's all up to the owner. You can do whatever you wish with your doll. That's the great thing about bjd's! There is so many options to really make it feel like your own.

 

Absolutely! My DD Mashiro has a custom face-up, and my DD Sheryl and ID72 Zak will be getting customs as well.

 

Not only will I faceup a limited edition doll, but I will also mod it. I own an LLT Neil (thanks to a nice person on the Marketplace) to which I added an open mouth mod with removeable teeth (I realize this is a weakness of mine--most of my dolls have teeth).

I'd never want my worry about damaging a doll (and honestly, some people will consider them damaged now) to prevent me from enjoying the doll. If you think repainting a doll will be too emotionally loaded or hard, I personally wouldn't buy the doll because faceups are how I enjoy the hobby.

So I'd say go for it! Faceup the doll.

 

Yes and No.

2 years ago, one of my (BJD) dolls, an LE came with a faceup we did not like. He is still in his default faceup but that will be redone. Otherwise, he will be sold. I am not willing to sell him because he fits well in my resin team. So, repainting is the only option.

I never touch the company sealed faceup of SD16B Yukinojou (2006), it is still fresh and we like it that way. However, a few years ago, he suffered a fall that could have dented his nose and face. I took him to see the Volks doll doctor at IDEX convention in 2015 in Florida, the doll doctor said his sculpt is alright, but there's a tiny bruise to the faceup in one of his eyebrows. I would like to give him a new faceup but am in no hurry. I wonder how many full set SD16B Yukinojous still keep their original faceups, if there are less than 10, I will not erase mine but if more than 10, I am willing to wipe. The company faceup is still good and the dent is tiny. He's an old doll, so, no hurry there.

All my BJDs have company sealed faceups. All Volks. I refuse to touch the faceup of the F38 Christian because it is a SATO FCS very well done. There's absolutely no guarantee that a custom faceup will do better. As for Isao, he has been illegally copied to a point where I really don't want to mess with his original design and faceup. His eyes talk, so, I won't dare to mess with that, he still has his original hot-glued eyes. His faceup is still fresh after 13-14 years. His resin beautiful, very little yellowing. As for Reisner, he cost too much to acquire, I won't change his faceup. It is very very well done.

I know conservative doll collectors will not advocate custom makeup. However, I think they fail to understand something.......at some point in time, a doll's makeup will need to be wiped to preserve and maintain the vinyl, porcelain or in this case resin. The oldest doll in my family is 55 years old. She was from England. I am not allowed to wipe her makeup BUT.......some 20 years ago when she was 30+, dark patches started to show on her face, I was forced to clean off her precious makeup from Palitoy doll company of England that can never be replaced, the company has long ceased business. Her identity, the company's work sealed in that makeup. I wiped with my own hands..........to save her face. Today, her face is as clean as it can be. She look younger. I can possibly get her repainted in a doll hospital in England but I prefer a blank head. It's easier to maintain the condition of plastic and besides, she does not look like one those haunted dollies from horror movies!!!

So you see.....I keep dolls for a long time, I understand that at some point, the makeup on a doll's face will likely need to be wiped.

 

I mean, I've done it before, and it's probable that I'll do it again somewhere down the line... I fought with myself over my first mod of a character/limited doll for a really long time. I didn't want people to think that I didn't care about her, or that I didn't recognize her value, and I didn't want to end up ruining her by accident, either. A friend of mine at a local meet encouraged me to go ahead with what I wanted to do and advised me on a way to do my mod without it being totally permanent. Fast forward to now-- Eiko's faceup is done, and because of that I've bonded better with her, and learned new skills.

If it makes you happy, do it! The heart wants what the heart wants.

 

The old limited dolls from Volks all have very ugly and light face up, i have to change them...

 

I don't buy a doll for their (often bland) factory look; only their sculpt, and its potential to suit the character I want to see come to life.

For instance: my Soom Amber is an original from 2009 that's passed a number of hands. There's no telling how many faceups she's been through by now. Wiped the one from her previous owner and sent out to my regular artist so that's at least two.