Would You Remove A Full Set Dolls Face-Up?

That's some dilemma indeed and a very interesting one too.

My gut reaction is that I wouldn't - primarily because it would decrease the value of the doll in case of reselling as you said, but also because it's professional - it surely cost a lot even considering it's a fullset which costs a lot as a whole. When I had this situation (the company faceup just didn't look as well as it appeared in the photos) I sold the head and... bought a blank one it would definitely become more complicated if that were a limited doll, not easy to get etc. But all the more, I'd most likely leave the faceup intact.

Perhaps the only scenario in which I'd remove a company faceup is when it'd be damaged anyway and/or it couldn't be altered according to the buyer's request. I guess some fullset dolls just come with a faceup and you can't even order without.

 

I like having all my dolls painted by me so I think I would wipe it - though I wouldn't order a new doll with faceup so I guess it would be a situation where I'd bought them that way second hand. Fullset faceups are usually quite well-documented given that they are on the official company pics and there are definitely others who have bought them that way, so I don't really feel like it's removing super precious work in the end. I can see how it's important for someone who is more concerned about their dolls retaining a certain value, though! It's just not how I like to collect.

If I was on the fence about it, or wanted to repaint but also wanted to remember the previous work on the doll, I'd just make sure I take some good, well-lit portraits of several angles and the whole full set on first.

 

I sure would!

A great example is the very doll currently in my avatar, and another potential example —if I obtain a full set or blushed version of him— is Constantine (of the same company); while their faces are lovely as-is and they're fine for me to leave them that way until I have the skills to do something I like better, I could do without the drip markings.

I love everything else about Achelous' full-set body blushing, it's what drew me to him in the first place. His face, however, was always just "fine, for now". No question about it, if I knew that I could do a decent faceup myself, I would've wiped his yesterday and had it redone already, I would only leave his ears as-is and the rest is getting totally reworked.

This could impact the theoretical resale value, but on any doll that's super unique and I'm very attached to, I'm not worried about resale, because I don't intend to sell unless I'm threatened with imminently living under an overpass.

I look at all BJDs as a perpetual work in progress. When they eventually yellow, I will probably need to redo their faceups, even on the ones I liked as-is and had no plans to re-do. And that's totally fine, I think I'm actually looking forward to that inevitable refresh!

Faceups are likely to take damage over time anyway, and I don't want to refrain from playing with my dolls just because I might ruin the painting. The paint job is superficial and can be redone. I guess it's similar to how I view my house; I don't refrain from painting and decorating it the way I want because it might impact the value... I'm not renting my house from its future possible owners, and I'm not renting my dolls from someone either!

 

My dolls are my own and subject to change on a whim. That’s just the nature of this hobby for me. I’ve refined my collection over the years and I absolutely adore each and every doll in it, so none of them will be going anywhere. I never even consider resale value. Even early on, when I was first getting my feet wet in this hobby, I didn’t hesitate to make a doll my own…and if that required wiping a company faceup to accomplish it, then so be it. It’s always been all about original characters for me. If a fullset doll happens to suit my character, I buy it because I enjoy adding that bit of artistic diversity to my collection, both in faceup and outfit (since I’ve done most of the faceups and wardrobes in my collection myself, it’s fun to occasionally have something a little different.) But if my character changes for any reason, then they’ll promptly get wiped and I’ll start fresh with a blank canvas. These dolls are designed for that after all, and it’s all a happy endeavor as far as I’m concerned.

I have a Volks four sisters Megu from 1999 (one of the very first, with an original faceup) that I had found through the second-hand market. As you can well imagine, she was quite yellowed from age. I’d had her for a couple of years when I suddenly got a yearning to give her character an artistic white-faced Shironuri makeover. I didn't hesitate to remove her historic (but rather rudimentary) faceup and had so much fun bringing her Shironuri storytelling element to life. That was 3 years ago and I still adore her change to this day. And only yesterday I made changes to my fullset Myou Macarena. I love her, but I grew to believe that her lips were just too dark and lacking in natural dimension. But I loved the rest of her faceup, so I carefully wiped just her lips and redid them to my liking, changed her wig to a lighter brown one, and now she has that natural look I was searching for in her character.

 

The short answer is yes, I absolutely would. The long answer?

Well, when I got into the hobby, I would only ever order blank dolls. Partly because I enjoyed doing my own faceups, and partly due to funds. I hadn't really considered getting one with a company faceup... until I ended up buying a second hand Soom Beryl (the doll in my avatar!) full set. I've decided (for now) to presrve the full set faceup for as long as possible... or until I get tired of it, because it really is some gorgeous work. (She did come with another head, though, which I have considered wiping and doing my own faceup on. Maybe someday?)

But ultimately, it's not because of resale value or anything like that (I don't consider my dolls to be investments, really). Just that I appreciate the work and want to keep it for now! At the end of the day, part of my enjoyment of the hobby comes from the customization aspect of it, so I don't want to keep myself from fully enjoying any of my dolls just because they have a special faceup.

 

I’ve done this several times, and I don’t think it’s really something that devalues the doll as long as the faceup you put on in place of the default is well done. There are a lot of cases where getting your hands on a fullset means you have no option to get a doll blank, and that means if you want something different it’s gotta come off.

 

I would if that's what I wanted. Resale value is not a big deal to me. I've bought full sets to have all the pretty things they come with but never intend to keep them display as a full set forever and always, I see my dolls as an art I'm meant to participate in so no matter what they'll end up changing in one way or another.
Having said this I tend to love company make so it's not something I'm super likely to want to do in practice. If the make got damaged I'd most likely seek after service and only have it repainted by someone else if I couldn't have it redone by the maker.

 

Personally I feel that it's still someone's work, so especially if it's brand new, good work that has artistry in it, I wouldn't destroy it on a whim. Getting a slightly different faceup that matches my personal vision more specifically is less important than that in my opinion. It's not a value thing.

 

I actually did that once! My Volks Heath has his original face-up but it was early Volks and very bland. I removed it but didn't like my face-up attempts so I sent him to an artist.

Otherwise- no. If I'm paying for the fullset I usually like the make-up so I wouldn't change it unless the original got damaged.

 

I usually wait a few years with a company faceup or custom faceup because I paid “all that money.”. But after a while, I often get inspired by owner faceups of that doll and then I decide to wipe and do my own.

 

It would depend on several factors for me because as a general rule I do my own doll’s faceups and therefore buy them blank or secondhand.

If the fullset of a particular doll has a very strong, dare I say rather rabid, collector fan base then no I wouldn’t dare touch the original faceup even if it got damaged. I’d either get the faceup restored or sell the doll as the fullset including the damaged faceup untouched as someone else may be able to lovingly fix it.
However the chances of me being in that position are virtually nil as my tastes rarely align with the highly prized dolls.

I’ve only once ever bought a fullset that included one and that was only because I wanted other bits and pieces and they didn’t offer fullsets with blank dolls at that time. Usually though I avoid fullsets because I grudge paying extra for a faceup I’m going to remove.

Only once have I ever kept a doll’s company faceup because I liked it and still do!

Despite everything I’ve said I’m always conscious of the fact than any faceup is someone else’s hard work whether it’s professional or not and I always feel guilt removing it.
I regard fullsets almost as works of art in a way, they’re telling a story or part of one and you only see the whole picture if they’re as they were designed. That’s just my viewpoint though.

 

Yes, absolutely, even though I haven’t done it

I have a full set Volks Suiseiseki and have always meant to have her face redone. Her default face-up is super bland. While I find her cute as she is, the default face-up really doesn’t do this sculpt justice. Same with Hinaichigo, though I don’t have her full set (she also has her default still).

When I bought her, I cared about having her papers and outfit, but yea, never cared for the face-up! I am not really inclined to factor in what Suiseiseki is worth is to someone else. She was my grail doll and what personally matters to me the most is my own personal enjoyment of her.

Years ago I did pay someone to redo her face up, but life issues got in the way and I never sent her head out.

Currently I feel way too wary of commissioning a face-up because I am less confident in the postal system. Also back in 2011 I could insure my doll and be sure I could find one easily enough on the second hand market. Not so today. It would be more stress than I want to deal with to send her out now.

So currently the delay relies on getting my own face-ups to look the way I’d like them to, then I’ll do her face-up myself. For now, she’ll be keeping her default a bit longer.

If this had to do with any other potential future dolls. The answer is still yes, I would wipe a default if I didn’t care for it and if the only way of obtaining the doll was with a default.

Edit: Since it’s sort of related, the first thing I did when I got Suiseiseki was yank out her eyes. They were hot glued into her head, so that broke the seal on her being a pure full-set. Those original acrylic eyes are a travesty. One day I will invest in getting her a proper pair(s) of red and green Hand Glass Craft D24s.

 

I have, and I would again!

Many many years ago, I bought a Ringdoll fullset, the only fullset I think I've ever bought. The faceup looked nothing like the pictures and was this weird....grey and orange tone? Like the eyebrows and eye makeup were greyish, the lips and blush were more orangey, but the doll's default wig was wine red and the outfit was tan and burgundy. The faceup, IMO, looked awful with the fullset. I put up with it for awhile, then eventually decided I just didn't like it at all and changed it. No regrets. It's my doll, and I'd rather have it fit my vision than be a perfect fullset. I usually prefer to customize anyway, so if I'm buying secondhand, a default faceup or fullset don't really add any value for me.

 

I think it depends on my intent. If I'm buying the fullset for its own sake, I'll keep the faceup. If I'm buying the fullset to serve an existing doll at home, I'll wipe the faceup.

I like how Blodeuwedd put it: I think fullsets are complete works of art in themselves, the faceup is part of the package, and it's the only part that can't be put on/taken off at will, like clothes etc. I take this into account when I buy dolls, this quasi-permanent nature of faceup makes me think very carefully about whether I want it on this doll and (since I shell OCs) whether it serves the doll character. Which is why I've never bought a fullset -- I usually don't want the entire concept and don't want to spend money on unwanted product, not even for the sake of owning the sculpt. Conversely, if I ever bought a fullset, it'd be because I want the doll with the entire concept, and especially wanted them with that faceup. (I like painting my own dolls' faces but have also bought factory faceups if it served the OC.)

But if I'm buying the fullset to serve an existing doll, say as an alt head, then I have no qualms about wiping the faceup if it doesn't jive with my goals. I once bought a whole doll (non-fullset) to get an alt head for an existing open-eyed doll. This sleepy-eyed alt head came with a splendid face that was likely custom painted. It was probably the best faceup that I've ever owned, but it had one feature I hated (sad eyebrows), and it completely didn't colour match my open-eyed doll's faceup, which was to be expected.

I soon wiped the eyebrows and repainted them the way I liked, to tide me over for a while and let me enjoy the rest of the faceup. But I eventually wiped the entire head and repainted it to match my doll. My faceup skills are very inferior to that pro painting, and I felt a bit regretful that I couldn't keep that outstanding paint job. But it didn't serve the purpose I wanted, so it had to go.

 

i did this, more or less. i bought a limited doll from Souldoll and though i couldn't afford his entire fullset outfit and all the special accessories i did order him with the company faceup Souldoll had designed for his fullset. in his promotional pics on Souldoll's website, that faceup had made his sculpt look just like a certain character i had in my mind. he arrived, and it was fine in person, but the longer i lived with it, the more i realized the expression was just a little off and not QUITE giving the right vibe for his character. so close...but not exactly it.

...so i wiped it and had his head repainted with literally not a shred of guilt or one single thought about "resale value." and the new custom faceup was 100% spot on perfect, it captured the mood that was missing from the limited company faceup, and he still has it to this day.

tbh the whole idea of having to think about "resale value" for my own personal belongings has always sounded pretty bleak to me. like...is it MY stuff, or am i just the temporary custodian who's beholden to some future owner whose hypothetical preferences are more important than mine? i'm not buying dolls to hold them and keep them mint for some unknown future person...i'm buying them for ME and that means i get to do what i want with the dolls that i own.

i firmly believe that everyone should do whatever they want with the dolls that they own. life is too short to live tiptoeing around hypothetical people who might want your stuff someday!

 

a dilemma and a clash between the collectors soul and the modder
A collector want his Doll to be mostly valored and a perfect (factory) condition, a modder want to tinker and modding the doll until perfection for the owners needs . I am not so good in making faceups and when i give it to others to do faceups its not my doll anymore, isn't this strange? So i would say, make your doll like you want it, see in the 2nd hand market nobody pays extra for the faceup (except Limited full doll set) . And even more if you dislike the factory faceup, so change it I once had a beautiful *limited* soom heliot doll full set, i never changed the factory faceup because i liked it on him. If you dont like the faceup anymore its time to give your doll a new personality. You can make a photo before and after to remember how he/she was looking before. But I personally would only do that if i am good at faceups and not on limited fullset dolls (in that case my collectors soul are crying) so other solution may be to buy an extra rolling head and doing your faceup on this head, so you still have the collectors limited fullset head

 

So the answer for me is both; yes and no.

We'll start with no: I don't do faceups, haven't got the necessary skills built up yet, so when I order a doll with faceup, it's because I like the company faceup. It saves me trying to hunt down an artist to commission, and is usually cheaper than commissioning an artist (not that I have an issue with the cost of that; artists, absolutely charge what you think is worth your time!) so when I find a doll whose default I really like, I'm much more tempted to buy the fullset. However, I actually do like sewing doll clothes, so if I like the faceup but NOT the outfit, I just order with faceup. And when the faceup inevitably becomes damaged and the doll mellows/yellows, I'd rather find an artist who will touch up the faceup without changing it; these are hard to find, but I'd rather just have it restored rather than replaced.

The yes, on the other hand; I can be a bit clumsy, and while he wasn't a fullset, my Lati White Laches' face has been dropped enough times that the sealant over his cheeks has cracked. While this is probably easily fixable with just another layer of sealant, it made me notice that there's actually a few things I'd like to change about his face. Ordering him without faceup wasn't an option, as he was an existing stock doll at Doll Peddlar, but I liked the default face enough that I just went for it. But now that his character has been established, there's a few additions and subtractions I'd like done if I find an artist willing to do it.

Also, resale value never really occurs to me: I collect my dolls for myself, and I only sell them on if I need the space or I just no longer care for the doll. I'm alright with taking a little financial loss because the doll isn't in pristine mint-in-box condition; I just want the doll to go to somebody who will appreciate them more than I do. While I wouldn't just give away an expensive doll like a BJD, I've been known to give my old fashion dolls to cousins and neighborhood kids who express an interest, because I just want the doll to be appreciated.

 

Yes, I would - and I have

I've bought a limited edition fullset for the sculpt, wiped it and had it repainted the way I want it, and sold on the outfit/other bits i wasn't interested in.

Full sets are all very well if you like everything about them, but sometimes they're they only way a sculpt is available. With most fullsets there's something about it I don't like (often there's more I don't like than I do like) and it's a waste of my money to buy a fullset if there's another way to get the doll without paying through the nose for the fullset, most of whihc I'm not interested in.

Teddy

 

I am all for the idea of the doll being your own and you can do what ever you want with it.
And it goes both ways. Want to wipe it: do it. Want to keep it: do it. Somewhere in between (keep it for a while, add to it etc.): do it.

I only ever buy new dolls blank, and second hand dolls with the intention of wiping them, because I want to paint them myself. It's a big part of the hobby for me.
But I do have one doll with a company face up that I've kept.
It's a Dollmore Narsha that I bought second hand at a BJD convention. She came with a Dollmore outfit and what I believe is a company face up, but I don't actually know if it was originally sold as a full set or just a basic doll with some extras.
In either case, the face up is very pretty and in good condition and I think it suits her beautifully, so it stays for now.
But if she had a very different, poorly made or damaged face up I would have bought her just the same and simply painted her myself. I didn't buy her for the face up, but since it's there and I am happy with it, I won't wipe it until the day it needs redoing because of wear or damage. And when that day comes I will wipe it, with no regrets.
The outfit is unlikely to get a lot of wear, but I have held on to it. It's pretty, but not what I want for her. I have no plans of ever selling her, though, so I have no desire to keep her all together just because. If I come across a friend who has a doll the outfit would suit better, I would be just as happy parting with it.
I always prefer it when things get used and appreciated, rather than just collecting dust in a box somewhere.

 

Earlier in my hobby journey I initially bought a fullset doll because I liked the outfit. I didn't care one way or another about the faceup but I ended up selling the head and body and rebuying a blank version of the sculpt and did my own faceup.

Later on, I saw a limited fullset volks doll that was only sold as a fullset and I passed on it because I wasn't a super fan of the face. Later I saw a custom faceup on that sculpt and of course I had to get him. So I specifically bought the limited fullset doll 2nd hand in order to do a custom faceup myself. It def took a bit of courage though, wiping the company faceup.

I've done this now about 3 times, buying limited volks dolls with company faceups and redoing the face, and have 2 more on order that I'll do that to as well and one more on my wishlist that I'd wipe and do a custom on as well.
I don't do this to all my dolls. Some are just perfect from the company, like my SDGr Elsa or angell studio dolls. But others just aren't quite right for me.

Most recently I was told I ruined the value of the head I did this to when I proudly posted my doll in another bjd group which felt uncalled for and offensive, but I def like my faceups more than the company ones for the dolls I've done this to.

 

I think if I intentionally bought a doll with the fullset then my answer is no. I think the face up can be a major part of what makes up a fullset and without out it I wouldn't bother getting it in the first place? TBH I have never gotten a fullset, I get mine face up only or blank. Out of the dolls I got the company face up on, my reasoning was different depending on the doll.

Some have a face up from the company because I love their style and think it suits the doll the best. These I wouldn't wipe.

Then there's the one I got with a face up because I wanted them to be picture ready, although I do like the face ups on them, I plan on wiping these and doing them myself when I feel ready. I also had too many blank dolls to work on and didn't want every doll in that WIP look. Sometimes I just want to play dress up and take pictures!

 

I can understand both sides of to wipe or not to wipe.
Most of my dolls are from Volks, who don't sell blank dolls except through FCS (which isn't available to people outside Japan or via their US online FCS).
I've learned the hard way that dolls will outright refuse character ideas I want to shell in them, so I have to be flexible and work with the doll and see what character ideas it gives me as I spend time posing, going through eyes and wigs, etc.

Some of my dolls' fullset faceups work fine for the characters they've developed and I have no intention of wiping them (Ayame, my Standard Nico, my Shizu).
Others have some minor detail that bothers me and have me on the fence about whether to try and modify the faceup to better suit what I want – my Ryoma's lip corners are painted in opposite rising/falling directions that distract me when I'm trying to photograph his face front on.
I've wiped perfectly good faceups that didn't suit what I wanted for the head – my F-38 had an FCS faceup that wasn't to my taste, so I wiped it. Even though I'm very much a beginner at faceups and still haven't painted a version of his head that I'm completely satisfied with yet, he feels more "himself" even with my amateur work than he did before I wiped him.

On the other hand, if I'm looking at secondhand dolls, a custom faceup can be a deterrant for me, as most faceups won't work with how I want to style the doll, and at a certain price point, I feel like I would be paying for an artist's work, which, while beautiful, would be inevitably wiped and wasted.

On the topic of Volks, don't feel bad for wiping a faceup thinking a doll with the original faceup might not exist any more – Tenshi no Sato has a whole floor dedicated to a museum of all their limited releases with fullset outfits and faceups!

 

I have 0 face up skills. So if I don't get a company face up, I commission it.

So it often depends on the sculpt. Some I liked the company face up and I ordered it. Others I didn't and I got the doll blank and later commissioned a face up.

I only ever had one company face up wiped because it was so yellowed that I thought having it removed would help. I slightly regret it but the doll doesn't have a body yet so I can't be sure how much I regret it until the doll is complete.

 

As discussed up-thread, the whole appeal of a fullset is that it is a completed piece of art. I rarely purchase fullsets because I am typically only interested in the doll itself, not the various bits and bobs that come with it. If I do purchase a fullset, it is for a doll I otherwise cannot get my grubby mitts on unless I shell out for the whole kit and cabootle.

Personally, I have no issue wiping a default faceup from a resin doll, but struggle a bit more with wiping the faceup on my vinyl dolls. I think this is subconsciously due to the difference in value a faceup has. In the resin community, I find that default/fullset faceups rarely impact the price, especially when compared to in-demand/retired artist faceups that are hard to get slots for. Meanwhile, in the vinyl side of the hobby, the head sculpt itself is where all the value is, and many are willing to pay more if the head comes with a default faceup and eyes.

All of that said, though, a doll is yours once you purchase it. Wipe it and re-do the faceup with nail polish and hot glue if you so desire. The goal of any hobby is to spark joy, and how you derive joy from your dolls is your choice alone. Just make sure you're using proper PPE when doing faceups, as no one needs permanent lung damage for the sake of fun!

 

Most of my dolls, doing their faceup is part of the experience for me, but some of my dolls came with faceups that I'd only redo if/when it became necessary to-- and those aren't even fullsets. So, I think if I paid for a fullset with faceup, I'd be attached to that faceup-- and if I had to touch it up, I'd want to preserve as much of their original face as possible.

But, I wouldn't be preserving it due to resale value, just the personal value I place on it.

 

I have two dolls with a face-up, one was a full set I bought because I loved the outfit and the doll's face; the second I purposely bought the face-up because I really liked it even though the colors weren't quite right and Luts doesn't customize the face-ups.

I have no intention of removing either, largely because my own face-ups are not at the same level. I like doing face-ups but sometimes they can be frustrating when I want a doll complete and have to redo it several times because I mess up the eyebrows. And I have the hardest time with looking at my own work because I can see all the imperfections so at times I just prefer to have an artist do it. Because my dolls are made to be specific OCs once I'm completely satisfied with a face I will keep it as long as possible.

I would never begrudge someone for wanting to remove a company face-up, the dolls are made to be customized and everyone has their own vision of their dolls. Whether it's for value or personal preference keeping or removing a face-up is just one of the options available when owning such diversely customized dolls.

 

Came back to check everyone's opinions and I must say some of the points made were quite eye opening to me it is indeed a lot of work put into the faceup, whatever the outcome, and the fact that it's a company one doesn't change that. And I'm in the minority thinking of the value it seems although the good thing about it is that perhaps a buyer would really appreciate a doll I'd be selling a lot more than I used to, not being afraid to customize it as they please.

If anyone would like to check my first response, I was speaking from scenarios I've either experienced or could imagine in my own case which is that - if I'd be for any reason disappointed with the official faceup - I would simply hope someone else likes how it came out. I can't imagine splurging on a doll with a faceup that I at least am not hoping I'd like it would be a real pity for me to wipe a professional faceup that's well done and I would definitely try getting a blank head instead. Have a cookie and eat a cookie

Although if for whatever reason I'd love and could afford a limited fullset that I'd like to keep, but I absolutely loathed the style of the faceup... I can sort of imagine myself giving in and redoing it, but I definitely need more practice before that happens.

 

I haven't had my own fullset doll for very long (less than a year), but at this point in time, I'd cry if a part of his hand or face paintings came off from a scratch or rub. So nope, can't imagine wiping a FS doll clean... or at least just yet! TBD.

 

Yes, I would. Every face-up is a little bit different, even the full sets. It could come completely different than what I was expecting. Plus, it can fade or chip. A face-up isn’t going to be worthwhile if it looks bad.

 

I have done this to two different limited full set dolls! I regret doing this on one of the dolls because she is a character doll that I bought to stay as that character but for some reason I just wanted her to have a unique face up. Sadly this sort of ruined the bond with her. This was my fault sadly because I jumped into this faceup idea I had in my head without reminding myself that the reason I got this doll was for the character.

However I love the face up on my other character doll that I had customized but I also liked the default so much that I was finally able to obtain default face up versions of her.

Overall, I would remove a fullset doll’s faceup if I felt the vision in my mind would help me enjoy it more. I tend to avoid thinking about resell value when it comes to custom limited dolls because I’m buying the doll to keep hopefully forever.

 

I can't do face-ups because I'm highly inexperienced in that department. XD

However, if I like the current face-up, I will definitely leave it as is. If I don't like it, I might try to sell the doll or give it to someone I know who's a doll collector/lover who likes the doll. I don't have the heart to erase a beautiful face-up, even if I don't like it. Plus, removing a face-up requires either nail polish remover or straight up acetone, and I don't know how well certain BJD materials would take to acetone so I'd rather just give the doll away with the original face-up then try to remove it and give it a new one myself.

 

I just use 90% isopropyl alcohol.

 

Would you remove the face-up on a full set doll that you own?
Not likely. I tend to prefer buying my dolls first hand from the original manufacturer. I have a preference to buy the doll as a full-set with original face-up (either company standard face-up or the company's one-off face-up if it is an LE) as it is the full package that I fell in love with, not just the sculpt. That, and I wouldn't go near doing face-ups on my own. I had a traumatic experience of secondhand resin poisoning (nose bleeds, asthma symptoms that didn't go away, itching all over, etc) when my friend did custom face-ups for a time so I would never do face-ups for health reasons.

If I am looking at a secondhand market doll, even if it is a Grail doll, I tend to steer away from dolls whose original face-up has been wiped and redone. Partly because I tend to prefer mint or original face-ups, but also by the time a dolly without a original face-up shows up on the secondhand market there is also modding done to the sculpt which is also a hard no for me. From a collector's standpoint for me, if a dolly is without original face-up (even if it is a nicely done new face-up), I'm not willing to pay full value for the sculpt/doll unless the face-up artist is famous or is exceptionally talented. I have one floating head that was a Grail doll head with a face-up done by a famous face-up artist at the time so I paid premium for it. However, years later, I ended up getting the fullset Grail doll with original everything for way cheaper. So, it taught me to wait as I might get a better bargain if I do. I'm probably willing to spend between 25%-50% original value if a dolly is without original face-up. At that point, if I get a secondhand dolly that doesn't have original face-up, I'll just wait until the original company does a "Dolly Doctor" service where they can redo the company default face-up for a price as again I'm kind of traumatize by secondhand resin poisoning/face-up hazardous materials exposure so I'm not likely to send my dolly/sculpt out to a dedicated face-up artist unless they are good about using PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) and other safety practices. But most likely, I'll wait until a default one comes into the market or the original company resells it.

I tend to be more of the collector type than a customizer to my dolls and my husband (who is also into the hobby) is the same way. My friend on the other hand goes between keeping the original face-up or customizing herself. The only problem I notice is if she doesn't like the new face-up she did or had commissioned and ends up losing interest in her dolly because the dolly isn't the same anymore (which tends to lead to her either selling the dolly or shelving it until she feels up to redoing the face-up again which she might not do as she has a kid now and has health problems herself).

That being said, I fully support others to do whatever they want in this hobby. Their money, their choices. Hahaha. And to be sure there are a decent amount of talented people here on DoA that can do custom face-ups and moddings and it would be an amazingly beautiful or handsome doll. I can lurk and appreciate talent here. But I wouldn't do it for myself.

 

I think there is a good amount of people here that would love sculpt, no matter what face-up it has, and would cherish it for sure. And customizing that sculpt to fit your ideal is your right to do. But I do have a cautionary tale though that fits into that "what if" scenario of what happens if you don't like the company's original face-up.

My friend had an LE doll with company face-up but wiped it because she had a certain character in mind for her doll. She had originally paid for the custom LE face-up as the promo pictures on the company website fit her character that she had in mind. When it arrived, she liked it originally but over time she started to fall out of love with the face-up as she saw what other face-up artists were doing with their sculpts. She had bought blank sculpts before and done face-ups so she figured her character would just come to be if she did the face-up herself as he was already almost there being a handsome sculpt. Her face-up artist skills were new but not bad, so it was hard for her realizing that her face-up wasn't as good as the company's LE face-up and that it didn't fit the character image she had (the LE face-up was like some sort of gothic vampire look that was so emo hot while her style and new face-up was ethereal soft tones). She ended up selling her dolly because it wasn't matching her expectations for her character and kind of hoped that later she would get another one with the company face-up again (either LE or standard) down the road as she realized it was part of the reason why she fell in love with the sculpt. She has fallen in and out of the hobby over the years so when she came back she was ready to buy a replacement doll. Well...that company doesn't exist anymore and her LE doll is like Grail level now. It's like a big ouch for her. She asks me to look out for that sculpt when she has the funds for it (she has to remind me what it is every time), but I haven't seen it back on the market in years and if it does come back the price is prohibitive for her or it's so modded that it isn't the same (the nose or the vampire ears or the fangs have been shaved down).

On the other hand, she had two sculpts (one very rare and the other moderately rare) that she did custom face-ups for as other characters she came up with. She loved both of them, but had to sell them for reasons. She was able to buy back one years later (the moderately rare one) and redo the face-up exactly how she liked again as the owner she had sold it to had done their own face-up on it. For me, I can tell that she was relieved that she was able to get the same sculpt back and had the talent to give it the face-up that she loved as it was like getting back an old friend after a while. Alas, the other sculpt also ended up a Grail level floating head so it is not likely she will be able to get it back and she still has regrets about selling that one and the aforementioned Grail one.

I think for her case where wiping the original face-up and losing the love for the sculpt, but then regretting selling it once it was gone, it made me realize that maybe still hold onto the sculpt until one's face-up skills are up to par with creating your ideal character. Or take a humble bow and research and find a face-up artist that specializes in that kind of look you are seeking. Or, like what my friend has been doing lately, keep the dolly/sculpt blank for a while and just kind of wait and see where time and circumstance takes you. Removing a company face-up is one thing. But selling a sculpt and not being able to buy it back at a later date is another thing.

 

This is such an interesting question I had to really think about my answer! There are some fullsets I have that I got because they're a fullset, like my Hualian dolls, so I don't really intend to wipe their faceups. I'd be more comfortable making tweaks to them, unless I felt confident enough that I could make their faceups look more like the manhwa art, which I'm not sure I could. I liked them in their promos and I like them well enough in person too, so I don't feel the need to.

There are a couple other full set dolls that I like and I think their faceups are cute, but I'm more interested in their outfits, so I'd be more inclined to wipe that one and make the faceup more in line with how I'd style the doll all together. Like Gem of Doll Spring. She has a really cute faceup, but I'm more interested in the rest of her fullset than her faceup, and it has some details that I don't think really add to the look much. But I think in that case, I'd probaby want to order the doll blank but with the outfit, wig, accessories, etc. and do the faceup myself from scratch instead of wiping the one from the company.