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A successful alternative to your dream BJD?

Jul 13, 2014

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    1. I fell in love with the virtually unobtainable Volks Genji but couldn't afford him at retail, even if I HAD been able to get him! But I did (unknowingly) find a suitable replacement in the DIM Minimee Squall Leonhart sculpt:

      [​IMG]

      Bevan, my custom DIM Minimee Squall Leonhart on the left. I told the artist I wanted his eyebrows something like Genji's. And I didn't even realize how much the sculpt looked like Genji until I put their pictures side by side!

      So sometimes you can find an alternative to your dream doll. Have you ever found one? Pictures if you have them!

      Linda S.
      galatia9
       
      #1 galatia9, Jul 13, 2014
    2. I wanted a luts wintery 2008 head, but have just bought an akagi doll Ban head instead, as I think it has a similar aesthetic - in fact I now prefer the akagi doll Ban! :aheartbea
       
      #2 elve, Jul 13, 2014
    3. Ummm... For me, it's a bit difficult because I'm so haunted by my dream dolls and always wish that one day I can obtain them. But I think, if I can't really find one or the price is too high for me to "invest". (Hahaha!) I may choose a similar mold or similar aura doll to replace them. But for now, I haven't given up yet ;)
       
      #3 Hallowie29, Jul 13, 2014
    4. My grail doll is the Candyholic on Halloween Limited Youth Dollmore Eve- Mio. (Phew, that's a mouthful).
      Since Mio is a standard sculpt that Dollmore offers, I could just buy her, paint her similarly, get a similar wig, eyes, and outfit and she would be similar enough to me.

      But I would honestly rather just have the limited one, there's no replacing the real thing.
       
      #4 animagic4u, Jul 14, 2014
    5. elve, I love the Wintery 2008 head too! I saw it at a meetup, it's gorgeous. Akagodoll Ban does have similarities in the sculpt, I like it.

      Good for you for not giving up, Hallowie29! I find a lot of comfort in the fact that I already have "dream dolls" at home to keep me company.

      How limited was the Candyholic fullset, animagic4u? It's a comfort that the Mio sculpt is still available. As time goes by, it's harder to find a fullset that has not been fragmented.

      I remember that I loved the Volks SDC Renee fullset, and I kick myself for not even trying for her in the lottery! But I fell in love with Kazuya Kujo and made her into a girl, so she filled some of the niche that Renee might have filled (and is in a better size range for my resin family, really).

      Linda S.
      galatia9
       
      #5 galatia9, Aug 12, 2014
    6. I tried this. Instead of an Iplehouse hunk, I bought another doll. I was afraid of the weight and the mass. I kept his head (at least you can say I really love the sculpt), but finally I got the Iplehouse hunk one size smaller. Now instead of an EID man, he is a SID, just the perfect size for me.
       
      #6 Ipledreamer, Aug 12, 2014
    7. My dream doll ever since I entered has been a volks Hewitt...however they have two headmolds quite similar to him (the F-08 & f-09) so if my dream doesn't come true I might settle...but I really really want a hewitt I don't think I'd be content with a similar mold.
       
      #7 Urushi-kitty, Aug 12, 2014
    8. Oh my goodness I today found THE REPLACEMENT FOR A JURI (in my opinion anyway) I have a Juri 10 which I love because she has human ears but I never liked the Juri 08's elf ears WELL Dreaming doll has a sculpt called Ryuna who has very similar shaped eyes just slightly more closed (the eyes are what I love about Juris) AND SHE HAS HUMAN EARS 8D she is my next doll buy once I get paid xD I am in love with her.[​IMG]
       
      #8 tjkardynal, Aug 12, 2014
    9. Only 12. The hunt should be a fun one. :sweat
       
      #9 animagic4u, Aug 12, 2014
    10. My Ultimate dream doll is a Volks SD Shinku. I think they only made like 200 of her. I know they occasionally release one offs with the head mold. I'm hoping I can find one of those and try to piece her together or try to commission her outfit. I seem a few full sets for sale but they are too expensive for me. I hope my dream comes true some day. :(
       
      #10 Yurikun, Aug 13, 2014
    11. Ipledreamer, the SID body sounds like a good compromise! Withouot really compromising at all, since the body sculpts are so similar.

      I don't think Hewitt is impossible to find, Urushi-kitty. Good luck!!

      It's nice that you're so enthusiastic about your alternative, tjkardynal! I think I am similarly enthusiastic about mine, I really do love him. And he didn't hurt my wallet nearly as much!

      Those are tough odds, animagic4u! It all depends on how much we want them -- or if we will "settle" for someone close enough to make us happy.

      I hope your dream comes true someday, Yurikun. It's difficult when your much desired doll is so rare, like Shinku, and so many of the fullsets have been split up.

      Linda S.
      galatia9
       
      #11 galatia9, Aug 14, 2014
    12. My dream doll is a Dollshe Bermann. But my Husky looks rather similar to him, especially with that adorable pouty frown of his!
       
      #12 Ethra_VII, Aug 14, 2014
    13. I don't think I could ever settle for an alternative... I fall in love with a sculpt and in the end it has to be that exact one... ><
      Since my grails aren't that old or rare though I still hope to obtain them.
       
      #13 NamiyaKou, Aug 14, 2014
    14. When I suddenly came into enough money to afford my grail - Volks Michele - I had Volks Yugiri as my back-up doll. I kept thinking that if I didn't find a Michele within my price range, Yugiri would do in his place. Happily, I did find Michele...but now I still want Yugiri too >.<

      So that didn't really work out. lol

      My ultimate dream doll doesn't exist, so my solution is to mod the one that does into what I want.
       
      #14 VampireAngel13, Aug 14, 2014
    15. Well, one of my grails is a Soom Lami, there's also Napidoll Ruber, and IOS Infernale (Omgosh can you see a pattern here? @ A @ ) annnnd MNF Juri '11 so there aren't really any alternatives... unfortunately. I can however fill my lives with other open mouthed or teethy lovelies, such as Onlydoll Ranxue, 5Stardoll Aiden (the one grail I managed to get), and Dikadoll Amanda... oh, and Woosoo VE and 5stardoll Quintus.
       
      #15 Calabri, Aug 14, 2014
    16. I'm not quite sure if he qualifies as a "dream doll", but for the longest time, the Buddy-Doll Mars Tough was my vision of Quinlin. Then Buddy-Doll closed "for renewal" in 2010. I didn't have the funds at the time to afford him so couldn't get in on the last order period. They never opened again to the best of my knowledge and finding a Buddy-Doll on the second-hand market is about as rare as hen's teeth. I was very disappointed as frowning/scowling sculpts are not very common and that was vital for Quinlin's character. A couple of years later I found a Jei Doll Ashford and he's just perfect with a scowl molded into his sculpt and slightly narrowed eyes like he's a bit ticked off at something. Bonus points for the Jei Doll being 50% off and coming to me with body blushing in addition to a wonderful face-up.
       
      #16 Iron_Dog, Aug 14, 2014
    17. I hunted for a long, long time for the original Volks Captain Cecile sculpt from 2003... 'Never had any luck getting him.

      I did, however, eventually luck into finding an older F-17 up for sale and decided to give him a try instead. The face and expression aren't exactly the same, but the differences were small enough that I thought he'd be worth a chance. The entire Cecile/F-29/F-17 family are smirky, snarky-looking guys with a ton of attitude. I figured it would be hard to go wrong with any of them.

      I've had Edison for four years now and have never regretted "settling" for him. He's one of my favorites, and while I still wouldn't say no to the Captain if I happened to come across one, Eddie has been more than "close enough".
       
      #17 Brightfires, Aug 14, 2014
    18. Only once did I attempt to settle for less, and it didn't work at all...! I bought a SchoolHead B back when I thought I'd never find a Tsukasa Konoe, because there's something of a resemblance. Settling just didn't feel right, though (absolutist brain) (it's just how I roll).

      But not much longer afterwards, I scored a real actual Tsukasa secondhand-- miracles are a dime-a-dozen in this scene. So the B-Head went into the box and stayed unpainted for a long while. Eventually I got around to painting him, and he became my Tsukasa's little brother (since the resemblance is still undeniably there!).

      [​IMG]
       
      #18 JennyNemesis, Aug 14, 2014
    19. NamiyaKou, you're fortunate that your grails are still available, it could be heartbreaking to join the hobby and find out your dream doll was discontinued five years ago!

      Ethra_VII, I agree that Husky and Bermann have that family resemblance. I think I even like Husky a bit more!

      I think Volks really came up with something special for Michele, VampireAngel13. He is so different from everyone who was made before him. I had to go look up Yugiri, and I think he has quite a different "feel" from Michele. (Maybe more innocent/naive?) No wonder you still want him!

      Calabri, it IS nice that more dolls are always being created with features we love. I have fallen out of love with dream dolls. And I think that if we wait long enough, Iron_Dog, a perfect doll for a character we have in mind will finally arrive. I've had this happen too!

      Brightfires, Cecil/Cecile/F17 are Volks sculpts I have wanted for a long time too. The F40 has a similar vibe also. I still have one of them on my wishlist for someday, if the right one comes along! And I don't consider myself to be "settling" for my Bevan either, because I love him for himself just as he is, even if he isn't Genji.

      JennyNemesis, I like your Rainey so much! I'm glad he became another character for you. He also reminds me of my Volks SD13 Mimi, and of SD13 Jun Tachibana also. They all have similar eyes. (In fact, the Sch B is always hopping on and off and back on my wishlist!).

      Linda S.
      galatia9
       
      #19 galatia9, Aug 15, 2014
    20. Well, whether you can find an alternative or not depends on what drew you to the original in the first place; that's how I see it. Like if it is a specific feature like the shape of the mouth for example, then one might be able to find another doll (or more) with similar features. However, if it's the face as a whole that you like, you might not be so lucky to find an alternative.

      I tried and have only been marginally successful. I fell in love with an LE, the Luts SDF Azure. I adore the overall look of him and later I found their Winter Event '08 head and felt they're very similar (to me), so I hunted the MP and got one. Score! I still have and love him - now her - and wouldn't trade her for the world. However, I still want the SDF Azure.
      Wintery '08 -> SDF Azure
      [​IMG]

      Later I had the same problem with Supia Muse. I settled for a Spiritdoll Ivy and I still regret it to this day. Now the poor head is stuffed away in the back of my closet, totally unloved. When I did finally order from Supia I got a Rosy and a Lina head, as my love for Muse has vanished in the wake of the previous fiasco.
       
      #20 Rillja, Aug 15, 2014
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