Alchemic Labo Unoa Discussion Part 8

@juumou I got my lusis from Mandarake for a pretty good deal. She was supposedly yellowed based on their description but I think she looks just fine - the only thing I notice is that the head plate is a bit different color from the faceplate, but with a wig on it doesn't bother me.

I'll echo the other responses that say the bodies of my alchemic labo dolls are floppy... but I love the sculpts way too much of the bodies so I wouldn't change them. I've yet to try sanding them or anything, but my experience was the same that it doesn't seem to be a re-stringing issue.

 

I've never seen CoA, besides the pamphlet that comes in their box or the little paper slip that comes with option parts if you count those.
Unoa Alchemy has been down during the pandemic, I know you can order directly from Alchemic Labo even though its all in Japanese. If you're open to secondhand, Dollyteria and Mandarake are both wonderful secondhand shops in Japan that will ship to the USA (though shipping is unfortunately crazy expensive currently)

 

I second Mandarake.
I own Lusis and Sist and I think their bodies are a bit hard to pose, but they are so beautiful, I go with it. Maybe the only thing I find as a small "fault" is that they can't really sit with straight back on chairs, but it might be stringing problem or the design, I don't know. Has anyone else had the same problem?
As for wigs, I bought himekazura from Mandarake. As long as I remember, S size is a perfect fit. Leekeworld wigs are good too, but I'm sure there are more choices out there.
As for the eyes, well, they still have the ones they came with from Alcemiclabo. They sell eyes if you can buy from them, but there is no hole in them for their specific eye-moving structure and I was afraid to start drilling in them to tell you the truth.
I can't help with clothes because I sew for them myself. Both of them have big bust, which makes sewing adventurous.

I hope I could help a little. If you have any question, please ask.

 

Thank you! That's really helpful I'm ok with floppy bodies! I just really like the aesthetics of unoa and have always loved them but couldn't afford one until now ^^

Anyone know if hot glue sueding & wiring will suffice instead of sanding the inner joints?

 

I agree with loving the aesthetic of their body!
One of my past unoas had wiring in his arms and it was perfect! I think the problem with sueding unoas is a lot of their arms are very snug, so I'm not sure if it'd fit. Don't think it'd be a problem with knees/thighs/ankles for sueding, and wiring definitely works

 

I third Mandarake! They're usually very reliable, I haven't had any issues with them yet.

I don't own a Lusis or Sist, but I have an L-Bi with the same issue; he can't sit straight and always leans back. Unfortunately I think it's just the limitations that the older bodies have with the way their hips are cut, as the newer lines like the Elder and Rowan don't seem to have that issue with sitting. Also it's such a shame; I want to use the eye mech so badly since I like positioning my dolls' eyes as looking off to the side instead of straight ahead, but I too am scared about drilling new eyes

 

L-Bi is so cute, too! I am considering buying an Elder sister in the future. I love the beautiful line of their bodies.

Oh, so leaning backwards WAS a "design fault"! It's really good to know. I was constantly wondering to restring them. Well, Unoa girls are a bit old design, so...

I'm using the eye mechs and I really love it! So easy to change their looks by just clicking the buttons left or right! It helps a lot when I'm taking photos.
The eyes my girls came with were glass, though I'm not sure if the back part is glass or not (the one that connects the "eyeball" to the moving mech). I rrally would't like to start experimenting with drilling on them, so I'm thinking of making a mould of them and remaking those back parts from resin. Maybe it can be drilled easily?

 

I do have another question if anyone knows! Is there anywhere I can read up on what "B-grade" means? I read that it can be small bubbles, but mostly unnoticeable. Are there any other possible defects that are actually visible?

 

Is there a place to buy a Lusis brand new? I'm extremely new to unoa dolls

 

For what it's worth, I have about five B grade faceplates and none of them have any flaws that I can see. Can't comment on bodies though.

 

For normal or white skin:... very little. Standard seam lines. I've handled A-grade unoas and their resin is UNREAL smooth, b-grades are just standard dolls imo. Tan b-grades have marbling.

Alchemic Labo, the direct japanese website There used to be (and hopefully will be again when the pandemic is over) and English Speaking dealer Unoa Alchemy.

 

My Unoa Sist is B grade (full body and faceplate). The only flaw she has is a tiny black spot on one of her sole. Besides that, nothing.
My Lusis is A grade and compared to her, I can't find any difference in resin or anything. Alchemiclabo would label B grade anything which has a tiny little flaw like spots or was used in an event or photo session (my Sist was so). So, I would say, don't worry about it.

 

I second Alchemiclabo. Unfortunately, it's in Japanese and though the webpage says they can send abroad, I don't know how it works.
Sometimes you can find "not used" ones on Mandarake. The last time I checked, they had a nice, almost new fairy skin Lusis (few days ago).

 

I was trying to find some info on the poseability of the Elder Brother body, but didn't have much success. I haven't scoured through all the Unoa previous discussions as of yet... but until I do, maybe someone can help me? Is he easy to pose? Can he bring his knees to his chest, or sit seiza? I'm trying to decide between the Unoa Elder body and this new Dollpamm Muse one, but I do prefer the proportions of the Unoa body more. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

The elder brother is classified as a SD and the discussion thread is here I had (sold now) a unoa elder, and the body was one of the main reasons I couldn't get into him. He has single jointed knees and cannot pull his knees to his chest without joins popping out. He's very... slouchy, sassy, leans a lot. It's aesthetically beautiful, but an absolute pain to pose, and dress because of his lankiness.

 

@MaudMAryFlynn Sorry about that, in my head he's a really tall msd

Ah, that's a shame, cause the body is very beautiful. It's a very difficult size to find bodies for, I feel more and more companies are making bigger dolls, especially for mature bodies.

 

Oh no worries, I agree, in my mind he fits more into "tall MSD" than "teensy tiny weird small scale SD", but given his cm measurement that's how the forums divide him!

I agree, its a lovely size. I'm an absolute sucker for in-between sizes (such as the unoa elder brothers, and unoa chibis, both so charming and cute!) I hope more companies will make those sizes so clothing is easier to find

 

@MaudMAryFlynn I've also fallen into the in-between size trap and can't get out. In acceptance of my fate, I've gotten fabric and am patiently waiting for my dolls to arrive, so that I can clumsily sew them some stuff. (My 'clothing ideas' folder is... not realistic, let's just say that )

 

I think we all can agree the Unoa body is a little quirky and older designed. I was wondering if any of you had made mods to the body for quality of life improvements?

Does anyone else have the issue of the hands/wrists being really immobile? I feel my girl can only bend her wrist one way and if I want it to face the other way I have to twist her whole forearm. I was wondering if modifying the wrists by cutting out small parts would help? I think the hook for the hands needs more room to move possibly.

Side note: I really wish they’d make a 2.0 body with double jointed knees and magnetic hands

 

I've heard people:
-Roughly sand the inside of unoa elbows, to add more friction/grip
-Suede thigh/knee joints
-I've seen people remove the nubs on the back of unoa 1.5 thighs that help them sit? Not sure about that one..
-There's a lovely tutorial here about how mokarran created a magnetic hand system for her dolls! Not sure if that'd help with the range of motion much, but I've admired it greatly and wish I had the ambition to try it myself
-For me, the Big Thing I Dislike about unoa bodies is the back mechanism on the 1.5 that protrudes if you want them to slouch. (Though it comes in handy to hold the string when restringing!)

I would LOVE to see a more updated body that resembles the softer aesthetic of the 1.0+1.5. The 2.0 Fashion bodies, and Elder bodies, are lovely, but not quite my thing.