April Story Product Review

* What did you order?
April Story New Fall with face-up.

* When did you order?
December 5th 2015.

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
In my oppinion, yes.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Yes.

* Were you satisfied with the product?
I'm in love with my boy.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)
Well, he isn't able to stand... I don't know if it is only, because he isn't so super strong stinged, but also not that floppy I'ld say... Also it looks a bit weird if he "stands" straight, his back is sculped a bit unfavorable. It looks like he has a little crooked back But I really LOVE his hands and how nice he's able to pose his arms

* Would you buy more from this company?
Well, actually not. If they will ever fix their problems, maybe, but probably not...

 

* What did you order? Classy doll female body 60cm M type
* When did you order? May 24th. Package was received this past week (week of October 9th)
* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion? Yes. The body is beautiful. Nice details
* Did the item look like the sales pictures? Yes
* Were you satisfied with the product? very
* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional) The body is gorgeous, i love how the wrist joints have a place to hold the s hooks to remove the hands without loosing the elastic. The legs are little funny but i kind of expected that as its designed to be more bow-legged.
* Would you buy more from this company? Maybe? Maybe only second hand. The body is amazing but the company communication is terrible. I was told multiple times on the Q&A board that my body was ready for shipment starting in august. It wasn't shipped until October. It was worth the wait but I wouldn't believe any communication about product being ready or shipping until you have an actual tracking number.

 

* What did you order?
Senior NS17 boy body + Fall event head

* When did you order?
The order was placed January 18 and the body arrived February 6, by far the quickest resin order I've had processed!

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
I purchased this body during the 40% discount sale so it's an extreme bargain, but definitely worth the base $500 as it is.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Completely, other than being even prettier in person.

* Were you satisfied with the product?
Absolutely. I had my reservations since this body was such a new version and I hadn't seen too many other people post photos or reviews of it, but I'm glad I went for it. It's just 5% off from being a perfect match with my 3 year old DollClans Kien head.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)
I hadn't expected those broad shoulders to fit shirts a bit funny, but I'm sure I'll work it out. Overall the new body is great, but those joints are so fiddly and dangerous they could probably mug me. They have to be pulled out far enough for the divots to catch, provided they don't end up biting you first. His legs like to squeeze together since they're strung to each other through the pelvis rather than strung up into the body, but otherwise this doesn't affect his posing. The sculpting itself is marvelous with its details and receiving this virtually seam-free is an even greater bonus.

* Would you buy more from this company?
Yes. I am terrified I will be tempted to purchase more floating heads in the future, knowing this body is such a great match with Volks-standard resins.

 

* What did you order?

NS 16 Girl Body with Clover Head

* When did you order?

April 15, 2017, arrived May 3rd

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?

I got the 40% off sale on the body, and the head was free so it was actually very very cheap! I think though, the short production times made the quality fall short a little. Overall it wasn't bad.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?

Yes

* Were you satisfied with the product?

Overall yes, despite the flaws. I am just in love with her face, which was the main reason for the buy and I was happy with that so, overall satisfied.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)

The body is lovely and poses pretty well. Though she tends to bend backwards a little. Her face is so beautiful! BIG negative, I don't think they sanded down her seems well is AT ALL... But I guess thats the price you pay when the production time is much lower than others I've seen. Also, I wanted the NS 13 body but chose the 16 because I liked the expression a bit better, but it almost seems too big for her youthful face. Might not be as much of a problem once she has a wig and stuff, but still.

* Would you buy more from this company?

Not completely sure yet. Now that they are discontinuing all their dolls I would have to see if they have anything that appeals to me. But I think I would look at other companies first... I wouldn't go looking for theirs specifically.

 

* What did you order?
NS16 girl body with Diana head

* When did you order?
April 29th 2017, arrived May 23rd 2017

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
I purchased during their 40% off and gift head sale and so the price of the doll was INCREDIBLY cheap, and so yes; I believe the quality was VERY MUCH appropriate for the price.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Exactly the same.

* Were you satisfied with the product?
Definitely. She is a very beautiful doll and being able to snap her up at such a low price was fantastic. Although there are a couple of things that are bothering me about her, I am still more than happy to have her in my possession.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)
The way that her hands attach is bordering on genius; I'm a bit of a newbie and it makes it so much easier to attach that with a hook that to have to unstring and restring her (something I'm frankly terrified of...). Her face is absolutely gorgeous, and the body is really beautiful, it looks very much as photos depict, which was great as I was afraid she wouldn't look quite as 'smirky' as she did in stock photos.

As mentioned above me, her joints are a little strange. They sit quite comfortably as a 90 degree angle but it's a bit of a struggle to try and extend them to a fully bent position. Also mentioned above, her sanding joins are not sanded down very well and there are a couple on her sides that almost feel sharp. But I'm happy to have to do a little sanding myself if that means being able to have her so much quicker.

* Would you buy more from this company?
Yes; I'm currently trying to talk myself out of buying a Serena on the NS13 body...my argument is not going at all well...

 

* What did you order?
Senior NS17 boy body + Lucas head.

* When did you order?
March 2018, during their 40% off event.

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
Yes, because of the sale. But I do think that their short production time and the amount of orders that they are getting because of the sale might have affected the quality.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Yes.

* Were you satisfied with the product?
Very. I was actually interested in a few of their head sculpts, and ended up choosing Lucas after considering for weeks. From the research that I've done, I realise that he's not a popular sculpt at all, as I can't find any other photos of him other than on their own website; but I still felt very strongly that Lucas is the one that I should go for. Now that I have him here, I'm so happy that I made that choice as I think the sculpt does not disappoint and looks even better in person!

Edit: No gripes about the sculpt-- but the resin right by the elbow and knee joints might be a bit thin, resulting in stress cracks.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)
I'm new to this hobby, so I don't know enough to comment too much, but I really like the hand connector mechanism. I'm also enjoying the vein detail on the boy's hands. But due to their short production time and events, some of the seam lines are still visible and edges of the joins a bit sharp. He's also strung too tight.

* Would you buy more from this company?
I might. I'd admit the communication from their side is poor and they shouldn't have promised such a short production time (10 days) if they're not going to deliver on it-- I honestly don't mind waiting a bit; I got mine after 43 working days (including shipping time), which isn't bad at all.

 

* What did you order?
Raven (full doll) with faceup

* When did you order?
Dec 30, 2015, arrived July 9, 2016

* Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
Yes, I think so.

* Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Yes, although the freckles on the faceup were less pronounced in person than in the stock photos.

* Were you satisfied with the product?
Absolutely.

* Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product (optional)
He arrived very floppy, but that was easily fixed.

* Would you buy more from this company?
If they had another sculpt I liked, possibly.

 

What did you order?
White skin Senior Girl Hannah with B bust and heel feet, normal skin Senior Girl Lilian with A bust and heel feet.

When did you order?
December 30, 2019 during 1+1 event.
Dolls were delivered on February 12, 2020. I did not receive a shipping notice, and the order on the website still said “preparing product.”

Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
As these are fairly inexpensive dolls, yes.

Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Yes

Were you satisfied with the product?
Mostly, yes, but both dolls came with the smaller bust size. I have contacted April Story via email but not yet received a response.

Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product
The sculpting is beautiful but the engineering of the joints is lacking. It’s hard to get the Senior Girl body to sit up straight and the S-curve of her back is severe. The resin has some flaws, namely pinholes and some flashing came out when I moved the S-hooks in the arms and legs to put the hands and feet on. Again though, for the price, these aren’t really issues for me.

Would you buy more from this company?
Yes! If I found another sculpt I really liked, I would definitely consider it.

 

What did you order?
NS Diana on a Junior Girl (AS13) Body.

When did you order?
May 30, 2020

Was the quality appropriate for the price, in your opinion?
I think so. Shes a beautiful doll Just wish her head cap fit!

Did the item look like the sales pictures?
Yes. The heel feet even came with the pictured white heels.

Were you satisfied with the product?
For the most part yes!
But there were a few issues noted.
- Unfortunately, one of the straps on the resin heels broke when I was swapping out the feet (thin resin?). I guess you need to take off those shoes first...
- The body was strung very tightly with very little slack available. I would need to buy new elastic if I want to restring her.
- Due to the tight stringing the S-hooks have left some marks. Most noticeably on the neck: the doll head was not attached and the S-hook turned downwards and was actually digging into the resin on front of the neck Thankfully the mark gets covered up by her chin.
- The head cap is actually too large for the head received. This can be covered with a wig but I was a bit disappointed.
[EDIT: April Story advised me to push on head cap harder as it is meant to be a tight fit. It did go in with a fairly gentle push. Guess I'm used to caps just snapping in with the magnets ]

Tell us some of the positives and negatives about this product
Positives
- Her face is very cute and the body sculpting is gorgeous. She's got mad hips! Hopefully she's not too bootiful to make finding clothing difficult (she doesn't fit the shorts or pants I own).
- Idk why I'm so happy about this but her feet look like they have slight bunions (like me!)
- Way less floppy than my other SD girl.
Negatives
- I find posing the body to be tricky. She has no issue sitting but standing is a bit challenging. Her legs have a tendency to pull together and cross. It can end up looking girly which is fine for this character, but I don't trust her to stay standing.
- Foot shape makes it difficult to remove the resin heels provided.
- Sometimes posing her legs and changing her feet causes little bits of resin to fall off. It doesn't look like the doll is damaged so I assume this is the "flashing" from the inside of the doll.

Would you buy more from this company?
Possibly, if I were to find another sculpt I like.
They sell heads individually now so that also makes them more accessible to me.