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Are ball joints ugly?

Sep 30, 2008

    1. when i first started the hobby i thought that they were. i didnt understand or appreciate the work that had gone into the scuplt and thought that it took away from the dolls realism. In my head, they should aim to look as human and as lifelike as possible.
      in retrospect, that actually sounds terrifying and would definitely give me and others the unsettling feeling from the uncanny valley effect.
      i have since grown to actually love the joints on my scuplts, when i first got my bjd, it was a massive turning point and i was playing with here arms and legs all day :sweat
       
    2. I prefer Ethan with his jointed hands... because they sit in his wrists better than his default ones! :lol: But, I love the detail on the default ones; the creases in the fingers, the slight veining, the lines in the palms...

      Seriously, though, I love the joints. It stops them from being the other end of the scale (too realistic). I do prefer the joints that have smaller channels for the elastic, so it's not so obvious, but it's a part of what they are. Clothing does hide them, but you can't always rely on that. What if you want a cute pair of hot-pants, or a swimsuit edition photoshoot?

      Some (mostly non-hobby) people need to realise ball-joints are part and parcel of this hobby. And deal with it. :cool:
       
    3. I really dislike it when people argue that 'this or that or the other IS ugly', because ugliness (like beauty) is always a matter of opinion. I especially dislike it when people start being forceful and keep insisting that their *opinion* is a *fact*.
      You don't really *need* a counter-argument when someone tells you some aspect or another of your hobby is unattractive. All you need to do is shrug and say "well, I personally like it/love it/find it very attractive, and there's no accounting for tastes". End of argument. :cool:

      I personally do not find ball joints ugly. Besides, without ball joints my dolls wouldn't be BJDs. :celebrate
       
      • x 2
    4. Simple answer: yes.

      To me, they’re extremely ugly, no matter how they’re made. I really dislike the look of joints on BJD, but you can’t have mobility without joints when it comes to BJD, so there it is. I tend to cover most of it with clothing. And there are other ways to camouflage the joints when taking photos in which the joints aren’t covered by clothing.
       
    5. I really like them! They are not only better for posing but also what makes a dolls more appealing to me . the way they work is really interesting too .
       
      • x 1
    6. I don't find them ugly at all. In fact, I think they're beautiful in a strange way -- I think I like being able to actually see the engineering for myself. All of that gets hidden if you have a doll with click knees or some kind of internal armature.

      Regardless, your friend sounds pretty ignorant. Sure, you can go out of your way to make joints "pretty"-- or you can actually have them work, lol. Wire armatures are notoriously fragile and Barbies have no posability whatsoever.
       
      • x 1
    7. I agree with those who feel some ball joints are better looking than others. Personally, I can't get past some of the double-jointed elbows even when they accomplish the feat of getting the hand to pose near the face.

      I wonder if we're going to see some innovations in pose-ability borrowed from the stop-motion animation industry. They use a jointed interior metal skeleton of sorts and I'd love to play with that!
       
    8. I like the ball joints look its what attracted me to the dolls

      It makes them look un human it makes them look like robots to me and everyone likes robots

      The big obvious balls makes them look like the early robots

      The smooth ball joints makes them look like advanced future robots because it is more human

      I hate the look of the silicone dolls with the hidden joints it looks like a body that fell to their death and the bone structure is now powder no thank you keep the ball joints
       
      • x 2
    9. I completely agree with this, the robot look is very appealing, reminds me especially of automatons . And something looks weird in a silicone doll, I probably feel what you described aswell, I much prefer a bjd.
       
      • x 1
    10. My first impulse was to say, yeah, they’re not the most appealing things, but kind of a necessary evil if you want the level of poseability they have.

      Thinking about it, though, I think the ball joints add to the level of artistry. There’s plenty of other dolls with posing systems that are even less visually pleasing— not to hate on them, but I know that I personally find the ball joints the most appealing of them. So, ball joints are fine. XD They’re an elegant solution to a question that we’ll be coming up with answers with forever.
       
    11. I think if I found them ugly, I wouldn't be in the hobby. I find his attitude rather strange, though. They're BALL-JOINTED dolls. Maybe it has something to do with the uncanny valley? Maybe they look too much like bones? Either way, your friend is kind of rude. It's one thing to have an opinion, which he's welcome to, but it's another to be a jerk about it.
       
      • x 1
    12. I like them. I got into this hobby because I felt like the dolls I had before didn't have enough joints. Sure, they don't look very human, but I don't need them too. I always find it mildly amusing when people airbrush out the joints. No matter how realistic I get my dolls to look, I doubt I'd ever bother.
       
    13. I understand what your friend means. However, I find the joints on a BJD charming and quaint, as well as the weight of the resin. I feel like you have to be a doll person to really understand it. *shrugs*
       
      • x 1
    14. Honestly I think their beautiful and elegant. I love the way my dolls are sculpted and the poses they can achieve because of their posability. I've seen some hot toys models that promised "joints everywhere" and it... I'll be honest, looked TERRIFYING. Cause the BJD body, mimics in many ways the human body in terms of what it can and can't do. Some can do it better than others (double joints versus single joints) but similar limitations are there. Our dolls just can't feel pain and cry out if something is moved wrong.
       
    15. I don't get it, I think the joints of a bjd are beautiful. But to each their own!
       
    16. I really like ball joints in general. The whole aesthetics is gorgeous
       
    17. First I thought they are ugly too. But I guess you can used to them :)
       
    18. I think they're pretty baller
       
    19. Yes! I believe they ruin the beauty of the doll...
       
    20. I often don't really like joints, so it's easier for me to find heads i like but harder for me to find bodies i like.