Dealing with a single piece torso.

My only one-piece torso-ed doll currently is my T-line (tiny) Choco (and will soon have a Bana too). For this size, it doesn't bother me so much, although it's a pain when trying to sit him. When I first got my JDF body, I didn't know you had to pull the top part to lock it in the slouching position and it really depressed me XD So I don't think I'll ever go for one-piece torsos apart for very tinies. I love dolls that can slouch, is pretty much all I ask for a doll to have ^ ^;

 

What’s the size of your doll?
I have quite a few dolls. The vast majority have jointed torsos. One-piece torsos are definitely in the minority, but mostly because companies these days engineer their dolls to have lots of joints.

Why did you decide to buy that doll/body? And how important is pose-ability to you?
After having handled lots of different bodies, I have come to realize that number of joints does not equal better posing abilities. For example, one of my dolls who has a torso joint cannot sit, stand or hold any other pose - she's basically a ragdoll; she's very poorly engineered despite having the "required" joints. On the other hand, my Volks SD10 body, which doesn't have a torso joint and is single-jointed, stands and sits like a champ.

While posing ability is very important to me, so is aesthetics. Most of the dolls I have in my collection have a little of both. I love my MiniFees and LittleFees for their amazing poses, but I don't particularly find their bodies aesthetically pleasing. On the other hand, the old Delf body can only do simple poses, yet it's very beautiful to look at. Having said that, I will never keep a body that is not able to, at the very least, sit unaided, no matter how beautiful it is. I already have one bad experience with such body - never again.

How many things can you do with your doll?
Well, the dolls that have a solid torso are all able to sit and stand very well. Those with a jointed torso are able to do the same plus various extra poses - some can do more (MiniFees, LittleFees), others less (Soom dolls, Delf girls, Bluefairy, etc.). It all depends on the specific doll.

Do you recommend a single piece torso?
If your goal is to have your doll strike as many poses as it can, then no. If you are mostly concerned about clean lines/aesthetics and basic sitting/standing, then yes. It all comes down to your preference and what you seek to achieve with your doll. Both types of torsos are beautiful in their own way.

 

Both kinds are ok for me, I can either ignore a bit of less poseability or less aesthetic but I have a non-jointed torso doll and he's my favorite. (60cm CP Chiwoo)


I have had other SDs with jointed torsos such a SDF and B&G(sold). They were great dolls but I will not be changing my Delf's body anytime soon because I think it looks beautiful and it can do everything I want him to do, I never really had a problem with his poseability since all I need is knowing how to move his hips or legs for a certain pose....unless you want extreme poses, then I would recommend a jointed torso...what I don't like about jointed torsos is that it looks weird when they are shirtless or when they wear tight shirts.

 

I noticed a lot of people are saying their Delfs do not have a torso joint, but keep in mind these dolls do have a lower torso joint. It gives very limited movement from forward to back and negligible movement from side to side.

I have had some experiences at meets with non-jointed torso dolls, so I will review both.

What’s the size of your doll? I have a SD Delf both boy and girl with a single lower torso joint (which is almost like a non-jointed torso)
Why did you decide to buy that doll/body? And how important is pose-ability to you? When I got my dolls, I got them for the faces. This was before the big push for more pose-ability. If I had the choice at the time, I would have preferred more jointing.
How many things can you do with your doll? I do not do any fancy posing with my dolls. I wish I could at least get a cute side lean pose from my girl. The faces and hands convey most of the emotion. Eye position can change the whole look of my girl especially.

One thing that the single jointed torso has allowed me to do is get an absolutely HUGE set of dragon wings for my girl. I do not think they would work nearly as well on a multi torso doll (if at all).

Do you recommend a single piece torso? It all depends on what the person getting the doll wants. If they want to show off skin all the time and want to not have joint lines in photos, then go for a non-jointed torso. If they plan on keeping them clothed or have more expressive posing, then a jointed torso would be best, imo.

If you don’t have one, what are your thoughts on them and would you ever own one? And why/why not?
Maybe you don’t own one but at some point you dealt/played with one, what did you think about it?
I have played with solid torso dolls and while I do not find them harder to stand, sitting can be problematic depending on the way the doll is sculpted.

The completely solid torso has actually put me off from buying at least two dolls: Pipos Charlotte, and the newer Elfdoll Catsy (and I have two older style Catsy that I love).
I want at least a bit of pose-ability especially in smaller dolls and the solid torso to me, feels like an incomplete doll... or a bit too akin to the old fashioned porcelain baby dolls to me. But to each their own.

 

This isn't a non-jointed torso-- Delf has a hip joint. What they mean by one-piece torso is NO joints, no hip joint, no chest joint, no waist joint. Like the old-style SD10, on the far-left in this picture. His body is solid from neck to groin. (Compared to the SD13s next to him, who have a single-joint torso, with a twisting-joint at the waist.)

I didn't choose this body for its poseability; I chose it for being the right size for the SchoolHead B head that I had. He sits up straight & stands up straight wonderfully, very stable. He can be stiff in sitting poses. But although he cannot slouch or twist, he can get into-- or fake-- a surprising range of action-poses! That little doll is the one who accompanies me most on outdoor adventures, goes tree-climbing and rock-scaling and skateboarding and what-have-you.

I honestly don't know how he manages to seem so dynamic.... but he's proof that, with a little practice posing, you can coax plenty of lifelike looks out of a non-jointed torso.

But if I'm given a choice, I always go for more joints! The more the merrier. I think my favorite bodies right now are Volks SDGraffiti and SD17, for their incredible slouching & folding-up capabilities, as well as their graceful body lines. Iplehouse's size-cloned musclemen (JID, SID, EID) are next in line; marvelous poseability & grace there, too. Spiritdoll Elegance is a beautiful body indeed, and bends all sortsa ways, so I wouldn't hesitate to get that one if you want both looks & poseability.

 

I own one DOD Ducan and one Iplehouse Lennox, and both are with jointed torsos (two parts). I love their jointed torsos because I'm a sucker for artistically hunched poses (I don't know how to describe this--hunch over like a Vogue model, maybe?) and it helps me in handling them quite easier. I've never tried purchasing a single torso and I would probably not anytime soon because I've grown so comfortable with the two-part torsos.

But hey, whatever makes you happy!

 

I too have had this little dilemma when I was gearing up for a second, SD doll.

Luckily this doll was more of a "sit and look pretty" type, and I chose to go with Souldoll Yurr, with the double jointed body. (Still hating the knees though. @__@) Plus I sort of fell in love with the Yurr sculpt.

I don't think I will need to pose my doll that often, but the upper torso joint seemed reasonable and appealing to me. At least from the front, which is important to me. lol

Like I said, I may not pose the doll often, but I know for a fact that I would like to be able to bend the torso into a pose. Be it a simple natural one, or just goofing around. So I opted for a jointed body.

I may consider modding the hips. Off the top of my head I don't remember if this body has hip joints. But if they are needed, I may mod them or have a user here mod them for me.

We shall see though.


I also have a Soom Silt, he's yo-sized and poses amazingly well. He has a jointed torso, and love him to bits.
He sits well and stands very well. I don't pose him often, but getting a certain pose isn't difficult. I like the ability to pose him when an idea strikes my fancy.

I restrung him with both leg elastics going up to the s hook in the head. It keeps his back straight when he sits and his head doesn't "flop" about. That was something that annoyed me for a bit when I first got him, and didn't know about the magical wonders of restringing. LOL!
I left his arm elastics alone, since they were seperate and actually didn't need any adjustments.

 

I have a 68cm three piece, a 68 cm two piece, and a 28 cm one piece. For all of the lovely relaxed posing I can get on the larger two, even when I'm using non-fantasy feet, I can't trust them to stand unattended. They crash often, and I find it's mostly when the upper part of the torso shifts and throws off the balance. My tiny has the standing advantage of both being small and the non-jointed torso gives her stability my others don't have. I don't leave her unattended, but she's often (as currently) standing for a few hours while I work on something on the side of the desk.

I tend not to worry much about the aethetics. Even though I prefer an upper torso cut along the bust or pecs to "hide" it, it always feels more fickle than my dolls cut down more along the ribs. Finding a body for one of my floating heads, I did consider a no joint torso, but decided against it because I couldn't find one with the right height. However, when it comes restringing, I fear the day I have to take my little Pipos girl apart for both she's tiny and non-jointed. I have no idea how I'm going to get her back together.

 

ive got two single piece torso males and i have never tried a two piece.... so im not sure which id like more but i definately love my single piece males because they are so damn sexy! and hes so proportionate to his sculpt!

 

I have a Volks SD10 girl who has a single-piece torso and it is my favorite body aesthetically. She may not have the same flexible range as some dolls but to me it is a beautiful body. I don't do contortionist poses with my dolls anyway so I don't need super-jointed torsos.

 

What’s the size of your doll?
SD10
Why did you decide to buy that doll/body? And how important is pose-ability to you?
she's on an unjointed body.
it's the only body she comes with (although I do plan to switch her to a suwarikko body someday because I want her to be able to sit like I do). Pose-ability is not that important to me as long as the doll can sit, stand and do simple basic poses it's good enough for me.
How many things can you do with your doll?
not sure what you mean by this
Do you recommend a single piece torso?
not if you want your doll to be able to do strange/extreme poses or bend forward/backwards at the waist
If you don’t have one, what are your thoughts on them and would you ever own one? And why/why not?
I have one and it works fine for me, I can't really bend my back too much so I don't expect my girl to be able to do it either
Maybe you don’t own one but at some point you dealt/played with one, what did you think about it?
I own one

 

What’s the size of your doll?
Volks Kanata SD10

Why did you decide to buy that doll/body? And how important is pose-ability to you?
I liked the sleek and seamlessness of it. I was really hoping the poseablity would still be ok but I found that it was more harder to pose than I thought.

How many things can you do with your doll?
Honestly standing and sitting lol

Do you recommend a single piece torso?
If you want looks over poseability than sure but if posing is what you want most id go with something else

 

I haven't owned any dolls with a one-piece torso, and I personally don't want one. I almost got a HZ doll, until I realized he didn't have a middle joint. I care most about how natural they look when posing, even if I don't intend to pose much. The single torso just looks much too stiff for my taste. Even with an open shirt, I'd prefer a jointed torso. To me seeing the torso joint in a doll photo is like seeing an arm joint in a doll photo. These dolls have joints, and that's why we love them.
But that's just my personal opinion. It's really up to your taste.

 

What’s the size of your doll?
I have various sized dolls with torso's ranging from single piece to multiple joints. The doll I own with a single piece torso is my YoTenshi Ken.

Why did you decide to buy that doll/body? And how important is pose-ability to you?
With my Ken, he came with what Volks call the Tenshi "origin" body. I had no choice in the matter because he was a limited doll, but I've grown to appreciate the single piece torso. Because I have such a range, poseability can be an important consideration but equally, he can sit with my other (jointed) Yo and look perfectly natural. I actually find the single piece torso helps a bit with managing to hold up his wings.

How many things can you do with your doll?
He can stand and sit comfortably and still do a range of sweet poses, even if the single piece limits him from twisting.

Do you recommend a single piece torso?
Depending on what you want it for, aesthetics or poseability, I'd say yes when considering aesthetics. Mine is limited with poses but I do find he's stable, so I like him with his single piece torso.

 

I have only a Feeple60 currently, but I'm not a fan of one-piece torsos...I don't think I'd go for one. I like how my boy can pose~

 

When I was considering my first doll, I thought I definitely wanted a jointed torso, so I tended to avoid one piece torsos. However, early last year, I purchased an Aria Doll Isabel, which is an MSD size with a single torso, and I was surprised at how much I loved it. Even without any torso joints, she poses amazingly well.

Playing with her made me realize that while there are some poses that can't be achieved without a jointed torso, most of them can be 'faked', especially under clothes. My Supiadoll Rosy, for example is on the version one two-piece torso, and while it can lean beautifully to the sides and strike a beautiful contrapposto pose, it has problems sitting unaided. That bothers me a lot more than whether or not my doll can 'slouch' or lean sideways. Also, just because a doll has joints doesn't necessarily mean they're useful. Especially with three-part torsos, I have seen many many instances in which the lower portion has limited to no mobility. A well engineered body doesn't necessarily need multiple joints to pose well, just as double joints doesn't automatically pose better than single joints.

I'm planning on purchasing a Spiritdoll Elegance male body, too, and I'm planning on getting the one piece torso, because the jointed torso just loses a lot of the beautiful detailing and elegance of the one piece. I think, especially with the thigh piece, it'll be able to pose the way I need it to pose, and I won't be losing out on the aesthetics.

 

Since I was changing my Volks Kazuya from a boy to a girl, I had a choice of several different bodies for her. I knew I wanted Volks, but I wanted her to look younger than my SD13 Volks girls.

I use the torso joint on my SD13 girls and boys all the time, but I just didn't like the look of the SD suwarrico jointed torso, despite the obvious posing advantages. I love the look of the SD one piece torso, so the decision wasn't difficult to make. Now my Kazuya stands, sits and poses about as well as any of my Volks BJDs. I do like how stable her torso is.

Normally I slightly prefer posing over aesthetics, but this was a case where the look of the body totally won out over posability. My Kazuya doesn't have to be a champion poser, since she is a quiet cute girl who mostly likes to play with her dolls. But my boys must be very dynamic, so they have to pose very well!

I admit, there is something very appealing about those one-piece mature male torsos!!

Linda S.
galatia9