Did you purchase a "test" doll before fully committing to an aspect of the hobby?

Kinda... I was 20 when I finally got my first doll. I had wanted on for a few years already, but I was young and broke and living on my own and couldn't afford the doll I really wanted. So my gramma gave me some birthday money that year and I found a cheap bobobie doll that could afford. I kept it for quite a while and it became the "test" for all my early modding attempts. I made a lot of mistakes but learned a lot too, what worked and what didnt. I am glad I had that "cheap" doll to practice on and could do a much better job on my more expensive dolls later.

 

Yes definitey. I Always buy "test" Things. I bought cheap art supplies before buying more spensive supplies, I bought a cheap lolita Dress before comitting to the style and I bought a cheap second Hand BJD before getting fully into the Hobby. I have Always loved dolls so I knew it would be something for me but I Always wanna try something out before I go all in.

 

Yep! My first two dolls were (still are, really) a pair of Hujoo anthro dolls. I discovered that i do really like bjd's, and would love to dip in deeper and get some fancy resin girl! Sadly, even after years in the hobby, I simply haven't been able to afford any. So, my 'test' dolls are still my only ones.

I still have a fun time lookin @ everyone elses dolls though!!

 

Yes and no, I was pretty young when I got into the hobby. My first doll was actually a gift for my 15th birthday. To me, at the time, dolls seemed crazy expensive and I had no plans on ever spending 600 dollars on a doll. I found resinsouls ming and I was absolutely in love with him and the price made sense too. I also didn't know how into this hobby I was going to get, I was obsessed at the time but I was frequently obsessed with many things. All in all, I love the doll to this day and I'm so glad to have my goat boy as part of my collection, but I know that if I was willing to save up the money properly, I most likely would have gotten a different doll back then.

 

Haha...no. I dove in with both feet before even testing the waters.

 

Thinking back, I think I was testing the BJD waters when I bought a Realpuki as my first doll even though I was very smitten with several SD sculpts! I loved owning a tiny jointed doll and soon moved to a 65cm Migidoll.

 

I did buy two test dolls (inexpensive but original 3D printed resin dolls from an artist on Etsy)- but ended up buying three more full set artist dolls which I received before they even arrived, haha.

I actually really love my test dolls though, and they are my practice for learning how to do face ups, wigs and sewing in a tiny scale (they are 1/12 mature dolls) before my 1/12 and 1/4 dolls from Metis Doll Studio arrive.

 

I bought a PukiFee Ante as a test doll, because it was small, relatively inexpensive compared to other bjds, and pretty cute. I really fell in love with her, so after a hiatus I bought a LittleFee, MiniFee, and another PukiFee. Fairyland addict!

 

No test. Full set Ringdoll 70cm right away. XD i was eyeing dolls for a long time though before. And only after i got a steady job did i buy my first doll. I had some Pullips and anime figurines before which i totally love, and still do. So i had no doubt that I would love bigger dolls as well. Fits in the collection right?

 

Nah, I went all in with a doll that made my heart sing the first time I saw her, haha. It helps that I became obsessed with BJDs around Christmas (and wedding anniversary) time, so I had some money from gifts to throw at her.

 

my first ball jointed doll ever was a hujoo rabi, which was made of ABS. the sculpt was adorable, and i loved her dearly, but i was about 12-13 at the time and sadly she didn’t get the best treatment in storage. as a result, she has a lot of strange stains, plus (although this is not a result of storage), her mold marks are rather apparent in some places. however, having her definitely confirmed for me that BJDs were something that i enjoyed greatly. (also, for those wondering - ABS dolls feel drastically different than resin ones.)

 

With BJD resin, no, won't purchase a test doll. But this is because I've already made some experience from my other type of doll when collecting.

When I started collecting other dolls, I did try to buy a test doll where it was cheaper, and available in time The result was I did not really connect with it and it almost killed my hobby, until I got the later dolls which I really liked.

I am currently waiting for my first BJD resin which I finally pre-ordered, after one year of studying and choosing. I am contented and really looking forward to receiving them when ready. )))

 

I mean, I did get a Jun Planning Ai before I got my first "real" BJD...but I only ever customized that doll's clothes!

When I got Lucrezia, she was a basic set with NOTHING. I picked out eyes and wig, painted her faceup, and made all her clothes myself. So I just sort of dove right in.

 

No "test doll" here.
I saw BJDs and in my research came across the F-01, fell in love with Megu and started saving until I could afford her.
In contrast, had I purchased a "test doll" earlier I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have loved it as much as I love my Megu and may not be where I am now in regards to this hobby so definitely no regrets here.

 

I kinda did, and then regretted for a long time.In the end, I decided to sell him. (since then all the dolls I have bought are the ones I really liked in the first place)
The reason I bought him was because I was a student (15-16, doing my GCSEs at the time), and I couldn't afford anything more expensive than him. Although there were other dolls I liked more.
I was only excited for the first few days after he arrived, purely because he was the first bjd doll I had, and I wanted a bjd doll for a long time.
However, he wasn't the way I imaged my doll would be, so soon I lost interests not only on him but also the hobby.
Afterwards, my mum bought another doll that I liked for me (my current profile photo). Then I gained my interests again.

If anyone is considering buying a "test" doll that you might not like, I really think you shouldn't. If you are not entirely sure whether you will stay in the hobby, and you don't want to waste any money. You could take more time searching for dolls that you like and also within your budget. Just bear in mind you can always sell your unwanted dolls.

 

Yes! I have been patiently waiting on my test doll since April. I'm not spending a lot money to style her either. Just trying to get my feet wet.

 

For reasons too long and uninteresting- yes, I did tester dolls. Yes, plural. I'm no stranger to buying an expensive doll only to hate it on sight once arriving, and BJD's were even MORE money so.... yeah, I was concerned.

I started off super small - a cute little plastic thing with the same dimensions as a Pukifee and most of the joints a BJD would have. I wanted to see if I liked how she'd fit in my hand, you know? Absolutely adorable, and she sits on a shelf cuddled up with one of my Monster High girls now. She's not very customizable though, and is very, very plasticy, so that meant time to take a step upwards.

One typical newbie mistake and existential crisis later, I knew I loved the feel and look of resin and I was now certain that I could buy a doll and be reasonably certain I'd like them. Except I somehow threw all my caution to the wind when I found MYou Carl, and instead of a cute little 1/8 baby I bought a 1/3 monster that actually horrified me when I fully realized just how big he's going to be. He won't be my BIGGEST doll, but holy heck it's gunna be close. He's in the mail now and I am still both deeply in love and terrified that I'll unbox him and find that he's just too much.

Fingers crossed.

(He's going to look so funny next to my toddler zombie twins, same height but veeeeeeerry different scale LOL.)

 

Oh yes. I bought Pullips first. they count i think

 

I thought about it, but decided ultimately I would probably love this hobby since I collected play line dolls already. Decided just to buy the doll I wanted and not waste any of my money trying out the hobby.

 

Yes, I bought a ALM Adele from Alice's Collection. She came with a free face-up. She is actually double jointed and a very good poser. I also bought 2 Bobobi/Resin Soul MSDs to try out that size. I have difficulty posing them but love their sculpts. They have taught me restringing and putting in eyelashes and later wiping and doing face-ups. I still love all three of my "test dolls" though and have no plans to get rid of them.