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

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php/361773-What-do-you-think-of-quot-starter-dolls

When I first considered buying a BJD in 2005, there was no such thing as a "mature mini". I like my dolls to be adults. I almost started with an MSD sized doll, but I am so glad I didn't, because I MUCH prefer the 60cm range and taller sizes.

I knew I was taking a big risk when I bought my first, I didn't know what I would do if I hated him. Luckily I loved him! I felt like it was worth taking the risk.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I'm still in the test doll phase. I have a Hujoo Freya. While she's plastic instead of resin, it gives me an idea of what bjd's are like in general. Plus, she's super cute, and was great practice for a faceup and understanding how the stringing works. My boyfriend has a DC Queena that I see every time I'm over at his house, so she's like a test doll for me too.

 

I jumped right into the hobby. I thought getting the doll you actually want is better than getting a test doll. I think you develop a better feeling for the hobby like this, because every mod or change in general has more weight to it.

 

My first doll was a Bobobie. I bought her because I wanted a doll and she was all I could afford. I justified her to everyone and myself more than was necessary. I now want to buy her a new body because I finally got over the idea of "ohh she's my first doll, I can't change her". I did a lot of face-up trials on her. I have a floating head that I bought as a practice mod head. It was cheap, even though it's a limited sculpt (allbeit kind of ugly imho). I want to keep my BBB head because I did kind of bond with her and I feel after I get a new body and do a new face-up I hope I won't feel quite so much resentment to her. Ahh to be young and overly eager.

 

Yup,
A tiny, Doll Leaves ada

 

I jumped in with both feet. I've collected dolls my whole life, and I already knew that I had a "bigger is ALWAYS better" mentality, and I knew I wanted mature men and women, which ruled out the MSD range and smaller at the time. I wasn't afraid of customizing or painting, since I also had a background in garage kits and 1/6 dolls, so I went for a guy I loved in a huge (at the time) size, and was ready to go right out of the gate. It's been nearly ten years and he's still a favorite in my collection!

Even with the wide selection of mature minis out there, I still primarily have SDs and larger, and am fighting hard to NOT get a 90cm doll. XD But oh, the clothes I could make at that scale, and the props that could be acquired!!

So I think if you know that this is a hobby that you are eager for, go for a doll that you love!

 

I did the test doll route. I bought a little off-topic doll to see how a strung doll handled. I was able to learn how to place eyes and wigs through her and how to restring, and I also learned that not all Yo-SD dolls are the same size! My newfound knowledge wasn't super-duper helpful in sizing since my first on-topic doll is an MSD, but placing his eyes and wig have been a cinch.

 

I bought a doll I was in love with. He was cheap, not the cheapest, but even if my budget had been much higher I would have still chosen him. I had bought a 1:6 Obitsu before a bjd to try to satisfy my urge until I could get a real bjd, but once I was ready for resin, I had to get the one I loved.


When I start hobbies, I tend to dive right in! I know myself well enough that settling for something cheap that I don't like as much isn't going to give me the real feel for it and probably won't have the qualities or features I want, so a test item is just wasting my money.

 

I had barely even heard of ball-jointed dolls when I fell in love with an Iplehouse KID fullset and bought her after a lot of nail-biting and research. So I guess that counts as jumping in with both feet? I know I got lucky, though - if I hadn't seen her, I would've talked myself into buying the cheapest one I could find "just in case this doesn't work out." I would've made myself start with a blank, naked doll and I would've had no idea how to begin, and probably wouldn't've continued. The doll would've ended up like my attempts at learning cake decorating - discarded when I couldn't get the results I wanted and didn't know how to motivate myself to practice to get better.

I love to see other people start with their blank dolls (of any price point) and make them into something amazing. I just know I wouldn't've been able to do it, and would've gotten discouraged without the example of that first doll in front of me.

 

Erm... Yes and no ? When I've wanted to learn how to do face-up, I did not have the budget to buy a BJD head that I've had on my wishlist at that time (and, as I was super broke, I did not see any point in buying a "practice head" that was not a head I wanted on my wishlist), and I did not want to take off the face-up of my one and only BJD, that I really liked. So I bought an off-topic doll, an ABS Hujoo to practice face-up and customisation. That said, I also chose this doll to be one of my characters, so even if the purpose was to practice face-up with her, she was not just a test doll but a real character of mine.

As for BJD in general, I've started with a blank, bold, eyeless and naked hybrid, of a sculpt I really love to shell a character that was very dear to me xD So I guess I just jumped in !

 

I did, due to the cost of the ones I really liked I wasn't sure if I was ready to invest that much money into a doll yet. I knew I liked the dolls, what worried me was that I'd buy a pretty doll, set it down on a shelf somewhere and by the time I get around to playing with it I'd have to chase out the spiders and dust off the cobwebs first. I don't mind spending money on pretty things that sit on a shelf all day, but they usually don't cost hundreds of dollars either, so unless I was seriously going to play with it, it wasn't an investment I could justify to myself. So with that in mind, I got a cheaper doll that I wouldn't mind (cost wise) if I never really did much with it at all. To say that I enjoyed myself would be putting it mildly, so I took the plunge and got a doll I really liked and had the heavier price tag to boot. I can be...fickle, when it comes to my hobbies. So I had to be absolutely sure I wouldn't regret spending a lot of cash on a doll first.

That said, I still have my first doll. It's right next to the one I bought immediately after, along with all the others. It was a test, sure, but I didn't intend to spend money on something I didn't even care for. I made sure to get one I liked for a decent price tag.

 

It was a little bit of both for me. While I was determined to only buy a doll I really wanted, I was also new to the hobby and worried I would open the box and have an "Is this all there is?/What on earth have I spent my money on?" moment. So, I bought a doll I loved (Doll Love Nichi), but only because she met my "starter doll" needs: MSD, under $200, & easy to find clothes and wigs for.

I still love her to death, and I think she was a great intro into the hobby.

 

My mom bought me my first doll as she really wanted me to be involved in the hobby with her. I absolutely fell in love with my Luts Ani. I did buy a head after I got Ani with a cheaper body to save money. I loved her and had no problems with the fact she didn't have her original. I think that's another good way to start. Good luck!!!!

 

I personally don't think of my first as a test doll.

I found out about bjds in person (I had seen them online, but got fully introduced to them IRL) by someone who lived nearby to me at the the time. I liked the boy she had, and did a little research until I found the MSD girl I got. You could say price played a part in the decision (I casually eyed the SDs with fascination, although I didn't jump onto that bandwagon until years later), but it was not the ultimate in my final decision. I fell in love with my girl, Triya––took her out for photo shoots and the like.

I only ended up having some doubts about her later, but it was more due to IRL stuff than her. I still have her, and plan to eventually devote more time on her.

In general, I didn't even think of the concept of a test doll when I first got into bjds, and don't think my first girl really fits that description. I chose what I liked the most at the time, and don't regret it.

 

I'd say yes and no. I started with just a head planning to maybe learn how to do faceups and stuff, but I really liked it and ended not doing anything I thought of and got her a body instead XD

It doesn't really compare, a sewing machine is something you need for another purpose, even if it's a simple one it still serves it's purpose. What would be the purpose of a doll? I guess it could work if you just need one for modelling, but even then you'll probably prefer one who can pose well and those are often more expensive. That's probably why "test dolls" are usually a bad idea.

 

My first doll was a complete impulse buy I didn't have time to think about getting a test doll I was in love and had to have him I'm glad I didn't go the test route I probably wouldn't have had the urge to continue collecting if I was unsatisfied with the doll I have so many other things I could be spending money on but I've fallen hook line and sinker for these dolls

 

I never saw my first doll as a test but my parents did and since they where the one paying for it I was bound by what they said I could spend. Thankfully the doll I fell for was a Resinsoul so there was no issues. I have liked her since I got her

 

I bought a Hujoo Freyr as a test first! I loved him so much, even though I still haven't found any clothes for him. But buying him definitely made me want many more bjds for sure.

 

I started off with a $30 plastic hujoo baby before I started saving up for my first resin doll. I'm really happy I did that because I was able to practice both modding and faceups without worrying about ruining something worth a couple hundred dollars. I was right to worry too because I messed up my first faceup on the hujoo baby really, really badly. So badly, in fact, that I caused irreparable damage to the face of my doll. Fortunately, I was able to hide the damage a bit by redoing the faceup and I learned a whole lot about what to not do when handling a doll. I now have a fairly expensive resin doll that I successfully modded elf ears onto and was able to do a faceup I was happy with on the first try. I think it's well worth the $30 to learn so much about ball jointed dolls before making the leap to resin bjds.

 

Was my first doll a test doll? Yes and no. I saw my first bjd this past January on Pinterest when I accidentally went to a site with pics of realistic dolls. I spent the morning checking out Ooak dolls, monster high and bjd. I researched doll artists, companies and groups. The pic on Pinterest of the SD Marina Bychova bjd tipped me over into the hobby.

I was hesitant on ordering from Asia, but felt comfortable with dealing with an US dealer. I immediately found that I was drawn to a certain look/type, and found several dolls that appealed to me. There were two in stock at DDE that I really liked. I wanted the SD size, but also had a fear of disappointment upon opening the box and thinking "is that all there is?" My other choice was the MSD size, both were Dollmores. I discussed this with my husband and the lady at DDE, mostly to set my decision. I had decided to get the one I wanted, or I would regret it and there would be a vague resentment when I played with the other. As I liked them both equally, the decision would be made logically.

I chose the MSD, to learn at half the price of the other, what they looked, posed, etc., in real time.
So I chose a "learning curve" doll, but, also one I truly liked. I like her as much as when I first saw her.
As a 'test' doll, I learned a great deal, double v. single joints for one thing.