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

This has been a most interesting thread to read! I have yet to buy my first doll, and I am feeling very confused and lost about this whole hobby at the moment. I am hoping that I will have that revelation moment when I purchase my first.

 

I got a monster high girl to see how I felt about maybe doing face ups. Good decision, because I concluded the answer was a definite no! My girl was relatively cheap for this hobby, but I wouldn't call her a test doll. When I was researching dolls, she was genuinely one of the ones I liked the best.

 

Yes, and it turned out to be an amazing doll that I haven't surpassed yet! My first secondary market purchase was my best to date.

 

Actually I did not. Since I was a doll collector already, it was just a matter of deciding what I want and I went for it! However with a sewing machine, yes I bought a cheaper model before getting the confidence to buy an expensive machine. LOL!

 

When I took the plunge into the bjd world, I went all in and made a big order with doll chateau. Before any dolls arrived, however, I did purchase an off topic hujoo freya to experiment with faceups on. This is because I only used acrylic paint beforehand, pastels and spray sealant were new to me. So, I didn't really have a test doll prior to entering the hobby, but I did get a test doll to experiment with before they arrived.

 

Yes I did a test doll. Mine was little pukipuki which I still have. I was not sure if i was going to like the doll or not, plus I was not sure how much time and extra money I would to put in. Once I got her and saw how much you could customized your doll I wanted to go bigger which at that time was a MNF.

 

I bought the doll I wanted first - she was more affordable (only $350... ha! hardly cheap) than my later purchases but she was never a test doll. Even though she's my least expensive she's still my favorite and I've spent more money on maintaining her face-up and wardrobe and body than any other doll. Nothing but the best for her.

 

I didn't buy a test BJD first, I just got the one I wanted. However, I do have some used Monster High dolls from eBay and a cheap resin head from Alice's Collectons for practicing faceups and wigs.

 

I went in at the deep-end with a full blown SD doll, but luckily I had a fairly well informed decision, as my partner has dolls, and I'm lucky enough to live in Tokyo at the moment, with many BJD stores around to get a wider view than online.
I think seeing them in person really helps you get a feel for them in a way that looking at pictures just can't.

 

Before realizing how wrong it was, I purchased three recasts. One was like an 1/8 scale Fairyland doll, I had a Iplehouse Benny in tan, and a Doll Chateau Agatha in tan. I sold the Fairyland and the Iplehouse, but I use the Doll chateau for faceup practice, practice tattoos, and test out mods. I'm not saying that it is a good idea, but buying those gave me the chance to see if I like the dolls before making the commitment. I've found that 1/8 scale, Iplehouse, and those specific DC bodies aren't really my thing.

 

Definitely the "inexpensive first" category xD I'm too cautious to commit to something so expensive after only being interested in the hobby for a few months, especially since I have a bad habit of impulse buying pretty objects.

 

I did, yes. But not a BJD, it was another type of "fashion doll" commonly found in big box stores. I love her too--and that's when I knew that I would probably love BJDs also.

 

I didn't think of it that way at the time, but my first doll was totally a test doll. She was the approximate type of doll I wanted (an MSD girl) but her price was the real deciding factor. In retrospect she should've totally backfired on me, but the more time I spent with her, the more I loved her! Like, before I bought her, I don't think I'd have necessarily picked her out of a lineup, but now I wouldn't trade her for any other doll.

 

I bought a Monster High doll for me & a friend so we could make vlogs (we didn't lol), then I bought ANOTHER one to modify and practice making wigs for! My friend got another for Christmas so she can practice modifying them, too! I ended up ordering from ResinSoul, but I still bought another small doll I found at Barnes & Nobles. I'm just too excited about the hobby and want to dive right in!

 

Yes! I got a resinsoul msd as my test doll to see if I would like them. Suffice to say I was happy! She is one of my favourite dolls.

 

Test dolls were never on my radar when I joined the hobby! I prefer to invest in something I definitely want, regardless of price, rather than starting out with something on the cheaper side of the spectrum. All of my BJDs are SDs and I have no issues with it. I like to make informed decisions, so if I am feeling any uncertainties I typically do more research and become more knowledgeable.

 

thats kind of what Judith (resinsoul ya) was. honestly i stained her to shit as a result of my experiments... but it just revealed a character to me and she wont be my test doll anymore. ^^ shes a little wasteland project now, inspired by mad max. my boyfriend is interested in the hobby as a result of her new theme... i might give her to him as his first doll if he wishes to join us. ^^

 

I actually started with Pullips because I didn't understand the differences. Once I went to a meet at an Anime convention and then had some people help me look stuff up, and I picked my Resinsoul Song.I know Resinsoul is often a starter doll, but the sculpt is great for Snow's character. And once I knew I was in love, I bought a few more. Sometimes getting a test doll can be scary because you might sacrifice getting a doll you want to save money but you would have fallen in love if you'd just committed to the more expensive doll... Definitely had to take a leap of faith...

 

I didn't necessarily purchase a "test" doll but my first doll was most definitely bought on impulse.

 

Not really. My Obitsu collection was my gateway into the hobby but I bought a Resinsoul Song because he kept jumping out to me versus the dolls I kept looking at previously. I've had Avalon for about five years now and I'm still as in love as the day I got him home. He's gone through three wigs, two faceups and countless ill-fitting outfits while I tried to adapt my sewing to the larger scale.