dissapointment in volks?

Hmm...For me I like them because they are more 'huggable', if that makes sense? As in they're nice to carry. The Volks resin has a very nice weight and texture to it compared to other dolls I've had. I guess it's just not really their goal to do posing mechanics and stuff. I don't mind though, since my dollies just sit around.

 

I find the complete opposite is true.

I own 3 Volks dolls (SD13G, 2 Yos) and have owned others as well (SD13B, SD10B) and find the resin to be strong, smooth and non-plastic-y. I find the Volks bodies in general tend to be some of the most stable and sold bodies out there- I can poke and push at my SD13 girl and she wouldn't move. If you are having a problem with your doll you might need to restring him, possibly with some thicker string. I also find it funny that you say your Volks can't sit as they have notches in their legs specifically designed for this.

By contrast, I had bought a Dollzone and hated it right out of the box- resin felt cheap and the construction of the body was horrible in general. Compared to my DOT, Volks and early Luts I thought the resin was rather thin in many places. It put me off Chinese dolls completely when I combine that with seeing some of the other 'cheaper' manufactures. I'd trust my Volks to survive a fall off a table, I wouldn't trust a Dollzone (and to prove my point, the doll I bought arrived broken).

 

I don't really like Volks hands. At all. I think thats my only gripe.

 

My dolls stand and sit just fine. Compared to their modern counterparts (and I think compared to SD17 and SDGR) Volks' older bodies are a bit limited in their posing, true, but what I like about Volks bodies is that every pose they do make, looks so natural. I love the way the arms fall besides their bodies (the small curve in the upper and lower arm). Plus, I enjoy the locking system the hip- and knee joints have. It makes them very stable and solid. Even if he's very floppy, he stands and sits like a rock because of that system. So, I don't really know why you're having such a hard time with it. Perhaps the elastic needs to be loosened a bit?

But, I have to say that I'm not really picky when it comes to posing. As long as my doll can hold a standing and sitting pose and is able to keep his arm lifted without support, I'm happy. I guess that many of the older bodies lack a bit in posing.

As for the resin; I don't think it is plastic-y at all. Quite the opposite actually. I have doll parts from eight different companies at home, and prefer Volks resin over pretty much everything. It's heavy and not so waxy to the touch as some other resins tend to be. And it's strong!

So, nope. Not disappointed. I am biased though.

Me neither. I kind of wish that they'd sculpted new hands with their SDGr body, so I could swap ;p.

 

I wonder if first impressions play a major role in this. My first doll was a Dolkot model girl (of all things, lol...) and her transluscent, toothy resin was LOVE. Immediately I thought "Ah, THIS is why these dolls are so expensive!" Every doll I've received after her felt slick and plastic-y =/ and they don't have near the level of detail in their skin with cuticles or knuckle lines... It's hard to talk about objectively because resin and all that is such a huge matter of opinion! But my Dolkot girl was a far better poser than my Soom Super Gems for sure.

 

I've never been disappointed with Volks dolls. (But I'm quite biased too)
I must say though the fact that Lucas is an older doll might have something to do with it.
I had an acquaintance that had an old Volks body, and that one was quite a horror to deal with compared to the newer ones.
Just saying.

 

I have had three Volks dolls, and only my Yo has been a good poser. My two MSD girls were and are horrible at standing! But they sit nicely and my F18 is my favorite doll ever I agree with you completely that they make wonderful sculpts!

 

Volks is my favorite company and no I have never been dissapointed.

 

Could not disagree more. I absolutely love my Volks dolls and having owned dolls from at least ten different companies their resin has the best feel and texture. It's heavy and soft.

As far as poseability, the SDGr and SD16 bodies are fabulous, and I can't wait to get my SD17 one to compare. The SD13, while not my favorite body, still is a great body and can pose quite well once it's been restrung and either kipped or sueded.

 

Could not agree with you more. Volks has the best resin in my opinion.

 

I own a volks fcs msd and while I love her face and cuddly-ness she absolutely will not stand for me. She hasnt been sueded or wired but Im used to my dolls being able to hold basic poses out of the box. my volks girl doesnt seem to have a locking system in the back of her knees for her to stand so she is always kickign me and I dont trust to leave her in any position other than sitting. I think I have been spoiled by the fairyland dolls but I do still like volks

 

Hmmm...maybe you are just not used to the difference. I have mostly Volks dolls and LOVE that they stand really well, are very sturdy, sit perfectly, have beautiful heavy stone-like resin, and (the ones with kips) pose ~ and hold poses ~ really well. Also, the older ones, when aged, have such beautiful coloring! They improve with age in my opinion. (very creamy resin).
Take some time getting to know your dolls and find the things that make them special...wiring them, if you want to, but a little sueding or re-stringing should do the trick for posing.

I hope you find joy in your special Volks dolls!

 

No, but many of the things you're mentioning are really personal preference -- I really like their weight and feel of the resin. Posability is not as important to me, and is the easiest thing about a doll to tweak, so it's a non issue for me personally. I have one SD girl that's wired and one that isn't, but honestly, I've never had trouble with the one who isn't. However, dolls all have their quirks when it comes to posing, and sometimes it takes getting used to an individual doll before you can get the most out of them in that way.

 

Definitely no disappointments here! In fact, after I got my first few Volks dolls, I decided to sell off all of the non-Volks boys I used to own. Now I've got 21 Volks dolls with no intentions of ever looking back.

As for posing, I've always found my dolls to be rock-solid. The only possible disadvantage to their posing is not having double joints in their older body types, but to be honest, I can still make them pose really well, and there's less fuss than I have with my SDGr & SD17 bodies, where I've gotta fiddle with every single joint to get it to do what I want. Too many joints frustrates me, and the regular SD13 boy body is by far my favorite doll body out there.

 

This was my first thought as well. Not only are the older bodies not designed as well (this is true for every brand, not just Volks - look at all the companies that say 'body version 1' or 'body version 2'), but the stringing is probably shot. Are you sure this is not the case? From the sounds of it, you very badly need to have your Lucas restrung. Who knows if he's ever been restrung since he's been made? At 5 years old he's more than ready for some new elastic.

I've had Volks dolls I received second-hand that were older dolls (5+ years old) and at first I was disappointed with it's ability to stand (or lack thereof), only to restring her and be pleasantly surprised that she posed wonderfully after that. She could even stand on one leg and do other great poses. And like some other people mentioned, she was so sturdy I could repeatedly poke her quite hard and she wouldn't tumble.

The SD13 boy body really just isn't fit for some people. Volks has even referred to it as their worst-posing body, which is why they made the SDGr bodies - as an upgraded version of the SD13 body for better possibility. And lastly, I have noticed that the older Volks bodies do feel a bit plasticy if you're comparing them to any new doll from any company, not just Volks. But I can tell you new Volks dolls do not feel at all plasticy. The resin mixture Volks uses now is far different from the one they used years ago, so the past really isn't the best way to sum up what things are like now.

 

A friend of mine owns a Volks MSD and MSD body. Granted, I didn't undress her dolls, but I never felt that the resin was "plastic-y" or slick... Posing was a little poor, but these were older dolls. But I will say, I'm not a big fan of their very youthful features (mostly in body). Of course, that's personal preference.

 

I'm not sure where you're getting the plasticky from since in all of my experience Volks resin is the best out there in terms of colour, weight, and feel. I have a 10 year old Volks head who has yellowed a bit but still looks gorgeous. As he is super old skin, he's missing the slight luminescence that pureskin has, but that's about it. None of my Volks dolls feel plasticky and and put every other resin I've had or seen to shame, and I have handled a lot of different companies.

All of my Volks dolls are very natural, lovely posers who stand and sit like rocks. I know I can leave them for extended periods of time without supervision and not have to worry because they are designed to be that way. You've got some stringing problems it sounds like if your dolls can't sit or stand. You will also want to make sure you are properly locking the locks in the hips and knees to help keep them from moving. The hip joint especially is so they can sit up straight so no clue why yours can't.

Double jointed bodies may have a greater range of motion than a Volks single joint, but the Volks joint 9 times out of 10 will look better and more natural when bent than the double joint. That is far more important to me than the ability to turn my doll into a pretzel.