DLace Discussion {Ex Machina and Other 1/3 Sculpts}

I got in touch with Divas and Dlace and was told by Dlace he'd speak to them about my order. That was a week or so ago, divas says they've received no correspondence. I'm messaging him again to see if maybe Divas just missed his messages or something. The Karen is coming out the longer I wait for this Machina Boy.

 

Was told my Male would be shipped the last week of June. No correspondence after that. Messaged again last Tuesday, and my message hasn't even been seen. Officially at 26 months waiting for him.

 

That must really be frustrating... did the communication between DLace and BJDivas finally work meanwhile? I hope they'll soon get in touch with you...
How did you get in touch with DLace directly?

 

Dlace himself is on Instagram under Trey.Gengenfu !
Divas hasn't sent me anything about him possibly replying, but I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to send a second email...it's been around a month since that previous one.

 

Oh I completely forgot that he could respond on insta XD my brain all these weeks just went "ah that's just where he sometimes posts photos from his weibo" XD thanks for the reminder!!

Good luck!!

 

By the way, it seems like DLace is working on a version 3.0 for the Ex Machina!! I'm terrible with linking images here, but you'll find the teaser he posted on his weibo
The arm looks like it can open?? and if it is still SD, maybe... if that arm is available for separate purchase... but I'm not sure, the body looks a bit thicker, so maybe it's going to be MSD? (I could be wrong though) the proportions look super prettyy

ALSO how is that head going to open/operate? the lower half looks slightly like the 2.0, but the top is different, like a lid?

 

Are you putting the mechanical arm on the 1.0 body? I'd like to see!

 

I'm curious too!!

 

Can someone repost that? I can't for the life of me work out how to navigate weibo!

 

I also can't navigate it, but at the beginning of this thread there are several links, one of which is "yuyu's weibo", which leads to their page. The only thing I do on weibo is scroll on their page, I can't manage much else XD but there are also now some pictures on the dolly_planet instagra account and DLace's instagram account trey.gegenfu

What the arms do has now been revealed!! I'm delighted that she is still 1/3, so at least head hybrids between Ex Machinas will/could be possible.

 

I can barely imagine the original or 2.0 with the male's mechanical arm, that'd defintiely look awesome though I'm sure the balance of the doll would be near non-existent XD so I doubt we'll see anything like that in DLace's future projects (except that sword and cannon arm that the original has)

I wonder if Dlace starts each Ex Machina version from scratch or if each change are improvements, since they all have slightly different measurements in all parts not just the different mechanical parts. The heads look like they start from the same set of two-three files though. Do the ball shoulders allow the 2.0 to shrug?

Ohhh what do you plan for customizations?

 

Ahhh have you seen the post on instagram by DollyPlanet showing the head mechanism for the Ex Machina 3.0?? It has so many layers to it, the skin, the skull-plates, the skull - and the skull has little vampire teeth!! These are times I mourn that DLace does not offer their heads as a separate option... Even back with the 2.0, I initially only wanted the head and ended up caving and preordering the whole doll, but doing that again is completely impossible for my budget anyone else just as hyped as me?

 

I have my male 1.0 (ordered 5/26/2020, was told it arrived at divas 4/2/21. So, about a year from artist to dealer, which was about my expectation) ...but then I ordered 2 no. 5 heads and the mechanical male arm at the end of April 2021, and nada since, despite being a significantly smaller order.

Que sera sera, I'm great at the waiting game. I guess I'm not too surprised, considering he's really exploded in popularity between then and now-- and released more things in a shorter span of time, so, handling each thing individually guarantees a longer overall time, just due to more of everything.

Seems pretty common to keep these dolls blank, which I love, though I also love seeing the ones decked out with a full faceup honestly I'm wondering the best way to remove a faceup without damaging the paint inside the head, but I guess that can be worked around by just working carefully with a q-tip or something (instead of just sloshing chemicals and water everywhere like I usually do...). Someday i'll give it a try, im sure, but that's nowhere near the top of the list.

I have to check out what d.lace is up to! Been a while since I looked at his media, honestly!

 

I hope you'll soon hear from the other order! The no.5 heads look pretty straight forward for casting, but the mechanical arm might be what's taking so long since DLace has to cast and paint so many similarly complex pieces right now.
Personally I'll probably ask BJDivas in octobre again what place I am on their waiting list for the 2.0 since it'll be another six months mid octobre since I've last asked ^^" I was fifth six months ago, I hope to at least be fourth now...

Q-tips should definitely do the trick, but it could also help to pad the inside with cotton and then covering that with a piece of cling film!

Do the 1.0's and 2.0's heads not look good on the other's body respectively though? I thought since they seem to be close enough in shape/size that they would fit scalewise too... Since the 3.0 is also 1/3 I was pretty hopeful that the 3.0's head also works with the 1.0' & 2.0's bodies. On one hand I understand that there are reasons for not offering the heads separately, but on the other hand, DLace sells the heads no.1-6 separately, plus the Statue of Liberty, the Buddha and the Medusa head, which are closer to the complexity of Ex Machina series' heads. I hope that at some point they make it possible...

That sounds like really cool paint for the Ex Machinas!! I hope it works well!

 

Okay so if anyone here needs a reference point on how long to plan the wait for a Ex Machina 2.0: I asked my dealer a few days ago regarding where I am on their waitlist for the doll compared to six months ago when I was fifth aaaand... I'm still fifth. (Of course, take it with a grain of salt since between my dealer's orders are orders placed by other dealers for that doll sculpt, so DLace may have produced some during that time that went to other dealers) Reason for this is that DLace is currently working on orders from before the Ex Machina 2.0.
I have to admit that seeing no movement at all in the span of six months is frankly draining. If I were at least fourth, it would feel more real that things are moving along and that at one point the doll will arrive. I know the doll is intricate, a piece of art and that takes time. But now thinking about how it's probably going to take at least another year until I will see the doll, after already waiting a year and a half... (plus it's my first full doll, my current collection are one bust stand and three heads, so there are many things that I can't yet do with BJDs that I would love to do and I've stopped myself from buying othere full dolls since the 2.0 was so expensive) Tbh I've started considering looking into a refund if nothing has changed by New Years...

@Wolfgang you mentioned in July that your Male was shipped in June, did he arrive? Were you able to get back in touch with BJDivas?

 

DLace has some great ideas, but then, don't we all?
Just got my refund for 2.0.
Love my #5 head. Shop, ship, delivered by Dolly Planet months ago. Perhaps DLace should sell only in-stock items.

Good luck, everyone. I'm outta here.

 

In-stock or at least that each pre-order is finished (i.e. pre-order closed -> production -> shipping of all orders in pre-order) before the next pre-order is started, many small artists do that so they are not overwhelmed when one pre-order brings in more orders than anticipated... I'm super hyped for every doll and head DLace has presented in the last year but at the same time seeing new products up for sale before the previous products are done leaves a bad taste...

Merry collecting!