Do you like the idea of "limited" dolls?

Really? I had no idea. Do they have this on their site or something?

Granted, for now I've been too busy to do anything, but despite that I am scared to do much my Volks girl for fear that I'll damage her.

 

Yes, only if really they are limited and the master mold is destroyed after the manufacture. I have one Muichan Limited Tan version.

 

This is pretty much the reason I don't give a limited much more than an admiring glance. I'm terrified of damaging them! If my perfect beloved doll was scratched or cracked, I couldn't repair it. I just don't have the skill, and I'd be pretty frightened to send an LE off for repair, despite most of the people who do such things being trustworthy. The doll would be damaged for good!

 

I'm not proud of it, but I've damaged a limited before - three times, actually. He's an Isao, and he's been through torture at my hands; a chipped eyesocket, a broken nose, and a broken torso.

All have been repaired by me or Armeleia, and I gotta say, he looks fantastic. I wouldn't say that he's "damaged for good" at all!

It's true, at the time I was totally crushed when I did something completely irresponsible to Shin, but I guess I see those things as improvements and not that he was ruined forever. :9

 

I really like limited dolls, because I like to see what the company and artists will do if given more free reign. I think that most limited dolls are much more creative than standard dolls--a special and unique faceup, a beautiful new sculpt, detailed outfits, etc. I don't consider the "fairness," because nothing is really fair and there will always be something out of reach. I think that if someone really, really wants that limited doll, he or she will do what they can to own it. Otherwise, it should be a dream or a goal to work towards. I don't want anyone to suffer unecessarily because they can't get the dolls they want, but ball-jointed dolls are a luxury anyway and not everyone is able to share the same kinds of luxuries.

Both dolls I've purchased have been limiteds--one during the actual ordering period, and one a few years later on the second-hand market. Both had, to me, more value than a similar standard edition, so I was willing to pay more. I don't think it was particularly injust or awful that I had to pay more than average to get the doll I wanted. I was drawn towards the details--the particular outfits, the unique sculpts, the faceups showing a certain image.

I don't think those dolls would have existed if it weren't for the overall existance of limited edition dolls, and then we'd all miss out on the amazing variety that comes with some of the new releases and experimentation!

 

I agree wholeheartedly with this notion. I think that the limited dolls give companies room to branch out and experiment with some really unique and interesting ideas. I always hope that the companies which are trying out interesting new idea's with their limited dolls might introduce those idea's into their standard dolls!
I think that limited enable the company to experiment and grow. While it is sad that I have missed out on some dolls I really want I am also happy because the ideas incorporated in those dolls are now becoming more widespread (in this instance I am referring to Hooves of course ) I like to see each doll as a new opportunity in the doll world.

 

On that same notion of branching out in creative directions due to limiteds, think about how much freedom the companies have with a limited doll! If it sells really well, they can make a rerelease of it, an event head, etc. If it's a total bust, they don't have to stop production of it, because well- it's a limited!

I think that kind of atmosphere engenders a spirit of "it's okay if you don't get it right the first time." Now, I wasn't in the hobby when the UNoss was produced, but if you would have seen the "original faceup" I got with her, you'd see why there's not a lot of original UNoss faceups on DoA. They're hideous.

However, because UNoss was rather limited (and please, correct ne if I'm wrong on this), he was able to move on to Unoas, and then finally, what you could call a better version if the UNoss- the Unoa Zero.

 

Yes, but for customers residing in Japan only (though I think if you are desperate you can get a friend in Japan to exchange for you)
the page is here
http://www.volks.co.jp/jp/superdollfie/shitadori/index.html

Also, you are right to take care of your Souseiseki.. according to that page, Volks has stopped replacing her head part

 

As a collector of many thing the idea of something lemited is interested, although sometiems this mean a very important amount of money.

Anyway i am not a person who collects something just because is limited, if i don´t liked i will not buy it. For example i don´t have any kind of limited bjds, all my dolls are basic versions of DZ, AF, DOD,....

 

Volks USA does have a very limited replacement service. If you break a hand or leg part they will replace it for you for a small fee as well as ask for the replacement part. Unfortunately, they are unable to replace heads.

 

Well, that makes sense, since the head is usually the most limited part of the doll (as far as Volks goes).

 

I have mixed feeling on limiteds.

On one hand, I really wish the companies that do limiteds, would also always do a standard version as well. In general, I have no interest in how a company wants to "do up" an edition, as my main joy in this hobby is creating my own version of a doll.

I also really don't like what limiteds do to the price tag on those limited sculpts in the secondary market. That is particularly irritating to someone like me who really prefers to make the doll my own OOAK.

Now, keeping that in mind, I have bought a few limiteds. Only because I knew that if I didn't jump when I had the chance, I might never be able to get that sculpt, or that sculpt in a given skintone again. I accept that this is part of the marketing strategy for limiteds, but I really wish it didn't have to be that way.

In general, I don't have much interest in owning limiteds. And, the ones I own, I didn't buy them because they are limiteds, but instead, because I completely fell for the sculpt.

Like others have said I think it's great when a company does a limited "version", ie costuming etc. of one of their sculpts. That is really pleasing to a great many people, and also doesn't force the rest of us to buy a limited just to get the sculpt. I wish all companies would produce their limiteds in just this manner as it would work for everyone that way.

 

I'm ok with the idea of "limited doll". Some doll comanies will sell their limited doll for several times though they have promised that they would never sell the "sold out" ones. That's something i can't accept.

 

I love limited dolls! Feels very special when you own one. I agree that it gives companies ways to experiment and expand. Of course there will always be sold out ones that you feel sad over as you missed out on them for one reason or another. (For me is musedoll erato)

 

I like the idea of limited dolls. I just bought my first BJD and shes limited to 15 people world-wide. I love the fact that i'll be one of the only people to have her, but also sad because in my opinion it's harder to find threads about the specific doll or people that make things to fit. But i can live with that, since shes so unique Also, i bought from BambiCrony and they have layaway so as soon as i saw her i made the order, paid 30% and she was reserved for me and i had up to three months to pay her off. Layaway should be offered on most limited dolls in my opinion, so people without the money straight away still get a chance to buy their dream doll.

 

I like to buy standards to customize myself so they're OOAK limiteds to me. xDD

Sometimes I do wish that the headmolds themselves aren't limited so I don't have to scrounge for money all the time but even that's part of the hobby's fun anyways so..

 

There are way too many limited molds out there that I'm in love with and will most likely never have. :'C I do like the idea of a limited mold in the sense that the dolls probably feel even more unique and special to the people lucky enough to get their hands on one, but the downside is missing out on a limited that you really, really want, and going through hell (and lots of price gouging, usually) to find one later on. x.x

 

At this point in my life (unemployed), I have to say that I loathe limited dolls! LOL

The other day, I was stalking IH (which is one of my fave dolls companies atm) and I decided to fart around in the Noctarcana Circus pages...I had browsed them before just for boredom's sake, but had never actually looked at any of the dolls in depth...(also, when more than 50% of the dolls on a particular page, no matter what company, all have huge red 'SOLD OUT' buttons next to them, I don't even bother, and find somewhere else to oogle...this day however, I was trying to cram my brain with as much IH as possible, and Astrologer Yur just took my breath away! Her chimera cat head and parts, her dress, her jewelry, EVERYTHING about that doll brought tears to my eyes! She is just so LOVELY and unique! (up until this point I have shied away from large fantasy bjds because I thought they weren't very portable and a bit over the top, but Yur TOTALLY changed my mind about them)... However, after the tally of everything that I wanted for her (the faceup and parts blushed and gown and EVERYTHING), it was well over $1,000 and I teared up. This doll is not going to be available for much longer and the thought of having to give up on owning her makes me .

I have since then been whoring the SOOM site (which is amazing) and was looking around for an MD and they are all sold out....I got into this hobby WAAAY too late it seems! I hope SOOM comes out with some new MDs when my wallet isn't looking so thin! xD

So yes, limited dolls make me cry.

 

As a realist and a pragmatist, I can say that I adore looking through the LE dolls on company's websites, but I would never aspire to own one. I fangasm as much as the next person over the new products that come out (I absolutely squee'd at the new 1/4 hoof-parts from Angelheim), but I don't make rash buys, and the joy of looking at these dolls is for their intangible aesthetics - I just enjoy looking. LE's make me smile, because they're beautiful; I don't need to own one to be happy.

That being said, I also enjoy seeing these dolls in person- I enjoy it even more when the owner of the doll isn't an elitist who looks down on other dolls because their "special" doll (ie: the impulse buy that they had the money to throw away on immediately after its appearance) is so much better than the other non-LE's in the room. I also enjoy seeing these dolls in the company of people who don't complain heavily (though usually between candy-coated-compliments) that they weren't able to obtain the doll themselves.

I've met a couple of LE's in my short time in the BJD Community, and one of the owners was frantic to be RID of the doll they'd bought so impulsively - they wouldn't even take the doll out of the box to play with her, only to take pictures to sell her - they claimed that the doll so impressed them, that they were terrified to even handle her, and they didn't want to own a doll they couldn't bring themselves play with.

 

I must be living on Mars. I have never seen the behavior you described above. Everyone is soooooooooooooooo lovely at our meets. We all just love our dolls. I don't believe that value ever enters into anyone's minds. We just geek out on each others style