Dolls that *aren't* for beginners?

I probably wouldn't get any kind of tanned doll as a first either.

 

All in all it depends on who you are as a hobbyist, are you the person who just wants to dress them up and maybe change wigs and eyes on occasion? or are you the type that likes to take everything apart and paint, re-work it make it your own ect, ect.

I got a full-set Si as my "beginner's" doll. I thought since I was new I needed the clothes they eyes, the face-up the works. Well, within 3 months I had taken him apart sold most of his default things and modded his ears to be cat-like with apoxie. ^^; Only thing l learned in my whole expirence is that A) I buy blank dolls from now on and B) I don't have the mental patients for face-ups. Other than that I am the kind of person that buys dolls in pices, and enjoys taking them apart. I should have listened to myself and bought the blank Si to mod in the first place!

So I don't think there is a bad or good doll for beginners, it just depends on where you think your going to be comfortable with the hobby.

 

My only advice for a first doll would be to buy from a reputable dealer or someone with a lot of positive feedback. If your first doll experience ends up being an unpleasant transaction, it could affect your opinion about the hobby as a whole.

Other than that, I say get whatever you want even if it does have extra parts. Like tehrin said, it depends on the person. If you are comfortable with a doll like the new Dollshe boys, go for it! ^_^

 

Like others have said, go with one you love irregardless of size. And do your research. If you like taking things apart & messing with them, well then just about anything will work for you. If you just want a nice complete doll that you don't have to fuss with, go with one of the standards from a well known company.

I really don't think matters if the doll is brand new or second hand. There are advantages & disadvantages to both. Are you patient enough to wait months for a doll or do you prefer more instant gratification? Do you mind paying extra for shipping or would you prefer to save on that & put more money into the actual doll? If you do decide to go secondhand, ask lots of questions, get good photos & check feedback. While my first doll was purchased new from a US store, my next 3 dolls were bought on Ebay as they were dolls that I really wanted but didn't know where to get & one was discontinued. One very nice thing about secondhand dolls is that you can get real photos of the doll not just the company promo ones which often don't really reflect the doll's actual appearance.

Personally I would avoid Flexibodies as they're almost always too loosely strung & next to impossible to tighten. Also perhaps French resin unless it's tan as the pinky-white colors can change too rapidly. That said, I have many French resin dolls & the only one that noticably changed color was my pinky-white Narin.

 

It really depends on what the "beginner" wants. If you want a pretty doll you can dress up and display, you have a different set of needs than if you want to actually customize a first doll, practice faceups, etc. Also, a "beginner" to the BJD hobby is not always a "beginner" to buying, or to doll buying. Plus, it seems like people these days are having bad experiences with "first dolls" bought new from an online shop to the same degree as they might have them with marketplace dolls.

I would just say, for a beginner,
1) Buy a doll you love
2) Don't buy the most expensive one right from the start
3) Be aware that some types of resin, like French resin and tan resin, can require special handling or develop special problems.

I'd also recommend that for a first doll it may be better to go with a "tried and true" company like Volks or Luts than take a chance on some newer company that might have kinks in its customer service, even if the newer company's dolls look more affordable. I know that if anything had gone haywire with my first two doll orders (to Tensiya and Dollmore respectively) I probably would have just up and quit the hobby because for the amount of money the dolls cost I was hoping they'd arrive relatively hassle free (which they did).

 

I'm going to have to run with the people that said "go with what you love"!

Makes me laugh, the people that said no Soom Monthlies... My first doll was a Soom Beryl. Hadn't even been in the hobby for more than three months. I bought her blank so I was forced to do a bunch of stuff for her.

It's really up to you! Find who you love, and run with it!

 

For a first doll I would say stay away from something uber expensive, or something where you'll have to wait 3+ months for it to arrive. Expecially if your new to the hobby. If however you've been in the hobby for awhile and know what your doing, get what you want. I just say stay away from the uber expensive because what if you find the hobby just isn't for you. And having to wait a long time for your first doll can also be abit depressing. I was very lucky that my first doll came 1 week after I ordered him. I had done my research and seen other dolls, but having that doll in my hands was very different then you expect.

 

I agree with any doll kit you get to put together! They force you to learn how to string the doll, glue parts together if any (my MSD Mario Kit had that), and you paint the face in any style you like. I agree on the Unoa kit but my only thought about it is if you have a Unoa boy. Not everyone will be thrilled about the extra "excited" boy part. I guess it depends on the person or if that person still lives with small minded parents (if they even show it to them).

 

hell yes. i agree 100% as long as you love it, go for it.

 

I would actually say having to wait 3+ months for my first doll to arrive was a good thing and recommend it to new doll owners. Because unless you only plan to buy dolls that a dealer has in stock or only ever get one doll, your eventually going to have to wait for what can seem like forever for a doll to show up. If your forced to wait for your first doll, you not only get used to that wait faster but at least in my case I felt like I'd really had the entire doll experience.

 

I'd say buy whichever you like. The dollshe has a good tutorial and there are videos on Youtube regarding stringing. As long as he isn't floppy, it shouldn't be a problem, by the time he needs to be restrung, you'll be an old hand at the game. I've had 2 Soom monthly dolls and didn't touch them, just left them how they were, I've got 2 more coming. I wouldn't necessarily stay away from any doll except maybe tanned/coloured that could be scratched or damaged until you're used to handling them. Even then, people buy them as a first doll and it works out well. It's up to the individual. Buy the doll that calls out to you and says bring me home. Sometimes buying a cheaper/less liked doll can end up as a nasty shock when you find you don't like them. The Dollshe look as though they will ship a lot quicker than most dolls so that's a plus in my book as well. I'm tired of waiting 3+ months for dolls to arrive and I've been in this hobby for a while. It seems as though the companies are getting worse not better.

 

you and another person (who got a topaz) are the only people i have met that got a soom MD for their first doll and you both seem very very happy! =]

i dont understand why anyone would recommend staying away from soom MD's IMO if there is any doll out there that could make me fall into this hobby hard it would be soom MD.

if they are to big... well thats one thing.. but i have to learn what size i prefer by actually holding one and i have not been able to make it to a meet yet so why not? if i dont like him i can give someone else the chance to own him

 

there is so much information on here and through other sources that if you do your homework before you buy you should be fine with any doll for a first.
If you have to put it together then at least you know how it works. If it's a monthly then wow! what a way to start the hobby! Pre loved can be great (not as long to wait) but new is good too. Big, little or tiny, go for what you want but just learn as much about it as you can first.
I wish that I had done some more research before buying my first, but it all turned out well and has been a learning process along the way

 

I would have been really intimidated if I had started with a doll kit, like Unoa, but in retrospect, I think it would give a new owner a leg up on understanding how ball-jointed dolls are made and how they function. I'm always impressed with someone who buys a blank doll for their first and jumps right into to doing faceups and the like. I'm just not that brave.

 

Go with what you want!

I guess it depends on if you're a person who has no fear or someone who really worries about everything... I'm a bit of a worry-er myself, but I'd still go for what I wanted, no matter what.

SOOM Monthly Dolls would totally be MY first choice, since I just love them! If you don't love 'em, don't get one... but I don't see why you should avoid certain dolls for your first. Buy each doll as if they were the ONLY doll you will ever get and you'll probably do fine, since you'll know you REALLY want it and can't live without it. Maybe you want a Bermann or something really hard to get... well, same goes, if that's what you really want, go for it, even though it's not easy.

On the other hand--your question is a good one, just so people will know what to expect with certain dolls. But I still think you have to go with your heart.

 

I think it definately depends on the type of BJD person you are. If, like many have mentioned, you enjoy fiddling with pieces and parts and putting things back together, the complexities of some of the dolls will fascinate rather than intimidate.

However, if you're looking for a doll that's ready to go right out of the box, some dolls, such as the Soom monthly limiteds might be a little scarey. There are a LOT of bits and pieces, many of which require restringing and glueing in magnets. Heck, even I was mildly intimidated when I first started restringing my Sard and I'd restrung loads of times before lol

For someone who is new and not quite ready to jump neck deep into the technicalities of BJD owning, I can definately see where dolls like the Soom monthlies could be a potentially bad choice for a first doll.

 

I'm going to agree with the posters who say to determine what kind of doll experience you want, and go from there. There are plenty of people who've had a fancy Soom as a first doll or a kit as a first doll and who still love the hobby. But then there are people who would rather give up on BJDs than learn to restring their doll. If you don't mind having a bit of a steep learning curve, then I don't think there's any doll that you should really consider off limits, just make sure you know what you're getting into (for example, that a french resin doll will yellow quickly) and you seem to know that type of stuff by now, even if only from it being mentioned many times in this thread.

And if you really truly love Dollshe's new dolls and really truly don't want to learn how to restring, there are always people you can send your doll away to who will do things like restringing, coating, sueding, and other doll maintenance for you. If you'd rather pay someone else to do that stuff than learn yourself there's nothing wrong with that (especially when the body is as imposing as Dollshe's new one with joints out the wazoo).

 

Buy the doll you love and do not settle.

XD This is so very important. It may be cheaper to get the tiny or the mini, but if you really, really love that 70cm doll, save up and get that doll! My doll family would be so different if I'd have bought the doll I fell in love with first instead of my second choice. After 5 years, I still love that first doll, but in retrospect I wish I would have waited and gotten my SD13 first.

The only bad first doll is the doll you settled for instead of the doll you wanted.