Dolls that *aren't* for beginners?

I'm pretty much new to this hobby and I just got my 1st doll, an SD13 F-16 girl delivered about a month ago. I've been lurking around the forum and have seen the topic of "starter" dolls come up, and that people should get "starter dolls". From what I've gathered a "starter" doll is a first doll that is isn't as expensive as say an LE and a doll that one can play more easily with than a doll with a lot of complicated parts. A doll that one has just to get the feel of the hobby until they are more experienced with it.

But are "starter" dolls really necessary? Can't you just get your dream doll immeadiately instead of "working up to it" even if it has a lot of complicated parts and other things that may be troublesome to a first time collector? Can't you learn by slowly becoming more skilled at caring for your doll?

So, "starter" dolls: A good idea or not?

 

Well let me say this.... I messed up my first (thankfully inexpensive) doll... and i'm glad i messed that one up instead of one of my more expensive dolls. BUT i only messed her up because I didnt research proper doll care first. If you learn as much as you can now, then get whatever doll you want, if you have questions... there are hundreds of people on this forum that will help!

I just posted this elsewhere but i'll say it again... if you get darker clothes for your doll put them in a pillow case and run them through the wash on the gentle cycle once to get all the extra dye out so it wont stain the resin. >.< lol.

 

My best friend introduced me to BJDS. I really wanted a Ducan but being new to the hobby. I wasnt sure if spending that much on a doll was a good idea. so i decided on kid delf ani instead.
If your not sure if this hobby is for you then i think a MSD of smaller doll is good starter. Then again you should never settle for less then what you want . If you have your heart set on a doll then thats the one you should buy.

 

It really depends on the person. I had a 'starter' doll, yet sold her recently. She was yellowed, because I take my dolls out alot, but she was fine.

I researched dolls even before I bought my first doll. If you just research how to take care of your doll or what you can and can't do with it, I think you can start with an more expensive doll.
Besides.. it's your money!

It helps to have a close knit community. In the netherlands we have a relativly small community and people live relativly close, so you see eachother more often and some even become Real Life friends. This helped me alot, because if I wanted to do something that would hurt my doll, they would reel me back and smack me with some reality.

 

If you ask me the (only?) important thing when it comes to BJDs is that you are in love with the sculpt, can imagine yourself to keep loving it and having tons of fun with it. Period. ^_^

 

I think starter dolls are okay for those of us morbidly curious with the idea of BJDs and have nowhere to start. I mean, it's a pretty big amount of money when you first start and the VAST amount of dolls out there makes one head spin...

I mean, if you have a dreamdoll, know exactly how they'll fit in and stuff, sure! Get it as your first doll...

But still, starter dolls are a good idea for those of us who just enjoy the customising aspect of BJDs, but are a bit hesitant on spending the big bucks.

 

I think if you have a dream doll, then buy her. That's what I did - I fell in love at first sight with a Elfdoll Sooah. As long as you are careful with your first doll and learn, I think a starter doll isn't necessary.

 

Well, although you don't "have" to buy a starter doll, it may be a better thing for you to have.

I'm going to sound like the WORST person ever for what I have done to my poor dollies, but it will hopefully help you understand how a starter doll may make things easier.

My first doll was an Elfdoll Lydia. Elfdolls aren't as "Wallet-Friendly" as...others, although their prices are much better than a Volks doll. Anyway, I knew very little and very basic things about the dolls when I was suprised with my first doll. She was floppy, had a couple chips in her resin near her ankles, and her foot kept falling off of the ankle ball.
So, being the smart (not!) newbie that I was, I ended up asking my stepfather to permently attach her foot to the ball, making restringing her impossible. Then I ended up "sanding" (with rough sand paper) her resin at the ankle to see if I could smooth the chips out, as well as practicing her first face-up without spraying her with MSC (I didn't know what that was) first. In the end, she's still floppy, can't stand on her own, and mostly stays in her box.

Yeah, I wasn't too bright.

But then, I bought two other dolls (Dollzone boys) and I'm almost strict on myself with them because I have read so many things about the dolls now (A Year and a Half later) that I know what can and cannot be done to them.

So really, you don't HAVE to get a starter doll, but they are a good thing to have if your still not totally sure what your doing.

 

I never had a starter doll mine first bjd was a Luts Abadon I told myself I only wanted just him as they cost so much but I ended up getting 6 in about a year, to me it doesn't really matter how much the doll cost IF I like it I'll buy it it dosen't matter if its costly or not. I have both the cheaper dolls and costly ones.

 

You don't need to have one. Any damage you do to your BJDs is a result of a lack of proper research when it comes to care and maintenance. You might be more inclined to learn by mistake, but there's nothing that you could do, that someone else hasn't already done - and documented - to their own dolls.

Unless you have some serious reservations when it comes to owning a doll that costs a few hundred bucks, or tend to do risky things without looking up the consequences first, you should be fine just reading lots of care threads and buying whatever doll you please.

 

I don't think you have to have one, but for some people it might be a helpful way to really get into this hobby. Two things to consider. What do you plan to do with your doll? If you are planning on learning to do a lot of stuff with it (from faceups, restringing to modding and sanding, etc), then it might be a good idea to get a less expensive starter doll to practice on. Otherwise, basic doll care instructions should be easy to find with a little research.

If you already have a dream doll in mind, or just one that you really, really like, then I think it's a good idea to get it instead of any starter doll. But if no doll has really called to you yet and you really like a lot of them somewhat, then a starter doll could be a good way to get used to having bjds and test how much you really like having them around.

 

It depends on why you want to get into the hobby and what you want to do with your doll.

If you want a pretty doll, dress it up, see what eyes and wigs fit it, photograph it, maybe do a face-up, and see how you can make it look the way you want it to look, you don't really need a "starter doll" in my opinion. Get a doll you'll love, but you won't know how much you'll love it until you have it in your hands, so make sure you'll get one you already like from the pictures or after seeing one in real life at a meet up for example.

If you want to do major mods, for example sanding, drilling, resculpting with epoxy, work with what you got and see where it will end up from there, you may be looking for a starter doll. I did major mods, hacking and slashing bits and pieces away, but I had a relatively clear end point in mind, so I searched for the right head and body to match it. It certainly wasn't cheap.
If you want to try out modding solely for the modding experience, get a starter. If you want to create something after a certain image and it involves modding, it's like the first situation I mentioned and then you should get what you like best.

I've seen people get a mini sized doll as their first doll, because they weren't sure if the hobby was something for them and MSD sized dolls are "cheaper" than the SD sized dolls. Then they sold the doll, because they liked the hobby, but not the MSD sized dolls. If you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a doll, I think you are already sure this hobby is something for you. You don't need to get a starter doll to see if you'll be a good doll owner.

A simple doll without too many crazy joints and low maintenance resin (not French resin or tan) is good as a starter doll when you can't do research regularly and can't go to other doll owners if you have questions. In that case you have to figure out a lot on your own and then a simple doll will give you less trouble.

If you have access to information on how to take care of your doll properly, the dos and don'ts, and how to fix a problem when you encounter it, any doll can be a good first doll. Of course some will cause you more headaches than others when you try to make it stand or restring it for example, but all dolls have pros and cons. If you do your research you can figure out with which cons you can live.

 

I do not think that "starter" doll is mandatory, I'd rather recommend to search the forums and to learn more before ordering the doll. I started with Soom SuperGem who is not so cheap , I restringed him and covered him with MSC, I did his faceup - please remember that I had no such experience before. Nothing impossible

 

It really depends on the type of person the buyer is. Some people are unsure about whether they'll really like BJDs, some people don't have a lot of income and don't want to wait forever for a dream doll, some people simply don't have a dream doll and just pick a reasonable doll for their first, some people want a doll more for sewing or modding or whatever than for the pretty doll out of the box. My first doll wasn't really a starter doll, I didn't settle for her or anything, but in a way I guess she could be considered a decent starter doll because she came with a faceup I liked, a wig, an outfit, she doesn't have a really complicated body or a special skintone, and she's not limited or expensive. I think if you know what you want it's best to go right for that, but if you're still a bit uncertain a "starter doll" can be fine and you may find you really do like that particular doll. But I don't think it's worthwhile to settle when you know there's something else you want more, because chances are you'll just end up buying the one you originally wanted later on, and possibly selling the doll you bought instead. It's kind of a waste of time and money. : /

 

Well, I scratched my first's doll neck when restringing him for the first time-- I could be annoyed with myself if he was a very expensive LE... I was trying to give him my own face-up, and I doubt I would do the same with a 1000$ doll (I am bad-- a lot of wiping, redoing). So yeah, I can say he was a "starter" doll, even though I wasn't buying him as a such... I don't think everyone needs a started doll, but if somone likes a cheaper doll and would feel "safer" with being it instead of some really expensive one-- why not? It's always possible to sell the doll later.

 

I don't really think I've gone the 'starter doll' route myself. I've already got (well, part-way) two dolls, and while they were relitivly inexpensive as far as BJD's go... They are also exactly what I would want for the purpose I had of getting them.

I don't think you NEED or MUST have a 'starter' doll, so long as you do even a little research into what it is you're buying. I mean, surely you don't go buy a new computer without thinking about what the specifications you're looking for are going to be and how much you can reasonably spend on those things? So why would you buy a doll without thinking about what kind of care and things it will need and what you'll need to know to do it without messing up? Or maybe I'm crazy and have way too much time on my hands. ^-^;

A starter doesn't seem like a requirement, so long as you are enjoying the doll to the fullest extend possible in your opinion.

 

It could be necessary for particular people, I think. If you want to severely explore, than a cheaper mold would probably be best. If you're willing to research before you plunge into something, however, get your dream dollie.
A "starter doll" doesn't mean you won't make mistakes with your more expensive dolls - mistakes happen all the time, no matter how many years you've been collecting. You get a feel for them and aren't losing too much if you decide you don't like the hobby, but then again... If you have a dream doll, wouldn't that glue you more to this hobby than something you perhaps settled for, or even liked but - clearly - it wasn't the same as your dream dollie?
It's a matter of perspective, that's all. With DoA on your side, I don't believe that a "starter doll" would be necessary.

 

I never had a starter doll. My first doll was a CP Shiwoo I bought second hand three years ago. I saw him and bought him the same day without any research. I did the research after he arrived and I now have four dolls with a fifth on layaway from Iplehouse. And I have seven more dolls planned.

It's kind of funny because I told myself that I would only ever own one.

But a BJD is expensive either way you look at it. Most people will question your sanity spending $100 dollars on a doll. And buying a starter doll could turn you off to BJDs completely. The doll you get may be a copy or just have really bad resin. If a person wants to be in this hobby that have to think long and hard about it because it isn't excalty cheap.

 

Price is one of the factors a new doll owner will have to consider. But no bjd is truly cheap.

If the new owner falls head over ears for a certain sculpt & 'settles' for a 'cheap' doll, that person will likely feel cheated. If, on the other hand, a new owner falls for a specific doll within her price range, that is smart and good budgeting to boot.

I, myself, started with the DoD Too & Bee-A pair, when DoD was the cheap alternative. They are excellent quality dolls which I enjoy to this day.

Ann in CT

 

When I first got into dolls, I was in college and didn't have much money. I bought an oldskin Volks MSD Ken kit... and I loved him. He was great for learning how to esthetize, blush, coat, paint and clothe a doll. I didn't consider him a "starter doll" to try it out.... But in retrospect, he wasn't what I really wanted; I wanted a mature, pretty doll, rather than a child doll... and I often got frustrated because the kinds of things I was sewing or buying for him didn't suit the little squishy baby he was. I ended up selling him to make room for the big boys. In some ways, I wish I had just waited... the money I spent on him, his clothes, eyes, wigs, etc.... I wish I'd just hit the ground running with my first love, SD13 Lucas!

At the time, a lot of people were counting Dream of Child (at that time considered the "cheap" doll, LOL!) as the beginner dolls. I fell in love with Yen and ended up buying one as around my fifth doll. He didn't pose well, his body sculpting was minimal... he didn't fit standard MSD-sized wigs well. Worst of all, his eyewells weren't bevelled correctly by the company, so it was impossible to make his eyes both point straight. (Looking at other pics of Yen, this was a problem with the mold, not just my particular cast). So for all that people were lauding DoC as good beginner dolls because they came sanded and were "cheap," I had to disagree. (ETA: This was DoC of 2004, I have no idea what they're like now... their new body is great, from what I've heard.)

I think that if he had been my first doll, I don't think I would have stayed in the hobby because he was so frustrating. I had a hard time making him look good or do ANYTHING.

At the same time, if I hadn't had other dolls that had posed better and been made of nicer resin (and looked good even with my crappy faceup skills), I would have never known that he was so subpar by comparison.

My feeling is that cheap dolls aren't really the place to start for a couple of different reasons. A lot of the faces are also really stylized, so if someone isn't a talented faceup artist it's hard to make them look good. It can be really frustrating! When I first got into the hobby, almost no one had these dolls... and many times, we were buying dolls based on one grainy scan and good faith. But that's not the way it is now; there are meetups in almost every city as well as comprehensive sites full of owner pictures, company pictures, reviews... everything to make choosing the right doll easier.

Rather than buying a "starter doll," I think people should go to meetups and see and handle dolls in person. I never would have owned a Dollshe if I'd handled one in person first - too big!! Seeing dolls in person is awesome. If the cheaper doll is the one that they want, or the mini is the one they want... then they'll feel confident about their purchase and won't have to explain that it's a "starter doll and they're going to upgrade." And if they decide that what they want is that Soom Monthly, then they can be all starry-eyed as they save up. They may also find that dolls aren't for them at all.