First Doll: How much planning went into it? Plan success or foiled plan?

I was a member of Doa for a while before even thinking of getting my 1st doll. There were some that just did not appeal to me. I did a lot of research on this board, even asking more experienced collectors their opinions because I admired their dolls, and browsed the bjd websites alot.

After that, I decided I wanted to deal with a US Dealer, I was a little nervous about the language barrier, etc. I found my Soulkid Katie at DDE, & Haven't looked back since. She was a four month layaway, and came just in time for Christmas. The anitcipation was well worth it. She is probably still my favorite bjd. I do this with all of my bjd's- the planning process, and would not do it anyother way, as I feel I am sure about my purchase and really want that particular doll.

 

Well I planned on getting a BJD many years when I was little, but my gosh, the money! So I thought that one day I might be able to get one, but kind of dropped the idea.

Now I don't even think that these dolls cost that much anymore((what is expensive has changed to me drastically)) so score, I convinced my folks to let me buy one of my own((with my money of course; I would want to impose such a cost on someone else)). With the help of DoA I spent around two weeks doing research and also looking at so, so many companies. I also figured out what i exactly wanted, and kept an eye out for the right doll. Then I came across the doll that was /the one/ and set my heart on that. And then I bought him. So.....yeah.....I did do some planning, but in reality, this all occurred within two, three weeks, from the time I was aproved to purchase a doll to doing so. So not really that sure what to categorize that as. x'D

 

A month. From the time i FINALLY found out what they were called, to finding the website that had boys that i was happy with the sculpt, to honing in on the one sculpt i wanted, to which clothes i wanted to have him with. One month. It took 28 days to research webpages. I also set aside money so when i did find the one i wouldnt be scrounging at the last moment. My first love is Camine from Dream of Doll. I have been to many meets and viewed several sculpts since, but Camine (now Wolfgang) is still my golden doll. =)

 

It took a few months of looking around. I REALLY wanted an Angell-Studio doll (still want one) but DDE where I get a lot of my dolls ran out of Kana and Gabrielle and they were a bit high priced and so my parents got me a Bobobie Ophelia for my birthday who I LOVE. She had to have a new faceup a year later and is bodyless right now (will be getting one eventually) but sometimes the cheaper dolls can be the best if customized :3

 

yes i planned my first doll from the beginning , all the clothes for him the eyes everything is in cart ~ but it turn out bad a.k.a fail i fell in love with another boy

 

Well the first doll i wanted to get was Island Dolls' Crystal, however, she keeps getting pushed back, for Limited Edition dolls. But i buy her stuff, and i KNOW i will get her.

 

Well, from the moment I discovered BJDs to my first doll (still my only one) almost one year passed.

A lot of planning went into him. And at first it incarnation seemed to be pretty clear. But there remained some points I simply could not get over.

And then this other, young company entered the field. I loved their body, but not the heads going with it. I was not yet ready for a hybrid experiment - until the body was offered alone.

In the meantime, I found a perfect head. About this doll, I did not like the body. So all was about resin match. I could not find really anything, so it ended up hit or miss.

And he is just spot on for me! I simply love him. So I think it was a lot of an evolving process.

 

Hm. I think my first doll purchase counts as an impulse buy. I don't really remember how exactly it happened, but as soon as I had discovered that Silje's dolls (which I had admired on dA for a long time) were "BJDs", I googled them and somehow came across DZ Scarecrow Hal. He *IS* my little Gawain, so I was lost and simply had to buy him. I think I did research for, what, a week or so, to find a European Dollzone dealer (and figure out whether they were reliable) and to see if I would be able to take proper care of this doll. Then I ordered Hal. I didn't really know anything about his posing, or whether he'd come with seams, or whether he'd be good quality. I didn't know anything, except that I loved his little face.

It's only after I'd ordered my Hal that I continued my research and discovered just how many BJD companies there are and what a variety of sculpts. Looking back, I think it's nothing short of a miracle that I happened to pick the perfect doll for me. Because yes, my first doll turned out to be everything I wanted him to be, and Dollzone turned out to be a company I really like, and I'm also really happy with the dealer I picked. I wouldn't change anything if I were to start over. I still can't believe how it all worked out !

 

My first doll was well-planned out.
I knew what I wanted him to look like, I knew the size I wanted and went looking for the fitting body and head. I found it, loved it, did more research and only hesitated when I couldn't find any owner pics or any kind of information aside the one provided by the distribution pages.
Still, I wanted him. So after some hesitating and haggling with myself, I choose to take the risk when I spotted him in stock and went for the buy.

In the end, due to customs, he ended up as the second doll to come home, since the other one I purchased as well (sales are terrible things XD) made it home faster.

Haven't regretted either and had planned both out
Now I'm waiting for the correct wig to arrive, since the eyes already made it XD

 

I spent loads of time looking at BJDs, planning out stories and characters, picking out exactly what sculpts I want, what mods I wanted to do. Eventually, though, I realized I didn't have the money for what I wanted to do but I did want a doll right now, so I bought a doll that I liked that was somewhat cheaper. So she ended up being somewhat an impulse buy. I do kind of regret my decision, since I spent all my money on her and didn't have any for clothes/accessories.

 

I was first introduced to the hobby by a friend who bought a lovely little off-topic named Angela. I was curious about it and, when we got home from con she showed me the Luts website. I was stunned by the prices... but my eyes landed on a beautiful little doll. At first, I thought it was a girl because of how it was dressed in the pictures. I don't make nearly enough money to afford a 300 dollar doll though. I was pretty sad. I promised myself, though, that I WOULD get this doll. Someday. I even took one of the pictures from the site and put it as my desktop background to always remind myself of what I wanted one day.
A few weeks ago, I got married, and my husband's dad gave us a large sum of money. When we left the hotel they were staying at, my husband turned to me and said: "Do you still want that doll?"
He's coming in the mail. He should be here in a couple of weeks. I'm so excited, I almost want to cry.
Thank you, hunny, for getting me my little boy.
And thank you, Daughter_of_Hades, for introducing me to that beautiful little boy~

 

I don't think I have it in me to do an impulse buy. I'm quite certain that indecisiveness is a character trait that is etched into my DNA, so I doubt my decisions constantly. I second-guess, I review, I ask myself if that was REALLY the BEST decision. I know I'll revisit and revisit, so I have to make sure that when I make that first decision, when I do revisit (over and over...), I'll be able to come to the same conclusion every time.

"I chose right."

So for my first doll, I changed my mind a few times actually, and then finally settled on one doll for months. I practically mentally drilled myself with every potential doubt beforehand and squished every one, then went back and did it again to make sure.

And you know what, I love Dawn. She's not perfect, and with how picky I am I doubt I will ever find 'perfect', but she is the closest there will ever be. She's a fantastic first doll, and if I could never afford another doll again, I wouldn't regret choosing her either. She's the best!

33 ali

 

I'm still doing the planning for for my first doll ^^ She isn't the very first doll I wanted but looking at her, I grow more and more excited about buying her.
I've been putting a lot of planning into getting her, fyi she's Qing Ran from Illusion Spirit. I've picked out how much to set aside to get her, what clothes, wig, and eyes I want for her; all that stuff. It's my first doll so I want to make sure I'm happy with her. That's what goes into my planning ^^

 

No planning at all. I saw her, fell in love with her, bought her. Within 10 minutes.

But only about a day's worth of planning went into my second doll purchase. I was between about 5 boy MSDs, but then just decided, "he's the one". And bought him the next day.

I can see why people would plan things out, but I'm a quick decisions person. Haven't regretted anything in my life yet.

 

Hmm...10 years of gazing...wanting...forgetting about it cause of the prices...gazing again...wanting...forgetting etc. Till this year around by Bday I thought I earned the right to buy something fun for my Bday for ones (instead of always the usefull stuff I usually buy/ask for/get). And at the same time found myself gazing at BJD's again...hows that for a wild coincidence huh?!
So...I was planning to buy an afordable one...Looked at hujoo...fell in love...found a second hand and was going to buy it then the owner disappeared... Read up a bit more about BJD's looked at severeal molds and sorts and options. Found one I was really into...well several but the fascination always seemed to disappear within two days...but this one was to be my first. Then I saw one at an online market place and was instantly in love....but she was to expensive for me and the seller understandably wouldnt go lower with pricing. So I had to let her go again (saving up isnt the point here as I have a husband who already thinks the Doll I now have is really to expensive for us to be buying and if I didnt buy one NOW I woundn't buy one EVER seeing our financial situation) Then as I was almost giving up hope of finding a secondhand doll that suited my ideas and expectations and was looking at an island doll to buy I saw a Bambicrony on the online market place and....I just wanted her! I nervously searched for her size and info online and that darn webpage wouldnt load....i swear it took HOURS (...ok didnt take hours I just was that impatient )but she wasnt on sale anymore... I searched trough various pages to find info here and there and she was the right size!! (I wanted a doll no smaller then 26 and no bigger then 40 cm) She had a cute nose and was just beautifull... She needed a new wig and all but I was going to take care of her...she just HAD to be mine. So I went to buy her from her owner (drove 1,5 hours just to buy her as I was afraid she would damage if she was send) And love her to bits now.
It might be an impuls buy to some....but there was some planning as I knew what I wanted I just had to find a doll that had most of the things I wanted her to have. And my Bambicrony Roko has almost all of them! So... I love her to bits!
Finally I own a BJD....or...maybe she owns me cause my spare time is filled with researching clothes for her, making clothes for her, making other stuff for her....
Only problem now is...I want a big Sis for her....

 

The desire to buy a doll was kind of spur of the moment but the actual process took some time. I've looked at BJD in the past multiple times in passing and not thought much of it. But when I saw Petsha on DOD's site for the first time I was in love. But I would not allow myself to buy her until I had looked at every doll site I could possible fine to make sure I wanted her as well as do the research to make sure she was worth it and there weren't any quality control issues going on. So it did end up taking me about a month before I finally bought her.

 

I did a few months research, but I caught on fast (: It was also easier to discover things once I actually had a doll since my own was the first I ever saw in person >.< I spent a month or two going back and fourth between MSD sculpts and then BAM, i saw a Migidoll Ryu on Deviantart and I just fell in love, HAD to have him. I then bought his head straight through Migidoll (this was back when her website was hard to navigate and she did order periods...I was so confused I just e-mailed her and went from there XD) and had my mom and grandma purchase the body second-hand for my birthday (: Once I knew what doll I wanted I didn't waste much time, my birthday was right around the cornor. He is still my most favorite sculpt to this day!

 

Hm. . . I guess you could say my plan was both successful and foiled at the same time. . .

I did a bunch of research for about three or four months before I actually decided that I wanted to get a doll. I knew my first would likely be a Dollfie Dream, but beyond that was kind of waffle-y. What I really wanted to get was a Nanoha or Fate (both have the same head mold), an M bust DDII, modern girl. To afford her I figured I'd probably end up getting a head/body only sale rather than a fullset.

However, that didn't stop me from toying with other plans instead. In addition to searching for a resin mold to be my character Emryana (a search that's still continuing to this day), I also made contingency plans for a Dollfie Dream Dynamite incarnation of Agatha Heterodyne, the mad scientist lead character of the steampunk webcomic Girl Genius. I figured that, since she'd pretty much demand nearly all custom clothes and props, that she'd be my second doll down the line, after I'd gotten some sewing practice on the less curvy DDII body.

Then I found a second-hand sale here on the MP for a DDDy girl. . . which, among other things, included a wig that was a pretty dang good bait for Agatha's hair. (Well, for a physically plausible version anyway. XD) The price was good too, so I snagged her.

So, my plans for Agatha in particular came together well, but she wasn't what I originally planned to be my first. Basically, my planned first and second dolls switched places in the end. XD It worked out better this way though. I was able to keep clothing costs down with Agatha because I was forced to learn to sew, while with Nanoha I would have been (and to some extent currently am) tempted to just buy ready-made stuff instead, which could have really added up on my strict student budget.

 

My first one kind of was an impulse buy, but kind of not.

I had seen the Dollmore Judiths before on the DM website, but seeing as they were all listed as limited of such very small quantities, I just decided not to even think about buying her. I figured if I ever did find one, she'd be waaay too expensive anyway and I didn't want to waste my time over a doll I figured I would never be able to get.

Then I saw a thread about her pop up. Then I saw a sale thread selling one, which was already sold before I got there. The I saw another sale thread selling one, and she hadn't been sold yet. So then I bought her. Now I am just waiting for her to come in the mail.

I was really expecting my first doll to be a B&G Sapphira (years and years ago), then they changed his mold and I don't like the new one. When I started getting back into BJDs recently, I figured my first one would either be a B&G Siannodel, AOD Qian, or LUTS Senoir Delf Dahlia. But out of all of those, I think Judith is going to be a better fit for me than the others. So I'm happy. Now I'm just trying to make/buy her stuff. /nomoney

 

I've ordered last we my first doll. I was in the beginning "WTF? Spending so much money just for a doll? They're _all_ totally out of their mind!", this was about three years ago and now... I'm waiting excited for the arrival of my Fairyland/Angelheim hybrid Fairyboy - and I really regret nothing. XD I have way too much plans and ideas for him already, and he will be my little companion on Cosplay-Conventions in the future.

I don't know how I got into this, but after seeing some of this beautiful posable mini-beings (and touching them all the time XD), I just wanted to have one of my own... XD