How Did You Decide Size?

At the moment, I *think* I've got it narrowed down to a DZ tiny (Leon) to be modded into an old gaming character who I still adore but never play because the dice gods hate her. (Well, they like HER. They hate any party members she happens to be near and the demon of critical failures is apparently one of her buddies....) The sculpt is my very favorite of what I've seen and will be small and cute (which works fine for that character; she's a shifter, she can be kid-shaped if she wants!) and MSDs can wait.

Also, the tiny fangs are calling to me. Adorable tiny fangs.....

 

1. How do you store your dolls?
My dolls all live on shelves in my library/office/homeschooling classroom. It is a room without windows so they are protected from the sun. They are all on the top two shelves because I have kids and pets. I store my dolls in a seated position, there is just no way for me to store them standing. I would have to have stands to keep them steady and a lot more space since the majority of my dolls are 60cms and up. I have heard that storing dolls seated will cause the elastic to loosen over time but I am perfectly capable of tightening elastic and even re-stringing if necessary so I'm not all that worried.

2. What finally made you choose one size? Was it falling in love with a certain sculpt? Did money play a role? What was the most important factor?
I actually have at least one doll in each size group, SD, MSD and YoSD size ranges. I don't go under the 26cm size because they are just too small for me. Money has no part in the dolls I own. I would rather save up for a doll I really want than compromise on one for the sake of buying sooner. What it comes down to for me is a combination of really liking the weight and feel and just general dimensions of SD dolls best, liking mostly SD sculpts and what molds suited my characters. My dolls are all shells for original characters, the majority of whom are adults. I could have gone with all MSD if I could have found molds that fit, but my first doll was an MSD and I just didn't like her. It really turned me off of MSD's to be honest. I prefer the size and weight of an SD or larger doll. I really love cuddling my 70cm boy. He is very comforting. My only MSD was purchased because I was just so in love with his sculpt. Seeing him actually sparked a new character and story line. He is also an adult, just very short. My YoSD's are children.

3. Was there anything that you wished you'd considered (or been told about) before you picked your doll that you learned afterwards? (For example, in a thread on the MSD board, someone mentioned that it was hard to find shirts in some styles for her boy's size, that most of the artists in that style seemed to focus on the SD market.)
There are more clothes available for SD's in general it seems. It is so hard to find clothes for YoSD sized boys. I am always struggling to find things Kitsune would be willing to wear. He doesn't want to look like a cutesy little boy, much less like a girl. As a result he only has 3 outfits, I just can't find anything else for him. But my YoSD girl is very frilly girly so it is far easier to find clothes for her. The other thing to keep in mind is that not all MSD dolls are the same size. This is true for all of the size groups. Investigate the doll you are interested in and see how difficult or easy it is to buy clothes for. Is it a typical size for it's group or do you have to buy clothes specifically from the company or custom made by a seamstress to fit.

 

my first order is ai's BB, but my first doll is DZ doll(45CM) i chose these doll because they face and it is not quite expensive~ now i have a 1/3 doll, too.
my dolls is sitting on my mum's piano~i want to buy the holder, then they can stand up safely.
u should consider the size, if u cannot make the cloth by yourself. its hard to find shoes, if ur doll is shorter than 26cm(smaller than 1/6 doll). And 1/3 doll will have lots of outfit for u to choose. 1/4 will be okay when u choose the outfit~so don't choose a special size doll to be ur first doll.

 

I chose based on likes and what appealed to me the most at the time. I started out with SD, fell in love with MSD but I'm still looking for the SD sized of my dreams and am glad I started with the SD size originally. Gut feelings are usually the best way to go - I've done hours upon hours of research for dolls and been all thoughtful about it and been dissapointed when they got here because it wasnt a decision done by the heart.

1. How do you store your dolls?
I have a ton of space so when I'm home they're out with me usually, if they msd they can stand on a doll stand on my large table, otherwise they are sitting on a bookshelf safely or better yet - stored in their boxes with face-masks. The boxes slide perfectly under my bed so it's dark and a better temperature for them down there too.

2. What finally made you choose one size? Was it falling in love with a certain sculpt? Did money play a role? What was the most important factor?
Money wasn't a factor - I've had many expensive hobbies and if theres one thing I've learned in life - I can't cheap out on something for the sake of being cheap and expect to be happy at the end of the day. I feel like I've wasted money by spending less if it isn't the item I really wanted. Why buy something you dont really like as much? That seems like a bigger waste than investing in what really makes you happy. I had always found the SD size appealing and loved the SD moulds best at the time so went with those. If you change your mind later it's fine anyway.

3. Was there anything that you wished you'd considered (or been told about) before you picked your doll that you learned afterwards? Definitely each size/gender combo has a different market for clothes shopping. If tons of outfits of a certain style are important to you, maybe factor it in. With my SD girl I had a hard time dressing her because I wanted her to be more mature and less girlish and found it hard to find things I liked. I'm better at shopping for them all now either way and more willing to spend on outfits now than I was then though.

Good luck choosing!

 

Made up my mind. Started sketching character designs. Order placed with DDE!

There will be MSDs in my future, but for now, I think this is a good place to start.

 

Honestly, I think you're on the right track, although you may be overdoing it a bit My answers are a little odd... I don't have an MSD, but I do have a 1/6 and a smaller one (whom I'll use as an example if that's okay )

1. How do you store your dolls? My off topic collection are mostly vacuum sealed and stored in a climate controlled closet because they're all 60+ years old- the 'modern' ones (mostly around 20 years ) are all cloth and are on a shelf out of the sun. I'm worried about where the heck I'd put a 45cm doll- do the joints get weird if you keep them posed, do they need to be standing?

Umm well, I'm sure I am a horrible owner. Mine generally hang out on a shelf over my desk. It's on a north facing wall so the sunlight is very indirect. My Yo-SD generally sits on the edge and my Puki moves around... sitting, laying, hanging over the edge, or standing (mostly with her little metal stand for security).

AND mine are mostly le nude. No amount of clothing can keep my puki clothed, and my Yo-SD is too slender for the few (read: 1) Yo-SD outfit I have for her.

2. What finally made you choose one size? Was it falling in love with a certain sculpt? Did money play a role? What was the most important factor?

I don't know if there was one important factor. So far the dolls I've fallen in love with and have or plan on buying are in different sizes.. SD, MSD, Yo-SD and tinier. I really think it's based on sculpt and comfort level. I've noticed some people say they don't feel comfortable with a particular size, or they dislike it for their own reason. I honestly think that picking a size doll matters on your comfort level with that size and how much you love it. Even though the thought of getting a 57 cm doll scares me (not to mention space for it) I really love the Limhwa Half Elfs and I want one.

However, I started out in the tiny size and am working my way up.

When I first started looking I was dead set on MSD size. They seemed perfect for what I wanted. But as I kept looking, and researching and reading I got a little intimidated by them and looked smaller, and I found Puki's. Which were -perfect-, less money, tiny doll (I hadn't told everyone about my new hobby), and easy to handle. I'd always loved miniatures, basically when I found the puki's the stars aligned just so and it was love at first sight for that size.

Yo-SD's were the next leap forward for me because I was comfortable with the dolls. The first Yo-SD I bought I was not happy with. I didn't enjoy her, we really didn't click, and I was a little worried about liking the size. The second Yo I bought was again love at first sight. I knew I had to have her, and once she got her... I love the size.


3. Was there anything that you wished you'd considered (or been told about) before you picked your doll that you learned afterwards? (For example, in a thread on the MSD board, someone mentioned that it was hard to find shirts in some styles for her boy's size, that most of the artists in that style seemed to focus on the SD market.)

For my Puki: No. I researched heavily, I read everything, I lurked the threads of the dolls I was interested and backlogged them. I pretty much planned on swing my own clothing, wigs were a worry but I found lots of choices, ditto for shoes.
The only draw back is because she is so small it's a little harder to sew for her. I can't use the same procedures for her that I would for a human or larger doll.

For my first Yo-SD? Nope. She was... large, (for me anyway coming from a 10cm doll to a 25 cm one), posing was something to get used to though. Because it was a larger doll the arms and legs were longer and it is just more things to keep track of in terms of posing and weight distribution.

For my Bambicrony? No. Again I researched, looked at comparison photos and I knew when I got her I was getting a slimmer Yo-SD. Her feet are smaller than most others, and her hips are slimmer, but I see it as an exciting challenge and adventure to find her shoes and clothing.


Not the best of answers but I hope they help!

 

I have owned all sizes (SD, MSD and YoSD) but I ended up collecting only tinies.

1. How do you store your dolls?
I love looking and playing with them so they're always sitting or standing at an open shelf. I never store them in boxes unless I have plans of re-homing them. If I started to put a doll on the shelf then most likely he/she will be with me for good.

2. What finally made you choose one size? Was it falling in love with a certain sculpt? Did money play a role? What was the most important factor?
I like cute and small things so when I tried looking for my first doll, I already knew that I'd like him to be something like 10-12 inches. That time, I still did not know the 3 standard sizes so I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that there's a good amount of 1/6 sized-dolls on the market. But I did not instantly buy a doll. I waited close to 2 years waiting for the perfect sculpt and when Fairyland released their Littlefee Shiwoo, I just knew that he's the one I've been waiting for. But in this hobby, you'll suddenly feel that you want a sister/brother, friend, lover etc. for that lone doll that you have. And so I tried buying dolls of different sizes. But whatever I bought I only had 1 requirement - he/she must look good together with my first doll. Beside the SDs and MSDs, my boy looked like a hamster. So I realized that the rest of my dolls should be of the same size as my Littlefee.

3. Was there anything that you wished you'd considered (or been told about) before you picked your doll that you learned afterwards?
My first doll has excellent posing abilities (Fairyland !!!) so I was on the assumption that most of the dolls jointing system are like my Rince's. When my Soom Glati arrived, I was terribly disappointed by the lack of posing abilities so I ended up re-homing him. If I had known that Glati's body is single-jointed then I would have done a lot of thinking before buying the whole set. Posing skills are a major requirement for me.

 

You're not alone! I am new to collecting BJD and I create spreadsheets when I was choosing my first dolls too! XD Since I was not a DOA member at the time of buying my dolls, I didnt have much resources on my fingertips and so I had to compare the dolls on my own, and chose what my heart told me to.

How did you choose what size you wanted?
I'm open to size coz they all appeal to me in different ways, so I am hoping to collect different sizes of dolls 1 day!

How do you store your dolls?
My dolls share a space with my books on my bookshelf though he has one compartment to himself. It has a glass pane covering it to prevent dust and dirt from getting to him XD

What finally made you choose one size?
Well I am still a newbie so I only have one MSD and one head~ Like I said I'm open to all sizes and hoping to have a collection 1 day. Maybe one day I might have a preference, but when I was looking for my first doll, I did think of getting MSD or smaller size because I have never seen a BJD before and wasn't sure how to handle a big one (>_<), and price did somewhat play a role since most of the bigger dolls I really like were quite expensive for my finances (I didnt know about layaways at that time). In the end I just record every doll I like then narrow down the list to all those I really like, regardless of size, then picked the one I like best.

Was there anything that you wished you'd considered (or been told about) before you picked your doll that you learned afterwards?
The possibility of buying on LAYAWAYS. But that wouldn't really affect my buying of my first boy ^^

 

For me the size of the doll I buy depends on the age of the character and the race (human, vampire, demon).
But as my group has grown to 4 dolls, my YDER mold has become to small for my character, because he is older than my character with a Crobidoll Nia head on LUTs SDF girls body, and I don't want him to be smaller than her.
But basically my normal human boys are about 63-65cm (Have 2 of them, but as said, I might sell my YDER soon), my pink-lovin' naive guy and my oldest girl are about 60cm.
Then I've got my youngsters (I don't own any of them yet, it is only on my wishlist for now - may get my vampire of them soon though) that are around the 40cm. And then theres my demon (also not bought yet) he's going to be the tallest of all, with about 70cm...

 

i've more size....but not SD size because very tall!!!!

 

I lean more towards the MSD size, just because they save space a bit, and since I'm kind of short, having a really tall doll kind of unnerves me a little lol I've also heard the MSD's are easier to pose as well.

 

I had this issue too, but what ultimately sold me wasn't the size, it was just the pure love of his sculpt XD But now that I have him, and that I've played with all sizes of dolls, I find that the MSD size is really good for me, as a collector. I just love the size, it's perfect for me to work with, though I must admit I'm a little more fond of the slightly taller MSDs, but any of them, really, I love. I do plan on getting SDs someday, but I know that, right now, SDs aren't for me. When I have my own space, definitely.

 

oh,yep.to decide the size is hard thing,some people prefer a special size.er,but i seems care about the feeling to the doll much more.so i would take doll in big size or small size.XDDDit depends.

 

My first BJD was MSD size, but it was too big for me... So I find that YOSD size is good. MSD was sold as a result (so sad...), but it helped me to decide the size.

 

Emmm, I always choose the type of my dolls first, then I will consider the size>_<
You will know which one you want when you saw him=^-^=

 

SD dolls were the first I saw in real life. I was allowed to hold one... and it just felt perfect!
I need to be able to hold something... so MSD is already getting rather small.

I also like to have more mature dolls, which will result mostly in SDs.

I will not exclude smaller dolls, but I haven't fallen in love with one yet, so no tinies for me.

 

I guess I like small things in general, so a tiny BJD was what I picked. My pukipuki is the cutest little thing. And the townhouse I live in doesn't have a whole lot of space, so I can't really go for the big dolls, though I love how they look!

 

I prefer the MSDs becasue they are the smallest mold you can get that have more mature features. Tinies are too baby-like and SDs are way too huge. Though I do like how the SD molds can age dolls to about 20-30 years old (MSD only seem to go to about 16-18years old). SDs also have a lot nicer, more fashionable outfits to choose from!

 

Thanks for this thread, and I know I'm a bit late to reply (apologies). I'm new to collecting bjds and I've never seen one or held one in person. However, I fell in love with several sculpts...and all of those sculpts are for 40cm-60cm dolls. I just can't fall in love with anything smaller than that...which is sort of a downer on my pocketbook. I had fallen in love with them before even understanding the different size options. What worries me is that many people here have posted that are somewhat small so large dolls are difficult to handle...I'm 5' tall. A 60cm doll is probably going to be huge on me. I guess I won't know until I get a doll though.

 

My first doll is probably going to be a tiny. I am really not fond of the huge dolls right now, perhaps in the future this will change. I have seen some iRL and to be honest I just don't have the space to give them a nice spot they deserve. And tinies are just so darn cute o-o