How Picky Are You As A Collector?

I am picky about face ups and certain facial features. I have passed on some dolls because the brows are too arched, or rounded, or the face up is sloppy etc. but...
I am more picky about what they can/can't wear. Nothing irritates me more than buying a doll where I cannot find clothes I like that fit. I like certain styles, and I have found that most of the styles I like are extremely hard to find in the sizes I want them, IF I can find them at all.
Also shoes, the dolls I currently have shoes are either too small, or too big. I don't like putting shoes on the doll where they look like they have clown feet. I used to want lots of clothes, but now I prefer to have a few key pieces I love over having an entire wardrobe of things I am just "ok" with.
I am getting pickier about what dolls I buy because I prefer to have only a few dolls I love, so when I see one I think I want I have to decide if I am ok selling one to get one. I have gone through a lot of dolls thinking I would love a different one, only to get it and be disappointed. I don't want to do that anymore because too much money has been lost having to sell to buy.
That all said, I would say that yes, I am 100% picky.

 

I’m picky about sculpts to a certain degree. I find a lot of sculpt I think are pretty, but they are eather too mature or childish for my taste. I collect fantasy dolls so they have to look somehow dreamy?
But have to say, what I’m really picky about are wigs...I can never find what I want exactly. I thought about trying to make something but I also don’t like how the wool fibers “shine” in a weird way. Also, I don’t think I would be satisfied with the quality of wigs I can produce with my skill level...

 

I'm also very very picky about my wigs and tend to want extremely specific colors and styles that just aren't available in pre-made wigs, so I do make all my own now--- if you ever do want to try it, it's definitely a skill that improves with every wig you make. The first wig I ever made for my first doll honestly looked like something I pulled out of a shower drain and plopped on her head. It was super awful! I kept at it and got to a point where I can make wigs I'm really happy with.

Overall as far as doll buying, I'm incredibly picky about the heads/faces, body to head proportions, and the hands. I'm much, much less picky about things like minute sculpting details on the bodies--- I don't really care, because they're always dressed anyway. And I'm more or less indifferent to resin matching...if I want to make a hybrid because I like the proportions, I'll find a way to make the colors match up. I've done everything from dye, to airbrushing a tan head to match a normal body, to bleaching a too-pink body in the sun so it will match an older more yellow head.

 

Yeah, I think I’m gonna try making wigs eventually... I’m also very tempted if making a feather one. I just wish I had more time, not only to learn, but also to find the materials I’ll be satisfied with. Let’s see.

Oh now I think I finally understood why some people like hybrid bodies so much. It’s because they are picky about the proportions I assume (probably not the only reason though).

 

exactly! When I was new to the hobby, I had much lower standards because I couldn’t imagine paying $50+ for doll clothes. After I received a full Dollmore suit as a gift from a friend, I was amazed at what great detail and quality fabrics I could get! TTYA jeans also raised the bar much higher and now I mostly only buy jeans from them, Nine9 Style, Luts and Tree Design. It sucks that I have to save up longer to get clothes, but I’d rather have one piece of clothing of really great quality than three pieces with cheap fabric, low craftsmanship and poor fit.

 

So picky that half of my collection is the same damn doll, lol.

 

I'm pretty picky - I only own four full dolls (and one headless body that I use for testing heads I sculpt.) I'm not exactly sure what it is that draws me to certain dolls, though. There's just something about them that when I see them for sale, I absolutely need them!

I haven't bought any yet in 2020, but I'm feeling the pull again... We'll see if I escape it :P

 

I am actually pretty picky when it comes to face sculpts and matching them to characters (mine or otherwise). But I'm also lucky in finding exactly what I need when I need (want) it. Like almost every time. So it doesn't seem like I'm picky lol

I'm really picky with double-joints though. If I have to fight with a doll too many times it's over. I like easy-handling bodies, and some of the more popular companies just aren't. If I can't fix what I think are posing issues with restringing, sueding or maybe even a light mod, I don't want to deal with it anymore. It's too much trouble.

 

I’m pretty picky I’d said based on the fact that almost all of my dolls are from one specific company that I have always purchased dolls from since the beginning of my journey in the hobby. I don’t tend to stray too far from their sculpts because I love them. I really have a hard time picking specific dolls from other companies, especially when it comes down to humanoid dolls versus anthro dolls. Humanoids are so hard to pick for me for some reason.

 

I too fall into the picky wig and clothing category. I don't like wigs with bangs - I hate how they cover up the eyebrows or fall into the eyes. I have two wigs I need to either trim the bangs up or just resell them. I like the colors and hair texture, just not the bangs. I blame it on my personal dislike of bangs on elves.

All my dolls are fantasy themed so I only buy what would be considered costumes. I even custom ordered one and that is the only outfit that doll has. (He deserves more but clothing commissions are NOT cheap.) So I appreciate it when brands like Luts or Volks or Soom make fantasy outfits I like and can buy for pretty reasonable prices. Or etsy sellers - I would gladly commission some of the stores I see there if they didn't have commissions closed.

The only doll who might have anything sort of modern to wear will be my Volks FCS who is going to be Kuja from FF9. But I doubt I will ever be 100% satisfied with his wigs because in the game he had feathers in his hair - like part of it - and that might not be easy to translate. Same with his game outfit - it looks nice in game and on certain cosplayers but I'm not sure it will translate to a BJD so well. While him wearing modernish clothing isn't ideal, I figure it's a good way to make up an AU with him or be like "Oh yes he didn't die, he's in hiding via Mognet Protective Services" or something like that.

 

I'm probably the pickiest about wigs. All my dolls have custom made wigs because I don't like artificial fibers and need a snug fit for their hairstyles. My love of swept back hair is the death of me lol

I can be picky about dolls. Like I've definitely changed my mind about heads just because I saw like one unflattering angle and decided the sculpt isn't pretty enough. It's like how some people are so hot they can be a disheveled trash hobo and still look handsome. That is what I need my dolls to be.

I can be picky about clothes, it kind of depends on the look I am going for. I am weak for a well-tailored suit. But that's bad for my wallet

 

I feel that, as I have spent more time in the bjd hobby, my tastes have become more refined in a few areas. I can certainly say that I have gotten pickier with a few different things.

In the infancy of my time in it, for example—I started out with a stylized MSD. After coming back from a several year long hiatus, that size hasn't worked for me, and my focus veered heavily into more realistic SD-70cm+.

I can't say that I've become as picky about clothing as others in this thread, but I have gotten a bit more stingy on seaming finishes (no edges left raw), as well as fabric quality. For some garments I'd been fine with getting in simple cotton in the past, I've moved onto picking up in sturdier fabric choices. Regarding wigs—I am a bit more particular about the material and feel of the fibers, synthetic or natural. I've become a sucker for Monique style synthetic wigs, and invested in a few natural fiber wigs.

I feel like head sculpts are where I've become the most picky. When I started, I was into stylized realistic (which is a majority of Asian bjd companies). I have since found a majority have an issue with same-face syndrome, and seem to be drawn more towards unique, more mature and detailed sculpts—depending on the character being shelled anyways. I've become a sucker for individual artist sculpts and a selective few more detailed company heads.

I've admittedly always been a bit picky about eyes. I never really got into fantasy/creative iris designs, or simplistic acrylic or glass irises. Over time I've become more focused on small iris eyes as most of my crew seems to require them in order to either not have gapping issues, or eyes overtaken by the iris.

I think I'm most lenient with bodies, but there are a few things that will get an instant no. The body must have double joints, for example—and those double joints should at least function the way they're supposed to. There are a few companies out there that have badly designed double joints that I can't stand (here's looking at you, Mirodoll and the old Iplehouse bodies), and others with notoriously bad poseability that put me off.

The longer I spend time in the hobby, the more it seems I've developed specifically focused tastes. I feel like it comes with the territory. As you explore the possibilities in the hobby—you figure out what suits your tastes versus what doesn't.

 

I feel you, @Nyxx. I have also scrolled thounsands of times through lots of dolly websites just to find me with a 3 dolls' wishlist so... you're not alone xD

I'm pretty picky, I think, about every aspect of my dolls (their sculpt, body, clothing, wigs, shoes...) but my biggest picky point are their stories. I like to think I'm almost a writer so I have taken my doll stories pretty seriously from the beginning and if I don't have a complete background and future ideas for a certain character, I won't make it into doll form.

I wasn't that picky about clothing and stuff at first, but after 7 years and as you buy lots of things and have more room to spend on quality stuff, you start noticing a difference, specially when having weird sizes among your family (yes, my dear Souldoll Vito, I'm looking at you and your impossible measurements). I am not a big spender as my dolly savings are always little, but I prefer to buy less things which I know will fit even if it cost me a bit more.

 

With me it's the figure rather than proportions - no big busted "mature" figured bodies for my child dolls. Only a very small proportion of my SD dolls aren't hybridded for that reason.

Teddy

 

I've been in the hobby for many years, and have kept most of the dolls in my collection. As a result, I'm super choosy over what sculpts I'll buy, as I like variety in my doll faces. A lot of the more "typical" Caucasian/anime/porcelain style are off the table for me because I already have a number of girls who fit that style.

 

I'm much, much pickier about some things than others... My dolls are always fully-clothed, so I'm not super picky about the appearance of joints, for instance. I also don't insist on flawless posing ability, so single- or double- jointing isn't an issue.

I collect "old school" sculpts, so realism *is* an issue, though, and not in the direction it is for a lot of other collectors. In general, I don't like overly realistic features or proportions. At the same time, I don't like poorly sculpted and detailed "tube limbs" and "noodle fingers", either. There's a happy medium in there, and that's what I look for. Detailed... but in a stylized way.

I don't like tiny eyes on large dolls, small heads on tree-trunk necks or the ridiculous level of muscular detail and veining some sculptors go for on their male bodies.

Little girl faces on boob-a-palooza mature bodies are an instant NOPE. Which is probably why the guys in my crew will always outnumber the girls. That particular face/bod weirdness seems to be almost endemic in many of the more stylized doll lines.

More than minimally open mouths, especially if they also involve tongues, are also a no-go.

I'm sort-of ridiculously picky about resin matching, which makes building hybrids... or even putting together heads and bodies from the same line and company that were made at different times... a real challenge.

I'm also very particular about eyes. I use urethane or decent-quality glass eyes only. Silicone, cheap glass and acrylic are right out.

Outfits? I guess I'm particular there, too. Over the years I've weeded out most of the cheaper, less well-constructed "it'll do for now" pieces that I bought early on. I look at new clothing items with a more critical eye these days, even if that means spending more on an outfit for the gang.

 

{nods} I do have lots of girls but some of them are on modded boy bodies because it's easier to get an immature/flat chested girl silhouette by modding the "boy bits" off a boy body.

Unlike you, I prefer a bit of mismatch in body-to-head resin colour because very few real people have a face the exact same shade as their body.

Teddy

 

My preference may well relate to the whole "stylization"-thing... On some level, it all comes down to wanting my dolls to absolutely, unquestionably *look like dolls*. I don't want them to look like realistic miniature people. I'm not sure if that's an expression of trying to avoid the Uncanny Valley effect with them, or if it's just an artistic preference... But it is definitely A Thing.

 

Absolutely - and it's part of the reason the market for BJDs is so diverse - which is good for all of us, no matter what our particular "thing"

Teddy

 

Very picky on dolls, starting from the size (women only 59 to 65 cm, men only 65 to 71 cm).

On the other hand my preferences change and sometimes I start to like a thing I didn't like when I first saw it. For example the new SID woman body from Iplehouse was a total turn off for me at first, she was very skinny and the knee joints looked odd. Now I want it. I only haven't had the chance to buy one as I would not have a head for it. I am usually more picky on heads, so I probably never get to own all the bodies that I like because I would not have heads to put on them.

At the moment I don't like a single doll head currently available anywhere, if I did, I would have purchased it because it's been a while since I found a nice doll.

On clothes and wigs I can take anything alike to what i had in mind, so there I am not picky.