IMPL dolls Star, Model & Idol Discussion 16

Malachite is back from the artist/modder, Dr. Krow, and I'm crazy pleased with how Malachite turned out. He had a small eye-opening mod, the chip in his forearm at the wrist was repaired and an amazing face-up was done. I gave Dr. Krow nearly a free hand to paint Malachite with some instruction on a few things. One of the things I'd sent was photo references to azurite as it often occurs in stone formations with malachite (Malachite, the person, was born of a malachite geode) and I'd asked if the intense blue could be incorporated into his face-up. I hadn't thought at all of the designs that Dr. Krow did (to mimic the banding of malachite but in azurite blues). Malachite looked so very pleased with himself with the face-up Dr. Krow did that it was obvious that was what he wanted.

Malachite, the adult, has been picky as hell and wildly changed his appearance from his child self (Impl Simon Colourful Life Green) over what I had planned. He was supposed to have black hair and it was never to be longer than just past his shoulders. Now it's white and pretty much waist-length. He was supposed to have intense azurite blue eyes with black sclera. Now they're white iridescent sclera with blue/green heterochromia. He had no facial markings as a child but now does as an adult. Difficult doll is difficult but I absolutely love the way he turned out.

This is Malachite. He is the God of Crystal & Stone.
Malachite 2 by ID Locke, on Flickr

 

It's been a journey and a half to get him as he needed to be but I'm beyond pleased with how he turned out.

I want to get a body for the prototype head Impl sent me but I'm also trying to be good about spending. We shall see if I'm successful but I have to be honest and don't have high hopes for being good about spending on resin.

 

There is no standard tan *sigh*. Even within a company (I'm looking at you, Soom) there is no standard. I wish more companies would do a darker tan as the standard but I also know darker resin is more difficult to cast.

The only caveat to tan matching would be (in my experience) the AoD tan (which they no longer do *heavy sigh*). I have 2 tan AoD boys (first owner for 1, 2nd hand for the body of the other) and despite there being several production years between them and unknown exposure of the body of the 2nd hand one, the tans are so close to being identical in colour it's not really worth mentioning the difference.

 

I have 2 MD tans (1 new, 1 2nd hand of unknown age) and they are identical as far as I can tell. They're a nice butterscotch colour. The old AoD tan was/is butterscotch colour. The 2nd hand MD head is on a tan Angell Studio body from 2012 and it's lighter (I had the head blushed to match) but still a nice light tan that isn't masquerading as real/normal skin.

Impl had to find a new colour blender in the last year or two so perhaps this is why their new tan is so light?

 

Impl will colour match if you wanted to go that route. I'd highly recommend sending them a paint chip/swatch to match. When I did this to get the correct shade of green for Malachite they matched the chip I sent exactly and it wasn't big money for the custom colour.

 

I think it took about 18 days to go from southern Ontario to Impl in China. I let Impl know when I sent the sample and I think there was tracking included on it (it was a while back so I'm not 100% sure about if it was included or I paid extra for that) so I saw when they received it. I gave them a day after that and emailed to make sure that they did receive it. I also attached the sample to a letter stating what the sample was for (i.e. Model Ziv).

Further to all of that when he was done I asked for a photo of the doll with the sample to make sure the colour was correct since I'd received 2 incorrect green Ziv's already.