Is it a good idea to buy a doll part for resin color references?

I plan to do something similar for two companies that might have resin matches for dolls I own. So I think it's actually a rather smart thing to do. Especially if you plan to buy something from that company anyway. Or if there are no good pictures of resin matches available.

And for darker resin it might be worth it even more as it's very hard to photograph accurately.

 

This is hard. If it’s a doll you like and not expensive for you, then I say go for it. I do that pretty often. But I’m also just a doll collector, I don’t make specific characters, so having a cute doll laying around is no problem for me

Alternatively you could ask for comparison pictures. Better still if they own a doll in the same resin colour as one that you already have. Then you have a frame of reference. Almost all of my dolls are tan or dark tan, and I don’t mine taking a picture or 10 for you

 

personally id say it wouldnt be worth it. mostly cause the darker colors tend to have more variations between batches and ive seen some companies discontinue certain colors to try at a different tone.

if you have a very specific color in mind for fleshing out a character, you might be better off trying your hand at dyeing white resin to have a bit more control

 

It can be helpful, but it costs money that could go towards a doll and requires waiting for the parts to be made and/or ship out to you. So I think how helpful it will be to you depends on what you want.

If you are trying to hybrid lots of dolls/ floating heads and want the colors to match as much as possible without painting or dyeing then spending the money and time for parts plus shipping could be worth it.

If you don't have any plans for the extra parts then you will have to either store or sell them. And if you don't want the parts for any specific project that's money and time that could go towards things that would get your doll project done faster.

To get close enough colors for one project, try comparing photos of a company color chart with some owner photos from the Galleries or Discussion threads and that can give an idea about what the resin would look like in different lights. This does depend on how well or not well your monitor/screen displays colors, so your mileage may vary.

 

This makes me wish companies did some sort of resin sample packets, like some companies do with paper and fabric. But, I say it really depends on your goal, finances, and even body parts. Like an extra pair of hands might be useful in the future, especially if you're considering getting a doll in this color. It might also be worth it if you have some extra money, the doll you're looking for is pricey, or you need a really specific skin tone for a character.

However, I would keep in mind the price of shipping and that the resin colors might vary, like mentioned above

 

I don't think it's worth it, especially if you're doing this to find a specific skintone for a single doll/character. A pair of hands (real skin tan from Luts, for example) costs $29 new from company - that's already around 5% the cost of a full doll, money that can be paying for said doll or other BJD stuff. And if you buy the parts off the secondhand market to save on money, there's yellowing/mellowing to account for. I don't have tan dolls but I understand they tend to mellow faster than white/normal skin, depending on company/resin formulation. So older, maybe-mellowed tan parts may not be useful to your goals.

It might be worth it if you plan on getting multiple tan dolls and hybriding them. But honestly, I'd rather look at gallery and box opening photos (to see the tan resin under different lights and all kinds of photo qualities), find good photo comparisons between colours, and go with your gut.

 

No, it's not a good idea.

Many company have unstable resin formula, resulting to different color every batch. The old big company like Volks, Fairyland, etc. May have less issue but there's still a thing called yellowing in doll world

So, my answer is NO, sadly.

 

I thought about it for a moment, but I also lean more towards "not worth it".
Between you receiving the piece and then actually being able to make your order for a full doll/body/head, the color might have already changed again. Hell, sometimes two dolls ordered at the same time can look different in color.
If dolls would be shipped out faster, it might be more useful. But making an order now that takes three months to be fulfilled for a pair of hands, to then order a doll that takes six months to be shipped really lowers the chances of having stable colors between batches

It's probably the most helpful to ask people that have JUST received their doll how they think the color looks like, and then decide from there whether it's what you want or not. Photos are not exact, but they can give you a good idea with some extra description.

Also yes, hybrids are an issue because of that too. At the end of the day it's always a gamble, and at most we can reduce the risks of badly matching bits.

 

If you got money for it than I say go for it. Personally I wouldn’t because shipping for most things are expensive and it’s not worth it

 

I'd have to agree with others and say no

I've had the same exact thought before and considered purchasing new blank doll heads from the secondhand market to check their colors for matching. But on close examination of photos from different sellers/gallery photos here on DOA (similar lighting type, same model, same skintone, no more than 1 year apart) I could still see quite a bit of color variations going on. Some companies having more of an issue than others.

Iplehouse's: Dark Brown for example I could almost never find a consistent match for. I own a doll with a beautiful dark brown skin tone but I had almost no luck whatsoever trying to find another Iplehouse doll with the same skin tone that looks similar enough to exchange her body for.

It really seems like color consistency is just always going to be a hard bet unless you purchase the doll and all its parts from the same batch and same company at the same time.

 

I have several Iples in light brown tan, the dark tan was actually added by them later. The LBT is already a very definite medium brown shade, can absolutely not be mistaken for a peachy "normal" skin.
The dark tan is similar in color/hue to LBT, but definitely darker. If you want something even darker than that, "ebony" is the option for that.

So if you want a very dark brown, that is not yet fully leaning towards (human) black but coming close, the dark brown tan is the right option

 

@RoyalRegals if money is no issue than you should do it but good luck I hope you find what your looking for