Mermaids have always been a weakness of mine. Due to the "lack" of posability, I've been reluctant to even consider a mermaid BJD. But they are so pretty..! So owners of such leg-less dolls, what are your impressions or thoughts of them, in hindsight (so to say)? Did your doll come with the option of extra legs, or only the tail? What have you found are pros, or cons, about it?
I have two Loongsoul mermaids and they mostly stay in their boxes. I find that they take up more space than a regular mini with their extra fins on, which is probably why they still aren't painted. (Chipping on the tail joints and pointy fin bits) It kind of stresses me out a little. I didn't purchase regular leg parts, but I might eventually. They'd definitely be out on the shelf if they had.
My problem with most of the mermaidy dolls is that they don't put enough joints in the tail. So you can't really pose the tail in an interesting way other than just a sitting pose
My Asleep Eidolon Arweil came with human legs, but I have never used them. The main problem I have is that while super poseable in front to back movements there is little to no way to move the tail side to side. I have had some luck photowise with using a tunic to cover the waist joint and then detaching the tail - that way it looks like he is reclining on one elbow at an angle not possible with the sculpt all joined together.
I briefly owned a Dollzone The Star, one of their two legless half bodied girls. She proved to be a struggle to display, since without legs she obviously couldn't use the saddle style stands I prefer. I ended up selling her because while she was beautiful, the lack of posing options really put me off. I like playing with my dolls, and she was more of an art piece than a toy.
Have you considered Fairyland mermaids? They have a lot of tail joints, and while their mertail is more seahorse you can buy an fancy fin parts from this etsy seller. I played with my friend's Fairyland mermaid, she sits, she lounges, and with some patience you can balance her in some pretty cool poses standing on her tail.
I also have an Arweil and i can mostly agree with what Merla said. I didn't get the human legs. The posing front to back is great! But you can't really do side to side but to be fair i also haven't really tried. The Asleep Eidolon merfolk have a lot more joints than most though and i honestly still love the way it poses regardless. I'll also agree it takes up a bit more space than a normal msd. I think he's actually technically taller than my other msd boys and the tail makes him heavier too. I have an msd "invisible" stand from Alice's Collections and he is too heavy/long to use it safely. As for chipping on the tail, i haven't really noticed anything. Anyway my point is yes, they have a few downsides but i love mine and i'm so happy i bought him. I'd never ever sell him even if i had no money haha. If you really want one, get one. And i recommend Asleep Eidolon since they have many tail joints!
Thank you for your feedback! I'm trying to find reviews before buying a mermaid doll. Love those Asleep Eidolon dolls
I have a FairyLand FairyLine seahorse merman (it's the Sia body with the male chest piece); I do have his legs, too, but he almost never wears them because the tail is the reason I bought him. The tail piece has tons of joints, so he's easily able to sit on one of the benches I have for my dolls, though his side fins sometimes get in the way so he often gets a bean bag instead. I definitely have no regrets on buying him, and I love handling him, even if I'm still working out the whole standing on the tail thing.
I also have a fairyland MSD seahorse, and I would definitely buy more in the future, and some of the SD sized ones too! I'd love to own a whole fleet of merfolk! The FL design is brilliant, and absolutely worth the extra money. They are very posable and can manage to stand reasonably and I've been able to do most of the sitting/lounging poses I've attempted! If you're not into the FL aesthetic, I saw someone on insta who had hybrid-ed the tail with a Narae, I'll see if I can find that post again and link it I would also try an SD sized invisible stand for an MSD mermaid, since they're heavier and a bit longer. I haven't tried it myself, but it could work
