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Maintaining the Love when a company changes its style (Soom MD plus others)

Aug 10, 2010

    1. In this hobby, most of our purchases are done out-of-sight. We share our dolls through photographs, we have some local doll friends. However, overall, it is difficult to know 'who has what', 'who likes what', or even who has come and gone from the hobby. Personally, I find myself sticking to a few companies that I have bought from. I like their products - Volks, Luts, Fairyland, BlueFairy, Souldoll, Soom etc

      In addition to quality and reliability, the particular style of each company is what attracts me to go back, check out their outfits and new dolls. For example, Rosen Lied has some beautiful tiny outfits and I go back every month to see what else is new. The Collector side of me wants to see more and get more from one of my favorite companies.

      I found myself in the same situation two years ago when Soom started with the Zodiac MD series. As an avid reader of world mythology, and an addict to Atlus's Megame Tensei Series, the beginning of the Soom first MD series was like a god-sent gift to me. I still remember staying up all night waiting each month for the MD to be released.

      I am pretty sure I was not alone in this department of Soom Stalkers. When the first series of MD was over, the last two MD, Heliot and Amber, sold more than ever as most of people thought they were the last two Soom would ever made. After Amber was released, we had a short "sadness" time as we all thought Soom was done.

      Then Soom surprised all with a second MD series with another group of related (somewhat) chimera dolls. However, month after month as each MD is released, although similar, for old Soomed like myself, it seems that the style of the first MD was slowly missing from each MD.

      For me, the arrival of my Euclase was most magical. I had bought 3 more SG MD and all of the Teenie Gem MD in hope that they could bring the same magic. Now 1.2 years laters after all the buying, opening, trying to work with them, selling and trading, I find myself owning still just the first group of MD.

      Meanwhile, I feel when I go into the discussion thread or wait room, the old Soomed are no longer there. I am not sure where everyone has gone to.

      The point of the long post is, deep down, I am like Fox Mulder, I still want to believe. I know Soom can create great work. Meanwhile how do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls? Do you feel being overwhelmed by so many new dolls? Have the 'old Soomed people' purchaed the newer monthlies? Has anyone gotten rid of 'old Soom monthlies' and replaced them with 'newer Soom monthlies' ? If you kept your 'old Sooms' and did not buy 'new Sooms' is it because you have 'too many dolls' ? Is interest in Soom still 'the same' ?
       
    2. i love Soom. of course, my dog is Soom. but all of my 'horses' are Soom. my dog as well as my horses are all hooved. i love Soom's fantasy parts.

      because Soom does not sell their bodies separately, i have been forced to gather them from the secondary market. i would rather have been able to purchase them directly from Soom.

      i was deeply disappointed with the advent of the 'mecha gem' body. it is simply too large to handle comfortably. in addtion, i find it completed unsuitable to the tailored clothing which i desgn for my super gem horses.

      i still 'watch' Soom. i have purchased nothing directly from them since my Heliot poodle. i am waiting for them to offer their regular and fantasy parts as 'a la carte' choices. i was very happy when it was possible to get the jointed hands "FFD" . i wish i could get hooves and bodies the same way. for me, mixing and matching Soom is where the 'fun' is.

      edited to add: the list of Soom Sculptors . these are the only ones i had found, a long time ago.

      For those of us who do care about who sculpted the face of the monthlies..... here are the credits:


      Here is a list the names of the sculptors for the MD ...............

      [Nov]Spinel & Emma
       Spinel by DIMU **


      [MD/Feb]Deneb-Planet Spirit
      head by  Jeong Hye Eun


      [MD/Mar]Vega-Last song
      Head by  DIMU

      [MD/Apr]Beryl-Never ending dream
      head  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/May]Sard-Night odyssey
      Head by Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/June] Onyx-Light and Shadow
      head by Jeong Hye Eun


      [MD/July] Bix-Fateful night
      Head by MAGOSOYANG

      [MD/Aug] IO-Wind Walker **
      head by  Marimo

      [MD/Sep] Topaz-Honey Dew
      head by  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Oct] Euclase - The last judgment ***
      Head by Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Nov] Vesuvia-Poison Kiss
      head by Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Dec] Heliot-God Master
      Design by  SOOM Workshop


      [MD/Jan] Amber-Pure Spirit
      Head Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Feb] Glot & Glati-Dream Caller ***
      head  Marimo


      [MD/Mar] CUPRIT-Black Frost
      head by Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Apr] Hati & Skoll-Ignis Fatuus **
      head by  Marimo


      [MD/May] CHROM-Bane of Wood **
      Head  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/June] Eliv&Iv-Sweet Melodies
      head by Marimo

      cass is by Jun Hye Eun

      Next MD will be Marimo again
       
    3. It is a shame that there is no mention of who sculpted the standard SG heads, and I don't think there is info on all of the MA line, either, just the ones mentioned here as MDs.

      I've adored Soom since shortly before Beryl was released. My first dolls were ordered from them, and I chose them instead of Beryl. (A Deneb and a Saiph.) I haven't regretted that, even though I do wish I'd ordered her at the time also. ;) The fantasy line grabbed me and grabbed me hard, even after I swore I would only get one size doll -- and I'd even deliberately chosen a size that would, I thought, help me keep my spending low and my making things high. Pfft, we all see how well that worked out -- but the reason that happened was the same reason I bought a male doll from Soom even after swearing up and down I'd only ever own girls: the dolls they were making were not merely pretty, they weren't just 'nice', they were spectacular. They were the kinds of creatures I wanted when I was a kid and no one made such things. Somewhere between hitting that particular nerve and being so perfectly, visually in line with everything I love about design, they were exactly what I wanted.

      I want to believe, too. They still pull a stunner out at times, but a lot of what is out there to be done has been. If someone is just looking for a new fantasy critter, the gene pool there is getting a little thin. That part doesn't bother me as much; I like having a bunch of different satyrs or incubi or whatever they are, in different variations. Herds are fun. ;)

      It's the faces, though, that always got me in the end. The fantasy parts were nice, and tickled my inner mythology geek, but the faces? So expressive! Amazingly so. And they made women that were not fluff. A lot of companies make fluffy women, and they're fine, too, there's nothing wrong with them -- but strong women, powerful women, women who look like they might be in their late twenties or early thirties instead of their late teens, are in shorter supply, and I happen to like the more mature female sculpts a great deal. The first two dolls I bought are a great example of that dichotomy in a way -- Saiph is very 'Snow White', Deneb is a flawless 'Wicked Queen'; both are stunning head sculpts.

      I think they're just trying to do too much, and potentially not seeing the sales on certain standard line items (the basic series) they hoped, because everyone is chasing the limiteds. People are just, well, running low on funds, too, if I had to guess. The economy is giving a lot of people one heck of a pounding, and when there is a sudden explosion in the number of things to choose from on their site, 'I will get that one, too!' is not as likely as 'I am going to wait and see what they do next before I buy ANY of them'. There are probably well over a dozen dolls I would buy, or would have bought, from them if I had the cashflow to actually do so. There are just too many releases, too fast, to even dream of trying to go for very many of them.

      Some of the newer faces seem rushed to me. The delicate details I cherished in their head sculpts seem to be diminishing. That, too, tells me that they are possibly trying to do too much, and trying to get things done rather than taking the time needed to let the inspiration and character develop as much as they seem to have allowed themselves before. The release schedule seems harsh to us -- imagine what it must be like on the production end, even for the prototype! I know I am very glad they are taking the time they need on the current (Aug) MD, and pushing the release back a little. I would rather they take all the time they need between releases rather than rush themselves.

      I'm still here, even if I am losing some of my sense of enchantment with some of the recent faces. Money is going to be tight enough for a while that I'm going to have to be much more resistant, so perhaps that is for the best.
       
    4. I have Soom MDs from the first and the second "family line", or year. From this third one, I have none, partially because I choose dolls for pre-existing characters, and many that are "Soomish" enough for the Soom dolls have already been given a "doll incarnation". I do have Appini's fantasy parts, the paws and feet were perfect for my little fox, and I have some special parts and outfit set of Breccia (and I was very tempted by her in general), but somehow these recent ones don't quite have the thing that float my boat. I still think many of the newer ones are fabulous, but they don't really tickle my fancy. Which is good - when you have up to four simultaneus layways to Soom, it tends to affect your financial situation a bit :lol:
       
    5. For the soom line of this, out of the orginal mds i only loved 2 heads. and out of the 2 i got i kept one. and i kept 2 of the fantasy bits i got from that line even though i orginally order 3.

      out of the new line. no sds no sd parts. there big dolls haven't really hit me. however the tinies. zomg the tinies. between me and a freind we have parts from all of them. XD i think we have 7 between us total on bodies and 1 floating head. and 1 more on order. we are so bad. XD. we love the tinies.

      but yeah i don't really stalk the site for the new sd's any more. i see what it is to maybe get an idea for what the tinies will be. i do still have my spinel though from soom also. for like a standard doll i guess, and i love him to bits. but none of the new ones really hit it off for me. so i guess you can say i fell out of love with sooms new sd style i guess. but hit hard for them tinies. XD

      but this isn't the only company i've had that happen too. i used to love love love dollzone. i loved from their big boys and their tinies and minis. and then i guess they got a new sculptor and the style changed so drastically. completely different head shapes, facial figures everything. and now i barely go look at the site anymore. i got the few i want that they still offer from when i fell in love with them that i go check on make sure it's still avaible to get them, but i stopped looking at their new releases.
       
    6. The last couple of monthly big dolls have been a big yawn for me, particularly the buffalo girl, and the tinies are getting tired. That being said, I adore my Galena and truly enjoy looking at her face, which is full of character. I would have liked to have gotten one of the MSD satyrs, but there's no money and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
       
    7. I agree with the above comment, none of the larger dolls have grabbed me since..well, Chrom. Their faces recently have all looked more or less the same, as though Soom are rushing them out rather than putting the time in to make them individual. I long for the days of Sard's smirky pout, Beryl's fierce frown, or Amber's fawnish innocence.

      I feel, don't hate me, that only Galena being interesting of all the recent designs and faces. Sphaler in particular was the most character-less of the lot (again please don't hate me.) And the tinies have never interested me, I find them all to be very samey as well. I think from the second year there are a few I would consider but from this (third) year, there are none, truly the 2010 page feels very bland (with the exception of Monzo).

      All the dolls I lust after and hope to get are from the older collection as well, I am finishing collecting Chrom and would love to add an Amber to my collection! I do check out the newer monthlies, as sometimes Soom pulls it out of the bag; Monzo was rather striking, but I do not feel the OMG MUST BUY like I did with Chrom, Sard or Amber.
       
    8. i like most of the soom dolls, amber is my favorite but i didn't get her. maybe some are getting a little bland, but i think nenad and aphan of the new ones, look very good

      the only soom doll i have is a sphaler i love him but his face is not the prettiest of the dolls, through i think it is not ugly, it is the clothes and the fantasy parts i really love about him. and after haven owned him a half year i like his face more than when i got him, he seems so proud and peaceful
       
    9. Actually, I find myself comming back to Soom quite a bit during my "daily browsing". It was the first site I checked when searching for my first doll. I am getting a body in a split, but I already picked out a type of doll from their site to buy when I get back to work. You know, to officially be a customer...etc....
      I am always heading back to the Soom site, looking over their dolls in the past, checking out the new dolls.

      I am pretty sure I will fast become a Soom loyalist. For some reason, I really enjoy the way they make their dolls look. It really pulls me in. Usually, when I really do like something, I am a regular and always shop at the same place.
       
    10. It's funny to here talk of old Soom fans and monthlies, when all of that has been relatively recent.

      I was a big Soom fan back before the monthlies, Super Gems and Mecha Angels. I loved (and still do) their 60cm line. I have two, and am very happy that I do have them. However, I lost a lot of interest in Soom as a company when they started moving into a different direction. It's not that I think their newer lines are bad, but I have little interest in them, and was admittedly very disappointed when they pretty much axed their regular Gem line. I feel like their 60cm head sculpts where very distinctive, and when you take the fantasy parts away from their newer dolls, they don't stand out much to me. Though, I do have to say that some of their fantasy tinies are very cute -- those would probably be my favorites of their newer doll lines.

      I think it's natural for companies to strike out in new directions and try different things. Some of their fans will go with them, they will gain some new fans, and some of their old fans will prefer the way things were and drop out.

      I also find myself sticking more and more to a few companies -- I keep going back to Ninodoll and Volks mostly, though I always keep B&G heads in mind when I'm looking for a head for a character.
       
    11. What I miss from Soom most is the old Gem line style heads. I haven't bought a large doll from them since my Sard- ( a lot of this has to do with funding too...) But the teeny gems are my chance to get the big dolls in an economical size and price.

      As the super gem MDs get even larger with their small eyes, small heads, and realistic sculpts I become increasingly LESS likely to buy any of them even if the funds were there. But I love their releases and I look foreward to them every month. They have also won me over to the tiny size with the fantasy based teeny gems and I have quite a few of those.

      I will agree that the MDs are getting to be more hit or miss than the ure fire winners of that first year. But for the record- I am not sick of hooves! LOL! Some of the faces are getting dull and I wish they would put the effort into the head molds that they do the fantasy parts.

      From MD year one I have Sard, and I dearly wish I had Vesuvia ( I came sooooo close to getting her and didn't! Arg!) but that ship has sailed.

      Year Two: I have Glot, Bygg, and Yrie, and am looking for an Afi I can afford since I am sooo regretting not getting the deer.

      This year I have a Syen on the way. I am looking foreward to the next tiny and the possibility of an MSD girl with fantay parts like Aphen
       
    12. Yes, how time flies! I have one from each "era" of Soom dolls, I suppose. I was also a fan of the old Gem line (from the Time Before Monthlies), those big round interesting heads. I adore my old Namu, and every time a new sculpt comes out with heavy nose and big lips, I still see Namu's legacy in there. Then I bought the first zodiac-themed doll, the merman Vega, which is another great and intriguing sculpt (whether on a male or female body). Most recently I fell for Chalco, of the latest bloodline, whose face is arresting & compelling in a totally different way than the first two.

      I've always liked Soom's male sculpts because they've all got this weird distant eerie beauty to them-- and I actually think their male sculpts are still looking pretty good, still plenty of detail and nuance and expression. Monzo was fascinating! (Why do I not have infinite-space shelves?)

      To me it mostly looks like they're 'recycling' female and chibi sculpts, lately, but that could also be because I couldn't tell many of those apart to begin with. If I were a female-or-chibi collector, I probably also wouldn't like the trend away from interesting female-or-chibi faces. Onyx was one of the few female sculpts out there who looks like someone I'd like to talk to (and I still want to meet a Tan Deneb just to shake her enormous hand). As it is, I think the male sculpts for the Idealian, Super/Mega Gem, and New Artists lines have mostly been pretty wonderful-looking these days.
       
    13. I'm actually wondering if this is simply a product of the general BJD style. Let's face it, there are tons of fluffy (good word, surreality) BJD women out there. They seem to sell well. Perhaps Soom is simply adjusting its style accordingly. I sincerely hope it isn't due to a lack of free time or a rushed manufacturing deadline. If that's the case I'd rather see Soom take 6 months/a year off to regroup.

      I guess I'm the odd duck. I arrived on the BJD scene shortly after Sard and Beryl stopped production. I own several Sooms (Galena, Sphaler, Monzo, Glati, Alk) with two more on the way. I really do love them all, and don't regret buying them in the slightest. That being said, if I won the lottery the first thing I would buy is Sard. While all the sculpts have love in them, there's just something about the original line that speaks volumns.
       
    14. I have to say that I was 'Soomed' from Sard onwards up until the Chrom/Hati/Skoll trio. The only reason those three caught my attention was because I love wolves and Norse mythology. As soon as I saw the tinies were based on the wolves Hati and Skoll of Norse mythology, I HAD to get one of them. Chrom - I dearly wanted but didn't have the money to buy at the time. I still lament over the fact that I never got him (and Sard for that matter too!).

      But yes, I agree that the newest line of Soom MDs just don't really do it for me any more. For me, it's partially due to the change in the face sculpts, and also the fact that some of the ideas seem recycled. Hooves and horns is a hugely popular combination, but every doll that has been released with hooves and horns after Beryl and Sard seem - to me - to be just a copy of the original idea. They just don't have the initial 'wow' factor that Beryl and Sard had. At least not for me anyway. That asides, I do still love Soom and I look forward to their new MD dolls, but I don't think I'll be 'Soomed' to the point of wanting/buying one on sight any time soon =/
       
    15. Meanwhile how do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls?
      I have Sard and Euclase. I have to FIGHT HARD not to buy more. If they were any better at keeping me interested I'd be in the looney bin or homeless and living on the streets! I'm HAPPY that I'm not continually SOOMed because that way lies madness!!!

      Do you feel being overwhelmed by so many new dolls?
      It IS overwhelming, but that's fine. It gives people chances to get the doll they want. And yes, it frustrates the rest of us, but that's life. Whatever works for the company is fine with me. I don't want them to continually cater just to my wishes because, as I said, I'd just have to kill myself because I can't possibly keep buying a doll a month!!! I enjoy seeing what they come up with, whether they are my cup of tea or not. It's fun seeing interesting dolls that I DON'T want to buy. Really! My finances love it when that happens! :)

      Have the 'old Soomed people' purchaed the newer monthlies?
      No, but it's been a near thing, believe me! I adore the sculpt of Chalco and love his tanned skin (shows off those fantastic thigh muscles so nicely!). I've bought several outfits and wigs in Splits. I tried to get Chalco horns--those were fantastic!--but were too hard to get... or too expensive. I wanted their new big muscle-men-- the Monzo ..sp? Gargoyle guy. But, again, I really can't get every doll I like, sadly! Not unless I win big in the lottery...

      Has anyone gotten rid of 'old Soom monthlies' and replaced them with 'newer Soom monthlies' ? If you kept your 'old Sooms' and did not buy 'new Sooms' is it because you have 'too many dolls' ? Is interest in Soom still 'the same' ?
      I don't tend to sell dolls... not easily, anyway. So I have my two and plan on keeping them! And yes, I do feel that I have too many dolls. I have some 15 to 20, depending on when you are reading this and what I'm counting, and I don't want to have many more!!! I love them all and will probably gather more, but I have more than I need for dolly-happiness! I was quite content a few dolls back. But I love the new additions, too.

      My interest in SOOM is still very high. I love their styles and fashions and all the fantasy.

      I first started with CP/Luts dolls and I still own more of them than any other company. They have changed a lot--splitting between two companies (Luts and Fairyland) and I don't follow them as much as I did, but I still feel beholden to them for having made the first four or five or six dolls I fell in love with and own. I feel that way about other companies I've bought dolls from, too, to some extent, and even that about companies that I've never bought dolls from. My interest waxes and wanes in everything, but that's life and I don't want to be crazy over only one company all the time. I don't need that crazy buzz because I'm in love enough with lots of stuff as it is. Some people need to be wildly in First True Love all the time, I guess, but not me! I'm slowly and quietly loyal to many places and love 'em all to some extent. It works for me.

      I got my first Iplehouse EID recently and love him to pieces.

      Now I'm waiting for my first MSD-sized girl from Kaye Wiggs, which is not DoA-legal, I think, but it's all good! I guess I like variety??? It's fun. I'm still enjoying it all as much or more since I first started with BJDs in '04!

      -----
      cool list of sculptors, cat. thanks!
       
    16. Thank you for all of the replies. I share many of your feelings.

      surreality I do wish they also post the name(s) of the sculptor who did the original SG lines. I really like those sculpts. It is such a shame that Soom decided to discontinue many of the older head molds.

      Many of my favorite Soom heads are definitely from the older line up

      Lazule, in particular is such an under-rated doll. He came out just among the release of the first MD group, I think people just over look him

      He is so gorgeous - especially this one

      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?386748-Sexy-Beck-%28Soom-Lazule%29-%28NWS%29

      I find that older head molds have more details and definition. It is much easier to capture different expressions with them (when taking pictures from different angles). The newer heads from the newer MD group tends to be more smooth, less details and more clean cut.

      I also do think that Soom is stretching themselves too thin by creating such packed schedule. I really do not think people can afford to get one doll every month. When your average doll collectors have a fixed budget, but creating such a tight schedule and with LE MD is really a "buy it now or forget about it" marketing strategy, they created a direct competition between their regular lines and MD.

      In small details, I have noticed signs of the development/design team of the dolls being rushed so they could stay on the monthly release schedule.

      This is the inside of the heads of Io (this is the same for Heliot, Bix and Euclause)

      [​IMG]
      Nice, clean, with a proper S hook place and a nice Soom Stamp

      Here are the inside of the Chrom

      [​IMG]

      and Chalco

      [​IMG]

      Definitely do not look as "finished" to me. Also my Chalco head had a S hook problem, his head popped right off upon arrival.

      I had to send him back to Soom for repair and they fixed him

      [​IMG]

      maybe I am just being picky, but that for me is really a sign of a rushed job.

      Soom is taking this month slower which gives me encouragement about their future release coming in Sept.
       
    17. Meanwhile how do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls?

      Personally, I'm not too interested in the new dolls Soom puts out for the most part. I did really like Coquina (the water buffalo girl from a few months back), but I realized it was only because her face reminds me so much of a School C, which is one of my favorite molds. I'm pretty much right there with everyone who fell in love with Soom's 2008 monthly dolls. I used to sit online for hours when a new teaser picture came up for that month, hoping they would release the doll so I could see what it was. These days I pretty much dismiss it. I always look, but it's never all that exciting.

      Do you feel being overwhelmed by so many new dolls?

      I really do, and I'm just not very impressed with any of the new ones that much anyway. I think it's great for people just getting into the hobby who didn't get the chance to buy any of the other limiteds, and I think it's fine that they are still releasing monthlies. I think I just get annoyed with the sheer amount of dolls they're putting out nowadays. Like others have said, I feel like the sculpts and ideas for the dolls are really being rushed now; really, how couldn't they be rushed? One month I think Soom put out 4 limiteds for that month: there was a regular Super Gem girl (the water buffalo girl I believe), the two MSD hoofed boys were near that time too, then there was a pair of tinies, and a little faery doll... all very, very close to one another. I really liked that they put out an MSD doll, and also another Uyoo size doll... but why couldn't they have just made those two their limiteds for that month? Must there always be another SD size doll and more tinies? Again, I don't mean to sound whiney. I guess I just miss all the creativity and time that I saw go into their older monthlies. Or, perhaps it's because everything has already been done at this point.

      Have the 'old Soomed people' purchaed the newer monthlies?

      If we're counting 2008 as "old Soom", then no, I can honestly say I haven't. I bought my Sard back in May of 2008, and did end up with a Heliot Unicorn head and a Chrom human head since then, but I ended up selling both of them (although I do regret selling the Heliot head from time to time... beautiful doll head). I have Sphaler's claw legs, but only as optional parts for my Sard, and they've never been used. The only other two Soom monthlies I ever fell in love with really were Amber and Alk/Yrie; a part of me still regrets not getting an Alk/Yrie.

      Has anyone gotten rid of 'old Soom monthlies' and replaced them with 'newer Soom monthlies' ? If you kept your 'old Sooms' and did not buy 'new Sooms' is it because you have 'too many dolls' ? Is interest in Soom still 'the same' ?

      Nope. I've almost sold my Sard a couple of times, but that's mainly because I hated his body and couldn't think of another one that would fit his fantasy parts. If I had sold him it wouldn't have been to replace him with a new Soom limited. What with all the monthlies out there now and all the people doing hybrids, I found out another body that does fit the parts though, so... hell yeah. :D

      Not buying the "new Soom" dolls doesn't have much to do with having too many dolls in my collection, it's just that I do have a big old hoofed doll, and one thing I learned from that is that it has been extremely trying for me to make this doll work for me. I learned through owning different kinds of dolls by now that I don't care for mature ones. To me, I've had my Sard long enough to know that he does have a side of him that is very boyish, and I think that's going to work really well for the new body I'll be getting him, and just his general aesthetic overall.

      For me, it isn't just Soom that's going in a direction that I don't care for personally. The hobby seems to be having a growing love for very mature and huge dolls, which I am not into at all. Really, I don't think it's Soom's fault; they're just trying to stay hip and on top of the things their customers want to buy, and I'd say they're doing a very good job of it. I only wish they'd stop releasing so many at once, because I would love to see the old time and care put into the monthlies that used to be there. :)
       
    18. OH NO!
      anavel you're definitely not picky! That is some degeneration of quality.. SOOM was pushing themselves out of the limit.. But many companies do too..Iplehouse, and the worst is CCC.

      But I do think we are thinking like SOOM has changed it styles..but honestly..it's because they are not using the same sculptor for..say..Euclase, Sard, Beryl, etc which happen to be Jung Hye Eun (thanks to Cat..^..^). Am I right?

      I really love Vesuvia and Cuprit. Vesuvia as being scorpion..my zodiac..and that no other companies make scorpion woman. Cuprit is an ice queen..with black horns. They are very interesting! Now we see Breccia..a fox..or red wolf? there. No offense, I like Breccia, she is cute. The keyword is cute..SOOM is making more cute woman sculpts..rather than the old mature, strong, cold woman.
      Nothing is wrong..it is just it's not my cup of tea to get a cute super gem sized woman.

      And the tinies too..Kenny/Slit, Shonki/Appini..is so so different than other..don't know why.

      But yes I do think the man sculpts are still awesome..Chalco face up are def. the best..even compare to Sard face ups..(note : for me!)

      Unfortunately..back to the top..the quality is getting worse..I'm glad they do realize it and take time to released the August MDs.

      Well, I own none of the SOOM sculpts..but if SOOM continues up like this..I would better put thousand dollars to get the old sculpts.



      p.s Please..no offense!
       
    19. I find it funny, but a lot of the dolls people say were the best from SOOM I actually feel very meh about. Amber really didn't do it for me at all, nor did a lot of the 2008 girls that people really seemed to miss. My favorites have always been Sard and Monzo. I just love the cheekbones!
       
    20. I added to the list that Cat ^..^ posted (this list was original compiled by Elven Gate)

      Nov]Spinel & Emma
       Spinel by DIMU **


      [MD/Feb]Deneb-Planet Spirit
      head by  Jeong Hye Eun


      [MD/Mar]Vega-Last song
      Head by  DIMU

      [MD/Apr]Beryl-Never ending dream
      head  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/May]Sard-Night odyssey
      Head by Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/June] Onyx-Light and Shadow
      head by Jeong Hye Eun


      [MD/July] Bix-Fateful night
      Head by MAGOSOYANG

      [MD/Aug] IO-Wind Walker **
      head by  Marimo

      [MD/Sep] Topaz-Honey Dew
      head by  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Oct] Euclase - The last judgment ***
      Head by Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Nov] Vesuvia-Poison Kiss
      head by Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Dec] Heliot-God Master
      Design by  SOOM Workshop


      [MD/Jan] Amber-Pure Spirit
      Head Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Feb] Glot & Glati-Dream Caller ***
      head  Marimo


      [MD/Mar] CUPRIT-Black Frost
      head by Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/Apr] Hati & Skoll-Ignis Fatuus **
      head by  Marimo


      [MD/May] CHROM-Bane of Wood **
      Head  Jung Hye Eun


      [MD/June] Eliv&Iv-Sweet Melodies
      head by Marimo

      cass is by Jun Hye Eun

      [MD/Sept] Sphaler head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Oct] Alk - head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Nov] Galena head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Dec} Ai - Head Sculptor - Marimo

      [MD/Jan] Chalco head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/Feb] Breccia head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/March] Shonki head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/April] Monzo head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/May] Grit head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      Aphan - head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD/June] Coquina - head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun

      [MD'July] Keny head sculptor: Jung Hye Eun


      ****************************************************

      So looking at this list, I think the sculptor was not changed. Besides Spinel, Vega and Bix, over 70% of the head sculpts are done by the same person.

      in 2009, they were rotating between Marimo and Jung Hye Eun; but since Nov 2009 it has been Jung Hye Eun. In a way I can see how it is too much for one person to do. Between sculpting, finishing and casting, there is really not enough time