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

I love SOOM since they release Beryl and I wait every months to see their new MD but I must admit I like old style MD more because I love zodiac theme and their mature cool look. Some new MD seem.....just cute.

My most favourite are Sard, Onyx and Chrom but I like Chrom the most. I have find new home for many dolls but for Chrom even he has some part that I don't like such as his body and his face is so hard to take a good shot from front side but I can't think myself part with him.

Wow, for this years all MD done by one person, that is a hard task. O_o

 

They also have the two new regular line SG dolls in there, too -- and all the Idealians. I don't know if the Idealian line, or any of the other lines like the Mecha Angels or Rosette dolls are done by the same sculpting team or if they have different teams working on different lines, but it does seem like at least MA Vega was done by one of the core Soom sculptors. (The original sculptor at Soom, I believe?)

If the MA and Id series are also handled by the same folks, well, they did have one new MA Miesa and they've obviously been working very hard on the Idealian series. The older body originally done for the Idealians seems to be the body for the new Mega Gem -- and it is good they are able to use it! I cannot even imagine how long it would take to sculpt a completely new body, especially one with as many new features as that sculpt did... and they've done so twice inside a year at least! Even setting the heads aside, we have seen a revamp of the SG female body with the alternate bust, and I -think- some of the features of the legs of my Breccia are a little improved and updated also, but I would need to double check on that. They seem to lock more nicely than my other SG girls at any rate. The tiny body seems to have gotten an upgrade of joints, and the 'hermaphrodite' version body used for some of the tinies along the way. There's the Mega Gem body, the current Idealian body (version 2, technically), and a whole new size group with bodies: the MSD line. They completely revamped the MiniGem body.

AND! ...they make new fantasy parts for every. single. one. of those series at some point also. A head is at least only a few pieces!

They must be working themselves to death at this point.

It is just me, and only my opinion, but I know how that is. I know how quickly the creative drive can get sucked away, too, when the art becomes 'must work, must make more, must do it now' and how hard it can be to fight to keep hold of it, so that is why I am saying this: slowing down and taking the time that is needed is the best thing to do. The rabid fangirls (and fanboys) -- me included -- don't need a new sculpt every two weeks, even if we are bouncy and eager to see what is new.

Even for professional artists, creativity is often a lot like the goose that lays the golden egg. You have to give it enough time to lay the egg; if you go looking for the egg inside the goose, it rarely ends well for anyone. I don't want to see that happen to Soom. They are the company that finally convinced me that I absolutely had to bring one of these dolls into my life after years of fence-sitting. Why? Because they are that impressive. I don't want to see them hit burnout. Burnout is awful to go through.

 

I feel exactly the same way about Namu and similar sculpts. XD

I personally have never been loyal to one company or another. There's simply far too many gorgeous sculpts out there to stick to one or two companies. I liked Soom before the MDs, and possibly more so because I felt they were a really underrated company and didn't understand how people couldn't see the beauty I could see in them. I love their MDs though, and my husband and I have 6 of them between us, and I like to check every month to see what they have come up with.

As for them "recycling" sculpts and ideas, to me there's plenty of the bigger companies that could be accused of that. Or you could simply see them as grouping their aesthetics, and sticking to what sells for them. It's all well and good for us to say "I wish they made more of x", but if the sales don't show it, then they're not going to keep making them.

 

Hmm..so..the sculptor is the same..oh well..then maybe they really change their style..trying new different things..

Thanks,though. I really hope he will make another great MDs..

 

I joined the Soomed later than I wish....missing out on a few MDs that I still
think of fondly: Bix, Sard, Vesuvia. Amber was the first MD I seriously considered
but I noticed her inability to sit well and decided against her.
All of my Soom dolls are MDs. Chrom, Cass, Bygg, Yrie, Ai & Afi, Appini head with
Aphan & Grit in layaway land. So, clearly I love Soom dolls!! XD
And if I had the chance I would own many more.

After Chalco I saw a huge difference in the MDs style/design-wise. At first I was
worried wether I would ever love another doll from them. Soom is the one company
that I look forward to every month (seriously though I stalk them all the time, just in
case) I'm not sure what I obsessed over abjd-wise before them.

The truth is everything changes, and doll companies need to keep up with their
competition, even if only in small ways. Soom releasing their MDs in human form
was a great idea, one that people have begged them to do for a long time...
but they listened which is really great!!!!!!!

Some things I would love them to do:
1: re-release their fantasy parts
2: Offer head/body only options
3: Bring back cream white dolls to the basic line...seriously!!!!
4: Jointed hands for more than 5 measly days so I can get a pair finally
5: Stop being afraid of new fantasy colored resin...you can do it!
6: Please offer larger numbers of your re-releases. 50 is NOT enough.

Other than that I adore Soom. Things change, people come & go, love dies
then new love blooms, it's true for doll companies too. I also agree that
while most of us crazy doll people will buy "that new amazing doll" no matter
what, even if it means starvation etc. most of us can't buy every single doll
we like......the economy is bad and $$ just isn't there.
After Chalco I noticed a big decline in the MD discussion threads and since
then it's been hit & miss....personally I don't enjoy waiting rooms anymore either...
I don't get any sense of "community" from them so I don't see any point in joining
only to feel left out (trust me I'm not sad about it, just giving my pov)
Waiting rooms and their "who bought what" lists aren't an accurate representation
of, well anything, IMO. So we can't really decide that the MDs decline is due to
this or that. Or even that there is a real decline. It's all speculation.

I agree that Soom seems to be doing too much lately, but hopefully they know
better about what they can or can't handle then us mere observers
As for me I don't see my love for Soom going away any time soon, even if the
next or next MD doesn't light a fire I'll still enjoy looking at them and just try
to save that money for the next possible MD. For me Soom=ABJD.

 

When I seriously started considering buying a Soom doll was about the time Bygg and Beyla were released. I had done a lot of studying and decided that I really like Soom's style. I waited patiently for a female SG I liked from that time, knowing that was the size and gender I wanted. I was not impressed with Galena, her face didn't hold the elusive "Soom beauty," to me she looked like her head should have been for a boy.

When Breccia came out I was ecstatic. I thought she would be a mix of Topaz and Amber (look at the lips) and I decided to bring her home. In the meantime between Bygg and Breccia's releases I had bought two MDs of the MP, Amber and Cuprit. I love them both, they look great together and I would never give them up. I bought a Breccia fullset, thinking she would go great in my collection.

I got her home and was pretty disappointed. At first i just thought it would take time to like her, I didn't even do a box opening. I loved my Cuprit at first sight, I thought if she was the only doll I ever got I would still be happy. I adored my Amber when I opened her up, she was so lovely I was worried I would love her more then Cuprit. It took me a month or two to decide that Breccia had to go.

Here is the thing: she did not look good with my other girls. Really. She looked so blah when sitting next to the old goddess sculpts. I was lucky enough to find someone who wanted to trade and got a dream doll of mine, Shadow Onyx. And I love her! She is so versatile, and expressive and I just love, love, love her. And she fits in wonderfully.

Don't get me wrong, Breccia is a beautiful doll. She just didn't work for me. If I didn't have the other girls I think I would have kept her and loved her (her fox parts are stunning) but after comparing her to the "old" MDs there is just no way.

I don't know what Soom was doing different then but when I say Soom style has changed and I don't care for it, I am not just jumping on the bandwagon. I came to this through personal experience and expense.

(I still have high hopes for the Fairy legend line though, and look forward to getting to know Nenad and her style).

 

I have a Beryl, got her when she first came out, I have a Glot and a Bygg head (which will be hybrid-ed with another company's body completely, but the sentiment is still there).

I love Soom, I truly do. I still look at the newer ones with interest, but nothing's grabbed me as hard as Beryl did. I love thier newer sculpts, I wanted a Breccia very badly, but I have a wishlist, and I'm sticking to said wishlist. I wanted an Appini, and the Faun MSD. They keep coming up with new ones that I love, but nothing has swept me away like Beryl did.

Meanwhile how do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls? I have interest in most of the newer ones, but apparently, I'm good at keeping my brain away from falling head over heels for them.

Do you feel being overwhelmed by so many new dolls?
A little, but it's not a bad thing to me. It's just a way for other people to gain what they'd like out of it. The overwhelming thing is the secondhand market on these dolls, that's what's overwhelming.

Have the 'old Soomed people' purchaed the newer monthlies?
I wish I could! I'd have a Breccia, and a bunch of the tinies! Budget rules my life, and "buy it right now" monthlies are unfortunately out of that budget.

My interest is still high in Soom, but they haven't produced something that has yanked me right off the chair like Beryl did. That happens a lot with me, though, with a bunch of different companies. I mean, Ante from Fairyland yanked me off the chair, and none of the other Littlefees, save the newest, DES, have made me truly want one. *shrugs* I may be uber-Soomed again, but I don't really know. I still like the company, and I like where they've gone, and the ideas they come up with. So, I'm kind of keeping an eye out.

 

anavel: thank you for updating that "soom sculpors" list and for crediting elves gate for creating it. it has been around for so long, i could not remember where it had come from.

i find it interesting that i 'feel differently' about the 'newer sculpts' than i do about the 'older sculpts'. if the sculptor is indeed primarily the same, i have been asking myself: "then what is the difference between 'old soom' and 'new soom' ? "

from 'new soom' i only have an R.Ai tiny . when she is complete, she will be a hybrid with non-Soom parts.

i look at chalco, i look at sard. i look at chalco, i look at sard. i look at breccia and compare her to shadow onyx. i ask myself: why do i not care for chalco or breccia as much as sard or shadow onyx? even though i actually own 'none' of them ? i am not sure that the answer is: with 2008 the fantasy montlies were "all new" and that now the 'idea' is old.

i am more thinking that the answer lies in the gracefulness of the original sculpts. with zero fantasy parts a shadow onyx retains her mystery and her timely grace. breccia has humor and breccia is 'cute' but breccia is not shadow onyx. i have chalco's hooves. they are large and heavy and cumbersome. perhaps they will 'work' for the idea that i have. they are not like heliot's hooves or sard's hooves . both heliot's hooves and sard's hooves have an elegance to them. i find that lacking in chalco.

overall, i have come to the tentative conclusion that the 'success' of the 2008 monthlies lies in their otherworldy grace and beauty. they do not look like the 'hallmark store' ornaments or what can be found in the toys are us aisle. i honestly expect to see Monzo perched in target next to a giant dinosaur.

 

I admit, I used to haunt Soom...even before the MD zodiac series came along, I was fascinated by their dolls. For a lot of reasons already mentioned
When the zodiacs started, I was definately Soomed, pounced on my Sard, (I actually remember drolling over Beryl and saying, 'if only she was male...' and then it happened the following month and I about plotzed lol), and stayed up late waiting for their monthlies to be released for that first year or so.
I have my Sard still and love him dearly, owned a Heliot head for a while, (though I sold him), and have my little Glati.

But, honestly, while some of the new ones are very striking, I'm just not as interested. The magic has gone a bit for me. Maybe because I can almost predict what the next one is going to be at the point? Maybe I'm just frustrated that they are recycling ideas so much? I don't know....I can't quite put my finger on it. Though I do have to agree with Cat a little I think about the elegence of the earlier fantasy MD's. Elegant and dark and almost...nightmarish...in a very good, very beautiful, haunting kind of way. The newer sculpts just don't seem to have that to me, although they are very very pretty!

And...well... I really REALLY miss the aesthetics of the older MA. SG female heads. There were so unique and powerful and had so much mystique and androgyny to them! I still mourn the passing of Olivine from their regular line-up.


*sigh*

 

arrowchild: yes: "Elegant and dark and almost...nightmarish...in a very good, very beautiful, haunting kind of way." they were not figures for the 'i love cute' crowd, although they could be 'softened' with the flick of a paintbrush.

i am simply ecstatic ! have you guys seen this? Soom has 'heard' us: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?390656-Soom-Releasing-Bodies-Separately i can now get the 'gray male super gem body' that i have been waiting months and months for Soom to 'come out with' .

they are also offerring the 'female high heeled shoes' which are very similar to Vesuvia's. now whoever wants them does not have to pay a "buy it now price of USD $200" to get them.

i recently was thrilled to get a pair second hand. i wished and wished that i could get 'more' . if i can spare the 'dollie dollars' now i can. The shoes are 'separate' from 'special feet' parts and are wonderful for customizing. They could use 'magnets' built in, but that is okay. i am just glad they will be available.

 

That is WONDERFUL news. (Of course right when I have no money of course oh mercy I am never going to have a desk, am I? *laugh* Oh well. I still have a floor, right?) Hopefully they'll open it up more often for the bodies, or at least hopefully this will not be the only time. I am SO happy to hear this news, even if I may not be able to take advantage of it, especially considering that I need, uh... 3 bodies? Ow. (I hope, though!)

This, a thousand times this. This is the very best way I have heard it put. Cat, you've nailed my feelings on this also.

I've changed my plans for Breccia and will be tinkering with ways to 'darken her up' some. I have to redo the face on one of my Cuprits because I didn't get it QUITE right, and I think her face is more suited to it. We'll see if it can be done.

 

Well, I've become a little unSoomed lately, so maybe that's colouring my opinion . . . I'm another one who was underwhelmed upon opening my Chalco's head and seeing that lumpen untidy stuff in there, and having seen more Soom MDs in the resin I've fallen out of love with some. (Not Euclase, though. He's still as pretty as ever in my eyes.) I'm going to redo my Chalco's faceup and see if I can stay bonded with him, but if I get an option from a company I like the quality of more I'll reshell the character. The fantasy parts were actually of VERY nice quality - I couldn't help but keep the skull, it's so cool - but the doll itself I'm ambivalent about.

The tinies remain redonkulous, and I'll watch with curiousity and interest as Soom brings out new MDs. I just don't know that I'll ever bring one home. That's my pre-Chalco level of interest, so I suppose in a sense my interest in Soom is just back to normal.

 

I bought Beryl, Sard, Vesuvia, Euclase and Chalco. I haven't had a problem with any of them. I know they've been a little more rushed, but aside from thinking the heads have been getting smaller, I've liked most of their newer sculpts. Finances have dictated my purchases more than like or dislike. But if you want to talk about companies that have changed to cause you to actively dislike their work, here's my list:

Elfdoll: My first BJD was an Elfdoll Soah. Since that initial purchase, they've bought out a number of dolls and for a long time, I was an avid fan of their work. Then they changed the body and the facial sculpts completely. They introduced what I liked to call the "squished bust" torso and I hate it. I'm not a huge fan of their latter sculpts either, they're so harsh in comparison to their earlier girls. I've gone from being someone who looked forward to each new release to someone who dreads seeing the same old thing.

Supia: I was also a fan of the Supia dolls and figured I would eventually buy one when the right face sculpt came up. Then I see a new body and decided to see what it would be like. To my horror, there's another squished bust torso. I wouldn't have thought that was a look that would catch on and I'm hoping it's not a new trend. I supposed that's one way to save my dollars.

As long as the company doesn't change the body and sculpts beyond all recognition, I'm happy these days.

 

How do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls?
It always interests me how Soom can innovate in their MDs. Soom's daring use of new materials and themes have not yet ceased to amaze me. Recently I played with a Gray Monzo and I was blown away by his beauty.

Do you feel being overwhelmed by so many new dolls? Have the 'old Soomed people' purchased the newer monthlies?
I actually sold my older Sooms and currently have 2 of the newer ones. I still love the older MDs, and regret selling a few of them. I regret selling my MD Beryl, for instance.

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?
Interest is the same. The size of my collection does influence my eagerness to buy new releases.

 

i am feeling the soomy love. has everyone seen this?

2. Special Order => we will offer the chance to buy newly elbowed arms parts to customers who would like to upgrade the Super Gem dolls they already have at home.

* Ordering period: Aug. 20th. 2010. 9:00 A.M. ~ Sep. 8th. 2010. 9:00 A.M.
(KOREAN STANDARD TIME)

Soom will be offerring us the 'elbow peanuts' that we soooooo wished for .

Dear Soom,
Please help me maintain the love further. i would like a 'black like the ace of spades' hooved super gem male for the September monthly .

 

Excellent news, Cat! They did something similar with the MA arms when they upgraded them, so I am very happy to see this news. It will likely save people a lot of money and save Soom a lot of work casting, too!

 

surreality: i am just sooooo happy over the elbow peanuts . i was thinking of them just this evening as i played with Silence, wishing that he had them. i have to run around and count how many sets i need O_O .

when Soom is 'on the money' , i cannot imagine any company that makes me happier.

 

Interesting questions (and ones I have been contemplating for a while)! I don't have any particular loyalty to any company, but I do have an affection for the sculpting styles of several companies (namely, Angelsdoll, Aoi-Tuki, Dollmore's newer sculpts, Glorydoll, Zaoll/Narsha's creator, I-Doll, Iplehouse, Narin Doll, Raurencio Studio, Soom, Souldoll, Spiritdoll, Supia, TranscendB, Unidoll and Volks amongst many others).

Meanwhile how do other Soom MD lovers keep your interest in the new dolls?
To be honest, I haven't been particularly interested in many of the newer MD sculpts. Of the male sculpts that have come out recently, I thought Chrom was really lovely and detailed. As for recent female sculpts, it took me a while to see anything that I found aesthetically pleasing (but looking at owner photos can really open up possibilities), but Galena and Cass are strong sculpts as well. I guess I just haven't been really amazed by many of the Soom MD sculpts in the last few years. I miss the sculpting details of the regular SG line and Mecha Angel line as well and I'm just not seeing that style in the more recent dolls from Soom (outside of the Idealians).

Do you feel you are being overwhelmed by so many new dolls?
I think that sometimes companies need to slow down. I've seen a number of companies declining in terms of service, sculpting details, as well as casting quality, due to the pressure of releasing new dolls fast. It's just my personal opinion, but lately I have been underwhelmed by Soom's MD sculpts as well as the new regular SG additions. I like where the Idealian line is going in terms of style and detailing and I wish Soom would apply this to the upcoming MD and regular sculpts.

Have the 'old Soomed people' purchased the newer monthlies?
I have not and unfortunately I don't currently have any Soom dolls (I sold my Io twins, but kept their body). I was tempted by Chrom and Galena, but passed on them. I am waiting to see what will be available and released through the new Special Order line and hoping to see the sparkle of old Soom again someday.

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 did sell my old Soom MD, but I didn't replace them with newer Soom MD. I do have too many dolls currently, but if one snagged my attention then I would snap it up. My current interest in Soom is not the same as it once was, but I'm hoping down the line it will be renewed.

 

i am feeling the love ! look! Soom is 'FFDing' the shoes O_O for us. they are available in NS and WS. in my opinion they are fine on a super gem. :

http://dollsoom.com/eng/shop/item.php?it_id=1249033165

*hugs* to the person who told me.