Maskcat 57cm Dolls - part 2

@koi_brianne Oh, Esther is so beautiful!! I adore the Yael sculpt (I have her myself) and the way that you've styled her is absolutely lovely. And it sounds like we have similar taste, I'm hoping to eventually get a Juni head to hybrid, the sculpt just has such a serene and sweet expression that keeps growing on me

 

Thank you! And me too - the two sculpts I considered before purchasing Yael were actually Yael and Margo... but now that I have Yael at home, Juni keeps drawing my eye! But let's be honest, I really love every single maskcat sculpt for one reason or another lol

 

@koi_brianne : Yaël is so pretty isn't she? She was my first too. Yours looks so dreamy! I too love almost every Maskcat sculpt...which is why I have four, and may be tempted by Margo, but that's maybe for next Chrismas. XD

As I have written before, I wanted a hybrid: putting a Frances head (NS) on a plus-size Argodoll body (normal pink).

I got the body today. I am overjoyed. She was too tightly strung for my taste, so I cut the string and will have to buy more before I can take any pictures, but I can't resist posting my thoughts here. It may help someone else who is considering an hybrid too.

-First of all, the color is a great match, as @StellaMarigold investigated. It's not perfect, the Maskcat is a tad bit yellower (though I got the faceup too, the resin may be the same underneath). I thought that I could blush the neck if the difference was too obvious, but there won't be any need.

-The proportions are great. It looks very natural IMO. My Frances doesn't look "plus-size" on that body, but like a voluptuous lady, which I quite love. There aren't that much bodies with a generous bosom and wide hips, in the right color, still produced, to my taste and more or less affordable. It's incredible luck that the Argodoll body happen to tick those boxes and still be in acceptable proportion to the head.

-The body in itself is gorgeous. It's got to be seen to be believed. The Maskcat body has that willowy, wispy, elegant quality. In contrast, the Argodoll body gives me a more "rubanesque" feel (though with the Maskcat head, which is fairly big, it gives more of the feel of a mature woman with beautiful curves, but not truly plus-sized). It's very sturdy too.

-I got some free white pump shoes, which I didn't order, but it was a nice surprise!

And here are my (small) grievances, most of them I knew before ordering :

-there are some seam lines. I was a bit surprised, since my three bodies (two Maskcat, one IOS) came to me completely smooth and I thought that there would be seam lines only on tan dolls. That said, I understand that the price of labor is different in Russia than in China and it doesn't bother me too much. I could sand it myself.

-The shoulders are a bit too narrow, but nothing a bit of hot glue (for sueding, though I will put just a bit more to give it volume) won't fix. It does not bother me.

-I am not a fan of the hands and feet of the Argodoll body. They are a bit small for my taste, but they are still beautiful. That said, I think I can replace them my Maskcat's ones (I have a spare pair of feet and hands). I will try once I have some elastic and if it works well, I know what to order next time there is an interesting event / head that I want.

-the neck doesn't fit well, it doesn't "sink" on the neck, it kind of awkwardly is placed "on it" braced myself for it, as @Teruchan kindly put her Frances head on her Argodoll body and took pictures for me to see. But in one of the pictures, I noticed that the back of the neck is made differently. The Maskcat head as a little "neck cap" which the Argodoll head lacks. I was thinking about removing the "neck cap" on the head, so the head will get lower on the neck. Besides, I am not keen on the idea of modifying the neck itself (first because the body was expensive, second, because I would have to thin the neck a lot to make it fit, and a too thin neck on a plus-size body won't look as good IMO) That said, if anyone has a better idea about how to go at it, I am all ears!

Here are @Teruchan 's pictures, uploaded with her permission for information.

Comparison by Lyam, sur Flickr

51281935324_de4eb7ce70_z by Lyam, sur Flickr

51281207076_5748cb46ef_z by Lyam, sur Flickr

I want to thank all of you who gave me encouragement or posted pictures of their own hybrid, and especially @StellaMarigold and @Teruchan for all the help they have given me pertaining to the color matches and proportions. I would have never dared to try for a hybrid if they didn't send me pictures to reassure me. Receiving the body today confirmed that it can work. I have to mod the neck hole (+optionally suede the shoulders, remove the seams and change the hands and feet), but it's definitely a hybrid that could work with a bit of elbow grease.

I will return once I got my hands on some elastic and a smaller S-hook! (The Argodoll gave me a giant one) I was thinking of doing a first picture with nothing but the head on the body as-is and detailing the modding "process" (won't be much of one, there isn't that much to do).

 

@lyaam12 - congratulations on receiving the Argodoll body! I'm glad it mostly matches what you were expecting! And I'm glad I could help - you were so patient with all my questions when I was trying to make up my mind! (and I love the doll I ordered - I just haven't had any time to invest in her styling yet!).

As I recall, when I ordered my 1/6 Argodoll Ifi (in "Normal Pink") she also had some seam lines. I didn't know any better though, because she was only the second doll I had ever handled, but they didn't seem too bad. Plus, the sculpting really is beautiful!

I know exactly what you mean about the "lip" on the back of the Maskcatdoll heads. I noticed it before ordering and was a bit worried it might impede head movement (some Dollshe designs have a chin overhang that is similar and definitely seems to limit the head mobility). So far I haven't noticed any problems with the actual Maskcat body, but I can see how it would cause issues on a different body. Personally, I agree with you that modding the head would be better than modding the body - it seems easier to adjust, not as permanent, etc.

I wish you the best of luck with the modding! To be honest, I'm starting to think that modding/hybriding is a great way to bond with a doll/character - I have some modding planned for another doll and even though I'm scared I feel like it will help me to be really comfortable playing with her, and not so scared I'll "ruin" her.

I look forward to seeing your completed hybrid next to your other Maskcat girls! The comparison will be so nice!

 

Really interesting to hear your thoughts on the Argodoll body @lyaam12. I look forward to seeing and hearing more about the modding process.

I have just received my first SD doll (Merrydollround Ophelia) - I got her 2nd hand for a good price and wanted to try out an SD before purchasing a more expensive one. The size was a bit of a shock to begin with but I really love her - can't wait to sew for her and it has given me more impetus now to start thinking about ordering a Maskcat girl. Still no idea who I would pick though.....

 

@kimlouiseb - Oooh, Merrydollround Ophelia! SUCH a beauty! Congratulations on finding her! She and Olathe (who is super rare on the secondhand market) are my favorite MDR girls. Well, except for Zuri haha. They're all lovely!

The struggle is real with choosing Maskcatdoll sculpts - I sympathize! I finally decided on Juni (and I love her) but Ronia, Margo, and Frances are still calling to me someday

 

@lyaam12 I'm excited to see photos of your Frances on her new body! I'm always curious about potential hybrid options

@kimlouiseb Congratulations on your first SD sized doll! (I just dove right in and bought an SD as my first doll but I'm hoping to add some smaller dolls soon). When choosing Yael, I found it was really helpful to look at owner pics of all the Maskcat sculpts and to see them with different styling etc!

 

@lyaam12 Ooh, I have really been looking forward to your Argodoll body hybrid, that's wonderful news that you are so happy with the results! The beautiful rounded lines of the Argodoll body are a nice contrast to the straight, youthful lines of the Maskcat body, and gives Frances a lovely maturity. I hope that your neck/head modifications go smoothly and that we can see the outcome soon

 

She is lovely! I have a Maskcat Margo head that I had a faceup done on by Angeltoast Asthetics. I will see if I can post a picture. I don't have a body for her yet. That is my next purchase.

 

@Shewulf Thank you! And please do post your Margo! Angeltoast does beautiful work. Do you know what body you are planning to purchase for her?

 

@Shewulf: Ah please post pictures of Margo! This is such a pretty and versatile sculpt!



All right, I got a bit of time, so restrung the Argodoll plus-size body with Frances head.

As always, please do not mind the background and please forgive me for the terrible light. This is not a good day to photograph, but since I mainly want to show you the proportions, it will do.

Here is a full-length, naked picture with the heel feet.

IMG_2922 by Lyam, sur Flickr

And here is a picture of the neck joint:

IMG_2924 by Lyam, sur Flickr



As previously said, that body is gorgeous. But boy, is it hard to restring because the holes are way smaller! After 2 hours, I used much smaller string and started from the bottom-up, and it was much easier. It's very heavy though.

The color match, while not perfect, is close enough for me. The color difference is less visible in person, it looks quite yellower on the picture. (But as long as it seems fine in person, it is good enough for me)

Finally, the shoulders don't really bother me, but the feet and hands though, I feel that they are much too small. The neck situation can be better too, but I decided to put a wig on her (and change the eyes) just to see.


IMG_2925 by Lyam, sur Flickr

IMG_2927 (1) by Lyam, sur Flickr

When the wig is on, I don't really notice the neck. I may really only end up changing the feet, because it's the only thing that really bothers me, I am actually fine with the neck, for now at least. That said, that character is quite coquettish, and she definitely will have different hairstyles, some exposing the neck joint, so modding is not off the table. Perhaps I need a few days to decide where to go from now with that hybrid.

Unrelated to the hybrid situation in itself, but I quite like the green eyes-red hair combo, and combined with those killer curves and innocent face...well it gives off a very sexy feel.^^ I kinda hesitated between blonde or red hair for my Peneloppe, but red hair is kinda winning right now. As for clothes, I don't think I currently own something that would fit her, but I have to check. Though I know for a certainty that I have nothing that fit her style. (She is the kind of person that doesn't wear the latest trends, always with a classic conservative style and super expensive things)

In summary, I am pretty happy with that hybrid. I mean, if you are pickier than me (because I do have a tendency to be lazy XD) you may notice more problems, but even so, I think it's not a bad starting point for a hybrid. If you want a more voluptuous body for your Maskcat heads, you can definitely work with the Argodoll body.


EDIT: I changed the feet because it would not fit in any shoes. I used my spare Maskcat feet. There were no problems, they fit the hybrid, except they were a bit more yellow, just like the head (not that it matters to me, it's for the sake of exhaustivity).

Here are a picture of her as a blonde with the awkward angle a hairstyle that shows the neck joint.


IMG_2932 by Lyam, sur Flickr

But I think I can capture her mood better with red (or perhaps I just really like black and red hair).

If I am careful with the angle, I can photograph her with hairstyles that show the neck.

IMG_2940 by Lyam, sur Flickr

IMG_2939 by Lyam, sur Flickr

 

@lyaam12 What a great hybrid! The neck "perching" is a little awkward but not at all noticeable with a wig on, especially since the length of the neck still looks ok! Can't wait to see more of this captivating girl!

 

@lyaam12 I really do like the read hair with the green eyes. I think her hands look lovely with the body. It's too badd about the neck but with the wig, you really can't tell.

 

Ok, forget everything I said, I very impulsively decided to go forward with the mod. XD

IMG_2946 by Lyam, sur Flickr

IMG_2947 by Lyam, sur Flickr

I could probably have sanded it down a bit more, but as it was satisfying enough, I didn't dare to push it.

The maskcat's neckhole is truly small. I think if you really want to do a good job, you will have to remove the back of the neck AND sand the hole so it is bigger. The Maskcat head has plenty of resin, so it should be feasible. I only removed the back of the neck, so while it looks more natural, I think the mobility could be improved. You can see in the first picture that while the head doesn't "perch" on the neck, it doesn't totally go down on it either. Alternatively, I could thin the neck itself, but I am not keen on that.

The mod itself took me less than 30 minutes. In a well-ventilated area and wearing a mask, working on a cardboard surface, I soaked some sandpaper (grade P120, then I went higher at the end for a smooth finish) in a bowl filled with water and sanded down, soaked it again, etc. I was really scared to do it, but it actually was very easy. Then, I disposed of everything in sealed bags, just to be safe.

Et voilà! If anyone wants another body for the Maskcat heads, that mod could expand the body selection just a little bit! I am especially glad because it is a considerably different body type than what I usually find, which is why I am way less picky about other things (color difference, etc.) that may bother someone one else.

I will do some comparison shots with the Maskcat body in a few weeks, I am out of elastic. XD


EDIT:She's definitely the girl that will teach me how to make my own patterns...XD She has such a sexy body, it would be a shame to give her ill-fitting clothes.

 

I love the hybrid! I’m just getting started in the hobby and didn’t know this was even an option. It looks so good! I just ordered a Maskcat Frances and I would love some ideas on where to get clothes and shoes to fit the Maskcat body. This is my first doll and I don’t really know how they compare proportionally to other brands.

 

@megsee2419 - I bought several shoes for my Maskcat girl and since they and she are both here, I can take some photos for you or at least let you know which ones fit! I was mostly looking for flats and Victorian boot styles, but you might be interested anyway.

I was originally told that anything that fits SD13 would fit MC, too, and so far that seems to be true.

 

That would be great! I’d appreciate that.

 

I have not received my Francis yet but looking at the measurements, it seems that they are similar to Smart Doll measurements and there are A LOT of clothes for those dolls!

 

has anyone here ordered earlier this year and received shipping notification already? I ordered on Feb 1st and getting impatient. hehe

 

I ordered the end of December and have not gotten mine yet. sorry.