1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
    Dismiss Notice
Severe ongoing issues and concerns with Dollshe Dollshe Ban

Minifee resin texture

Jul 3, 2022

    1. This might be an odd question, but what kind of texture do minifees have? I ask because I've purchased and recieved five dolls since I got into this hobby--2 dollzone, 1 myou, 1 harucasting wind, and 1 bimong narae--but the bimong narae was the only doll that I didn't immediatley want to put away again the second I had her in my hands (and is, consequently, the only doll I've kept) and a big part of that was the texture of the resin.

      The other dolls had a kind of smooth, plasticy feel that made their resin slightly reflective, like a regular doll, but the narae has a slight tooth or graininess to the texture of her body that makes her feel more…authentic, I suppose? To me, at least. And it gives her limbs a more natural, matte shine that I like a lot.

      So, the reason I ask about minifee resin is because I really like the sculpt of the minifee boy body, as compared to other male minis--I like that it's not as tall as many others, while still looking distinctly adult with its musculature as opposed to adolescent. But, I don't want to go ahead and order it only for it to have that plasticy feel to it that I dislike, because I know that it'll be an instant turn off for me, no matter how I feel about the design of the body itself.

      So if anyone has any thoughts or insight, I'd appreciate it! Thank you!
       
      #1 Beldam, Jul 3, 2022
      Last edited: Jul 3, 2022
    2. By any chance does your bimong narae have body blushing? Because spraying sealant on the limbs gives them that texture. That also might be a good option for you! To spray your doll's bodies with sealant like MSC even if you don't blush! It'll give them the same texture that their faces have after faceups!
       
      #2 maryw13, Jul 3, 2022
      • x 1
    3. Nope, no blushing! Just sort of a unique resin texture--one a bit more subtle than the tooth given by msc. But I hadn't considered that as an option for dolls with smoother resin! I guess the only downside of spraying an entire doll with msc is that it'll wear off unevenly, though
       
      #3 Beldam, Jul 3, 2022
    4. Wow that's so weird then! I don't think I've ever come across a doll that wasn't super smooth! Also you're right, the MSC would probably wear awkwardly.
       
      #4 maryw13, Jul 3, 2022
    5. Does your Harucasting not have that same "tooth" feel? I have a Harucasting tiny and he has that more lightly course feeling to the resin like you're describing.

      I also have a Minifee male (m-line) and in comparison to my Harucasting, he feels a lot more like that smooth plastic-y feeling. Like maryw13 suggested, spraying a doll with sealant can give that feel. As can lightly sanding the entire outside of a doll.
       
      #5 Cap'n, Jul 3, 2022
      • x 1
    6. I'll admit, I didn't handle my harucasting very long before reselling her, but I did find her resin to be too smooth at the time. Not as smooth as a dollzone, but not as textured as my narae. Sanding is an interesting idea, though! I guess a fine enough grain, and care, wouldn't alter the sculpt too much? Though if I wound up getting an m-line, it would probably be in tan. Would buffing the body alter the colour at all?
       
      #6 Beldam, Jul 3, 2022
      Last edited: Jul 3, 2022
    7. Sorry this doesn’t answer your question about minifee but Withdoll has that matte toothy feel I think you’re describing. I have a couple of the 16cm by withdoll and I love that grainy texture, my littlefee is very smooth but not shiny.
       
      #7 NineOneThree, Jul 3, 2022
      • x 2

    8. I'm not very familiar with withdoll so I checked them out and I'm in love with some of the boy sculpts! They're so handsome. If only the body was a few cm shorter, if the resin is as you describe, I'd snatch one up in a heartbeat. 45cm is just too unwieldy for me. I start to tap out at like 41cm haha. Maybe I can get a head from them one of these days
       
      #8 Beldam, Jul 3, 2022
    9. For tan, possibly yes. If you sand all over it shouldn't make it different colors but I know sanding the seam lines on a tan doll can alter the color where it is sanded. Would just need to be sure to get every area lightly sanded (and also wear protective gear for yourself). And if you plan to get company faceup the head may be a slightly different color in the end since it's not sanded.
       
      #9 Cap'n, Jul 3, 2022
      • x 1
    10. I have some Minifee feet (purchased for shoe making) and they feel quite smooth, with the slight reflectiveness you mentioned. Oddly enough, I just received a new Bimong doll (cast this year) and the grainy texture is quite noticeable - but I'm not sure if I like it or not!

      I'm fairly hypersensitive, though, and the smooth texture of my other resin samples appeals to me (my Maskcatdoll especially has a beautifully silky smooth texture, and it is heavy enough to not feel cheap). I think the smoothness reminds me of ceramic or marble - it has a comforting solidity.

      But that just shows differences of opinion! I can definitely see how you would love Bimong resin! I think the closest I've come it it was Dollshe resin (it did seem more matte and slightly grainy). I also have some Iplehouse hands and I think they are similar as well, but I would have to check to confirm. Not that this helps with Minifee, but I offer it in case you need it for future reference.
       
      #10 StellaMarigold, Jul 3, 2022
      • x 1
    11. Little Monica has a nice textured resin, the surface feels a lot like a good drawing paper. Iplehouse is a bit smoother but still has some texture, but most of my dolls are rather smooth.

      I believe many companies sand and or polish their doll's surfaces down to get rid of marks or ridges left from the molding process and that tends to make the surface of the resin very smooth.

      It can be possible to check out owner photos of dolls to get an idea of different dollmaker's resin smoothness levels, If the doll is very shiny in photos that's usually a sign of texture. But mostly looking at owner or box opening photos, because company photos tend to hide shiny-ness with fancier photography.
       
      #11 Seafoam Shade, Jul 3, 2022
    12. Usually dolls from Chinese companies are sanded and polished all over. They tend to remove the seamlines, and then polish to get it to an even color. However, some don't like that because it makes the surface so glossy and gets rid of any texture.
      They also often use translucent resin (or mixtures), which is more soft.

      Korean companies usually have more texture, since they don't completely sand their dolls most of the time and keep the seamlines.
      They also tend to use regular urethane resin.

      The surface also depends on the silicone mold used. If the prototype was very polished, and the mold is fresh, you'll get a smoother cast out of it.

      About the MNF, mine were always...inbetween? So not very textured (like my Iplehouse heads), but also not fully smooth (like Dollzone).
      They did lean more towards smooth though. And always had seamlines :XD:
       
      #12 Ara, Jul 3, 2022
    13. To hopefully help a little with your question, Minifee resin is definitely very smooth in my opinion. They sometimes come with some seam lines on their limbs, but generally that’s the only rough edges they have. I don’t *personally* feel like it’s plasticky, but it is so smooth you might interpret it that way!
       
      #13 KairiVenomus, Jul 3, 2022
    14. I don't own any Minifee but yes, different brands have different resin mixtures and finishing techniques.

      I recently got my first Doll Family H doll and he is so smooth it feels more plastic-y and is pretty shiny. I actually prefer dolls with a little tooth to the surface, which most of my other dolls have or at least they don't feel that slick. My second newest doll is from SWITCH and it is a nice toothy texture.

      I plan to give my new DF-H a pretty vigorous Magic Eraser scrub to see if that helps with the surface look and feel.
       
      #14 idrisfynn, Jul 3, 2022
    15. I agree that Minifee is on the slicker side of the spectrum, at least compared to the really toothy ones I've had like Dollshe. Unoa is by far the slickest of them all! I needed more layers of sealant than usual to make pastels stick even. Bishonen House dolls also have an extremely toothy texture. I attended a casting panel by Donn Kinney once and he explained that he created the texture by spraying a matte coat on the masters before casting + using a certain type of spray mold release.

      The surface texture of the resin is going to be effected by handling and regular wear and tear. It's not unusual to find that dolls that are handled and posed a lot have resin that is shinier around the joints because the rough texture gets polished out over time - sealant might wear out unevenly faster, but the resin will do it to itself too. You can resurface the resin to your taste by gently sanding/buffing the surface with a sanding block/sponge/etc of your choice. This is commonly done by customizers of dolls with plastic bodies like Pullip, Blythe, Monster High, etc.
       
      #15 Glace Leau, Jul 3, 2022
    16. I noticed on my loongsoul doll, the resin feels very nice to touch. I believe it french resin. My crobidolls have a smoother/plastic like feel. Could be the type of resin used as well as some of the stuff everyone has mentioned so far?
       
      #16 Wyrd, Jul 4, 2022