Misty Blue Elf Kumi - Yellowing Alert!

I am interested, is it all the 'misty blue' Bambis that are changing? Have any of the other colors had obvious changes? Just curious! Also, does anyone have a 'misty blue' that hasn't changed (although I'm not sure how you'd tell... optional hands maybe?)
H

 

I was just making an analogy on how expensive items can have major upkeep. Not that you could actually send your elf back for maintenance, lol.

Actually most rolex retailers don't necessarily give those instructions only the more expensive authorized retailers would

 

Yeah, I know. Just keeping it lighthearted. I had giggling thoughts of sending out a doll for this intense spa makeover and coming back with rolex parts.

 

I just keep thinking how cute a blue turned greenish yellow Martian elf would look.

I've always understood that plastics are highly sensitive to UV and that over a couple of year’s time and exposure to sun, most hard cast plastics become bleached and brittle.

I was a chemical engineering student, and one of my classmates had a whole research project based on the exposure to UV and the degradation of the plastics. But, this study was done on plastics being used in either the pharmaceutical or some chemical manufacturing fields.

A similar study could be done on the resins if there was a large financial justification for it. The problem is that universities will not spend the large amount of money researching it unless the study could profit a lot more than just a few million dollars (assuming that the dolls bring that much a year).

And, I don't think very many companies are willing to share their secret chemical formulas for their resins to a few educated and determined hobbyists so that we could conduct our own study...

 

You know that wouldn't be a bad thing to have. My daughter can take her American girl doll for hairstyling at the AG store. They also sell face cream (powder to buff dirt off) for the dolls.

Funnylori: I was actually thinking of taking the less than perfect spare hand of my pink doll coating half with MSC and then expose the hand to straight UV to see if any change occurs and the compare the hand to the other non exposed. This way i can test uncoated and coated at the same time

 

...Which completely stinks. I'm not denying that. I really don't think they set out to hurt buyers though, but perhaps pushed ahead far too fast with the product and didn't disclose all of the information about the material used, as they should have.

 

Oh, I don't think they did it on purpose either. Not at all. I just had a bit of a problem with people implying that the folks who were upset didn't really have a right to be, and should keep quite about the issues they might have, for fear of bambicrony never making fantasy colors again. Personally, I'd rather they know about the problem and try to fix it as much as they can.

 

Dollmore sold the doll, but Dolkot made the tan Kiss. They refused to do anything. Dollmore took charge and replaced him.

 

I started a new thread with bambicrony's response to the possible yellowing and whether viya faceups are properly coated.

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1820284

If I just posted here it would get buried under the discussion

Basic gist no they did not add uv stabilizer and Viya faceups are coated with UV cut

 

phew. like others, after reading this, i went to check on my pink pepe boy. while do I expect some fading over time, happily I dont think he has any. And since i can be a nervous 'mother' I decided the best way for me to be impartial is to check his hands (which are always exposed) to the 2 pairs of spare hands that have never, ever been out of the box. I looked at them under very bright light, from many angles and happily, there is no noticable fading (yet). Like I said, I expect some over time, but am glad that he's okay for now.

I have my dolls to play with and locking them in a dark closet just doesnt work for me.

I hope a majority of others have the same luck. And sorry to those who've had some yellowing.

 

I'm very sorry I never meant to imply that people don't have a right to be upset, nor should they keep quiet about the issues. I was more concerned by the implication that Bambicrony deliberately misled people. I was hoping that through widespread education about the limitations of resin (especially colored resin) that people aren't so disappointed in the future and we aren't relying on the limited descriptions written by people for whom English is not their first language. I never meant to imply that people shouldn't be upset, just that to immediately jump to the conclusion it was deliberate misleading or neglect on Bambicrony's part seemed to me to be a bit harsh. I have the greatest of sympathy with those who are disappointed, I myself was terribly disappointed that mine was berry purple rather than bluish 'slate grey'. But, I wrote it off to the fact that resin color mixes are not always very predictable.

H

 

Is it just the Kumis that are yellowing? Granted, I've only had my Pepe for a couple of weeks, but she's the same as she was when she arrived. No sign of color change whatsoever. She's been displayed the entire time, though not in direct light.

Maybe there's a batch issue?

 

I agree with all this. I like to play with my dolls, and sometimes take them outside to take photos. One of my favorite things is to take doll photos in flowers. I went out to a garden this past week and I was going to take my BC, but I was too scared to take her for fear that she yellow or be damaged. I've never really felt this way about a doll before, been so scared about taking a doll outside.

I keep my dolls in a shady room, they're never sitting in direct sunlight except when I take them out (briefly!) for photos outside...!

I feel like keeping the doll in the box is the worst, I might as well not even have her if that's what I have to do to keep her blue.

I bought her based on looking like the images on the site, yellowing significantly within a month... especially when they said "colorfast" on the site, seems outrageous to me.

I'd be less concerned if the company had done some testing, or if I knew that the yellowing would stop after a certain point. I don't mind if, after a while, my doll yellows OVERALL slightly. but now I'm worried about un-even yellowing, or yellowing a ton... if it's this much in a month, how much in a year?

I know that my FCS snow girl has yellowed in a year. She seems to be stable now (as far as I can tell) but at least the yellowing is slight and overall, not spotty.

I dont feel like they gave a proper disclaimer... I dont feel that everyone buying these were aware of the risks beforehand. I dont feel like they really said "these are experimental, we don't know how they will react to X Y and Z"

.......
those who have noticed color change in their blue elves, was the change even (ie a nice overall color change, instead of blotchy?)

 

That's an interesting question. What would constitute, at least in my mind, acceptably addressing the issue? You know, the thing that would probably work best for me is a simple apology ... at the very least an acknowledgement, after reports now that 3 (?) blue elves are fading after only a month and with minimal sun exposure, that the blue may be especially unstable. They have my email from the order ... why not send me an email explaining the situation and letting me know I might want to exercise extra care?

I, personally, wouldn't be looking to get something back, although if they were to offer to replace my potentially fade-some blue elf with a much-less-fade-some blue elf (and that mattered to me), I might very well take them up on it. Would I accept a NS elf in exchange? Probably not. Somebody who felt extremely disappointed might.

I just think buyers have every right to know what they are buying. I would have appreciated a public statement it was French resin ... that alone would have told me a lot. And, because I would guess a number of people don't know what French resin means to the colour-changeability of a doll, I also think a statement about keeping the doll from sun was in order (no statement came in my box, nor did I see one on the site when I placed my order ... I just saw the word "colourfast").

I also think, given the rash of tan skin scares with companies issuing statements concerning potential sun damage, a company producing an alternative colour needs to be careful about the language they use. It can't be that difficult to find an English-speaking person who can explain what colourfast means to an English-speaking person. I'd be happy to explain it ... no charge!

I still would have purchased my elf; I adore him whatever colour he winds up being. I just would have known exactly what I was potentially facing. As I say, informed buyers generally make for happier customers.

I, too, believe in caveat emptor. And I accept responsibility for my decision (I'd make the same decision again). But from a very pragmatic point of view, for the company involved, if a buyer winds up feeling wildly disappointed, the buyer is unlikely to buy again from that company. Caveat emptor played out negatively means, at best, a one-off purchase ... at worst, a lot of bad press from a negative experience. And bad press - even learning that "colourfast" blue isn't quite so colourfast - simply isn't good for business.

I really do want Bambicrony to keep at it! I don't want to see bad press put a serious crimp in what they create.

Lisa

 

Mine isn't blotchy, but it's not all over either, it's more like a gradation from blue to yellow as you get to his elbows... his hands and his shoulders are still more blue.

But it's definately a gradual change where it does change, not just a big splotch of yellow.

 

yeah, I only knew recently about french resin yellowing issues, and I never knew until NOW that BC colored elves were french resin.

I feel like they should have given some kind of warning on the order page, instead of a warning in the box with the doll. (which basically said, "keep the doll in it's box all the time and the color might last for a year, but after that, who k nows....)

all this being said, my BC blue roko is ADORABLE and she poses fabulously, and I was very impressed with how she was finished and packaged, etc. Really great all around. it's simply this issue that concerns me and I feel should have been spelled out prior to us buying it.

Wee - thanks! that is encouraging that it's not like lines or splotches of color change at least.

 

Others can feel whatever they want, but I'm extremely disappointed.

These dolls are not inexpensive! I am willing to take a certain amount of risk, but I don't expect the doll to change color within a month of buying it.

I had heard individuals say things about BC using French Resin, but had never seen it said by the company itself in any of the information, so I didn't even have that information confirmed in order to make a wise decision.

I don't care if some companies MAY re-release certain dolls--these dolls were sold as if they were limited. They had a set time when they would stop selling them. It puts pressure on people to make a quick decision. Some of us felt we didn't have time to wait and see if the dolls were of good quality or not. Sometimes we put our faith in the company to provide a minimum quality of product. Sometimes this faith is sadly misplaced.

If my MB Kumi starts to yellow unevenly very soon, I would happily replace her with a more stable color resin! I LOVE the Misty Blue--but if the Misty Blue turns blotchy yellow-green within months, I'm sorry, but that will just make me very angry. Angry, because I DO fall in love with my dolls and angry because I don't buy my dolls so that they will turn strange and uneven colors. I would have been annoyed, but more understanding, if they had just slightly yellowed over time--maybe in a year or two!

IF the dolls do indeed change color quickly, I will feel defrauded, pure and simple.

The person who said that stuff like artwork isn't guaranteed not to break or change color is incorrect. Sellers are liable if their product drastically changes color within a month of purchase with normal / expected use.

And I don't care if this is not an accepted practice in other countries. I feel that flawed or mis-advertised products I buy, from whomever I buy them from, should be replaced. This happens with Tanned Skin that has badly discolored. It happens with doll parts that break for no reason. And it should havppen if dolls start changing color shortly after buying.

I've still got a LSG Pepe that hasn't been shipped yet. I've currently got my MB Kumi wrapped in a blanket. I'm NOT happy. If others are happy, that's fine and good for them. I still feel that I'm sitting on a time-bomb when I just want a doll I can play with and enjoy without worrying about it changing color.

I have a mess of BW dolls. I understand yellowing. I don't keep them in boxes.

I've already bought a mess of stuff for my MB Kumi. I've invested in her. If she turns odd colors, I'm definitely going to see if I can trade her in for another Elf Kumi. I don't want to be experimented upon by companies who are trying out colors that aren't going to last even for a year.

But we'll see what happens. So far my Kumi is looking OK (wrapped up in her blanket).

 

I think this is the part of the disappointment for me, too. I love my Pepe. I want to take him everywhere. But now due to this I'm terrified to take him outside at all, or even to sit him in a part of my room that might get even indirect sunlight. Because I bought him primarily because I adore his gorgeous shade of blue skintone and I want him to STAY that colour! Only now I'm scared to do anything with him that I do with all my other dolls, because of what might happen to him if I do. And this severely hampers my enjoyment of my doll. I love my dolls -- I play with them night and day. I take them everywhere. I live them. They are little people to me. To have him crippled like that makes me really sad -- but after what I have seen and heard, I daren't risk taking him out 'cause quite frankly, if he goes outside and turns yellow I will be crying within five seconds. But I'm invested in THIS doll, in THIS skintone.. so I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one.

But, I think I'm entitled to feel disappointed and a bit cheated, whether it was BC's intention or not to do this or word things the way they did or whatever -- in the BJD world, in the world of making dolls, it's an accepted fact that all dolls yellow over time. You would think that they would've made some more of an effort to see how quickly these dolls yellowed and try to do more to prevent it/slow it down.

I guess I am used to the high level of quality I've gotten with my other dolls and this is the first time I've ever felt betrayed by a company before -- even unintentionally. It disinclines me to make that mistake twice, and encourages me to go back to what I know and trust. Which isn't good for the newer companies trying to take risks and break into new markets and waters, like BC have done here.

 

This was my first purchase from a company outside of CP and Volks. It definitely has made me hesitate to buy from newer companies, now.

[currently waiting to see if my mb kumi changes colors...]

 

wow, it look so stange... like the blue is getting away and turn in a "normal skin" maybe you have to contact the sellers....
Maybe they use a poor colored resine.... because I thinks that ir's not normal that the color get away so fast o_O