Multiple head sculpts or Full sets?

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I'm already doing this - I have some heads sharing bodies.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.
At first I thought it might take away from their "realness" but once I got used to it, it doesn't bother me much beyond certain characters not being able to interact with other certain characters. I do intend for everyone to have a body someday, but this is a fair compromise. For some people the cost of all the bodies and the space to store them makes this a more feasible way to enjoy BJDs.

The second part of the question is even more down to personal taste, I think. Just because you could constantly change the look of a doll doesn't mean that you do. Besides, IRL people dye their hair or wear colour contacts all the time. Other types of doll collecting accept customization; this type of doll was DESIGNED for customization, so I don't see how that degrades the hobby.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
It really depends on the person. At first I didn't like the idea, but in practice it's been surprisingly easy to get used to; by the time I got into a situation of body-sharing, I was already used to seeing the dolls disassembled/blank/wigless/eyeless/headless - all of which could be considered OOC . I have enough dolls around period that no one has to get very lonely.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?

I have considered getting multiple sculpts that look like the same sculpt but with a different expression. So my characters can do more than just glare all the time. They could also smile, or be sad etc. I haven't ever considered getting separate characters heads for the same body.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.

Personally, I feel like it takes away from the identity of my characters. If I did this they wouldn't be able to exist together, but only separately. That's just what works for me though, I would rather save and wait a long time between dolls for whole sets, then have a bunch of characters that wouldn't feel whole to me.

I don't think it degrades the hobby at all! If that's what works for you then more power to you! It's just not what I would do with my dolls.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
Yes and yes.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?

I am considering doing this now with my dolls just because of how much money the body's cost. If I did have multiple full set dolls I wouldn't have enough for wigs or face-ups. And there are some sculpts that as a fullset are just too expensive for me to justify buying them.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.
Well, it would certainly take away the ability for your characters to interact with each other. My characters are all based from interactions with others so it might if they are unable to do that because all my heads share one body.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

I suppose if your one of those people that really wants multiple dolls around.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I don't think I'd like having a bunch of heads just floating around, but I do have a Puki faceplate who body-shares. The anime plate is such a different style, it'd look odd if she interacted with the other dolls, so she doesn't really need her own body.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.
I don't think so; the Pukis are like separate dolls that can't be seen at the same time. My Pipi does get to use the body a lot more, though. I don't see anything wrong with changing up a doll to suit one's mood- if that's how someone enjoys their doll, I say go for it!

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

Definitely more economical. As for lonelier... only until you realize you just have to have a doll of another color, or the opposite sex, or in a different size...

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I'm already doing this ^^

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.
I don't think so, since the head that I bought is the same as the body company, but I would love to see my character in real, without sharing body and interact together. For the character, all my dolls are flexible ^^ they change based on the mood and customization I never think the realness would fade only with that.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
It really depends on the situation. At first I didn't like the idea, but in practice it's been surprisingly easy to get used to; by the time I got into a situation of body-sharing, headless, floating head, wigless, even blank face, its not really lonelier since I keep them in the same places.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?

I'd only do this if it was the same character - like get a sleeping head and an open-eyed head.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?

Not particularly, different aspects of the same character. I wouldn't have different character heads sharing the same body - for me characters have different bodies as well as heads and having them share a body would defeat the purpose.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

Definitely economical, but I like the idea of having dolls pose with each other and interact with each other, so it wouldn't be something that I would do.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?

I only like having multiple heads for one body if it is the same face with different expressions or faceplates.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?

I like for each doll to have its own body, because I like to pose them together. Heads in a drawer do nothing for me, although I have several at the moment. All will eventually have bodies as I can afford to buy them.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

It would be a more economical alternative, but unappealing to me, and besides, I don't like all the trouble of constantly switching heads.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body? I don't think so- I love having my dolls all separate, each on their own body. I'd only get another head if it was sleeping head or something like that, and it would be the same character.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? For me it does, the character and the doll are sort of two halves of the same whole. I have to have the complete thing- I take a lot of care with choosing the bodies for each character that best emphasizes it, so I don't like the idea of removing the significance of it like that.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
I'm sure it may be more economical for some, but since I intentionally hybridize many of my dolls, it doesn't make that much of a difference for me. I look for good deals on bodies in the marketplace and have yet to spend more than 250 on any body. (usually it's even less than that!)

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I currently have a head like that, but it makes me really uneasy - it doesn't feel like the doll is "a whole" character. Also, photography is an important part of the hobby for me, and there are just so many things you can do with a floating head until you actually get bored ^^;

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?
For me - yes, it does. I still see the character in my imagination, but I want something to actually be able to act out all the things I have in mind. And just a floating head is not enough for that.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative? Definitely there is economy in the matter. A head may cost $200-300, when a whole doll costs $600. And giving that extra $300 every time is definitely a strain for the budget.
But it is definitely a lot more fun when it comes to photography

P.S.: I'd actually buy dolls with similar proportions so that they can share wigs, eyes, and clothes if required ^__^

 

Interesting questions!

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I understand folks who need to do this for economic/space reasons, but I am finding that I don't really 'want' a doll until I have a character for them, and once I begin developing a character, the only ones I consider alternate heads for are the supernaturals (faeries in this case) who can change their appearance, and therefore require a different head for that aspect of themselves (human so far, but a Kitsune and a WereCat are in the works).

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?
For the original question regarding multiple characters on one body, I don't think so. The face is the doll more than the body.

For the purpose of developing a single character, it actually enhances the doll.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
If I am using my dolls for story lines and displaying them in a vignette I would of course want enough bodies to show the full scene, and in this case many times the body is part of the character (mature, immature, muscular, slim, etc).

If I am simply displaying the dolls for my own pleasure, which heads were displayed on bodies at any one time would be strictly up to my mood at that time - as in, who do I want to interact with today?

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
Yes, but only if it's variations of the same sculpt; eg dreaming/sleep/open eye. I currently do that. I have three dolls with alternative heads that are essentially variations of their original sculpt. (Eg sleeping MNF heads) I don't like having heads floating around.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?
Nope! I find it enhances the character.


Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
Not applicable because I only buy variations of the same sculpt.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body? This way you can change the look of your doll without having to spend on a full set (head + body) each time. Or would you really prefer to get an entirely new doll with that sculpt so that you can take pictures of them together, or to have a "new character".

I personally have separate dolls, they are all (text based) RP characters so I like them to 'interact' (eg photostories in future), and I focus on the 'feel' of the doll as a whole (head, body, clothes, face up, everything)
my sister is more interested in cosplay and the 'look' and immediate visual impact of dolls on their own so shes looking at a single body with multiple heads
I think either is fine it depends what you want from your dolls

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?

I think a lot of the 'personality' from dolls comes from the head/face-up so no, although different outfits would also help keep the 'personalities' more defined if that was a concern

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

I'm not a person who feels dolls get 'lonely' but going this rout just to be economic if you did feel like that would probably be false economy because you won't be satisfied with your doll so it'll be money down the drain

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
Yes, I have and DO. Several of my Minifees are sharing bodies at the moment. Jack and Simon share a body, Kale and Jester share a body, and Finn & Marnie & Cecily share a body. With Minifees it's easier to change heads than to change their clothes. I eventually plan to have separate bodies for each of them, but it's more than enough for now for me to have them here like this now. Marnie's such a minor character she may never get a body, and that's totally fine with me. Cecily is really minor as a character also. Kale and Jester are first in line for a non-shared body, because they're two of my favorites. I also have a super-tiny house, and am already out of doll seating. Body sharing certainly helps a bit with that!

As for the issue of photographing them together, that's a non-issue for me. I have 2 main crews and a few others separate from them. I doubt I will ever have much need to photograph Simon and Jack together, they're from two totally separate groups. Same with Kale and Jester. Simon takes a day off when Jack comes to the bar, no biggie! Marnie bartends those days. For (rare) whole-group photos I simply take 2-3 shots and Photoshop them together.

I also have the "two heads for one character" thing going on, my Puki has a winking face as well as her open-eyed face, and I'd like eventually to get sleeping faces for one or two of my Minifees. My new incoming guy has an open-eyed head and a half-open-eyed head.


Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.

No, of course not. Each is a totally different character, with it's own clothing, eyes and hair and totally different look (even different arms and hands in some cases). I can't play with ALL of them at once, there are too many! So it's no big deal to have the group I'm focusing on be complete while the other group has a couple heads in the cupboard. And these dolls ARE "material avatars" you can change depending on your mood. Lots of people have characters whose hair, eyes and clothing changes according to their whims, even sometimes faceups that are changed frequently. Most of mine, even the body sharers, are comparatively very stable - they have their set look that DOESN'T change with my moods, with the possible exception of Marnie who likes to dye her hair different colors. Kale's always Kale. Jester's always Jester. The Puki and my Resinsoul girl change looks frequently, but they DON'T share bodies.


Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

Definitely economical. In my case I'm considering it temporary... but it's much better for me and my story to have both Kale and Jester here now than to only have ONE and be really missing the other one, for example.

As for lonelier, well, they're dolls. They don't get lonely, really. Even if they did, though, I doubt mine would. There's always more than one in the head cupboard, including usually a visitor or two getting faceups done. Probably more socializing going on in there than anywhere else!

 

I love option heads! If the doll's set comes with an option head, or if one is offered, I will pick up the option if I like it. That way, that doll can have a sleeping/awake/half-asleep/smiling/etc. face, and a regular face. For me, it does have to be a different expression of the same sculpt, though-- that is the sculpt I chose for that character, so an alternate sculpt wouldn't be the same person to me.

I don't use my option-heads all that often, but I do like to use them in photoshoots-- it's cool to see a doll suddenly close his eyes, or suddenly wake up, or change his makeup, etc. :>

And I think having multiple heads is the very opposite of "lonely for the doll", imo... if a doll has another face to wear, that can flesh out his character that much more fully.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body? I have this scenario going on right now, but it's just for one mold. My NS Shiwoo MNF heads all share the same body. Scar head, elf head, etc...

I plan to do this for just a short while with some of the girl sculpts. I have less space in our current house than I did before we moved a couple months ago so space is a big constraint for me.

I'm not anything spectacular by way of photographing so at this point in time, I usually one take shots of one or two dolls at a time. I don't have a HUGE group to have to try and fit into one shot.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change its hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.

In the case of my Shiwoo heads, I don't think so. The different heads add to his personality IMO. My Shiwoo has a definite set look for his human aspect and a set look for his non human aspect and that's not a revolving change.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative? For me, this is economical. In the Shiwoo case it's not a temporary thing, I don't plan on having a seperate body for the scar head or the elf head. I don't see the "lonely" aspect here because there's another male doll hanging out and a couple females so the unused face plates get packed away but the character is still hanging out with other dolls.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
Like other people have said - if it was a sleeping or dreaming version of a head I have I would probably just use the same body. However for differing heads I don't intend on leaving anyone bodyless at this time. I have one floating head right now and I plan on getting the poor boy a body in the next month or two. Meantime he will get to share with one of my other boys but then I can't enjoy them both at once.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so? And does it degrade the hobby of doll collection to what might feel like a material avatar, where you can change it's hair and face and clothes depending on your mood.
My only real issue with dolls sharing a body is that I can't photography the different characters all together interacting... and that's one of my favourite things about owning more than one doll!

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
The concept of a lonely doll is funny to me. I don't think mine look lonely when they're by themselves - they're my spoiled only doll. ;D While sharing bodies is more economical and I will do it when I can't afford more bodies - it isn't my final plans for anyone currently.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?
I always prefer things that are complete and defined. I'm not a professional collector by any mean but I regard each of the toys/dolls I purchased an individual character; I don't want multiple heads on the same body any more than buying the same mold twice. For variations of the same head, I still prefer to give them their own body I can afford it.

Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?
I don't think it's a degradation but rather a matter of taste. While I am adamant in having full-set of dolls, there will be many others who prefer multiple heads and I see no harm or wrong in doing so, as long as it makes the owners happy.

Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?
Oh, it's no doubt economical. And nothing is wrong with that. If I'm too desperate for a specific doll but can't afford it, I'd go ahead and purchase the head first. On the other hand, I do think my doll will look more lovely in companion of another doll(s). It doesn't necessarily mean that I think dolls can feel, but all the same, they look sad being alone.

 

Would you ever consider getting multiple head sculpts but keep one body?

Only if it could work like the Unoa faceplates - where I could get a sleeping head, for example, that was the same sculpt as a doll I had.

I wish every sculpt had a sleeping component.

I wouldn't get a sleeping head its own body, because I'm not particularly fond of dolls that always look sleepy. I'd change them - put the sleeping head on at night, and hide whichever head that wasn't in use. The only option head I'd get is a sleeping one, especially since I haven't had time to play with my own doll for a few weeks due to time constraints.


Does it degrade the personality and identity of your doll by doing so?

It doesn't degrade the hobby as a whole, but if I had multiple heads, then each head (not counting sleeping) deserve bodies of their own. Otherwise, they wouldn't feel like complete dolls to me. I don't like body sharing, because it seems like neither one would really 'own' the body they were on.

It's like having one doll go through something, but then it's also like the other one would go through it, too - but who knows how completely different their stories might be?


Or is it just a lonelier (for the doll), but more economical alternative?

I guess it's an economical alternative - but not every economical alternative is a great idea.