Narae/Narin 43/44cm Mini Discussion Part 7

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever taken out the kips that come with their doll and replaced them with hot glue sueding? One of the kips in my narae's legs seems to make it harder for her to stand, but I'm not sure if it's worth it to replace them

 

Got my girl back from Tonocha! She wound up just like I wanted her--what a cutie!

 

Hello! I used to love Narae dolls back in the day when they were French resin, and I'm back in the hobby after ten years away and wow they've changed so much! No more French resin it seems like, and different bodies, but same face sculpts? I always wanted a dandelion, and I'm a bit confused at the website and the naming of the MSD heads.

art BIMONG

this one looks most like what I remember the old dandelion looking like, but the one that actually says dandelion in the name is the smiling face?

would love any insight on this! I'm also curious how the 26cm cocoro look next to the 40cm ish dolls

love seeing everyone's Bimong dolls, I'm especially tempted with this new fusion body! I loved the glow of the French resin but I remember it yellowing quite quickly

 

@spacemachine - Bimong's selling system is a little bit complicated, but he is so nice (I have talked to him many times on Instagram and he is always so kind and patient with me) and it's worth trying to keep up.

Basically, he is not using the website at the moment. To really stay up to date with pre-orders you need to follow his Instagram account: Login • Instagram

About a month ago he had a preorder for a 53cm-sized Dandelion (updated 53cm body, head, etc.). I am not sure if that one is still open - I recommend writing him if you are interested though - there might be space left. He also periodically sells in-stock or pre-order dolls in the 1/4 Fusion size (usually with Narae heads, on a few occasions with other heads, such as Dandelion and Cocoro). But you can't select specific sculpts to purchase. You have to wait and see what is available.

Many of the sculpts pictured on the website have not come up for order again. He loves to experiment and re-work previously designed dolls, but sometimes these new sculpts are only available for a very short amount of time. The latest version of Dandelion (the 53cm one) didn't have a smiling face option, for example, but did have a sleeping face option.

I have purchased several dolls or parts from him and they seem to be all standard resin - smooth, opaque, not at all like French resin (although to be fair I've never handled French resin). It seemed like high quality material to me, not something that would yellow more than other resins.

To make a long story short X) - follow his Instagram account to keep track of what is going on and talk to him if you have questions (he really is lovely to work with). At one time he thought he would have to leave doll-making entirely because he was getting overwhelmed, but now he has help (although I believe he still does at least some of the finishing work himself) and because of that he was able to stay. So even though the system is a bit confusing, we can be happy he is still making dolls!

Edited to add: I owned one of the Fusion bodies for a while and it was so nice! Very flexible, beautifully designed. I only sold it because I decided to change to a different color (if it becomes available again).

 

this is so helpful, thank you! I just followed his Instagram and I'll keep an eye out to see what gets released in the future

 

@spacemachine - You're very welcome!

 

I just got my fusion Narae, and biking is THE NICEST person to deal with. He was so kind when DMing on IG to make my order and answered all my questions. He even sent me some snacks and masks from Korea. ^_^

I’m new to the bjd scene, and when I got her in the mail I was in love. I’d never felt a doll quite like her and I love her so much. She’ll be getting a rakeru faceup this summer.

 

Oh she's gorgeous. I love the Narae fusion body.

 

anyone who hybrid a Minifee head with the Narae fusion body, did you find a way to make the head sit higher on the neck?

 

Did you keep in the bumper she came with? That adds some height

 

@reeology Do you mean the thick silicone that goes under the head? One of those came with my 2018 Narae, but maybe because I only ordered the fusion body and not a full doll, there is only a normal thin silicone kip you can find anywhere. Maybe I could ask Bimong if he has any spares... Otherwise if you mean the MNF neck adapter, it hasn't helped unfortunately.

 

I meant the thick silicone thing! I checked my newer Narae and I see you’re right, he totally changed them. Darn, I thought that would help.

 

Waiting for Narae 402 (artists run out of legs, I know it sounds funny, but i have to wait for him to order a new body).
Would Monique wigs 5-6 fit her head at all?
By the way, he said the new resin is pinkier, so I would have head and body of a different shade

 

Not sure about Monique wigs in particular, but their heads are 6.5.

I’ve been looking for a good 6-7 wig but right now my girl has 7-8 on with a silicone cap. To me their heads are so tiny!

 

Oh, thank you for replying, I was pretty sure this Bimong thread seem dead. Artist said the same about the size. I chose 41cm body as they seemed bubble-heads on 38cm body in images. I like how flexible 38cm body is but Narae's head looks out of place. Still don't have her, will try all the Moniques wigs I have stashed when they were closing

 

Wonder if the image would work.
Just got my Narae.
Couple of questions. She has different shape of her left eye. So when I put her eyeballs in it looks odd and mismatched. Asked artist, he said that's what handmade means. Ok. Then there is a gap between her head cap and faceplate. Wonder if it's an artistic approach as well....
I am generally so unlucky when vi buy directly from artists, I got deformed joint, mismatched resin, mistakes and faulty parts, little blobs of resin sticking out, the list goes on, I guess I should focus on second hand exclusively.

 

Bimong is usually good. Which Narae did you get? Your image isn't working.

 

Well, then he just probably hates me .
402 if I remember correctly, she has been put behind all other dolls quickly . Her posing is ways worse than of a cheap Conarium. Plus no clothes I have suit her. Just too much trouble.

 

Poor posing? May I ask what body you purchased? I have two of the fusion bodies and their posing is pretty hard to beat. It sounds like you ordered a much older body, going off the legs thing from an earlier post, which, if that's the case, it wouldnt be surprising for the engineering to be not quite there.

In any case, as far as I can tell, Bimong hasn't done new castings of the 402 sculpt in a long time, so its deficiencies probably have to do partly with age. Did you ask for photos from him of the doll before you purchased it?

I think Bimong is basically correct that something that is sculpted by hand isnt going to be perfectly symmetrical, in the way a computer modeled sculpt might be. You can mitigate that pretty easily with a good faceup though. The Lan sculpt from doll leaves is a great example--the eyes are known to be different sizes on earlier castings, but you dont even notice with the right faceup. A guess modding could help too, if you want to put in that degree of effort.

As for other superficial deficiencies, think of them as just that: superficial. My first Narae has a small chip in her shoulder from where I think a resin bubble popped, and I think it's kind of cute, something unique to her, like a birthmark haha.

 

I very much doubt he hates you. Bimong is very friendly in my experience, but I think sometimes translation problems can make the true intention of a message a little hard to understand so any feeling of dislike you interpreted could just be that.

Unfortunately, without your image working, it is hard to know what exactly is going on with your doll. In my experience, bimong's fusion bodies pose beautifully. If the kips are what you are having trouble with as far as posing, removing them is easy with restringing. They aren't everyone's cup of tea but they aren't a defect really.

My 402 girl's eyes are also not perfectly the same. She is an older Narae but with a faceup you don't even notice (in my opinion at least). Plus people in reality rarely have symmetrical eyes. My eyes certainly aren't identical to each other.



You can see in the above picture her one eye is slightly smaller than the other. This is normal and not a flaw. It is simply how she was sculpted.