*rant* Body Blemishes

Maybe because seam lines aren't considered flaws for these types of dolls?

 

Sanding to remove the seam lines can cause the sanded portions to yellow at a different rate than the rest of the doll. This is why companies do not remove the seam lines on tan dolls, they leave that decision up to you.

 

I'd be the same way if I'm paying $300-$700 for a doll I want it to be perfect

 

They're handmade. The resin casting may be done in pressure pots, but they're finished, painted and assembled by hand. So even if they're not perfect, they're all unique in their own way, which is more than good enough for me. I think of them as being indivdual works of art.

The only one of mine that has a really visible seam is one of my Pukifees - the seam on her right upper thigh piece, right at the hip, is pretty obvious. But unless I do a nude photo shoot and zoom in on it, nobody's ever going to see it.

 

First of all, not all dolls come with really bad seam lines. The dolls poured in the molds after they've been used awhile tend to have worse ones due to the molds breaking down before needing replaced.

second: Tan is EXTREMELY hard to make compared to a lighter normal skin due to having to mix the resin thoroughly enough (sometimes this doesnt always happen so you end up with marbling). This means that the resin could end up different colors from batch to batch...

THIS ^ is why it is more expensive. It is more expensive for them to make because if a batch is mixed improperly, they have to start all over again. This means there is a lot of waste product and they need to make that money back in order to buy more for those who want to buy the dolls in that color. Hence it costs more.... plus all that labor... they need to pay their workers.

There is a lot of hard work that goes into these dolls. The expense is justified, I promise.

Last but not least... really bad scratches and extremely bad/sharp grotesque seams lines and "snowflakes" or really really horrible marbling are things that you can contact a company about. But a doll just having seam lines = no.

seam lines are subjective. The definition of a bad seam line changes depending on who you ask. I have seam lines on my Iplehouse and she's peach gold... they are just on the back of her legs etc. but they are smooth enough that they wont cut me and I barely notice them. Then I have three dolls that have none. I love them all just the same.

 

Like Lady Madrigal says these are handmade and they tell you up front if there will be seam lines. It's not like they are trying to pull something over on us. If you want the seams sanded either buy dolls that come that way or pay the fee. If you like a head but don't like the bodies because of seams then buy from a body from a different company.
There is little that can be done with certain types of tan bodies. Some can't be sanded while others can it just depends on the company and their casting method.

I wouldn't be okay with a brand new doll that had cracks in the joints, I don't think anyone would. That is a whole different issue. Unless it was a second hand doll, she should have taken photos and asked the company for replacements.

I am just curious, how can you be bitter if you haven't even bought a doll yet?

 

A lot of my bjd's are from Fairyland. I've never had any issues with seamlines really, even on the dolls I have that they are visible on. And that is for any skin color. If you do find them bothersome you can sand them down. Even on tan, grey, or fantasy colored skin I've seen people do it. I would recommend super fine sand paper.. like over 1000 grit. The main thing I've noticed on colored resin, is if you want to sand it do it as soon as you get the doll, because the chance of discoloration will increase if you wait until the doll ages. So if you wait to sand it you risk the fact that the outer layer of resin has cured into it's final color.

 

THIS^ Some dolls are not the same color all the way through. There are some companies who's dolls are tan etc. on the top layer, and different underneath that. If you sand them, the other color shows through. I know I'd rather have the seams than an entirely different color showing through....

 

I would also be echoing alot of the above poster's comments but since it would just be repeating the same thing over again.

I will ask this: If you've done your research properly about looking up into tan-skin, the method of how it is done, how much it cost, ect. Then if you are looking for dolly-perfection in your first doll, why are you choosing Tan-skin?

Most of the experienced collectors know that most tan-skin dolls do come with additional problems, even if the tan-color goes all through the resin, many minor flaws such as Marbling and sanding marks will occur they are not considered "Flaws" by the company because it is the nature of the resin.
SANDING tan-skin resin does cause the resin to become lighter then the resin around it. Again, it is the nature of deeper colored resins.

Here is something for you to think about Asatsuya, These Dolls are not going to be "Perfect" when they arrive to you. They will be finished, but not perfect unless you can bare to actually do the work that you want to make them "Perfect".
Expecting complete "Perfection" right when you open the box is unrealistic in this hobby.

 

The thing is, what you're labeling "problems" are nothing of the sort. Cracks in the joints -- that's a problem, and I am dead positive you will not have a single collector on here tell you that they're "okay" with that. Nobody is "okay" with actual flaws. Seam lines, marbling, things like that -- those aren't flaws. They're adjuncts of the creative process and they tell you right up front that they're things that might happen.

This hobby started out as a kit hobby. These dolls were meant to be customized, worked on, played with, messed around with, painted, sanded, modded, the whole nine yards. It isn't until recently that people started expecting sanded perfection, and I think it's a completely unreasonable expectation. If you want sanded seams, sand them yourself. If you want tan skin, you expect to pay more and you understand up front that tan dolls are more difficult to produce and hence are more likely to show the byproducts of creation.

I'm with SteamWitch though -- how can you be bitter if you don't even have a doll?

 

I think what you have to understand is, sometimes problems (minor things like scratches that can be buffed out etc) can make you fall in love with a doll more through fixing them up and modifying them. Sometimes things some people see as problems others see as nothing more than a quirk.... or even a way to help identify their doll.

My Iplehouse Pamela has a crater in her knee part. It is only visible if I pull her knee out or unstring her. I thought about contacting iplehouse to tell them there had been a bubble and it formed the divet/crater... but then I thought, "what if she gets stolen one day? Or lost?".... this could be an identifying mark so that if this were to happen, there might be a possibility that I would get her back even if whoever took her wiped her custom faceup. Knowing this made me happy.... it made me feel like she was unique and mine in a way she'd never be anyone elses who owns the same sculpt.

I love that there are these differences because it means I dont have a cookie cutter barbie doll that anyone else could have. It means I have a fully customized doll made for me down to the last "defect".

 

Well now.....

With cracks and deep scratches, to have that come from a doll directly from the company most people will email said company and ask for replacement parts because if something happened during shipping you are required to report it to the company as soon as it arrives (If you want replacement parts or compensation.)


In second hand dolls, The seller of the that doll, ideally, will have to disclose every flaw in the sales page and most buyers of second hand doll don't expect to pay the full company's price of such a doll.
Weather or not the buyers can accept the doll's flaws is up to the buyer. I see that many buyers will often buy damaged dolls as a project to work on. (modding it or restoring it.)

Short form: It's up to you weather or not to accept the minor flaws in a doll....or get that doll replaced. I am pretty sure that there is someone out there would be willing to buy your "flawed" doll from you.

 

Many of them answered this. Cracks are problems that no one wants or expects to see in a brand new from the company doll. Seam lines, marbling, etc. can happen in any company with any resin; when it happens it's just usually more noticeable in tans and other colored resin (reds, blues, colors!). There are several companies that sand their colored resins. Bobobie for one. My little March elf is smooooooth from head to toe. Companies will list on the doll's page what you can expect and what they will consider flaws. It's on you to determine if you want to accept the possibility. The company will still do their best to create a doll for you with as minimal marbling etc. as they are able.

What other blemishes do you mean? Like a bubble? Grit? Dents? Broken parts? Wrong parts? That's part of why some collectors take box opening pictures. You only have a limited time frame to alert the company of any issues like that once your doll is delivered to you. Whether or not you share them on DoA (or wherever), the pictures help serve as documentation for you to bring to the company on their Q&A board or email.

 

Let's see…head caps that don't match up, loose magnets, subtleties in resin shades between parts, inconsistent resin thickness, seams, asymmetrical eyes/ears, minor chip/bubble or "extra gapping" near a joint, minor sand marks…all of these things I've come to expect as a part of being a bjd collector. For me it's like being a vintage/antique car collector; you know what you're getting into when you buy a vehicle that's 50+ years old - same with handmade items like our bjds.

I won't say that I've never had an "ah man" moment when one of the things above happens so I do understand the spirit of the rant though...

But I can't say that I personally equate the price I pay for a doll with any expectation of flawlessness or perfection. I pay what I pay because I love the doll, warts and all.

 

I think the overall key here, which so many lovely folks have already touched upon in one way or another, is that this is a labor of love. Specifically, love for the customization, modification, and ultimate owner-contributed CREATION of these dolls. I really like, and would like to emphasize again, Tez' comment that this was started as a kit hobby, in which through one way or another YOU are helping to create a piece of art that you love.

While it's true that many collectors aren't extreme modders, nor will they even necessarily suede, sand, or paint their dolls, pretty much everyone at least chooses hair and eyes they prefer, hence customizing and creating their vision. That is the gift we're receiving from these artists, and why we often can overlook things that in a mainstream, mass produced scenario may be considered "flaws". They aren't barbies or American Girls that are churned out on a conveyor belt; they are a jumpstart place from which you will be able to endeavor with a fellow artist (the company) to create an end product.

If you feel like you're being jumped upon for posing the question, I'm sure that's not the intent of anyone; but the reason we are all passionate and, yes, maybe a little defensive about our hobby and the companies we buy from and the price we pay for these little unnecessary items, is simply that we pour as much as ourselves as the artists do into these guys and love them regardless (or because) of the fact that they may be considered "imperfect".

Labor of love.

 

For the most part when buying any new dolls I've been pretty lucky. One of my first Miro MSD's did come with a neck flaw that was pretty noticeable but Miro just sent me another torso and that was that. I also have one doll head with a cap that's a bit strange, but I'm told it's normal for this doll and she does have a pretty oddly shaped head in general so it's just something I live with. I bought her used and she was much cheaper than is usual because of it so I'm not fussing over it. Most damage otherwise it's been my fault or I bought the doll as a project doll flaws and all. I would not accept a brand new doll from a company with huge chips out of a major part or a resin bubble or other highly visible flaw on the face but seams? I don't care. If I want them gone I can sand them and I get why they don't do it so much really

I nearly ruined two darkly colored heads just by spraying them with the wrong sealer and then trying to soak it off. I barely touched them with a Mr Clean sponge after trying to get a couple of stubborn spots off and I somehow stripped a lot of color from all over them. I've since repaired them with pastels and paint, made them presentable again, but I was really ticked at myself for doing it. The darker the color on the doll the easier it is to have marks apparently and the more you mess with one the more risk you take.

The nature of resin is such that I don't really expect my dolls to remain perfect anyway. It's very easy to chip necks and heads a bit just working with them, to give them little chips on their knees and such just posing them, and of course being resin it will often change color over time. It's kind of a lost cause seeking perfection with these dolls I think. Unless it's a huge flaw I don't really sweat it. Bottom line I can live with small flaws if it means not sending a doll back.