Should limiteds or oneoffs be modified or split into pieces?

AreeElf: No, speaking personally for myself, I would not ask Volks to redo the face-up. I am an artist myself, and I agree that I would find that insulting.

Just to clarify, I did not put in for the Jun T. even though I did not want her. I did want her, and I would have been thrilled to have won the doll. It was only in retrospect when I considered the possible ramifications of owning a one-off, and the potential responsibility of not being able to change her, that I decided it was for the best that I did not take her home. Had I won the doll, I would not have altered the face-up, nor would I have done anything to her more than swapping the wig and clothing (which, as I said, I would have kept). Personally however, I would not judge someone who chose to do more changes such as another face-up etc. It may not be my choice, but if they paid the money it's their doll.

 

I'm agree with most of the people here:

I think that modding a limited is no problemo. Even extensive mods such as nose/cheek/lip sanding as well as sculpting ears on or scars or such. It makes that doll more unique, and a lot of people feel like the mods make their character come alive, and not just remain a limited doll.

For example, I bought a Sleeping Vamp Breakaway a while ago, thinking that I wouldn't necissarily keep him, because it was an impulse buy. But I did keep him, and as he sat around I slowly molded one of my characters to fit him. The only problem was he needed some modification to be that character. So I opened his eyes (extremely carefuly over the course of a week) and eventually sanded down his super pointy nose into a cuter more asian button nose. That was my first mod job, but it looks beautiful and professional, and I believe that what I've done hasn't detracted from his sculpt's appearance at all, he's just even more unique now. He has finally become Li the panda and not just any Breakaway.

I think therefore that modding a limited into your dream character isn't wrong in the slightest. The only thing that really miffs me is if the person does a horrid job modding the head and ruins that head's beauty. It's even more aggravating when they then put the head up in the marketplace because it's "ruined" without even trying to send it to a professional to get it fixed. I think that mods should never look unprofessional, they should look like the doll was casted that way. But that's really the only issue I've got.

One-offs however I do believe should not be touched. UNLESS that one off is the only doll SCULPT of that kind in the world, and then I believe that changing their clothes/hair/eyes/faceup is absoultely fine, but never a modification (excluding wiring, seuding, making them pose better). If I try to put myself in the shoes of the artist who designed and created that one off as a peice of art, I would be very hurt if the person deviated from what I had planned for that doll. Most of the time, one-offs are dolls that have regular or limited runs too, so shouldn't the person try for one of those instead of the super unique OOAK doll?

Splitting limiteds is also not an issue for me. Being able to split the Breakaway run is an awesome thing IMO because that creates more opportunities for people to own a doll that there is only 200 full sets of (but in reality 400 heads) in the world. I feel the same with all limiteds. Even with the outfit/wigs. Selling those seperate gives someone who loves that outfit, but couldn't buy the whole doll a chance to have it.

And lastly, I think it's unfair for people to say "You can't mod a limited because that's just wrong." There are plenty of limiteds that have never been modded that they can look at, and they will probably get the chance (if they're very very determined) to buy that limited, untouched. So dictating what another does with their doll kinda makes me all twisty feeling inside.

 

Limited dolls, being limited, can be very difficult to purchase. When they go up for sale, sometimes that's the only chance to buy it. In my case, the Latidoll Aida is my dream doll - not for the outfit or wig or accessories, but because I find the head mold and face-up to be extremely beautiful, and it suits my tastes exactly.

I wasn't sure how long it would be selling for, and this worried me because I didn't have enough to buy the whole set, and besides, I wouldn't have kept it all together anyway. I simply bought the head because the head was the one thing I loved. The body is just a body that I could save for. I didn't need the extra features, either because the Aida character did not fit the character I has planned for his sculpt.

Obviously, I can justify splitting up dolls because sometimes it affords people the chance to actually get the doll they want.

People buy dolls because they love them. Customization is sometimes the only path to make them truly unique and loved.

However, I think heavy modding of a limited to the point where it can't even be recognized is ridiculous, though. People buy that limited head mold because it has certain qualities no other mold has, but when it doesn't even have those qualities anymore after extensive modding, what's the point of buying it? (Such as complete feature alteration, where the nose, eyes, lips, face-shape, ears are all completely different)

 

Re: one-offs, I can see why someone would alter it or sell of pieces of it. We know the second-hand market can be fickle and expensive and for some molds it may be easier to get a one-off through a lottery than to find the same mold second-hand (and even then it may be astronomically expensive). So if the one-off is the only way a buyer sees getting the doll, there's the reason for mods. Frequently also there are people clamoring for just the wig or just the clothing, and if that's not something the buyer wants, s/he has a great opportunity to sell them. The only thing in the way is possible guilt over what is "right" in practicing the hobby.

Heh, reminds me a bit of art history. In 1953,the artist Robert Rauschenberg asked William de Kooning to give him a drawing. De Kooning was at that time already established and much acclaimed. Rauschenberg took the drawing home and spent a month erasing it bit by bit, calling the final nearly blank paper "Erased de Kooning". It was post-modern and achieved accolades, but understandably a lot of artists and critics were not impressed!

 

Ok, that made me lol. But it does speak to the larger issue of community pressure. I'm generally not a big "peer pressure" kind of person, but the thought of everyone at a meet-up giving an altered one-off the hairy eyeball would make me think twice about doing it, just to avoid the aggravation. That becomes an odd situation. People spend hundreds of dollars of their own money, but then feel they have to live up to the expectations of everyone else in the bjd community if they don't want to be disliked for having changed a one-of-a-kind doll. As much as I don't really relish seeing one-offs changed, the latter situation troubles me more.

 

Splittings fine, imho, even of a one of a kind set, though splitting a ooak set does make me cringe a bit. Modding something, like say, a luts event head, also okay unless its not longer recognizable as the same head. If its just faceup or the outfit making it so special, well thats okay.

Modding a one of a kind sculpt- not the face-up, heck even if you keep it as is you'll probably have to touch it up eventually- but sanding, etc... you ought to have your fingers slapped. Sell the head to someone who wants it the way it is and buy a head that is closer to what you're wanting.

 

Ok, playing the devil's advocate for a minute ; ) If you're modding a head to be a certain character, there are going to be some heads that are easier to start with than others--what if that head is extremelly limited or a one off? As someone who primarily buys dolls for particular characters, I could understand someone choosing to do this. There may not be a closer head.

 

Just seems mean to me... With the way heads come out, there is bound to eventually be something that would be just as close - if not perfect - for a certain character. It just seems a pity to take a unique sculpt and change so much.

 

See, I don't see it as "mean" or anything rude--it's just the personal descision of the person who was able to purchase the head. I guess that's what I have trouble with, is (and I've seen this in a number of other posts when related topics come up) the attitude that someone modding/splitting/doing something to a limited doll is an act against other bjd hobbyists when it really doesn't have anything to do with anybody else.

I've personally not had to track down rare dolls for characters (and my bank account is glad, lol), but it isn't up to me to judge what someone else does so that they can have the perfect doll for them--especially since this hobby (when compared to other collectables) tends to put a greater emphasis on customization, and the dolls being very special to their owners rather than emphasizing resale value, being mint etc.

 

To each her own, not like I'll be looking for any unique sculpts either. Just seems like you ought to be able to find something closer with changing something unique if at all possible.

 

Same here. I bought the Black Cat Lucas last year, because I was desperate for a Lucas at a reasonable price. The costume/wigs did not match the character I had for him, so I immediately sold them off (which also helped defray the price of the doll and purchase of "proper" clothing for him). Fortunately, the faceup/eyes were perfect for the character, so I didn't have to redo his faceup. However, if they weren't, I would have had no problem changing them to match the character.

I also just bought the MNF Elf Shiwoo. While I'm not going to sand down anything, I am having the eyes on the sleeping vampire head slightly opened to a "dreaming" look.

So, obviously, I don't have a problem with modding or selling parts of limiteds. Personally, I feel if you laid out the money for it, it's yours to do with as you like. However, if I ever won a one-off, say at a Dolpa, I wouldn't change anything. I may redress/rewig him/her, but I'd definitely keep the clothes, etc., the doll came with, and not change the faceup unless it got damaged in some way.

 

See, this is very much how I feel as well. It saddens me when the emphasis in the hobby moves away from customization and more toward keeping things pristine as is commonly done in other doll collecting circles. Now I have one limited, my Miriam, whom I will not be altering because she's bizarre enough to please me just as she is, But I can't see disapproving of what someone else decides to do with their dolls.

 

I agree. Especially the comment that someone ought to have their hand slapped for modding a limited doll really made my eyebrows raise. Even if they didn't mod the head, there's no guarantee that they might sell it, either. I'd rather see someone modify the head to suit their needs and take photos and love it, than to see it gather dust on a shelf or sit in a box to keep it perfect.

 

Well, I see no problem with modding the Volks one-offs, especially if the mold is expensive. For example, you might be able to win a Momoko for $1500 as opposed to the second hand market (I heard one went really high on Y!J recently?) To me the beauty of the one-offs is that you can get a Tsukasa or Madoka for a reasonable price. You just have to get lucky

I guess I don't mind mods as long as they are done well. No one wants to see a limited doll they are pining over covered with sharpie.

 

Hm. Splitting up fullset dolls, I think it's just silly to say there's anything wrong with that. For every person who really wants the doll but doesn't care for the outfit, there is probably a person who really loves the outfit and would like it for another doll, but doesn't want to buy the doll it comes with. Why not make two people happy (or three or four or five... one person wants the doll, one wants the shoes, one wants the rest of the outfit, one wants the eyes, etc etc etc).

Buying one-offs... I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a one-off of a hard to find headmold because the one-off is cheaper. Though I guess it also depends on the situation in which the one-off was purchased. If it was won through a company lottery for the purpose of customization (i.e. new faceup etc, more than just changing the outfit) then I think maybe it would be better to allow someone who wants the doll as is to try for it instead (though it's probably just as likely to go to someone who will pop it on eBay or yahoo Japan). If it was purchased second hand through an auction, then people who would have liked it in its original state have no right to complain- if they wanted the one-off that badly they should have bid more than the person who wanted the head for customization.

It seems funny to me that nobody gets upset about someone selling the Zoukeimura eyes or FCS-only wigs or hands from a FCS doll, when they're just as much a "one of a kind" doll as one-offs.

 

That's a really interesting point. I suppose a major difference with one-offs is that it's not only the doll, it's often the intricate one-of-a-kind costume as well, but still. You raise a valid observation.

 

I didn't say modding a limited doll. I said if you modded a one of a kind sculpt. Single release, broke the mold after the one, no more, zilch, nada, entirely unique sort of thing. An artist head if you will, not something like an FCS where potentially another could be made. Not a nifty looking, limited that someone who took a similar head from the same company could mod to look just like it with enough patience (i.e. Woosoo, it can be done! Vampire elf Shushu... ). As easy as it can be to mod a head, if that unique head unto itself doesn't fit the bill couldn't another head be found? Splitting up, modding anything else. Sure. Go ahead. Have fun.

 

i dont like the idea of limited beings modded or split... but they arent mine and if that what makes the current owner happy then i am all for it.

 

I haven't read the last two pages so I mighta missed something but... just a small comment I hope I don't get killed for XD;.

Speaking from an artist POV and not the POV of an onlooker/judge of other peoples' choices:
As an artist, if I made a one-time-only-none-other-like-it-in-the-world headmold (or piece of art) for that matter, if I was sooooo worried about someone changing it, I just wouldn't sell it. Period. If I don't want someone to re-use my work and change it for their own purposes, I keep it to myself and never release it. And I'm sure with the talent that many professional doll sculptors possess, they do have quite a stunning personal gallery that they will not sell either . The works that I am most attached to and most proud of are just for me, cuz no one would understand it or appreciate it was well as I would. Basically, if I made something so special and sold it, I'd do it with the knowledge that it is possible that the new owner may change it in a hobby that deals largely with change and customization. When I used to sell my artwork to people, I accepted the fact that I was essentially letting them do whatever they wanted with it (aside from anything commercial) after I sold it to them.

Of course, for me personally xD I probably couldn't change a one-in-the-world head mold because chances are if I had it, I'd love it just the way it was anyways. But in no way would I get on anyone's case if they did something like that. To each his own, no need to raise blood pressure on things you have no control over, and no business with anyways .

 

Personally, I think that I would NEVER want to change a limited or one-off simply because they are so rare and HTF, I would be afraid of their being one less of that certain BJD style in the world. However, I think that if you purchased a doll, then you should have the creative freedom to personalize it the way you want without fear or persecution from others. Speaking for myself though, I wouldn't ever do something like that. To me, if you buy something that limited or a one-off, you're buying it because you like it the way it is, you don't buy it to change it...just my opinion.