Should limiteds or oneoffs be modified or split into pieces?

FCS dolls, however, are made expressly for that one purchaser and would not have been created if that person had not placed the order. No one's artistic vision is being compromised if the person who placed the order is the one splitting it up.

I don't have much issue with removing faceups as they are a more temporary part of the doll, though if you want a standard doll and want to do your own faceup, why buy the one-off only to immediately wipe the faceup off? You could have gotten the standard and done the same thing while letting someone else get the one-off who liked it for the way it looked already.

 

True, but I think Volks imagines that they are making every person's dream doll exactly as they want it, not a doll with eyes, wig, hands, and feet the purchaser doesn't actually want but knows they can get more money for on the secondhand market... : /

 

I can't say that I see anything wrong with splitting up FCS dolls, or any reason why anyone should be upset about what someone does with their FCS. It's not like they're taking a doll away from someone else who wants it, and by getting FCS-only parts to sell later, they're helping people that may want those parts, but can't afford/doesn't want to order a complete FCS.

 

I think it doesn't upset people because in FCS you chose to buy the doll and it's the buyer's vision of what they want the doll to be. FCS are not always one-off a kind either. You choose parts and there's 4 types of faceup option offered. Normal or Urban makeup, No makeup and custom.

So two people could theoretically order the same doll options and urban makeup and they would then have the same doll.

FCS can end up being a one of a kind doll but it also can be more of an alacarte buying of doll parts to make a doll you like.


As Misa mentioned what makes a one-off is not just the faceup but the outfit as well.

As I mentioned before I don't think with one-offs it's a bad thing to redress this includes wigs and eye-changes. Wiping the faceup and moding the face is sad to see but again it's the owners doll.

Volks itself only recognizes the original owner of FCS, one-off dolls, and rei/sei tenshi gift dolls for servicing and repairs.

 

I always squirm when I see someone changing a limited/oneoff. However, I remember one instance when I commented on someone modded I-Ra and said 'she looks good but I'd have never done that to a limited', which the owner polietly replied 'but now she's exactly how I want her...I-Ra alone wasn't what I wanted'. So....although I wouldn't change a limited, I think those words are so honest and true - do what you like to make your doll perfect!!!!

 

Hmm personally I wouldn't if a doll is supposed to look like a particular character, or have a certain look to it, I'd want to keep it that way, if I was to buy it. I mean, changing eye colour or the wig or something is alright because it can always be changed back, but actually modding the face/body/etc isn't something I'd want to do because while it would change the doll into something more desireable for the owner, it'd be sort of ruining the doll it's supposed to be.

 

But the thing is; what's the doll supposed to be?
Once someone loves a doll, it is what it's supposed to be. Sometimes, a certain mold is almost exactly perfect for a character, and no other mold -modded or not- could fit that character.
Yes, the artists deserve an incredible amount of respect for their work, but the BJD hobby isn't about just collecting art - it's about loving dolls.
If a change helps a person love their doll more, I can't begrudge them that.

 

It looks like i'm not alone in seeing a huge difference between split-ups and mods to limiteds and one-offs. i have no problem with mods to limiteds (said the person with the Toppi boy, the Rock girl, and the St. Mina head on a CH body swiped from a limited Sia...). But i would never buy a one-off and seperate it from its accessories or mod it. i have been known to pass on limited sets i admire because i would want to change them, so waited for a less complete set or the basic doll. The limiteds i have modded came to me as incomplete sets in the first place.

But that's just me, i try to live and let live, and not judge others for pursuing their dream doll. A lot of this comes down to tension in the hobby between the collector side and the modification side. It's easy to criticize someone you think mucked up a great doll, but much more difficult to complete a character when only one head mold or resin match will do.

 

Could not agree more.

 

I have often wondered if there will come a day when every single CP sleeping vampire head has been modified and the original form of it won't exist anymore. I mean, I realize these dolls are intended to be personalized... but... it just seems sad that if somebody wanted the original version of something, they couldn't have it because everybody changed them. Sometimes I think people don't even consider the future when they modify things, but I suppose there's no reason to. But it seems foolish to assume that you're going to have a doll forever, I don't care what anybody says. You don't know what you'll want 20 years from now. I think it's kinda mean to the potential future owners of your doll when you carve into its face and make irreversible changes... it's one thing to just open eyes in a head, but it's another to change it completely and make it into something else...

I dunno... I just think of something like paintings being modified! Imagine if someone bought a Monet and thought it would look better a certain way, so they just repainted over parts of it. Sure it makes that person happier with it, but further down the road, future generations are going to shake their fists at that person who modified something so precious! :0 I guess I should just shut up because limited dolls are certainly not the same as original Monets 8D

 

lol, you're actually not the first person in the thread to make the comparison between dolls and fine paintings! It's a valid comparison, but IMO there's one major difference. When a painting hangs on a wall, in a home or museum, it fulfills the extent of its purpose and promise. A painting is created purely to be looked at and admired. Closer to our dolls, fine sculpture on a pedestal, is also created to be looked at. Bjds on the other hand, were created to be touched, posed, re-dressed, held, and even changed completely. The most basic foundation of the current bjd hobby, its roots, are customization. It's only as the hobby has evolved that full-set limiteds and the question of whether dolls should be altered have come up. Originally it was a given that these dolls would all be customized, as that was what they were made for.
I recently sold about 1/3 of my my little pony collection, which amounted to about 40 mlps, most of which I've had since childhood. I'll admit that there were moments that I wished I had played a little less with some of them, so that they would look better for selling. However, when I think of the joy they brought me 25 years ago, I wouldn't trade any of that to give someone else a perfect collectors item. That may be selfish, but there's no way to be sure that someone will want a certain collectible in 25+ years. If no one does, it seems a shame that the item wasn't even fully enjoyed when it was new.

 

Many people seem to agree that modding or splitting limited dollies is fine as long as the person splitting them up enjoys the outcome of their work.

It may sound funny, but I don't think there is too much to worry about in regards to having none of the original dolls left in their created form. There is always someone who buys a limited just because of the fact that it is a limited. They are the collectors, or even the business-savvy ones the purchase said doll with the full intention of keeping it intact. Either they get joy from having said doll in their possession, even if they do not play with it (as horrifying as that is!) or they enjoy the monetary gains they receive from selling said doll at a later date when demand has risen for it.

These two different types of people may seem almost an antithesis of what the dolls were created for in the first place, yet these same people are ensuring that these limiteds actually stay as they were originally planned. I don't necessarily agree with what they might be doing, but at the same time I can see just what they are doing for the dolls (and future doll owners, in some cases) themselves.

This in mind, I think people can mod limiteds to their heart's content. So long as they are happy with the outcome and aren't just doing such a thing to spite anyone else that might truly want that type of doll.

Now, in regards to one-offs? I really think those should be kept completely intact. It's funny to say after talking about loving and playing with dolls... But I really don't think they were meant to be handled as much as dolls a person may have worked on his or herself. They are like a painting, and while it may seem cruel and nasty to say such a thing, I think they might be treated as such. Dolls are a little like books: You have those you read religiously and then you have those special ones that are either so old or so rare you do nothing but look at them and enjoy the fact that you have them.

 

I don't think considering the future is something that bjd hobbyists are obligated or need to do. When I buy a doll, I buy it for myself, because I love it and will enjoy it. I do not buy dolls to please other people, especially future people that may or may not care for a particular doll anyway. If a person really thinks that there's a good chance that they're going to sell a doll, then to mod or not to mod is worth giving some extra thought to. But, if someone isn't planning on selling in the near future, then why worry about something that may never happen when that person should be enjoying their doll as they see fit.

Modding is *not* a personal slap in the face to other hobbyists--it is not mean, it is not selfish. It's a way that people can enjoy their beloved dolls even more. Expecting someone to keep a doll pristine, because you (general you--not any one in particular!) wanted it and didn't get it--that to me is a lot more selfish. It is frustrating to not be able to get the dolls we want, but that is part of life.

 

I have antique dolls to display and admire and which actually are too old and fragile to play with. There will always be collectors who are content to lock away their ABJD's and leave them in their pristine states, but I am not one. I bought them for fun, not as an investment. I would have preferred to buy a standard, nude doll of the mold I love best, but he simply was not available any other way except as a limited edition. I think it's great if people want to collect dolls only for display and it's also great if they want to play with them. It doesn't matter to me what other people do with their dolls as long as it gives them happiness.

 

*cut*

Thank you, this is what the hobby is truly about. Our personal happyness with the dolls we love.

It is unfortunate that some people feel sore at others for what they have done with their doll. I find that often this is rooted in jealousy, and jealousy isn't fun for anyone.

 

What you say is very true.
But I have to say the jealousy thing for me does not stand.
I just think about the people who thought the doll was perfect as a LE or One-Off, and were beaten to it by a person who wants to wipe the make up or mod the doll/art.
I would never scold someone for doing this, but like everyone else, I have the right to my opinion about the situation (thouigh I would never scream it out unless asked, like a thread like this! lol). But like I said before, once you buy it, you can smash it to pieces if you like, because it it yours! But that does not mean you will be immune to other peoples opinions.
No matter, it all boils down to personal opinion and how fast you can click the "buy" button.
Really, the whole character and extreme modding stuff if relativly new in the ABJD world. I remember back when it was pretty dolls that you'd simply name and dress!

About splitting, I am a "fullset" kinda gal, even if my kids dont use their default things much, I still keep it, but then again I am just odd like that.
I think One-Offs of OOAK dolls should be kept intact. LE dolls are a little different, since if you sell something, you can almost always find it elsewhere to buy back if you regret it or something.
*jen

 

This all reminds me of a case of some sort of tattooed Narae or Narin. I don't remember the exact sculpt, but it was limited to 5. The owner removed the tattoo sans outlines, and did her own (not so professional looking, but not that bad nonetheless) tattoo. She posted it in the critique forum, and people were OUTRAGED. They were literally flaming her, telling her she was a horrible person, that her work was grotesque and looked like it was done in crayon by a five year old. Whereas, if it had been the same tattoo on a not-limited doll, people would have helped her out to make it look better.

All-in-all, I believe you should do what YOU want with YOUR doll. And yes, people will be upset about it. People won't like it. But in the end, it's your decision. And who cares if some person on the internet doesn't like it? It makes YOU happy, and that's what matters most.

 

Since you're mentioning a tattooed Narae/Narin that does seem odd to do since a tatooed narae is nearly 3 times the price of a standard 60 cm narin/narae. That doll is definitely sold more as an art doll to be appreciated by bjd lovers who like tattoes.

I think it's two parts that cause the outrage the waste of money and the loss of the artwork. It comes down to it's her doll its her money but I can see people who wanted one but couldn't afford it can't help but comment especially if it's posted under critique forum.

In that case I think the owner may have wanted extra attention or to draw shock value.

 

well I think it's ok to split or modify a limited/fcs doll but if I ever would own an one off I don't think I would do that. In the end it's the choice of the owner because he can do to his doll what ever he/she wants.
If the head/body is a standard model of the one off why not try to buy the needed pieces and modify them?
Well that's my opinion because I never modified a doll and I don't want to try it in the near future. i am afraid of ruin her/him.

 

As I put in my post in this thread, this is the only kind of limited modding I say is to my mind wrong and technically quite selfish, only AreeElf and Pawpaw have explained it better using this comparison, primarily because there was no need at all for the person to have purchased a limited, they could have done the same thing on a basic model.

I happen to have a magazine that has a feature in it about the girl who designed and painted those dolls, it can take her a full week to complete one tattoo. Her first Narin in the Japanese irezumi tradition was actually exhibited in the Hellman Gallery in Chicago for its Western debut (according to the article).
Quote from the tattoo Narin artist Hea Yoon "I like to design drawings for the dolls, and I become very happy when I see the final product. Since it takes a lot of patience to draw complex designs on small dolls, it takes a lot of desire to complete them."
Those particular dolls were created as works of art, they were created to be collected as works of art. If I were Hea Yoon I would have been devastated to find out someone had done that and would have no doubt refused to ever do these dolls again.

Perhaps the person who modded it just didn't realise what they were actually doing and this is where the issue lies in this whole debate. Where does one draw the line between work of art limited and limited?!

Artistic, creative people as a whole are very sensative about these things. Our sensativity is part of what makes us tick, it's how we get inspiration, it's how we express ourselves in our work whether it's art, poetry, music, whatever. Each thing we create contains a part of ourselves so when we see that destroyed or criticised we take it to heart and we therefor feel the same about other people's work too. As these dolls were designed to be a blank canvas so to speak then each owner will feel very protective about their 'creation' as most will have put a huge part of themselves into each doll they have customised, but just remember that so have the people behind the creation of extremely artistically designed limiteds, from the person who designed the head, to the wigmaker, to the dressmaker, to the face-up artist.
This is why people will always be pretty torn opinion wise on this subject and no-one is 100% right or wrong we can only express our own feeling on the matter and judge by our own moral standards and perhaps instead of going for the jugular when someone severely mods a limited maybe a bit of diplomacy is in order as they may just have not realised the implications of their actions. Perhaps compliment the work they have done but then gently point out that they could have perhaps used a basic doll if that were the case. Regardless of your thoughts there is no need to be nasty or rude to anyone even if they themselves are.

As I have said before yes, it is your doll at the end of the day, yes they were designed to be customised those facts no-one can dispute or should dispute, all I think anyone is asking is for a bit of thought before purchasing a limited in order to mod it. Ask yourself is it really necessary to buy a limited to do the mods you had in mind and if the same things can be done on a basic model then perhaps leave the limited for someone who wants it for the way it is. If the limited is required, e.g. it has elf ears or different resin colour, etc, then go ahead if that is your dream doll after all that is the whole point of ABJDs!