This is the one! - How do you know?

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
Well after getting a few dolls that I just "settled" on and later sold, I've learned that the doll that I know is the right one, is one that continuously takes my breath away somehow even before and after awhile of owning them. And strangely enough I found that the dolls that I've gotten now that I love so much weren't my first choice..it's like...they grew on me before buying one. In general, the particular doll just continuously "call" to me and won't stop lol, regardless that I liked the sculpt at first or not.
With my girl, I didn't care for the DM lisa rubik sculpt at first since she looked childish at first until I saw a more mature face-up and owner pics and then I began to love the sculpt as I realized how versital she is. I waited awhile to be sure if she's the one and then dollmore first came out with those glamor bust bodies and I knew I just had to get that with the extra normal bust option and I was sooo lucky I did, although she took awhile to get to me (considering the features she had and I ordered the extra head to replace the leah cox one) she got the sanding service at no extra cost (they charge extra now) and I was able to get the normal bust too (now they aren't offering it separate) I later got more parts for her, but I felt she was somehow lucky for me and she photos beautifully I love her so much that I built her a home out a of a shelf lol
Caleb was like this as well until I saw owner pics. Then of course I had trouble choosing which IH EID guy to pic from so I dwindled it down over a long time. My best friend gave me half the cost for him so he also now has some sentimental value. I couldn't be more happier (although I've considered that should Iplehouse make the model bodies in the realskin, I'm very much considering a trade off for my current one, since his character is suppose to be taller than Ariana ^^; and they are now a touch close in height, though he's slightly taller.)

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
Kind of both base on characters and create character around them. With Ariana, I kind of made her character while waiting on her to get to me, once she got to me she refined a bit more. Caleb was created around Ariana and before I even decided which IH EID to choose, but I just knew their body type is what I'm looking for. Wigs and clothing don't exactly make my decision but it does give me ideas.

When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
Well in general I'm looking for a certain style of sculpts/styles, but when base on a premade character, I look for the ones that closely matches their looks.

Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
Hmmm, yes and no. Yes because the first two dolls that I sold because of lack of bonding was because I decided to just settle on them when there wasn't anything "better" for me or I found something that was more what I'm looking for. No, because the second doll I sold was actually close to what I wanted, just..not the face-sculpt. Liked the body and skin color (though I settle with normal skin instead of white now) but it was tough to create a look I truly wanted.

Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
If you mean keeping a character in a doll that I'm not bonding with, most certainly not. In general, they way I do it, is that each doll I've gotten has their own personalty/character...so..I guess they are doomed to that doll unless their storyline mentions something otherwise.

 

I never had my own characters to write about. Writing is my weakest skill even though I draw a lot and fairly good so, no, none of my dolls are based on characters. They became characters after I brought them home though.
How I knew they were the one? I didn't... I just make a lot of research I think, spend days on several websites, databases, see what other people did with the same mold. If it's a fairly new mold, it depends on how much I like the looks I think. That's what happened with Maki and Heliot, I simply fell in love with the company pictures.
I never had any bonding issues either...

 

She took me awhile to find.

I wanted so many more lovely and more expensive sculpts, so she was far from my first choice, but she is beautiful all the same.

The brand is very well made, and her name, in Chinese, means "Grace" which describes her perfectly. I could afford her, and I fell in love with her dainty little lips and her forget-me-not eyes!

 

I just tend to get this feeling of "OOOOOOOOOH!" and a character jumps into my head and won't leave. I just ordered my Maunier boy- a HUGE dream come true as he's been bouncing around in my head since I got into BJDs. In general, I don't have characters that I preplanned, although there are a few here and there. For the most part I fall in love with a sculpt, and I keep on looking at it and browsing it's database, and then the character starts to form and bit by bit I know whether or not it's for sure. And then I hit the order button!!! XD

 

When I bought my first doll, I was certain that I loved him completely!! I still do. It's been a few years, so it's hard to remember the exact feeling I had when I was still just looking at him online.

However! I do sometimes feel a little regretful about buying my AE Yara. She's cute and all, but I still haven't bonded with her. So, now I'm trying to figure out what I can do with her to make me like her more. Maybe she just needs a new look and some modding! We'll see.

And then...I fell in love. Twue Wuv!! I saw a Ninodoll Bada for the first time and it was like WHOA. I even get butterflies thinking about him XD;; Am I sad, or what? But really, that face...it's everything I want. He's even a bit dorky-looking, which I just find irresistable for some reason :B His character is developing rapidly in my mind, and I just can't wait until I finally have him within my grasp!! *evil cackle*

....It's luv, man

 

I've found someone beautiful. (Must have her) But just to make sure she's 'the one' I keep one of my browser tabs on her page at all times. I plan to save up about 800$ for my first doll (Though I think she's only 600). If I reach my goal and I still can't stop looking at her then I am certainly going to buy her! However, if another one steals my heart, I'll buy that one instead.

 

Well for me, i just looked around on all the companies sites and one out of almost every company just BOOOM pop out and say Mommy Mommy! Buy me Buy me!

With my AOD Rao, Willow, my dad bought her for Christmas for me, and he asked if i didnt like her, but there was a connection, and i couldnt let her out of my arms!!!
She dosent really have a character except a VERY bubbly personality, spunky in a way V.V annoying... lol just kidding!

As for my Shushu Paisley (She is being shipped today~!~ bought her second hand) well ever since i got into the hobby i have been in LOVE w/ Fairylands sculpts~
And well she just popped out and right when i saw her on Fairylands site i said ''Oh my! MUST HAVE!!!''
So once i figured out i wanted to spend ALL of my saved up money on a shushu (very very very angry family members that are not happy w/ me at all I havnt even told my gran i bought her because she is the one who hates me spending my money on $300.00 dolls!)
i looked on DoA and one popped out at me and said BUY MEEE!
And instantly i emailed the lady and said I WILL BUY HER!!!
So she is all paid up and on her way.
Paisley has sort of a character, i have more of a background on her then Willow 'cause i didnt know i was getting her, she is the Tomboy who likes Anime Manga Tim Burton Comicbooks Woods and keeping to herself.

Every one has there oppinions, and for me you just feel that connection w/ some dolls.
You will know when you found the right doll
Hope you get your first BJD soon, they may be alot of money, but its worth it!

 

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
I don't always, but I know I'm willing to try it if it will be a project that takes me in a new direction, or something I'm feeling passionate about when it's available. Of course I have to have the cash at the time as well. It's like waiting for the right conjunction of all these 'stars' to happen and that's when I know it's probably right. Nothing's guaranteed, however. There have been plenty of dolls I'm crazy about in pics, but they don't do it for me in 3D.

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, [or] do you buy them and base characters around them. (This is how I understand the question? The grammar's a bit confusing, here, sorry!) I can do either. I have a sort of loose collection of character types. Sometimes I find a doll that causes a new one to happen.

When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one? It's in the bone structure for me, lol, in general. Phrenology is very much alive and well in my world, haha. Okay not Phrenology literally, but it's kind of like that.

Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy? Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life? If I don't like the doll then it goes. I may try to like it or may not. It depends on the reason. Sometimes it's poor quality/high price, sometimes it's that bone structure thing. Sometimes I'll keep the doll anyway, if it's that wonderful/rare because I know it'd be difficult to replace even if it didn't work for what I had in mind.

Raven

 

There are different ways of me knowing. Sometimes I'll just like the mold. Sometimes I'll fall completely in love *Leekeworld Mihael - buying him tomorrow!!* and sometimes I'll see a doll and my overactive mind will start creating a character around it without me really meaning to. But the best is when I see the doll's picture and they start 'speaking' to me. The character is already that strong. It's only happened twice though, my imagination likes to wander. I bought my first doll for all the wrong reasons - it was the first BJD I'd ever seen and I thought it would make a fitting first doll. And she has. But we didn't bond very well and she barely ever speaks to me. She might liven up when her sister arrives though ^^

So I guess my advice (even though you weren't asking for any) is to buy a doll if you fall in love with it, for whatever reason that might be. That way at least you won't regret it!

 

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
I know as I see them and keep thinking about them and going back to them and then start to panic at the thought of losing them.

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
I buy them completely based on the mould and face up as those are the only things I personally can not change.

When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
It stops me in my tracks.

Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
Not so far

Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
I buy the doll then change the character to suit what I feel the doll should be using eyes, wigs, clothes etc.

 

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
my simple & clear answer has to be this: i just know. when i look at a doll and wonder if they'd fit the personality of one of my original character, 99% of the time i say "naw" even if they're really gorgeous/pretty. but the moment i find one and say "that's the one"? better believe i'm gonna save up for it!

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
i've always had a character in mind and then plan to give them a "body" via bjd. seems like they're more real to me in a physical sense that way.

When you're looking for a specific character, how you do decide if it's the right one?
like i said before, i just... kinda know, haha. there's this feeling i get where i absolutely MUST stick with one & that any other wouldn't suffice. it's a nice feeling, but not very healthy for my wallet.

Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
sort of. i don't regret the doll choice in general, i just frown that DoD changed the bodies to be more compliant to posing after i got my boy! i could always upgrade, sure, but i'm hella picky to even slight discoloring from the old mold to the new.

Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
at first i didn't think i could change my boy into anyone else, but a stronger muse came along and sort of latched to the doll & i caved and changed him. though i think this is just a temporary hold, tbh. ^^; up until i find a proper body, that is.

 

I first decided on the size and then was surfing through the internet for about a month until I found this doll that I just couldn't get out of my head. I did not plan on a character I just loved her little face. My boyfriend did not like her and said that another one was much more beautiful. And maybe the other doll is more beautiful to most of the people but I knew I would regret it if I did not order the doll that got stuck in my head first. She is not exactly what most of the people would consider perfect but she is to me. I think you will just know when you find a doll. You will think about him/her and you should not buy a doll that you don't really like.

 

I don't look for characters.. it's just when I see a doll that I can't look away from, that's how I know I want it~

I think I choose by body more than face. A doll has to have beautiful shapes, cool looking joints, etc. Face is important too, but I think I notice bodies first. I like the anatomy and mechanics of the dolls.

 

What about when you find more than one doll you're dead-set on? I've been planning on SD's to fill in for some OC's, but recently stumbled upon an MSD that doesn't fit anything I already have. I keep thinking of all the neat things I could make and do for her and the fact that maybe all I want a BJD for is to sew for it and dress it and paint it. SO, I'm thinking that the MSD could be something of a "starter doll" for me before I feel obligated to resinify characters(especially since they tend to come in pairs). Let's see how I feel in a few weeks....

 

i dunno. when i create a caracter i have a picture in my head. not 100% clear but i know stuff like: i want dreaming eyes, face not to feminin, smilling a bit : OMG cynical ryu is perfect!!
thats pretty much how it happens XD
OR i have no idea how his face should look so i look at a doll in every angle, yah the facial expression could work and its beautiful

 

I know its the right one when I keep going back over and over and over too look at a picture. My puki chuchu was sort of an unexpected one for me to fall for because I'd had my heart set on darjeeling, but she kinda won out in the end and I'm really really glad I chose her instead. My mnf on the way was the same. I just never get tired of looking at pics of Seorins, they're so pretty and I love pretty much everything about the sculpt.

 

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
you follow your gut feeling. I usually take about a week or so and I keep going back to the site and I see if I still feel the same about it. Of course, price has to be right too. :P

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
Like everything, it's mostly first impressions. But I don't want that EXACT doll. It has to suit me.


Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
Since I take my time, I don't. Wigs and clothes, I can always sell here on DoA.

Do you just work another character into it's place, or is your character 'stuck' inside of it and doomed to be in that resin prison for life?
They are me.

 

I'm also saving up for my first doll (good luck with your savings!) and I knew as soon as I saw Angelheim's Ciel the Knight that he was the one to be my first. I didn't really know what I was looking for-- I hadn't decided on a size/age/gender/price, and I didn't have a particular "character" in mind. However, as soon as I saw this doll, it's like his character developed in my head immediately. I fell in love with his round and slightly naive features, and I really liked the default face-up.

Just to be sure I'd stay interested in him, I left the picture up on my laptop for a week, while I was still looking at other BJDs around the forums, and on companies' websites. When I still admired him as much a week later as when I did the first time I saw him, I knew it was right

I'm the type to find the doll first and then develop the character, rather than the other way around. It's the same in my writing-- I may have a basic character outline to begin with, but they like to be stubborn and demand to be written in a certain way regardless of what I wanted

 

How do YOU know you've found the right doll?
Since I make character AFTER I get the doll, my choosing is all about 'like this mould' and 'dont like this mould'. I never jump to buy, I wait for month's untill I finally decide. I check doa and just google to look on this particular mould in different faceups and angles, I think really hard about how this doll will look beside dolls I already have, I think how I would want to drees him/her and do I have bucks for yet another doll? My first 3 dolls were choosen by me quite naturally, but my last one, Neville, was a tough choice. I really wanted a SD boy and I was looking for him for whole year untill I found Neville.

Do you base your dolls on characters or do you buy them because you like a certain wig or clothing that they're wearing, do you buy them and base characters around them?
When I was looking for my first SD boy, I had no character for him or even close idea about how he should look like. I just looked for a face I could fall in love with. I saw Drayton 2nd for the first time when it was released, in news thread. It was love from first sight, but still I waited for a long time untill I got him, because his eyes are closed and I wasnt sure I'll be able to be okay with that. So I waited. And looked at other boy mould. And waited. And waited. And waited. There was time I wanted to go buy him goddamn RIGHT NOW and other times I was not so sure. And finnaly after almost half of year passed, I realised that it was only one boy mould I had such a strong feelings about. So I got him, and I am 100% happy I did it, it's one of most beautifull dollie faces I ever seen.

Do you ever regret a specific style that you buy?
Nope. Because I have weak part of me, that wont be able to sell any doll I got even if it turned out to be ugly in reality, before I buy a doll I think really, really hard. And for now, all the dolls I got are even better than I expected

 

It's a weird feeling when I find the right doll. I often won't know until I can hold the doll in my hands. Some of my dolls have taken longer for me to love. Most of the time I get a good feeling about a particular mold. I almost never buy with a character in mind. I'll brows the Marketplace here or ebay and a doll will just jump out at me. Sometimes I will see a doll in person and know that I want to own one myself. This has also lead to me owing the exact doll later.

When I get a doll I have an idea of how I want them to look but since I don't have an established character I think it is easier for me to experiment with wigs and eyes.

I never regret buying a doll but I have fallen out of love with a particular doll. Sometimes I can never find the right look for a doll or they just don't fit with the rest of the family. That is when I put them up for sale with the hope that someone else will fall in love.