Thoughts on shoulder joints?

I loooove them. I only have one doll with a shoulder joint, theyre a pain in the butt to pose, especially with clothes on, but oh my god its stunning and adds some really incredible range of motion- i definitely want more dolls with them.

 

I’m a big fan of them, you can get much more character and attitude to the poses. I have a Pasha mini and she’s always engaging those shoulders for poses.

 

I don't like the way they look, but the possibilities really impress me. I love how innovative they are. BJD artists are very creative and they constantly push the envelope on articulation. I really love seeing new things like this in the hobby and it makes me excited for the future.

 

I like them if they actually work as human shoulder muscles would. I own a few 1:6 action figures, most have shoulder joints (at least the male bodies do), which actually help in making them pose with rifles or other over the shoulder weapons, a lot more realistically -- or other extreme battle poses. I personally don't see shoulder joints as something I need in my BJD. Mostly because I don't own many characters that would use weapons, or need to be in fight stands/extreme-poses, and I mostly take nudes of my BJD (because I am a lazy bum and sewing is a pain in the gut for me). However, I think they are a good option if they work well, and kind of are in the way if they don't work and you want to take nude photos. I prefer aesthetics over posing abilities, so I rather not have them on any of my BJD and prefer them on other type of toys that are less about aesthetics and more about posing (like 1:6 figures are to me). (:

 

On the one hand, I like well-posing figures. On the other hand, I have seen at the beginning of me in the hobby a BJD which had as many joints as a human. The surface was absolutely shattered when these joints were engaged, and it simply looked not good. A lot like these schematics of human muscles at my doctor when the human skin is stripped off.

I have not many 1/6 scale action figures. But as I undressed one, he gave me a similar vibe. Maybe if the butterfly joint (for now, I call it that, as the joint at that spot is called like that on action figures) is designed well - i.e. balancing between aesthetics, stability and posability - I might get it, even at an additional cost.

Impldoll has also issued such a joint in a female body (I do not really understand why). It makes it very broad-shouldered. Maybe if I saw it in person, I could live with it. Or I would have no problem at all in a male, muscular body. But it needs to be smooth with the body (like with many leg mobility joints).

So I feel a lot so-so about more joints.

 

I think the best in-between is not taking complete nudes of dolls, like I do. I'm just lazy like nobody's business, so I like avoiding sewing clothes at any cost. Lol! DX

In a more serious note; do agree with you. It would be pretty cool to have a great posing doll body, with all the mobility possible in resin form, but also having the body looking aesthetically pleasing. I don't think that is possible with resin, unless you are in-love with super visible, in-your-face-joints -- which I don't mind to a certain degree. I think that's the reason why the 1:6 world is slowly but surely moving towards soft plastics for their bodies; they can have all sorts of joints everywhere, but still have a super slick looking body, with no visible joints whatsoever. I'm not a fan of that either, simply because I am a weirdo and don't like the look and feel of silicone. I much prefer hard-plastics (PVC, ABS, etc.) plastics for my 1:6 figures, unfortunately I don't think those are going to stay for much longer.

True-to-scale 1:3 weapons are probably going to be hard to find, or super expensive. I recall Dragon had a few sets of carded guns a some years back, which were pretty inexpensive, but I haven't seen any under $100 in recent years. Luckily, there are 3D printers nowadays, so having some custom made ones is probably the easier (not less expensive) way to go. I do own one floating head whose character uses weapons, but I don't have plans to get him a body -- he looks ridiculous on the borrowed one I use him on sometimes, so I don't need to get him any weapons (great thing there's always 1:6, for me to go back to rely on!). (:

 

They are strung normally. The difficulty is just in moving the multiple pieces as a whole. Its a bit fiddly and its hard to do with clothes. BUT! It trulu is the perfect balance of posing and aesthetics! It has a very natural range of motion, but looks very good when the doll is shirtless- no gapping or any sort of weirdness. Look up solar wind doll's Konstantin- vitzly.putzly on Instagram is the maker, the sculpting and range of motion on this doll is incredible, very graceful, but unlike any doll ive handled before!

 

Definitely not for me. I like interesting poses, but not if it breaks up the beauty of the body and not if clothing is likely to get caught in it. I like my girls to wear bras, halter tops and strappy shirts and dresses, and I think the joint would look bad and probably catch the clothing often.

For a doll who needs lots of posing capabilities and will be fully clothed at all times, it could be nice, but I personally wouldn’t buy it.

 

Yes, please! It's hard to get the balance between aethetics and posability though (but isn't that always the case with joints?). I like dolls that can pose naturally, and I don't care so much about nude photos. I'm usually fascinated by the construction of dolls, so jointing become part of the "art" of the sculpt.

 

I always wish my doll had shoulder joints! Static shoulders look really awkward when posed with the arms above the head.
I don't mind the appearance of extra joints.

 

This is very interesting, I didn't know bjds with such joints existed.
I find the idea cool of a doll being able to shrug. But thinking about it, I haven't missed that feature yet. It's probably also more difficult to pose and since I'm not used to posing yet, I guess it would be too much for a beginner like me.
I don't think that I'd buy such a body because of the aesthetics and the more difficult posing, but it's not a no-go for me either. If I wanted a doll which is only available with a shoulder joint - so be it.

 

I think the possibility is super impressive but I have never been a fan of the way they look. I can't tell if its because they look so delicate or if its because of the extra lines

 

I prefer to have them but only if they have a full range of movement (unlike the Impldoll MGB body). They really do add extra expression to poses.