vinyl vs resin

Since this entire forum is based on resin dolls, this might not be the right place to ask this question.

 

I've found other threads speaking about vinyl dolls. I think I can make this question here.

 

There are certain grandfathered dolls made of vinyl that are allowed on Den of Angels; these dolls are Dollfie Dream lines, (Dollfie Dream, Dollfie Dream Dynamite, Dollfie Dream Sister and Mini Dollfie Dream) and Obitsu 60, Obitsu 50 and Obitsu 40 dolls. If you have a vinyl doll who isn't either a Dollfie Dream or Obitsu 60, 50 or 40 it is off-topic.

I do have some clothing lined in white for my Dollfie Dream to avoid staining, but I've also left her standing in a pair of unlined black leggings and there's been no stains. I think if you're careful and wash dark clothing to remove any loose dye you should minimise the risk of staining by quite a bit. I find that it's a good habit to change doll clothes frequently so that any dark colours don't stay on the resin or vinyl for long periods of time.

 

O yea, you are allowed to ask the question, only this forum is dedicated to resin, with very, very few vinyl on topic dolls. So the people on this site might be prejudiced against vinyl.

 

Do you know why this prejudice against vinyl?

Thank you very much! I also try to change clothes often, so they don't get stained. But sometimes they get, and I don't really know how.

 

I own mostly resin, with 2 (off topic, so I won't name them here) vinyl dolls. And all in all, the resin stains less, and is 'sturdier' in a lot of ways. Bu with resin, broken fingers, elf ears, basically any part that's thin, can happen if the doll is dropped, or falls. With my vinyls, I've noticed that there's enough give in the SOFT vinyl that that is less likely to happen. I don't currently own any hard vinyl to compare to on that end.

 

Very useful comment. Thanks!

 

So far, the bulk of my collection is vinyl. Volks DDs in particular. But I do have a couple of resins as well. For me, the big decider is the aesthetics of the particular doll. I like the anime type style of the Dollfie Dreams, so I tend to buy them more. But I also love the resin ones that I have.

As far as the actual materials, it's a trade-off. Vinyl is nearly indestructible. If Zoe (my first DD) had been resin, she would have been in pieces by now due to all the spills she's taken. I remember one of my first panic attacks. I had her standing on my desk. I went away for a few minutes to do something or the other and I hear a crash from there. I come back in and she had fallen, face-first off the desk, smashed her face into the arm of the chair, then fallen to the floor. She had a slight rub mark of color transfer on her face from the arm of the chair which wiped off, but otherwise was good. On the other hand (literally), I was changing hands on Phyla (B&G Milaya Windhunter) which is resin and dropped the hand. It hit the floor and snapped off a finger. I was able to superglue it back so it's not noticeable, but I can just imagine if she'd taken a header like Zoe did. Point to vinyl.

Vinyl, however, can stain horribly. About half of my girls have minor stains (some so minor that you'd have to look for them to find them) and it does influence what you put on them. Outfits that I can put permanently on my resins don't stay on my vinyls much more than for photos. Plus, it can transfer from other objects such as accessories, etc. Saber was sitting on a wooden chair for a day or so. When I picked her up, the chair started to lift up with her for a second. The lacquer on it had transfer to the bare portion of her legs. Point to resin.

This isn't directly related to the material, but the DDs (and Obitsus, etc.) have internal skeletons and pose amazingly well. The resins, being strung, aren't as generally pose-able. This, is counter-balanced by the skeletons being able to break/wear out and cost a lot more than to restring a resin.

 

It's a bit like going to a dog show and asking "dogs or cats?"

For me: Resin can be modded, sanded, carved and added to with apoxy/epoxy

Earlier discussion about this topic:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?431276-Why-Resin/page2&highlight=vinyl+resin

 

Many vinyl owners say that because its lighter the dolls pose better. I perfer resin because of the texture, it doesn't feel as plastic to me.

 

Forgot to mention it takes bodily warmth very well, if you hold the doll against your body it will feel as warmblooded as you.

 

Personally I like both very much. I love how well my Obitsu poses due to her internal skeleton, but she's broken three elbows already. Also I keep her in white so she doesn't stain horribly.

Now my resin crew is very lovely to look at but they are heavy and technically more fragile. And then there's always the worry about yellowing.

The other day my Obitsu took a tumble and fell off a table, falling face first and dropping her head. Nothing happened otherwise, I popped her head back on and that was that. Now I know better than to leave her standing around strange dolls she doesn't like.

 

I have one obitsu (she a 40cm) and l love her to bits. I love that fact that if a part brakes you can get a new one also she is so light. She wears a body suit so she will not get stained as well.

 

A third option is combining resin and vinyl. One of my 1/6 dolls (so, offtopic here) has an obitsu body with a "Biki" resin head from Glib, which I have modded extensively. I have heard of other people making hybrids of DDs or bigger obitsus with regular resin bjd heads, but I'm not knowledgeable about what matches with what.

OTOH, Hujoo has a 1/4 ball-jointed and stringed ABS/plastic doll that would be interesting, too, but of course it is also offtopic for this board.

 

Unlike others will lead you to believe, there are several vinyl fans on this forum and if you search for the grandfathered dolls (Obitsu and Dollfie Dream) you should find some great threads.

I have one 60cm resin and more 50-60cm vinyls (Dollfie Dream and Obitsus) than you can shake a stick at (Southern US expression ). As much as I love my Toph (CH Ai Choa), she doesn't get very much playtime. She won't hold a pose, she is very heavy and is cold and actually she has picked up staining (and has yellowed).

My vinyls do have substance and they warm to the touch. I do keep most of mine in bodystockings if they are going to wear darker colors to prevent staining, but that is just sensible.

The Dollfie Dreams are far from "cheap" dolls. I have never seen such beautiful body sculpting and detailing on dolls. They even have beautiful hands and feet.

The Obitsus have lovely head sculpts if you don't like anime styles. Gretel was sculpted by Rainman. Obitsu has the widest range of body sizes of any doll maker I know of, though with the Dynamite body and the DDS body..Dollfie Dreams have a little something for everyone now as well, if you just want girls (no male DDs).

Obitsu also makes it very easy to replace parts (both internal and external) if there is a problem. Volks is getting better, but you still have to go to the secondary market for parts if there is a break for most bodies.

As far as modding and sculpting, you can do that with vinyl as well. I am having one done right now.

You can also hybrid vinyl/resin as some have spoken about above, as well as hybriding Obitsu and DD heads and bodies.

The possibilities are endless, but vinyl is not of any lesser quality nor is it cheap. At the end of the day, plastic is plastic - whether it is vinyl or resin. It is all up to the individual collector as to what he or she prefers or wants out of a doll. Variety is the spice of life and things would be boring if we all liked the same thing. We should be respectful to what each other loves, even if it is not our cup of tea.

I love all of mine. I would trade Toph for the world and would consider possibly one other resin (I have a certain one in mind - and even the LE is 'cheaper' in price than any of my DDs and she is Dollmore!). But for the most part, my collection will remain vinyl. It is just how I roll. I buy what I like. I don't buy just what is popular. My collection is only for myself.

 

Unfortunately, this is the original reason I left DoA a number of years ago.

However, I love my Obitsu girl. For a few years, she had a plain painted head, but when the SHEBA head was put out, I knew it was perfect for her. I kind of went ga-ga for it.

I found the vinyl a little harder to do face-ups on, because I like to work with pencil and chalk pastel. That's where MANY layers of MSC is helpful to grab the pigment (The head should be sealed before work anyway, I know!) However, the vinyl was easier to paint.

What I really love? She's light, and easy to carry around all day. She holds poses really well, and stands securely (especially on metal surfaces.) Her knees don't kick or somehow magically turn backwards. She's sturdy and not as fragile - I've knocked her around a bit in her life.

She's not perfect. She has her issues. What I don't like? She can be stiff, and doesn't really "relax" in my arms. Shoes are iffy - some block the magnet's strength, some don't. Sometimes she creaks when I manipulate her. Pulling her apart for tightening can be a pain (but then again... it's kind of a pain for my resin girl too.) And she does stain. That's mildly irritating, but I will say that my resin doll gets more streaks and stains than my vinyl does - they're just easier to remove.

The notion that you can't work with vinyl is largely untrue - you can sand and shape and use sculpting materials. I also would say that she warms up just as much as my resin girl does. They both have a nice feel. I would agree that the look of the plastic is different - the resin diffuses light differently, looking a little more translucent (I think,) than the vinyl, but they both look skin-like. I like my Obitsu's skin tone better than my resin girl.

 

You are right. My dolls have Obitsu bodies. They get stained for any reason. But they seem to be very resistant. I just had a problem with the inner parts of one arm, which are maden of resin, and broke out after using Mr. Color Thinner.
Anyway, your comment makes me feel good for having resin dolls. Thank you very much.

 

That's very interesting. But some soft part maden of vinyl seem somewhat warm. I have not a resin doll, so I can not compare...

 

I want to thank you all for your comments. They have been very useful for me. And I see there is more people who also loves vinyl. I was thinking about levaing the forum if it was only for resin dolls. But I'm happy yo see that vinyl has also some place here, and that we can share our experiences. Thanks truly!

 

Check out these threads for a start:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...-Discussion-Part-Six!&highlight=Dollfie+Dream

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/s...cussion-(60cm-50cm-and-40cm)&highlight=OBITSU

I like both resin and vinyl, for different reasons. I like the looks of resin better, but I love the light weight and posability of my vinyls. Whenever I take an Obitsu to a doll meetup, she's the doll that gets played with by everyone there.