Volks Dollfie Dream Mini discussion part 1

My first ever bjd was a ddh-01 put on a ddp body who I named Wyvern. I had her since 2018 and I will never get rid of her. I love her so much for helping to really narrow done my bjd collecting interests and always giving me a fun companion that I can that to the American Girl Store. She can wear some of the wellie wishers clothes lmao.

 

Oh my god she looks amazing. Like genuinely just as good if not better than the version Volks would make.

Your doll looks adorable and it's nice to know some clothes can find from AG! I was looking at AG furniture for possible ideas lmao...

 

Yes I have tons of pics of Wyvern at the AG store. Her size is just perfectly in scale with all their products they sell. Wish it was easier to insert pics on here without making a Flickr account. Be sure to take your dollie to the cafe so she can get a free mug for dining. Plus buy her one of their table attachment seats so she can always go out to eat dining with you.

 

hello hello! I have a question for the DD people as I haven't been able to find satisfactory help through Google or through searching DoA.

I just bought an MDD secondhand at a con. I am pretty sure her head is DDH-22 (seller wasn't sure of the sculpt, but thought it was a newer one, and said she had bought her on Y!J) and she's on a MDD Mochi Ashi body. despite the fact that I already own a DDS and an MDD, I've never attempted to swap their heads around, and I always assumed all of the DD bodies and heads had the same neck circumference... I always see it advised that DD heads work fine with MDD bodies, and the neck size difference is put simply a visual/aesthetic issue that some may not like. buuut my new girl has an absolute bobble head, because her neck hole is bigger than the MDD neck, it doesn't have any friction and just wobbles around. The seller suggested using eye putty to keep it from wobbling, which has helped, but I want a more permanent solution. The putty slides around when I pose her head, meaning I have to adjust it to keep it where it needs to be. It's just frustrating. may be worth mentioning that the body overall seems a bit loose, especially the arms/shoulders, so that could be part of the issue... I haven't personally tightened a DD body before but I might need to start with her. anyway, has anyone else had this neck issue, and if so, what have you done to fix it? thank you in advance!!

 

@TheBodyVolcanic I've not had much trouble with this except when my MDD was wearing a really long/heavy wig. In those cases, I use a small binder clip on the head post to help stabilize the head. You could also try swapping the head post with a third party option, there are some metal or 3D printed parts that are slightly larger.
If the body is one of the newer 2.0 types and has a more narrow head post, Volks sells O-rings you can add to the neck for stabilization.

 

Ah thank you so much! Yeah, I'm not sure why it's so pronounced, but it may be because the body is newer? I'll look into the o-rings, I had thought there was some kind of piece like that that they sold but I wasn't sure what it was called

 

I ordered a set of the O-rings for DD from Volks and am now using a combo of three of those + a silicone kip joint to improve my MDD's head stability! it's not perfect, but MUCH better, and no more messy putty. here is a picture of her for tax
(PS bear with me if the image is broken at first... trying a new image host, so I may need to edit the URL
PSS... I think I got it)

 

I've been heavily considering ordering myself a mini dollfie dream, as I'm really curious about vinyl versus resin, particularly for taking out and about for photos and the ease of stuff like changing hands (and Volks makes some really cute clothes). So I'm curious to hear thoughts on how they compare to resin from a resin-focused site. How bad is the staining, actually? How sturdy is the interior skeleton? Do you find shopping for them easier due to the standardized body size?

 

@Cryptid, Volks' pricy zip-back bodysuits are worth it; for me, anyway it takes away most of the worry about garment staining.

 

Has anyone found a close resin match to DD normal /flesh?
Beside Vings and Shoushou I always only see resin companies doing the DD semi white color.
I would love some body options for dollfie heads.

 

I really want a ddh-10 but I can't decide if I want to commission an artist to paint and modify her or if I should buy a head from Y!J, tan season for dream choice is coming next month so debating on getting a tan mdd as well

 

I have 2 MDDs and a DDS, the first of which I got in 2020, so I have had them for around 5 years! I started collecting resins first, so I have both, and I love both for different reasons.

Best things about vinyl dolls, in my opinion:

-WAY lighter, so easier to take to meets, travel with etc.
-durable/harder to break
-hold poses more easily/sturdily
-ease of maintenance/changing out parts

Taking them apart fully can still be a pain, but I prefer it to restringing.

Regarding the staining... I know that vinyl is generally easier to stain than resin, but personally, I haven't had issues with it. My DDS wears the sheer stocking-like bodysuit from Volks, which covers most of her body, but not her neck or arms. The bodysuits with sleeves and turtlenecks cover more, but I don't love them aesthetically. My MDDs currently aren't wearing any bodysuits, but I dress them in mostly lighter-colored clothing, and I haven't had a problem. It's not too hard to avoid staining as long as you either use a bodysuit or light-ish colored clothing. Wig color might be a consideration too - I don't have any very dark wigs on my DDs, and I'm not sure if they would stain, but I believe Volks also makes fabric caps to protect their heads.

I believe the internal skeleton thing depends on which generation of DD you get. For example, I have heard of certain common issues with older generations of DD bodies, like specific parts being prone to crack. I personally only own the newer ones - my DDS body is from 2020, and MDD Mochi Ashi body from like 2021 or so (my other, secondhand MDD is also on a Mochi Ashi body so I know her body and frame can't be very old either), so I do not have experience with the older bodies. In the 5 years I have had my oldest DD she hasn't had any issues with her skeleton. I haven't tightened her either.

The one issue I HAVE encountered is with the MDD Mochi Ashi body. Both of the ones I have have had problems with their thigh joints becoming loose. It freaked me out at first, because my first one's legs just fully fell off BUT it was easy to fix once I looked it up. It really is just a matter of putting them back on in the correct way, they kind of "snap" into place, is the best way I can described it. Volks has a very helpful photo guide on their Japanese Dollfie website for taking apart and putting together DD bodies! I also used that to tighten my secondhand MDD, who came to me quite loose, with the same thigh issue as my first one as well as loose shoulder and wrist joints. Tightening is just a matter of taking the doll apart and tightening the small screws in the skeleton. The hardest part is that some of the openings in the vinyl pieces are tight, so shimmying the skeleton pieces out can be annoying, but heating them a little with a hair dryer helps to make them more flexible.

As for finding clothes, it's comparable to shopping for resin dolls in standard sizes. I don't find it easier or harder, my resin and vinyl dolls share clothes. DD and SD can usually wear the same clothes, but DDs are a bit skinnier and curvier than Volks SDs; MDDs likewise wear MSD clothes, but are a little more petite than Volks MSDs. The Mochi Ashi body can be slightly harder to dress because of the thick thighs and calves, but they can still wear most MDD skirts as long as they are either stretchy or open up enough to get them over the Mochi Ashi thighs.

I hope this helps!!

 

That's a really in-depth rundown, thank you! Hearing someone's experiences over several years is interesting.

 

@Cryptid I have lots of resin dolls and some vinyl dolls. I really think that the vinyl dolls are much easier to take places. They are much lighter and for the most part, pose much easier. I have an MDD on a regular body and one on a mochi body. I also a a DDdy (and a very popular brand of off topic dolls). I find once you get used to taking them apart and putting them back together and tightening them up, it is not so scary when they get loose and that doesn't happen that much. I love my resin dolls but my vinyl dolls are very fun to do stuff with. I would not give up either one!