Volks Dollfie ICON

I rather liked the more muted colors of the first prototypes we saw back at LA Dolpa 3. The colors with the way the dolls were done up looked very ethereal to me. Perhaps they'll bring those colors back later. But, I'm glad they have tan.

 

Wow, it’s so cool to see release photos of the Dollfie Icon, since their initial debut at LA Dolpa in 2017. They are really stunning, and the skin tones are so fantastic and bold! For those considering entering the lottery for one of these beauties, I wish you luck! I think I’m drawn to Serra the most. Not sure why? Perhaps her tone is more ethereal like the first prototype’s. I do think the fantasy colors are gorgeous!

I can’t wait to see them in person. I should be safe from these girls though since I have 2 DD pre-orders coming at the end of fall or winter. After seeing the icons though, I am even more excited for them since they also share a similar head sculpt aesthetic to an SD rather then a DD.

 

That's what I've been thinking when I saw the joints! It's cool, but maybe not as cool to the people paying $750 for them apparently

 

Oh, I love the idea of this type of head on a vinyl doll! Love the tan skin, too. I doubt I'll be buying as I don't care for the different color joints, but I'm really interested in where they go from here.

 

I appreciate the more vibrant colors, personally. If a sculpt I like comes out in that purple/lilac tone, I might have to look into finding someone to help me get one. But I'd also love to see a bright sky blue at some point.

 

Thank you for sharing your photos The Peakswoods looks is definitely in the lips and nose, the pout-y small chins.

I must say I am a bit disappointed now that I think about it. I WANT to like them and I hope a lot of the issues get resolved and the line is successful, because in theory it is a great idea to market the modern aesthetic, but at this point this is the reality. Joints are a huge distraction, the eyes are unsettling and may not be positioned well (giving them the thousand yard stare, whether or not this is an issue with the sculpt or eye putty adjustment), and there are no modifications to the body structure itself that would make this doll really pop as a "different line of dolls". It just feels sloppy and not at all what I have come to expect of Volks.

Someone mentioned they're competing with SmartDoll, which is an excellent point. They are. SmartDoll is quickly spearheading the vinyl fashion doll market and no one can deny it. They're an amazing company with a great attention to detail- but a LOT smaller than Volks, and yet they would never unveil unfinished (if that's the case) products. They're also constantly innovating new ways to integrate their dolls with today's trends and technology, whether its a piece of clothing or a new way to pose them etc. So far, the Icon line's main selling point seems to be through the different fantasy colors only, but with those joints, its not really selling it.

It sounds a bit harsh, I know, and its still early to judge, but we shall see.

 

amid all the bashing about the mis-matched joint colors, i gotta throw out there that the injection molding process makes it very difficult and expensive to change/experiment with colors. vinyl and resin colors are easy to change because the casting has a lot more human touch involved, but making abs parts for the frame is a whole different ballgame.

from what i can tell this project was started by volks usa which is not as large or influential as the parent company in japan. they have most likely reached a point in the production process where they need to fully gauge interest before being able to take those final (and super expensive) steps. so here we are at what might be the big sink or swim moment for icon: will they sell out at la dolpa? or not?

if it does well in this first release, i expect we will see more of dollfie icon, more small releases, more head molds, and eventually (maybe) matching joints. if it does not, then that might be it. i can’t lie to yall or myself and say that i like the mis-colored joints, or even that i feel neutral about them, but i do really like the direction icon is going, and want very badly to see it continue.

if i manage to win one at dolpa she is gonna be wearing a lot of long sleeves. or arm socks. or somethin. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

@c4tbus I'm fully aware that changing skeleton colors is a much more difficult process than vinyl or resin. From the pics and all, I've got the feeling that they didn't bother simply because the new colors are all pearlescent, so even color-"matched" skeletons wouldn't have that (or at least, I've never seen hard plastic pull that off well). But to be plain, at the price Volks is asking, and from their usual quality standpoint, it's just inexcusable. I too would love to see more of Volks in the fantasy realm, but that doesn't mean they should have halfsies releases just to "gauge interest". Let's say that you're right, and that if they're real popular Volks moves ahead and gets matching skeletons done. What happens to those original owners? Does Volks offer them skeletons - for free or at a price? Are the new dolls even more expensive?

tl;dr Volks is a high-end company with high-end prices so we have high-end expectations. This feels sloppy, is all.

 

@ekala I agree with you. If they were trying to gauge interest in the line, maybe they could have just started out with the pale skin tone doll that already has the matching joints to see if the idea of a DD/SD hybrid pans out? And if that proves popular, then they could branch out to other skin tones (with matching joints) after they know there is a market for the doll design.

Even if the joints aren’t a 100% match with the vinyl, they could have made it close. If the joints were a little different from the vinyl, I don’t think people would be bothered. It’s only because they aren’t even trying to color match that people are complaining.

 

@ekala that is super valid. they are very expensive dolls and this unfinished quality is definitely not the standard that people have come to expect from a company like volks.

i think that it’s because of volks’ high quality standards that the sloppiness of the release screams compromise in an effort to keep the project going. if they had the resources to develop new colors of frames i’m sure that they would have. it just feels like a situation with no ideal outcome. they could have just released the petal skintone, but then risked coming under fire for not releasing the fantasy colors originally promised.

the future of icon is a huge unknown right now, and it is definitely shocking to see a doll with so much potential be released in this state. i am very eager to see them at dolpa, and really just want to see them do well enough to not have the plug pulled.

 

I don't think it's the coloring process that's necessarily the problem though. I believe Volks has made pre-colored ABS plastic model kits for Five Star Stories. So, I think they have the resources to do it.

Anyway, we have yet to get clear confirmation from Volks, so I'll wait and see.

 

@Cloudedmind that is a really good point! it is easy to forget that volks was a model company to begin with, since the dolls seem to get the most attention.

 

That slipped my mind too. They have a large part of their company focused on plastic models. In fact, that's their specialty, they started with model kits! I don't know if they've switched to resin now, but either way, its still inexcusable. If you can't follow through a solid product plan, then don't release it at all.

That's it? Sorry but this sounds like they're just testing the waters and then covering it up with an excuse. This is lazy. Colored inner frames can be produced, people can wait longer if that's what it takes, and spare parts can be ordered. Their DD preorders already take months of waiting. They can always have limited runs of new colors if that's an easier option for spare parts availability in the future. There is so much that they could've done. If this line ends up being a success by some miracle, they definitely will release them in the matching colors, but it would just prove that they were just feeling the market initially, which is not a very nice thing for the customers.

Thank you @Arekushia for sharing their reply with us!

 

Thanks for posting the official response! That’s an odd rationale for the contrasting joints It’s such a shame too because if the comments on this thread are any indication, the joints could be a major sticking point with customers. And I feel bad complaining because it was so cool that Volks designed a line of dolls specifically for the western market, but it does seem like they cut corners on the execution.

 

An I the only one who’s actually starting to like the look of the odd-colored joints? I think it’s actually growing on me!

 

@RamenDoodles Me too! Yes it looks odd, but I also find it endearing for some reason.
Wouldn't it be funny if this is the only release with odd-colored joints, and it becomes of interest to collectors later? Like misprinted stamps. Of course, the errors on misprinted stamps are usually not so glaringly obvious. . . .

 

I am starting to like the joints too, especially on Clover. I’ll have to see them IRL to finally decide.

 

Does anyone remember Narae being offered with colored joints? It was a choice that people wanted after seeing the new girl at that time displayed to emphasize her poseability.
When I saw Icon, I figured it was a design aesthetic. For me, it would be more appealing if each body color joint was on another color; green on white, purple on tan, etc. It would at least show artistic intent.

 

I remember this quite well. Bimong offered it for those interested, and even dubbed the name 'Cyborg skin'. That and the tiny line Unoa Lites were also offered with coloured joints, but the reasoning behind that was to make it easier for folks to blush the parts to match without having to worry about the paint chipping from the joints- since they're coloured through and through. Here's the thread for those interested to see an example, just scroll down.

There's a difference between offering mismatched joints as an option, and mismatched joints as an excuse for cutting corners. I agree with @petiteballerine 's point. If they had offered completely contrasting colors like purple on tan for example, it would be an artistic decision and I could appreciate it. But this just screams 'its hard to produce frames in all these different colors, so we'll just keep it in normal skin'.