Which do you prefer: Buying heads and bodies separate or complete dolls?

I prefer getting whole dolls, head and body from the same company, but I have found I am very specific with bodies. They need to have a certain shape and flexibility about them. A head I may like may not have a body I like, so I will just get the head, and a company may make a body I like so I will hybrid it. I currently have a Mystic Kids Evelyn head on a LoongSoul 3-part torso body and am much happier with it than the Mystic kids body.
But if I could find a company who I love both body and head I would definitely prefer it!

 

im a newbie so the thought of hybriding a doll is a tad scary... im worried about resin not matching, or the body looking strange with the head. so i think in general i will stick to buying complete dolls, with heads and bodies from the same company. it also just feels better to me if i get the head and body at the same time.
though i have bought an event head, im worried ill never be able to get a body for him... so i dont think ill do that very often!

 

As a collector, I prefer whole dolls, but I made an exceptions when I bought Athena's (my Iplehouse fantasy Grace) head because she didn't come with a body, and it's also a bit difficult to find her sculpt on the market.

 

I think personally I would like to hybrid my dolls, buying a head I like for a character I have in mind and a separate body that might come in a different shape or look than the one that might have been originally sold with the head I think gives me more chance of making my doll look a bit more individual, and I have a better chance of getting the body and facial features that I would like for my character :3 I also find collecting different parts of a doll and bringing them together kinda fun and exciting~

 

In the past I'd buy the whole doll. And I'd still rather do that I think, as long as the body is good. When I first got into the hobby my requirements were basically just cute face and affordable. It's become double jointed body, nice face and affordable. Getting all of those in a single doll is often pretty difficult.

So buying heads and saving for bodies or using existing bodies allows you to work on character before hand, and also makes sure I can get a body I like for the head in question.

So I guess it depends. Id rather buy them all at once, but there are a lot of circumstances i just can't, or wouldn't, and it hardly annoys or upsets me when it happens.

 

So, my question is do you prefer to purchase heads and bodies separately or full dolls and why?

I prefer to buy heads and bodies separately because I rarely like both the doll and the body from the same company, let alone that sold for the doll. I value poseability, and therefore want mobility thigh joints and hip joints, and I prefer my knee and elbow joints to be "floating" rather than a hidden peanut.

I usually end up dyeing both the head and the doll body anyway, so resin match isn't as important. (You can also blush or airbrush the head to match--which I did with my most recent mod: "Hermes.")

I guess, unless you love bodies/heads from the same company or sister companies (Dollzone/Doll Chateau or Dollshe/Dollstown, for example), you have to decide if the head/body is more important, or the resin color match.

 

I'd prefer complete dolls, save me the troubles of looking for matching parts from different companies. But if said doll is only available as heads only, and I really wanted it, then I have no choice, haven't I? I'd get the head and search the body for it...But it's not always easy as it involves a lot of searching and it may eventually cost more than a full doll or if you're lucky, it can be cheaper. It really depends. But as for my own experience, the only downside is that the waiting time is stretched even longer, but I'm not complaining because I know it's going to be worth it. ^_^

 

Straight from the start, I've aimed at buying full dolls and I still prefer this way of collecting.
There are many disadvantages in buying a head then a body, especially if you want them new.
First, you usually get a better price by buying a full doll. Secondly, different companies do not propose the same skin colours and the same neck sizes. Thirdly, the styles of the different companies come through their sculpts. This means that even if you succeed in finding the right colour body and the right neck size, you'll subconsciously be looking for the 'right' body because the aesthetics of the body and the head differ - well, this is my experience, anyway -.
By and large, I find it cheaper and less annoying to get a full doll.

 

I say, having the whole bjd is easier, but have acouple of hybrid's in my collection and recently, I put my FL Sienna head on my Mirodoll 60cm girl body with big bust, it worked wonderful, love her to bits. Also was hoping my new boy AS Jeremy would go on my Mirodoll 60cm Boy with thicker neck, but unfortunately does not fit, so I got to either mod the neck or but another head . I'm rather sad on that last one, I spent most of the year looking for the right head and body. If anyone has ideas for the body I have, please get in touch Merry Christmas

 

I prefer getting whole BJDs if I agree with both head and body. But I have an hybrid and I would have more if the character needs a different body for a certain head. It is sometimes difficult or stressful to find the perfect match (I have bought 3 different bodies for a head till I found the perfect one) but when you find it, it's magical.

 

I feel more comfortable buying full dolls, mostly because I feel guilty if I have just a floating head lurking around. I got a guy right now that I bought from a friend that is just...sitting there all sad in my craft room.
I do think I messed up a bit in my last doll. His body is so beefy and his head is proportionately small so...maybe in the future I'll have to see if I can get separate bodies.

 

As I'm just starting out, whole bodies are easier but there are a few heads by themselves that I really like and would have no problem buying separately to just get them and then worry about finding a good fit of a body for them.

 

I only have one doll at the moment and she came as a full doll. Seeing as I have no other experience with bodies, I think for beginners, it would be better to buy a whole doll, since from what I've gathered reading through the forums, hybrid takes some time to master (resin matching, etc.). Also, as a newbie, I'd like to decide for myself if I like a body or not.

 

Buying full dolls is much more convenient - but I find that I'm very picky and I like being able to find the perfect parts for what I have in mind. However, making a hybrid requires a lot of research. It can be tedious. Despite that, I might still prefer to buy in parts. I don't want to buy a full doll and start to dislike it just because I'm not happy with the parts.

 

It looks like I prefer to buy them seperately

Doing it this way makes buying a doll more affordable, you can spend time working on just the head until the body arrives. It prolongs the excitement of waiting too, lol --Which is one of the best parts. And double the box opening joy.
And you can make sure the body is exactly what you want too.
I have three dolls I've put together in this way, one in the works, and another one I'm planning on and I feel like I have a greater enjoyment of those dolls.

 

I...like to do both, in a...complicated way, I guess you could say.

There are times where the head really suits the body, and so I get them together. On some occasions I've liked/needed both head and body, but for different characters. In those cases, the head and body get swapped to be hybrided with another head/body. Other times I just like to straight up get just the head or body separate.
It's all based on what options are available, and what specifically works for the character I'm working with at the time

 

I have to say that I prefer buying full dolls; it's just a really good feeling when you open up a box and there's a doll in there ready to go. Not to mention it's always nice to not have to fret over resin matching (if that's something that tends to bother you a lot). However, that said, the next doll I'm buying for myself in a few days is going to be a hybrid. I fell in love with this Dikadoll head but I just don't like the bodies that they come with at all so the plan is to get her head and buy a Myou Doll body for her. She's going to be my second doll and my first hybrid

 

Complete dolls are more convenient for me xD
Hybrids can actually save you a lot of money, but since I live quite far from where these companies are based, buying a head and a body from different companies will just mean more expensive shipping cost Dx

 

I tend towards hybrids with human dolls due a couple of reasons.

First is the curse of tiny British housing meaning I simply don't have much room to have more than a couple of dolls out and I don't have storage space for extra bodies/dolls etc. I'm also renting so that mean moving regularly so I have to keep the amount of possessions down as it's a pain to have to move a load of stuff everytime.

Second is that i'm very picky about the possibility of the bodies so i'd rather have a couple of really good bodies and use those. As most of my characters tend to have full outfits/costumes, most of the body is covered so the aesthetics of the body isn't that important.

Third is cost, it's usually much cheaper to buy a head than a full doll. And finally I like the flexibility of being able to change the character with a head change as I need plenty of variety to keep me interested in something.

Of course there are the usual disadvantages of resin/proportions mismatches and some companies don't sell heads separately; which is a pain when I see a head sculpt I really like but don't want to have to buy the body as well.

With anthro dolls I tend towards getting the complete doll as the overall aesthetics are more important than with generic human shaped dolls (also anthro dolls tend to be sold as full dolls and far less easy to hybrid etc) XD

 

I like getting full dolls since I'm not a very big fan of hybriding due to resin color difference. But there are times when I have no other option but to buy the body and the head separately, like when the company only sells heads and they don't offer any bodies to go with them. There are also times where I choose not to get the body from the same company. That only happens when the body is not readily available and it's too expensive second hand and I know for sure that there are other companies that would match the resin color.