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

I do prefer bringing home a doll complete, and always take the opportunity to do so whenever I can. When I bought my Ryu head, though, he wasn't available with a body, so I had to get one separately. If I were to do it again, though, I think I'd save up enough to order both a head and body all at once, and order them simultaneously so they would show up around the same time, and it'd be more like they had been purchased as a whole.​

 

I prefer to get them whole but sometimes it is easier to get separate parts or do hybrids =D

It really depends on the doll, what is available and the cost too ^^

 

Just as a personal opinion, I prefer complete dolls. I have realized that when it comes to buying the heads first, I get really lazy with saving up for the body for some reason. I have 2 floating heads right now and I have no idea when on earth either will be getting their own body (one is currently sharing another doll's body that isn't even a good resin match). I just find for me, it's easier to get it all at once that way I don't have a reason to procrastinate on it. That doesn't mean though, that there aren't plenty of heads that I still want and look at (and probably will have quite a few more along the way!), I just prefer the complete.

 

I prefer buying the complete doll. Almost all my dolls have been bought completely. I don't feel enough sure about resins to match them, yet....

 

I have to buy the dolls complete. I don't know why... I do not like to put heads from other companies with different bodies. I don't care when other people do obviously, but it confuses me too much. So I have fewer dolls since I am picky - I have to like the body and the head.

I am glad I did with my MiniFee DES though, she came yellowed, though I did not know it. If I would have tried to get a part separate it would not have matched. Like her new hands do no match.

I did order a full doll and a head from Resinsoul though, but at the same time and I am swapping the head out, so the full doll is all coming at once.

If the doll is only available as a head - like Migidoll for instance - that is the only time I think I would match 2 different companies. Since that is how it is intended to be.

There are lots of resin matching threads here on DOA so I would not worry too much about finding a match, but search before you fall in love with a body that does not match at all. Also remember the yellowing issue if buying second hand and that companies change their resin or it comes out differently sometimes. You can blush heads and bodies to match somewhat.

 

I perfer whole dolls, but I have 5 heads in need of bodies. I really need to get to saving for their bodies.

 

Complete dolls, for sure. I have trouble enough trying to match wigs to dolls, nevermind heads to bodies.

 

I usually buy everything separately, with different companies. I'm very picky when it comes to my dolls (haha.) I like to mix and match so that it's just right. Plus it's a lot of fun, since it's like a little adventure searching for the perfect parts :3 I also have found it to be a little cheaper than full sets.

 

I prefer buying a complete doll. Firstly, when you buy a new head it might be hard to find a perfect body for it. Secondly, even if you do fing one, the body might have yellowed and the colour would be a mismatch ): !

 

I prefer getting a whole doll since it saves a lot of thinking (and shipping if I'm getting the pieces from different places), but if I need to mix and match pieces to fit what I want, I would do it since I'd rather have a head on a body I like than a head I like on a body I don't like.

 

For the moment, I prefer to buy full dolls. I'm not interested in hybridation for the moment: making resin colours match is quite a pain... if I can avoid it, I'll avoid it as much as I can. Fortunately, I like all my wishlists dolls such as they are originally. But who knows, hybridation is also part of the hobby so...

 

I'd much much more prefer buying a full doll!! Buying heads/bodies seperately could mean difference in resin match, even if the two were from the same company due to yellowing and such :P
I don't want that to happen! Even though I would put up with it if it was really mandatory XD Like in the case of expensive limited heads, if all Icould find was the head I'd probably get it :P

 

Full doll. My floating heads sit for years waiting on bodies.

 

I've bought two dolls' heads and bodies separately and yes, they were less expensive than getting the parts separately, but that was because one head and the two bodies had damage that had to be fixed. They were my fifth and sixth dolls. My ninth doll is my first hybrid and I am very, very pleased with her. But I am glad that I didn't try to put her together as my first doll.

There are people who go for a hybrid for doll number one, and I admire them for it, but I needed to get used to BJDs in general first and see a lot of them at meet-ups, before I clarified in my mind exactly what I was looking for.

 

It just depends what I have in mind. Most of my dolls have been full dolls purchases but I have some hybrids. I enjoy hybrid dolls and would do it again in the future. I am very particular about my dolls, they have to fit the character I have in mind perfectly. Sometimes it is hard to find a doll just the right body build and height to fit what I have in mind. That is when hybridizing becomes important. Though in the case of Killian he was purchased separately simply because he was an event head.

 

I have two that I got as heads, one basic with factory faceup and four fullsets. I prefer complete dolls, for several reasons. One is that I have to have things match--a body and head with different skin tones and maybe a jury-rigged neck connection would drive me insane! Another is that I am not a visual artist, so when I fall in love with a doll it's almost always with the faceup I see in the photo. It's not as easy for me to see the possibilities in an unpainted head. My two are an exception; they're Shiwoos, and I've seen so many Shiwoos with so many different faceups I knew they'd be adaptable enough for what I wanted. Of course, one of them still doesn't have a faceup, so there's another reason to buy a finished doll!

 

This. I have the exact same situation. -.-
There's also a lot of work with researching resin comparisons, neck fitting, proportions that goes along with hybridizing dolls and overall it's just easier to buy a complete doll. Unfortunately, sometimes you don't like the body that goes with the head or the height isn't right. Or some companies produce only the heads. I'm procrastinating on getting bodies for my floating heads because even I love their face sculpts and would very much love to see them whole... I don't know if I should just jump the gun and order the body or re-consider my options, because I'm always worried the body and head won't look right and that I won't be able to sell it off, etc.
Sigh...

 

I don't know.. I'm still new to the hobby myself technically, and the first dolls I ordered were complete dolls. I bought a head as a practice head, so it's a floater.. but I'm planning on getting her a body as well as a sort of random character I have no name for yet.. but it's to be the same company she's originally from. Just forced to get them separately. -nods-

I have another head on a brief layaway (tyvm paypal >.> -offtopic-) and I found it fun trying to search for a body for it. She's a head I seen in person that I needed to have, and the character screamed in my head who it's for.. so I really need a body quick for it.. so rather than saving up for a body from the same company (Luts/CP) or Feeple.. it was fun actually looking around to hybridize with a fairly cheaper body yes.. but a body that fits my ideals for shape and size without altering at all. Though I like the bodies and knowing the match would be perfect from the aforementioned but the bodies just didn't fit the character. So I'm quite pleased with actually going the separate way about it.

Also I have a nack at choosing bodies I want for certain characters.. like I want the Nobility doll body (realistic one.. atm my mind plays a blank at name of it) for one character and I want DragonDoll Uncle body for another.. but I've yet to choose heads.. Though I think I want the IOS head for the Nobility doll body... when it's released.. if I've the chance to get it..

So I'm kinda on both boats really. I like my two that are of the same company and bought together a lot, it's nice to have bodies to go with the heads right away.. and the bodies are both to my taste. I think it just depends on whether the body's appeal to me and the character I'm to create.. vs having to choose separate for certain ones.. be it buying a head on market and opting for a cheap body just to give it a body.. I have to like the body for the character before I'm willing to dish out that sort of money.

 

I prefer getting a complete doll, but will get separate heads/bodies if I dislike the body the head would normally come with.

 

Buying them separately gives you greater variety of dolls, but will in most cases make you have to wait longer to get what you want (and pay more?). I think Napi heads are a good example of what can happen when the full-option isn't available - people do get the heads yeah, but also fall out with them in a short time due to bodies being "hard to get". They would be beautiful molds, but need the teeny bit of extra effort to achieve that some of us don't have patience for. Me? I uh.. I'm doing a little bit of both.
By buying heads and bodies separately you can mix and match the sexes and types of bodies, which can be especially rewarding when you've found 'the perfect lil girl' who turned out to be a boy (or a horse?). Experience and all that ;o)
Ofcourse, as mentioned a million times, buying the 'whole deal' is in most cases a lot cheaper and definately a lot quicker and easier.