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

Aug 17, 2010

    1. I prefer whole dolls. However, my newest doll was purchased in two parts so I could buy the head and try faceups while I saved for the body. The intention was always to end up with a whole doll.
       
    2. All of my dolls (around 20 so far) are non-hybrids. Several were heads, but I got bodies from the same company for them.

      I think it's cool that people can swap out heads and bodies to find the doll that best suits them, but I'm a bit lazy... I don't want to try to hard to match resins and mod heads to fit bodies, or visa-versa. And I've liked the bodies that go with the head-sculpts I've wanted well enough not to worry about it (in fact, I REALLY like the bodies that go with the heads). And some of them are colored resins (grey, blue, tanned) so resin-matching is not easy.

      I've got a custom Minimee head and I don't like the Minimee bodies, so if I do get him a body, that will be my first hybrid. I'm definitely not against hybrids at all!
       
    3. Depends on the character, but I definitely prefer buying whole dolls. I've already dealt with two floating heads and both were bodiless for more than a year apiece! It was cheaper, sure, but it felt so distressingly incomplete. I would much rather spend my money in one shot than go to different places, anyway.
       
    4. Depends on the doll I want. If it's a limited mold (and funds are low ..) I'd probably get the head first since bodies tend to be easier to get afterwards, even if the doll itself has long sold out.
      Especially with Soom I'm always temped to just buy a bunch of heads and take care of bodies later .. But I can see how it might be a different (better?) experience to get a whole doll from time to time.
       
    5. I like buying full dolls all at once. I tend to like companies that aren't known for keeping their resin a consistent colour over time and I don't want to risk a poor match if I go back and buy a body later.

      Plus, I know if I got a head it could very easily take me a long time to get a body. I don't like spending money very much and it takes a lot of convincing for me to buy anything at all... I can just see how doing it in steps would not be a good idea.

      I think the only way that I would get a head only.. (I can't imagine buying just a body.) would be if it had a super nice face up that I just couldn't pass up. I don't find that to be a very likely scenario..
       
    6. I prefer whole dolls, but without any outfit! I love to create a character on my own for my dolls.......which means i attach a lot ot personality to them by clothes ^^ i would never ever buy a head and later a body.......
       
    7. I have yet to try building a hybrid doll. I have seen many heads I like that come with bodies I don't like so I think it is something I'd like to try in the future.
       
    8. If at all possible I will always choose to get a complete doll. I am picky about resin match, and there can be variation even when buying from the same company over time due to yellowing or resin batch. And then there is the issue of how the head will fit on the body, which is also very important in the case of a hybrid.

      That said . . . my two newest dolls are both hybrids, heads and bodies are all from different companies! xD I had to do a ton of research before making my decisions, and had to wait longer for both to be complete due to varying wait times. It would have been way easier and probably cheaper if I could have just made 2 orders and got 2 dolls instead of making 4 orders to get 2 dolls!

      However, if you are saving up and don't have enough for a body yet, buying the head sooner can save you some wait time if you don't plan on getting a company faceup. Getting makeup from a faceup artist can easily take a month or more, so getting the head earlier than the body can be quite convenient. That way when you get the body you have a truly complete doll instead of having to send the head off to a faceup artist and wait another month.
       
    9. I prefer entire dolls. I like having a "complete" doll--so beyond just getting a head AND a body, I like to get a painted head, body, wig, eyes, clothing, and shoes. I'd rather save up and then make a massive purchase at once rather than get a little bit of everything sloooowly. It's all a matter of personal preference~ n_n
       
    10. Personally I prefer to buy full dolls. That way you KNOW your head+body will match. Both with proportions and resin.
      I have been thinking though of matching a head with other bodies for one of my next dollies. <3 Just cause his character needs kind of a specific body and the site Im buying from doesnt suit him much.

      Anyway, for a first time buyer I suggest: Just get the whole doll.
      That or make sure you go ahead and ask around DoA for resin matches, etc. That's not just first buyers though.. I'm still looking around for certain resin matches haha.

      But yeah.. I prefer full dolls. <3 Because 1. It is generally cheaper I think.. and usually doll companies will throw in a free pair of eyes if you get the whole doll. c: I like free eyes haha.

      Good luck finding your first though! <3
       
    11. I prefer the whole dolls but now I plan to try hybridization, I think that will be a great experience
       
    12. Whole dolls by default - BUT if it's kind of expensive all in one piece, but the head is available by itself, I'd buy a head. A doll isn't a doll without a head, to me. Even if you have a body, it's not a 'doll'; it's a doll body. But having a head by itself is like having 75% of a full doll. It sounds strange, but that's how it is with me.
       
    13. Since most of my dolls are Tan I prefer to buy whole dolls so I don't have to worry about skin tones matching. I am hoping in the near future to make a Tan hybrid but the research for matching and color comparisons are a bit tedious for me. Most likely I'll start out with a head and go from there.
       
    14. I pretty much always try to get a whole doll. The only time I end up getting getting piecemail dolls is when only a head is available (like Migidoll, before they sold bodies too), when it's a free event head, and when I simply can't afford a full doll, but really, really want a specific mold for a limited doll. :)
      I'd prefer to get whole dolls every time, but sometimes I simply can't afford that.
       
    15. Whole dolls D: Almost every head I've bought seperately has been sold after several years hiding in my doll drawer.
       
    16. Whole dolls for me as well. Like others have said, it's just easier that way if you want head & body to be a perfect match. I'm a little picky when it comes to color/proportion matching, so hybrids aren't generally my cup of tea. Before I really realized how challenging on that front building a doll from parts can be, I obtained a floating head and then a hybrid doll (head/hands of one company on the body of another). At first I planned to get a body for the floating head at some point, but after experiencing actually owning a complete hybrid doll I've instead decided to eventually reshell both characters into new complete from the company dolls.

      Not saying hybrids are bad; they seem like great fun for customizers, and buying a less expensive company's body for a more expensive company's head (or vice versa) can be a way to get a doll you've been wanting but perhaps can't readily afford whole (yeah, that was me XD). I just prefer that all my dolls' parts color match/fit together correctly right out of the box.
       
    17. I rather whole dolls. I hate the idea of getting a head then a body, and the head not matching the body. It sorta scares me. xD;
       
    18. I prefer buying a complete doll. While I have seen others with beautiful hybrids, I'm too nit-picky when it comes to resin matching. I should note that I'm not opposed to buying a head then finding a body for it if, say, the head is limited or only sold alone.
       
    19. In an ideal world, all the doll heads I like would come on the doll bodies I like. However, in this world, that is not always the case. I buy bodies and heads separately often because I want a certain head on a certain body. When I buy second hand, occasionally it actually turns out cheaper to buy the head and the body from different people, so I do it for that reason as well. In conclusion, I would prefer to buy whole dolls, but sometimes it works better to buy them in parts.
       
    20. Some companies' bodies are known to pose better, or you might like the face sculpts of some companies, but maybe you don't care for the look of their bodies. There would be tons of reasons why someone might decide to get a head and body separately rather than a full doll.

      Personally I always get a full doll. I just like them coming out of the box intact and not have a floating head that's waiting for a body. I just pick dolls that I like their head sculpts as well as their bodies. With the possible exception of if I ever get my faun from ResinSoul. I want a male body, but I don't care for Mu's head so I'll probably order Ai's head on Mu's body. But that might change if I ever actually order them. I've seen some box-openings of Ai and her body looks better than I thought it did in the company photos. And her face looks less like it would fit a male at all. :sweat

      Anyway I've gotten off topic. The choice is ultimately, yours, but I wouldn't order them separately just to try to figure out why people do it. Like I said, if you really like the head of one doll but don't care for the bodies from that company then that's a different story. You should build your doll to your specifications. You can always request pics of the doll's you're looking to mix and match together for a resin comparison before you actually order. You'd also have to take size into consideration. You wouldn't want to order the body from a 56cm doll and the head from a 65cm. Might look a bit off. So there are definitely a LOT of things to consider when buying separately, which is another reason I'd be hesitant. I'm picky with my dolls and wouldn't want his/her head to look too big or too small for their body. Proportion is important to me.