Your opinion on Volks?

I really love Volks dolls. I love the heft of the resin, the beauty of their sculpts, and the lovely shape of their bodies. Early on in this hobby I was lucky enough to purchase a School B head on the secondary market. Did my first face up on it and loved her so much! Recently I had a friend do a face up on her and now I love her even more. Finally I found a SD 10 body on the marketplace and now feel like she is complete. I also have a lovely Yo Tanpopo, again bought used, and most recently ordered an MSD through their online FCS. I have many dolls, but only three Volks. Wish I had more. And wish I had more of their clothes.

 

^This, yes. They are a business and they cater to their largest fanbase, which happens to be Japan. Their business model works really well there, so why change policies, when you might lose your customer base?

 

I don't expect Japanese business practices to change because foreigners get upset. But you know, the Japanese complain about losing business to Korea - makes me laugh. Of course they do. It is one of the reasons the Hallyu wave is crashing over Asia - not the only reason but a part of it. I would never have discovered Kdramas if it wasn't sooo hard to find Jdramas (comparatively). Ergo, although there are Volks sculpts I like (may I repeat, I OWN a Ryoma - pricey indeed), I prefer buying from companies where I can do layaway & not have to jump thru hoops. I'm not alone.

 

I'm glad you got your answer for the eyes SlaveDan!I have my first few DDs coming soon (Ranka and Sheryl) and I can definitely agree with the large bust issue some others have pointed out. Ranka looks great, but they gave Sheryl the L sized bust when she really is more of a medium in the Macross series. I figured that was just to cater to the fans of a more "sexy" style doll since Ranka is much more cute. Also the Miku dolls were released with a special SS bust so there are now completely flat busts floating around for DDs.

 

I had a Volks Nana, Kun, Liz and Emma and sold them all-- they didn't really fit with the rest of my collection as their heads were huge. I tend to go for more realistic sculpts so generally the Volks aesthetic does not work with the rest of my dolls. I may consider a midi as I really like a child like body for the small dolls (no bust) and they are difficult to find.

I really don't care for how they sell their dolls, having to win a *chance* to buy a doll for the limiteds. Too much of a game and it just turns me off completely.

So, yeah, just meh.

 

Volks are very high quality dolls. I used to love to go to the Volks store in Los Angeles when they were open to the the public to look at them, but yeah, their dolls are too expensive and hard to come by. I do own a Yo-SD that was overstock and somewhat reasonable. I would like to get another one at some point.

 

I guess it's simply a matter of preference. To me, for example, mostly all Soom and Fairyland dolls look kinda the same (which in my case means "meh") and I don't get the rave and rage and "OMG, awesome!" about them, either. Especially since those that are kinda interesting - the limiteds -are just WAY too expensive. (Whereas I've found second hand Volks in excellent condition for as little as 200 USD on Mandarake and the one time I took part in a lottery, I indeed go the doll I wanted, probably because he's one of the lesser-liked limiteds.) That said, of course there's also super-expensive Volks dolls or doll parts (heads, bodies) but other than e.g. Soom or Fairyland, I obviously consider them worth it or else I wouldn't have bought them. (I do have some Fairyland dolls, too, even two of their limited Realpukis but any of their other limited full-sets - i.e. larger than Realpukis - simply put me off due to their price.)

 

Khell I agree about Soom - I have 3 (one is an Idealian) and I'm happy. They are rather similiar to each other, so I don't find myself tempted to get more (maybe one of those adorable tinies...) Iplehouse on the other hand - DARN you ~shaking fist~ I love their sculpts and still have some on my wishlist (I already own 6) but the posing My Kanata & my Ryoma from Volks are very sturdy posers I really love them so much! Volks sculpts are not as unique as IH but they do have variety.

 

At first I...hmm, disliked them is the wrong word, I'd say I just didn't get them?
I had friends who were crazy about them years ago and even travelled to Japan just to get a chance in a Dollpa lottery and all I could see were the shoddy pictures on their weird website with childlike dolls in nightgowns and bad face-ups.
I just didn't understand the appeal at all.

I was able to play with some Volks at meets later and had some here for commissions too and I slowly started to understand why people liked them.
Several times I would admire a gorgeous doll on Flickr just to realize that I was indeed looking at a Volks, and for a long time I had no clue where people got these because all I could remember were the pictures of the standard models.
Also honestly, a proper custom face-up helps a Volks probably as much as a Resinsoul.

I nowadays own two Volks myself and have another on my working table and I just love everything about them; there sure will come three or four more into this household.
It's a mixture of nostalgia and a fondness for a more classic style, and while I still love realistic dolls the most (like Iplehouse) there is just something very charming about a School A or Four Sisters for example.
That doesn't mean that I completely agree with the way they do business, especially as an EU citizen it's a nightmare to buy from them and I would gladly pay less for their dolls, but I can understand why it seems to work for them.

Yes, Volks is a very slowly developing and changing company, but in a way they are a stable thing in a hobby that has changed drastically in the last years.
I guess that's the reason why they have so many long term fans, while many companies have changed a lot, disappeared or turned into something a certain group of collectors don't enjoy, Volks is still there and doing what they can do best.
They also offer something you can't get elsewhere, the overall aesthetic of dolls has shifted to realism or drastic art styles (like pear shapes) after all.
I have to agree with Khell though, I think it's funny how people think Volks are overpriced while some of the Iplehouse, Soom or Fairyland limiteds go easily for the same price.
But I guess in such cases it's because these limiteds are usually more elaborate looking, buying a Volks limited fresh from Volks for 1500$ gets you a SD17 human doll with a "normal" outfit, from Iplehouse or Soom you get a same sized or bigger doll with a special skintone, fantasy parts and a fantasy styled outfit.
Not all Volks dolls are super expensive, sure a SD17 Williams head costs as much as some limited Soom full-set, but unlike the Soom the Williams hasn't been re-released dozens of times in X colors and was available for everyone in a certain time period.
Volks have a way higher re-sell value in the end.

Never understood though why so many people tend to dislike them just because.
I have friends who can easily admit on not liking a company just because it's not their taste, but when Volks are mentioned or shown they seem to get extra defensive.
Honestly, I'm always amused when I show them a non-Volks company they dislike versus showing them one of my Volks.
One is "oh, it's an X? Not my taste, but he's nice looking" while the other is "Oh, a Volks...you know, I just can't like this company and never understood why people buy them blabla five minute rant".

I sometimes get the feeling that on top of a general dislike for the aesthetic people are just annoyed they are out of reach for them and that they also have a distorted look on the usual owners and a general lack of understand for their taste.
Like "N-not that I want one, because they are ugly, but I'm sure people only buy them because they are a status symbol and because they are elitist pricks. Right? I mean, they are ugly, I'm totally not missing something here, right? Guys?".
It's the cool thing to dislike Volks, but some seem to have no idea why they actually dislike them, it's just something they picked up when they entered the hobby.



(their Dollfie Dream line is a different thing though, while I like the aesthetic and own one myself the fanbase and the way how they handle this line is just...no. If you think that they milk SD buyers you haven't seen what they do with the DD ones)

 

This, so much! That's just the feeling I'm getting, sometimes, I just couldn't put it into words! I sure do know I thought Volks was WAY out of my league, so to say. Kinda like a Porsche or a Corvette, something I'd never be able to afford.

That was before they released the DWC heads back in 2013 and I decided I'd get the DWC 01 cos, heck, I wanted to own just ONE piece of Volks resin. Just that one. Because Volks was that one super-special company, high up on that pedestal, and I just wanted part of it. Volks dolls were always those dolls I - like so many here, it seems - considered "too expensive". Well, I got the head, I got a body - a Volks SD13 I bought for pretty cheap - the body didn't fit colour-wise (probably oldskin vs. the new pureskin - or just heavily yellowed over time) but I got another head that fit beautifully, another Volks, THE one sculpt I actually cared least for (and that's really all you have to know about Volks and custom face-ups ... they can totally change how you see a certain sculpt). Well, the rest is history, as they say ...

The other thing about me and Volks is - ever since discovering Volks I found out I find old dolls fascinating. The older the doll the more interesting. And yes, that means that sometimes I WILL get a Volks doll just for the sake of how old it is (like my MSD Akira or the Volks Ian I bought together with Roterwolkenvogel - their age wasn't the only reason I decided I wanted them, mind you, but it did play a significant role). Sorry, other doll companies, but Volks is simply as old as these BJDs here can get.

 

Volks IS the original - I've see a couple old Volks & they do hold up very well. The dolls, shoes, wigs, clothes (now THOSE are a bit over-priced) are all very good quality and the customer service (once you actually get to pay for something) is said to be superb - a very Japanese trait. I certainly don't consider Volks dolls too expensive. They are worth it. Nope, it's that other thing I've said a lot about.
But it's not limited to Volks or BJDs, so it's not fair to act like Volks as a company is the problem.

 

Absolutely. I used to get quite some flack for owning Volks (even though I have doll parts from at least 10 different companies), because that must mean I'm an elitist. There was one person who asked me if I could honestly say that I wasn't elitist, not even a little. Because, you know, I owned Volks. That means I must be looking down on others, even if I don't want to admit it.

Even now, Volks seem to trigger lenghty posts about what's not to like. It's weird, I think. I've never seen a thread like this about Soom, Iplehouse, Spiritdoll or Granado (in general discussion), and yet everytime a thread about Volks gets deleted, another one pops up. I don't know why it is so important to discuss the likes or dislikes for this company.

Me too! For my personal collection, I prefer old-school sculpts anyway, but there is something so awesome about owning a doll that was released in 2003, or that is part of BJD-history (no matter how young that history is). The domuya flexibody is one that I think is ugly, but I own one, because the silhouette is perfect for what I want and, more importantly, because it once was a new novelty with 'super poseable joints'...

 

Being honest they are nice looking dolls but none that I have seen have really grabbed my attention, I really don't see them as the be all and end all that some people think they are. I own cheaper dolls because the sculpts grabbed my attention I saw more potential in them for modding and crazy face up's etc. I can't help but feel when I look at most volks dolls they are mostly dressed in lolita with a natural face up and it becomes difficult to envision them as anything but that.

 

Not going to repeat all the sentiments in the thread about prices and stuff, but oh my god, this. This is my feeling on nearly every single photo Volks has taken to announce or display their dolls, the photos are just wretched haha. Blah lighting, blah presentation outfit for standards, blah angles, poor way of displaying photos (always too tiny for me). I think this really impacts opinions from people who think Volks dolls are "meh", especially compared to the all out photoshoots other companies do with their dolls. The original Syo standard photos, and even the renewals, were so incredibly unflattering - but the actual sculpt is beautiful and has been one of my favorites since before I actively joined the hobby. I finally brought one home last year, and he's just amazing in person. Well sculpted, photos well from nearly every angle, sturdy body (not my favorite sculpting style, but rock solid), and the resin has aged perfectly. None of those things are something you would assume from their site display pics.

Volks is easily one of the companies with that "untapped potential" factor when seeing their store pics, versus Korean companies that shoot their models in the most flattering way possible (to me, at least) - so I've kinda come to ignore their defaults from the site.

I am pretty neutral as a whole on Volks aesthetic though - some sculpts I love to death (Syo, a decent handful of older sculpts, would sell a kidney for Kei) while other ones remain firmly in what I would call unpleasant or awkwardly sculpted. Their quality, no complaints! Their business practices, they are what they are. I honestly don't think they're any different from the rest of the doll companies out there in these regards, so I think there is some bandwagon hating going on. I have seen some mostly-Volks owners who definitely seemed a little arrogant, but I've seen just as many stanning Soom and FL like it was their lifeline.

 

Schtiel there is DEFINITELY a huge difference in business practice between Volks (a Japanese company) & IH or Soom (Korean) & Ringdoll & Dollzone (Chinese). The fact that people ignore this or try to deny it (or worse, justify it) might just be one reason these threads keep popping up. Accept it. Any one who's had to deal w/Japanese companies will tell you that business practices there are, well, interesting & unique LOL

 

Teleri ah, I didn't mean Volks business practices were the same as other companies haha (though rereading my post, I see how it sounded that way)! I just meant that they have their own way of doing things, like any other company does, so it's kind of pointless to harp on it when you know what you're getting into. I think every company has their hits and misses.

 

Four of my dolls are Volks, and I think I could call them my favourite company. If I could only own dolls from one company it would be Volks. I don't necessarily like all of their sculpts, but there are more than enough that I really love. I like that I can always be confident that I'm getting a high quality doll, and the outfits and accessories I've bought from them are also excellent. Many of them do need a custom faceup to really bring out the potential of the sculpt, but I don't see this as a bad thing.

As a business they're a bit of a pain to deal with, especially for those of us who live in countries without a dedicated Volks branch like Japan, the US and Korea have. Only one of my Volks dolls came directly from them, while the rest were obtained second-hand. Their international website is terrible, and the lottery system for limited dolls with no layaway is inflexible compared to other companies. I don't mind how slow they are to evolve as a company, and I like the way they tend to take their time rather than always chase the latest trends.

 

One thing I do have to say about Volks' model for selling dolls... it really does make the dolls feel special. Because they are so limited, hard to come by, rarely in stock even for standards... If there's a Volks doll you love and really want, it must feel extra amazing to be able to get it. If you aren't into Volks, then from a distance it's just kind of obnoxious, though.

I collect DDs, so actually I'd love to hear what people outside the DD fanbase think about them! I feel that a lot of people don't like them, think they are creepy, perverted (they don't all have huge breasts!)... and that makes me sad. Volks makes it hard to get a hold of limited DDs, but they do sell bodies/parts/option heads for a reasonable price. That's how I got started, because I saw I could make a 60cm doll for under $400, and from there I got hooked into the excitement of limited releases, special outfits, character dolls...

 

I used to be indifferent towards Volks dolls, but now I enjoy a few of them. I have a DD at home that I got directly from Volks and a 2002 MSD F-01 that I'm getting secondhand. Overall, besides their DD's, I prefer the older aesthetic of Volks.

 

I love anime & a lot of the DD dolls are so cute, but unfortunately they just don't look quite right w/the other dolls because they are so stylized. I thought it wouldn't be so bad but then at a big meet (at a con) ran into some real live DDs when I had my DikaDoll w/me (who is not the most realistic sculpt mind) & the DDs looked like manniquins next to him So although I wanted one DD just, you know, to have one LOL it won't work