Your view on 'Grail Dolls'

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes i have.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yup

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
hmmm, kind of yes, kind of no. I don't love my other dolls less, but i feel like she gets more attention because she has so little in comparison to my other dolls. She is the biggest one i've owned so far, so when comparing the massive amounts of clothing, shoes, furniture, toys, and other knick knacks...she doesn't have hardly anything in comparison. :\

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No, my "favorite" was actually relatively cheap (about $75)

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
When i got my DZ girl, i was disappointed with how her lips looked, in her photos her lips were PINK pink and in person they're very...brown hued in color. SO since i was building her faceup around that original color, i was pretty disappointed to find out i'd have to tint her lips by hand anyway.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
I still have a few xD.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
I have been able to get 2-3 grail dolls.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Not at all! Why would I single one out? xD. Serisouly though, when it comes down to it expensive or not, big or small company, fundamentally they are the same thing, just packaged, made slightly different etc. So, they all have pride of place in my room. I'd say some I photograph more, but I think thats due to some dolls being more photogenic than others.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Not really. I think that depends on the persons tastes etc, what their grail doll may be to them, it may not be too pricey. One of my grail dolls was a Soom Glati, and I didn't pay too much for him ^^.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Not really. I can honestly say I never really get dissapointed when I recieve a doll.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes ^^ The first doll I saw that I absolutely had to have was a Volks Jun T. I missed out on ordering her, though, because I couldn't justify spending the money at the time (she would have been my first doll, and I was a complete BJD newbie when she was released).

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
I finally have her :heartbea

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Not really. She is one, though, that will be sticking around.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Not at all. It really depends on what you (general you) fall in love with. Grail dolls are usually "unobtainables" though, in my opinion, which is what makes them that 'Grail doll'.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Not at all.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
- Yes. He was a 'Grail' because everytime one came up for sale, I never had money to get him. And he doesn't come up often.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
- Yes; my Volks Sakaki.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
- No. It's just another doll that I like.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
- Of course not! It's any doll that is difficult for the person in question to obtain. My 'grail doll' cost less to put together than my favourite one, in fact.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
- No, but he didn't work out, so in the end I sold him.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yup! Hypermaniac Omiclon.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Through great good luck, YES!!

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Well, I do tolerate his total lack of posing more patiently than I do some other dolls'. And I swear at him less when I restring him.


Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Not at all--in fact, I paid less for Grail (my Omiclon) than for some of my more "obtainable" dolls. But for me, a grail doll is one
that's elusive, and takes a combination of patience, luck, alertness, and determination to track down.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Oh, my, no. No disappointment in the least.

 

May I ask a question; what is a grail doll? ^^

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Indeed I have. The Unoa Lusis 1.5.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
She's currently in Wisconsin awaiting shipping to the UK : ) It took a long time to save for her, but it was definately worth it. She's not even here yet and I love her to bits X3

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Once she's here, I'll give her as much attention as I do the others...which is alot. : D

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
The way I see the term "Grail Doll", it doesn't have to be expensive, a limited edition etc. for it to be a grail doll. I feel like maybe it's a love-at-first-sight thing, where you see the doll and instantly fall in love with the sculpt to the point where you know that that doll has to come home to you. That one doll that sticks in your mind.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
She hasn't yet arrived home, but I know I won't be dissapointed with her, no matter what : )

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes I have! He's actually my first and so far only BJD.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yep! He's my first BJD, so I seriously lucked out there.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Since he's the only one I have, it's hard to tell. But probably not.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No. Otavi's price was pretty average, and when you factor in his quality compared to that of other dolls around his price, he was a super good deal.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Nope! I think that maybe, had I known, I would have gotten him in pink skin, rather than yellow, but I got over that in the first few minute. He's perfect!

 

A "grail doll" is The One Doll. The one you fantasize about for days (or even years). The one that's sold out or LE, and thus you think you'll never get your hands on it. Based on the responses most of these dolls are expensive, though they certainly don't have to be.

Have you ever had one, or not?
Nope, but I have several on my list. I consider them to be my "if I won the lottery" dolls.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Not yet! Real life priorities supersede me dropping a ton of cash on resin. But I'm working on it.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
N/A

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Nope! It doesn't even have to be LE. I've seen people's Grail Dolls be something from Bobobie/Resinsoul. It's simply a doll that you work your fanny off to get (more than usual).

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
N/A

 

Great thread Mich, I've never given "grail dolls" much thought as a concept.

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes. A Soom MD Cuprit

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
YES! I finally caved and pieced one together through lots of time on the Marketplace (and way more money than I EVER wanted to spend on dolls...)

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
I do--I almost never touch her She's so perfect the way she is I'm horrified to mess up her blushing, faceup, costume, fantasy parts, etc.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Actually, I think that a "grail doll" by definition is something you pine after--usually that means it would be one you can't readily afford or it's limited and you can no longer buy it retail. It's something you think about and bide your time planning for, something you jump on without second thought when you see it become available. I think the nature of grail dolls makes them expensive, limited, or both. My Curpit cost about half of my entire doll collection, everything included.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Yes--I love Cuprit, she is amazing. She is the centerpiece of my collection, and now that I have Cuprit I find myself satisfied enough to not want another Soom MD. I'm disappointed because her size, weight, and delicacy make her a little unmanagable. She looks amazing standing there lording over all the other dolls, but that's pretty much all she does. I had a FIRE burning in me to get an Ani Elf on a MNF body, and I put up a WTB thread for her and bumped it every day. I've never been so sure or wanted any other doll so much. She is definitely my favorite, and I play with her all the time. Cuprit just watches from her place in the doll cabinet. I find this a disappointing waste, but at the same time, owning her still holds me back from doing it again with a whole new doll. I feel like she fills the void of "epic beauty fantasy fullset" and whenever I'm tempted by a new Soom MD or a fullset that doesn't have anything to do with my current cast of characters I can count on her being there. It's a bit of a tradeoff.

 

LOL! Now I have this big, LOTR-esque scenario in my head of a team searching for The One Doll, thanks. XD

Have you ever had one, or not?
Oh yes....I'm dreaming of a tan Dollzone Hong. ; ; I fell in love with him the minute I saw him, and he's the doll that persuaded me to proceed from vinyl dolls to resin.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Not yet. *sigh* He's the one I'm currently saving for. If you can count my piddly change jar as 'saving'.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
I was going to leave this blank, but now that I think about it...I already do. ^_^;; I've already bought the material for his signature coat, and I'm planning several pricey and elaborate props for him that I would never drop on my other boys. So...he's going to be one spoiled doll once he arrives.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Well by MY standards he's expensive (more so than most of the others on my wishlist anyway), but I'd say overall he's probably a mid-range doll. The price of a doll doesn't equal its value to me at all. Yoru, my Ledoll Adonis is my cheapest resin, and by far my favorite.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
N/A

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes and I still have a couple right now. A Volks Ran and a Soom Afi *points to sig*

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yes, I did get a Volks Kurumi which I was in love with since her release.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
She is deffinatelt one of my prize dolls and I'm very careful with her.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Yes. Because a 'grail doll' is a rare doll that you can't just buy anywhere. I mean the Holy Grail was a one of a kind magical item. It's a doll that requires you to quest for it. A standard edition doll isn't rare, or hard to come by and therefore isn't a grail doll. And what ever is rare is also expensive so they go hand in hand.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
My Kurumi is every thing I wanted. But I had also seen one in person before I got my girl. Same with Afi. Afi wasn't even on my list until I saw one in person and was blown away.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Not really. There have been dolls that I've instantly fallen in love with, but none of them do I intend to own.
DoT Shall was the first doll I ever saw that I thought was drop dead gorgeous. I did intend to buy her, but this was back when I was so new to the hobby that I didn't know fullsets ran limited sales, and were very expensive and hard to acquire once they were sold out.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
No. Like I said above, I don't really intend to own any of them. It might be love at first sight, but second and third sight often turns up faults with the dolls that makes me not want to own them.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
I don't think they have to be super expensive. Maybe just hard to acquire, like a super old fullset for a tiny that most people never liked in the first place. There isn't much call for it, so prices are low, but the chances you'll see it for sale are also really low.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?Like I said above, once I start examining my grail dolls, I often find things that make me not want to own them. One doll I was obsessing over I thought was a tiny because it was very chubby and childlike and had very limited jointing, but it turned out to be an MSD which really turned me off.
I did get to see Shall in person though and was disappointed by her. The website photos of her... They're just not very accurate. For some reason I saw life in the photos of her, but when I saw her in person she was just another doll...

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yep. She's a SOOM Topaz

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
No

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
N/A

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No, but for it to be a "Grail doll" it should probably be something that would be hard to get.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
N/A

 

Have you ever had one, or not? I have several grail dolls still remaining. Some will remain wants and doll fantasies - I'm looking at you, Suigintou boy of my dreams - and others, Tsukasa, are more feasible.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection? I have acquired my first grail doll, Volks Michele.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls? No, he gets treated about the same as the others. Of course, they all get spoiled.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls? Yes, I do. The doll needs to be something that takes time, effort, resources, and money to obtain beyond normal means for me to consider it a grail doll.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it? It took me five years of waiting and searching and almost buying and resisting spending more on a head that I eventually did on an entire fullset doll, but I got my Michele and he is everything I ever wanted him to be. He's not disappointing at all.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
I do. Volks Williams, which is almost cliche .

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Not yet.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
N/a

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Grail dolls are hard to obtain, and the most common reason for that is very high cost. In my case, it really is cost.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
N/a

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes, I had one

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
I bought him right after one day, no other thinking about it (he's also my first doll and that thime I only had seen like 4 dolls)

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
He still is my only doll

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
He is a Dollzone and if I compare prises now, he's quite a cheap doll ^-^

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Yup, I didn't like his eyebrows. But hey, that's face-up! I can redo it anytime.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Happily, yes. I fell madly in love with a Batchix Machina at first site. I dreamed of one in lilac skin, imagining how I would paint her, what kind of personality she would have, what her character and back story would be. When one came up in the marketplace here with a layaway attached, I jumped on it!

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
At first I started to answer no to this question, but then I realized that I actually do. When she came, I spent an entire month slowly doing her faceup and body painting...very meticulously, and only for a couple of hours at a time. (My others have all been done over no more than a day or two.) And I used one of my favorite photos of her as the profile photo in my profile here on DoA. And unless she's being the current avatar at any given time, she's always the very first one in my signature. So yeah, I guess I do treat her in an honored way although I certainly love all my dolls the same.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No, not at all. It simply depends on the doll. I will say that my Machina was pretty expensive as far as MSDs are concerned...it certainly helped that a layaway was available to me at the time. However, I've paid nearly as much for others since then.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Absolutely not...heaven forbid! Quadrophenia is still absolutely my darling...she is very special to me and always will be.