Can you put different brand Dollfie heads on different bodies? Any tips

[Gypsy_Nights]

Check my last reply for the new questions I'm wondering about.  Any help would be great!  Thanks to everybody!!
 
I've seen y'alls dolls and  !  I think I'm going to break down and get one!  I want to dress it up with different hair, eyes, dresses!  Looks like so much fun.  Anyway so I know they cost an arm and a leg so I want to do it right and be happy with the one I get.  Any tips y'all might have.  Or I would love to know of some other Websites I can look at here in the US to buy from so I don't have to spend so much on shipping.  I know of The Junky Spot, Doll Emporium, and Mint on a Card.  I had been looking on ebay at first though.  Is that a bad idea? 

[wolflair]

Hi Gypsy,
congratulations!   I know you will love your doll no matter where you find her.   I like Denver Doll Emporium for dolls.  They have quite a few.  And something for every wallet.  This is an expensive habit to get into.  But I find it fun and rewarding!  I am still a newbie so I am not sure I am qualified to give advice.  I have two of Fairyland's Puki Puki dolls, a Resin Soul Mei, and a Kaye Wiggs Lillie.   I love them all and they are truly all different from each other.   I love putting different wigs on them and making clothes. I am going to work my way into easy/simple shoe making too.   

Have fun picking out you first friend. 

[Blitzn]

I recommend to wait to find the doll/brand that really catches your eye, and after that worry about who sells the doll and how to get the best deal. 

I suggest browse owner pics at flickr and BJD galleries to see what style sculpt you like best. Certain makers have sculpts that are popular for a reason like volks, soom, lati, leeke, dollzone, pipos, dream of doll, just to name a few.

When it comes to purchasing, you may get a better deal to buy it used or wait for a special.  Like I had my eye on a certain BJD for a very long time, which was $650+ from the maker.  I didn't buy him because I thought that too expensive and didn't want to get a BJD. But years later I got him used for less than half that cost, with the default faceup.  I also learned it pays to to wait for a non-limited doll/clothes to go on sale or special deals (typically around seasonal/holidays).  Limited dolls are a different story (buy them when you can, or wait for the maker to re-release it).

[EvilMuffins]

I'd say ebay is a bad idea. You might get a bootleg.
The sites you listed are the only ones I know of. I'm selling two of my dolls on here, btw. I just posted yesterday. Don't know if you saw that.

[Flaileigh]

Yes, wait until you find a doll that is right for you. When Den of Angels opens for applicants again, you should apply for an account. That way you can access the buy/sell sections and find some great deals. Most of my dolls I purchased from the forums over there. -- Both from private sales and joining group orders. 

I haven't ordered from Denver Doll Emporium, but I have from The Junky Spot and Mint on Card. I wouldn't choose eBay unless the account was a known official dealer (most companies have lists of officials on their sites) or a known person in the community. Junky Spot is awesome to deal with, plus you get treats and surprises! Mint on Card is good too, and have layaway. The only issue I had with them, which wasn't their fault, was shipping. I bought two heads for 100$ and ended up paying shipping, plus around 30$ or so for import fees. (From the US to Canada)

[Flutterswirl]

Another thumbs up for JunkySpot, if you choose one of the brands they carry-great service and fast shipping. Emory's a great guy to deal with.

[Gypsy_Nights]

I'd say ebay is a bad idea. You might get a bootleg.
The sites you listed are the only ones I know of. I'm selling two of my dolls on here, btw. I just posted yesterday. Don't know if you saw that.

Do you have a link?  I would love to take a look

Post Merge: April 14, 2012, 10:18:26 PM

Great advice guys thanks!!  I'll have to check out the other sites y'all mentioned I didn't know about like Den of Angels and I'll have to check out pics to at flickr like you said Blitzn.
 
I also forgot to ask about sizes.  I thought I would get a 1/4 size doll and later maybe get a 1/6 doll.  I'm not sure about getting a 1/3 doll yet.  That seems kinda big.  But I noticed that a lot of the best outfits are for 1/3 size.  Anyway some stuff I look at on ebay (not used dolls but from sellers in hong kong) use other short cuts to describe size.  I've figgured out that
MSD= Mini super dollfie 1/4
 SD= Super Dollfie 1/3
YOSD= 1/6 but what does YO translate into?
And what is SD13 girls, SD16 girl, DD M Bust mean?
Is there anything else I should know about sizes?  I know you have to watch bust size for some clothes to fit as well, anything else?
 
And also do I have to have a silicone wig cap to keep the wigs on?
 
And I think I'm going to have to learn to make some clothes too!  Not sure I'll be very good at it but I want to try.  Do you know of any links on how to make doll clothes wolflair?

[EvilMuffins]

http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,293041.0.html
The dolls I'm selling

Hmm I never found out what 'Yo' means! I wonder now.
SD 13 looks like a 13 year old, SD 16 looks 16. DD means Dolfie Dream. They are BJDs that look like anime characters.

You don't need a wig cap at all from my experience.

[Flaileigh]

I also forgot to ask about sizes.  I thought I would get a 1/4 size doll and later maybe get a 1/6 doll.  I'm not sure about getting a 1/3 doll yet.  That seems kinda big.

This'll give you an idea of how big a Volks Dollfie Plus is compared to other doll bodies. She's a 1/6 scale doll.

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From left to right: Bellybutton Barbie, Pullip Street, Daisy, Pullip Sacralita, Pullip Chill, Volks Dollfie EB-Mini B (22cm), Blythe French Trench, Takara Licca knock-off,Takara Jenny, Volks Dollfie Plus. (27cm)

Barbie clothing can fit Dollfie Plus, but there generally needs to be some tweeking.

I've figgured out that
MSD= Mini super dollfie 1/4
 SD= Super Dollfie 1/3
YOSD= 1/6 but what does YO translate into?
And what is SD13 girls, SD16 girl, DD M Bust mean?
Is there anything else I should know about sizes?  I know you have to watch bust size for some clothes to fit as well, anything else?

I forget what YO stands for, but they're just tiny size dolls. And yeah, SD13 means they're supposed to represent 13 yos, SD16 16 yos, and DD is Dollfie Dream and M Bust means that they have a Medium Bust (Breast) size. You can change out the size of the chests with other chest pieces in case you either want to go up or down a size.

I'd suggest starting off with a mini, since they're a good in between size. Carrying around a SD-sized doll and trying to maneuver it, especially when trying to make clothing patterns, can be a pain! I love my Notdoll girls, but they're so unwieldly and it doesn't take long for holding one to cramp up my arms. They aren't super heavy or anything, but it's just enough to notice. I an see why some that go to cons take their dolls in those little rolling luggage bags. 
 

And also do I have to have a silicone wig cap to keep the wigs on?

No. Most people just use velcro they pick up at Wal-Mart.
 

And I think I'm going to have to learn to make some clothes too!  Not sure I'll be very good at it but I want to try.  Do you know of any links on how to make doll clothes

I don't have my links on me, atm. But try these two for general reference:

http://www.bjdcollectasy.com/

And this girls channel on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AsenvaBJD

She has some nice reviews on the dolls and items JunkySpot offers, as well as funny vids like her "Stuff BJD Owners Say". I think I've said every single thing in that video at least once. 

[Sol28]

Yo stands for 'young', and Yo-SD's are generally more child proportioned than 1/6 dolls like Obitsu and Volks Dolfie Plus. I have one Yo-SD and he's 25 cm tall and proportioned like a 5 year old or thereabouts.

Also a good trick to keeping a wig on is to get a wide rubber band and put it around your dolls head under the wig. It provides grip and it's cheaper and easier than a wig cap.

Also if you wanted a Den of Angels invite, I'm happy to send one your way. It's the only way you can get registration at the moment. You can PM me your email if you want an invite!

[Gypsy_Nights]

I started to wonder if "Yo" ment "young".  And the rubberband idea is great!  I think I'll have to try that!
 
I also ment to ask if all the heads are interchangable with different brands as long as it is the same size and color skin?
I was sure I was going to start out with a MSD size but then I started thinking about getting the DollZone doll "Jian Ning" - 62cm.  And she is on sale until tomorrow.  I really love her eyes!  And it seems like some of the best clothes are made for the SD dolls.  Anyway could I put any other brand SD head on her body? 

Could I put an SD head that is ment for a 58 cm body, onto a 62 cm body?  Just been wondering about that.  I thought about only getting one 58cm body and one 62cm body and switching out heads of other dolls I might buy at a later date.  Those dolls are so big I didn't want to get to many.
 
Can clothing for a 62 cm doll fit a 58 or 60 cm doll?  I'm guessing no but I wanted to ask.
 
Also where is the cheapest place to get eye puddy?  Is there some puddy from town I could use or does it have to be specially made for dollfie dolls?
 
One last question, I swear!      Sorry so many.  What is a good website to look at for begginer dollfie collectors that will have some of this info on?
 
Thanks so much for all y'alls help!!  I will be purchasing a doll in the next week or so.  I'll post a pic of my final decision when I make it.   

Post Merge: April 19, 2012, 04:27:28 PM

I'd suggest starting off with a mini, since they're a good in between size. Carrying around a SD-sized doll and trying to maneuver it, especially when trying to make clothing patterns, can be a pain! I love my Notdoll girls, but they're so unwieldly and it doesn't take long for holding one to cramp up my arms. They aren't super heavy or anything, but it's just enough to notice. I an see why some that go to cons take their dolls in those little rolling luggage bags.   
 
 

And I think I'm going to have to learn to make some clothes too!  Not sure I'll be very good at it but I want to try.  Do you know of any links on how to make doll clothes

I don't have my links on me, atm. But try these two for general reference:

http://www.bjdcollectasy.com/

And this girls channel on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AsenvaBJD

She has some nice reviews on the dolls and items JunkySpot offers, as well as funny vids like her "Stuff BJD Owners Say". I think I've said every single thing in that video at least once. 

Thanks for all your help too Flaileigh!  The picture of sizes helped alot too!  I'll have to try those links!   

Post Merge: April 19, 2012, 05:38:48 PM

 
I changed my mind about the Jian Ning doll.  I don't like the joints on the doll body that comes with her.  I guess all DollZone bodies are like that.  I like the joints on the Angel Fantasy and Island doll bodies better.  Thats partly the reason I have so many questions about head swaping.

[Sol28]

Head swapping (or hybridising) can work, but it ultimately depends on the exact head and body in question. some things to take into consideration are
Proportion: this is mostly a personal preference but if the head is too big or too small then the doll is most likely going to look funny.
Neck hole size: Not all bodies of the same size have the same sized neck hole. If there is a vast difference in the size of the neck on the body and the neck hole of the head, modding may be required to obtain a good fit.
Resin match: Not all resins are the same. One company's 'normal' or 'white' can be vastly different to another's. If you're making a hybrid, then you want the colour to be close, otherwise it will just look funny.
Availability: some companies don't sell heads separately. Some don't sell bodies separately. It's something to consider.
Cost: Making a hybrid can be more expensive than buying a whole doll straight from the company (it isn't always, but it can be).
Also once you get DoA access there's heaps of info about the above.

As for eye putty... I just use Blu tack (the plain old really really light blue stuff, not the coloured stuff because that could stain) but i have heard of people using silicone earplugs (DO NOT use these with silicone eyes) or kneadable eraser.

[Flaileigh]

Yes! Once you get a DoA account, there are TONS of Faq's and comparison threads to go over. You prolly won't even need to make your own thread since there are so many detailed Faq's. Soooo much info.

Making a nice looking hybrid an be a pain, but worth it. I have a bunch of floating heads that need bodies and am not sure if I can deal with a body and head being a few shades off of each other. Some companies make their resin shades match other companies dolls on purpose to sell more bodies, and make it easier for people to spend a ton on a head, and spend a little on a temp body. There are so many ways to do it, too. 

[Gypsy_Nights]

Oh, Great to know about DoA threads!  I registered so just got to wait 24-72 hours!      Thanks again Sol28!!
 
I was afraid there might be hole size differences where the heads might not fit perfectly on some bodies.      I'll have to do more research.
 
Is there by chance a web page that has all the brands colors compared and which match the best?  As well as which doll heads are compatible with which bodies.  If there's not someone should make one!    

Post Merge: April 20, 2012, 02:19:41 AM

I've got to stop looking at 1/3 size dolls!      I just fell in love with the "Zhen" doll by Angell-Studio!  But she still has that body I don't like and I can't buy her head by itself because she is limited!  I really don't want to spend $590 on a doll that will have a body I won't like.  Here's her pic.  She reminds me of the human version of "The Last Unicorn".  Don't know if yall have seen that animated filmor not.
 
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Post Merge: April 20, 2012, 03:48:32 AM

Ok, so about 3 days ago I emailed this seller on ebay if her dolls face-ups were done by the original designer and this was her response:
 
"Hello,yes,normal the doll face up as the original but maybe you will receive the make up little different as the picture because we have many artists to make up for the dolls so every doll will be different from each other, who have different face-up styles."

Are there many artists that just copy the original face-up?  I figured that just the original artist would put face-ups on the dolls.   There are also sellers that say they sell the doll with make up "as you see in the picture,by official designer". Just wanted to check about this so I don't get a "nock off"[/size]