Guidance for a First Time BJD Buyer

[Radiance]

Think about what you want to do with your doll. If you want to take artistic pics you will most likely be disappointed if you get a doll that does not pose well or has clunky, unappealing joints. Look at owner pics of the dolls you are interested in to get a real sense of how they pose and what they look like styled in different ways. Try to attend a local BJD meet up if there is one in your area so you can see in person dolls of different sizes. Some people (like myself) find they just don't like handling very large or very tiny dolls. It's so much fun to doll shop! Good luck!

[MikeysGrrrl]

Wow, I can't get over just how much there is to learn. You guys are so incredibly helpful, I really appreciate it!

So, I have completely fallen in love with that Xia Ruo Boy Every time I go back and look at his pictures my heart just melts. I know I've found my doll. He speaks to me
http://www.acbjd.com/xia-ruo-p-6306.html?cPath=340_346

I'm bound and determined that I will be purchasing him in the next couple of weeks. Now what I'm wondering about it is where do I find that adorable outfit that he has on? I have looked on several sites now and I can't find anything even remotely close to it.

Also what is the difference between the 2 different torso options? Does the torso affect the posing at all or is it more of an aesthetic thing? I have tried looking online to see how others have dressed and styled theirs, but I'm not really coming up with anything

[Dakashy]

I have two pieces of advice for new BJD owners.

1- Buy the doll you love, not the one you're settling for. Even if you have to save a little longer.

2- Look at owner pics when possible.

[NoDivision]

Glad you've found a doll you love ^_^

As far as the outfit goes you might have some digging to do if you want something just like that. I don't know of anywhere off the top of my head that sells Doll Family clothes, and it may be that those items of clothing were just stock items used for the promo pictures and were never available for purchase. I will say that the style of those reminds me a lot of some DollHeart outfits (like pieces from these http://www.dollheart.com/yd000112-zachary-p-4842.html#.Ut6Gx9Io7cs and http://www.dollheart.com/yd000032-bunny-prince-p-2157.html#.Ut6HE9Io7cs and http://www.dollheart.com/yd000144-steampunk2012-raymundo-p-4450.html#.Ut6GdNIo7cs ) Clothing shopping, unfortunately, can be really frustrating if you are looking for very specific pieces. But there's a lot out there.

As far as the bodies.. man I really wish they just put the legs from one onto the torso of the other, that seems kind of silly. Me personally I would prefer type A because I like the mid-torso joint. It gives more pose options with slouching, bending back, bending side to side, etc. The legs on the B type body have the thigh separation that allows you to rotate the legs without moving the hips, which is a nice feature and can be helpful for stability when standing. But personally I'd prefer to have the torso joint. The listing for the body only is helpful in seeing the differeces http://www.acbjd.com/dfh-26cm-body-p-6054.html

If you have any specific questions about that doll, I found the staff at Alice's collections to be really friendly and helpful

[kCherry]

Wow, I can't get over just how much there is to learn. You guys are so incredibly helpful, I really appreciate it!

QFT

[MikeysGrrrl]

Glad you've found a doll you love ^_^

As far as the outfit goes you might have some digging to do if you want something just like that. I don't know of anywhere off the top of my head that sells Doll Family clothes, and it may be that those items of clothing were just stock items used for the promo pictures and were never available for purchase. I will say that the style of those reminds me a lot of some DollHeart outfits (like pieces from these http://www.dollheart.com/yd000112-zachary-p-4842.html#.Ut6Gx9Io7cs and http://www.dollheart.com/yd000032-bunny-prince-p-2157.html#.Ut6HE9Io7cs and http://www.dollheart.com/yd000144-steampunk2012-raymundo-p-4450.html#.Ut6GdNIo7cs ) Clothing shopping, unfortunately, can be really frustrating if you are looking for very specific pieces. But there's a lot out there.

As far as the bodies.. man I really wish they just put the legs from one onto the torso of the other, that seems kind of silly. Me personally I would prefer type A because I like the mid-torso joint. It gives more pose options with slouching, bending back, bending side to side, etc. The legs on the B type body have the thigh separation that allows you to rotate the legs without moving the hips, which is a nice feature and can be helpful for stability when standing. But personally I'd prefer to have the torso joint. The listing for the body only is helpful in seeing the differeces http://www.acbjd.com/dfh-26cm-body-p-6054.html

If you have any specific questions about that doll, I found the staff at Alice's collections to be really friendly and helpful

Thank You You have been more than helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I was leaning towards body type A before I got any information from you, so your input help solidify my decision.

I'm really excited to place my order this Friday

I couldn't believe how many hours I spent looking at all sorts of clothing, wigs, eyes, shoes etc last night There is just so much to learn and so many cute things to buy. I completely understand how this can require some deep pockets

[MikeysGrrrl]

So, I went ahead and ordered the Doll Family Zhi Ling & Xia Ruo 26cm dolls

Now, in my quest for all the added goodies that I'll need like clothing, I'm finding myself confused as to what sizing I should be looking for. I did look at 1/6 because I believe that is the correct size, however I was informed by another collector that Blythe clothes wouldn't fit.

Does anyone have these dolls or dolls similar to them that could maybe tell me the best way to look for clothing that will fit them? I have a ton of clothing saved in my favourites, some have measurements and others just say 1/6.

While I'm waiting for those dolls to come in, I also ordered a AI 1/12 doll off ebay that should be here next week, so I'm pretty stoked to say the least

[xkelpiex]

1/6 bjd clothes should fit, but Blythe specifically will not, Also look for yosd, and sometimes on bjd clothing sites it is listed as Usd, though a search on google for that term will just get you money conversion sites, lol. Also, on etsy, anything that says Littlefee should pretty okay as they are standard 1/6 size as well, but again you can search for YOSD (or yo-sd)

[MikeysGrrrl]

1/6 bjd clothes should fit, but Blythe specifically will not, Also look for yosd, and sometimes on bjd clothing sites it is listed as Usd, though a search on google for that term will just get you money conversion sites, lol. Also, on etsy, anything that says Littlefee should pretty okay as they are standard 1/6 size as well, but again you can search for YOSD (or yo-sd)

Thanks so much I kept seeing those terms and I was completely lost, some of that clothing is quite pricey, so I'd kinda like to get it right the first time around as opposed to a lot of trial and error.

[Radiance]

I copied these measurements for your new dolls from the Mint on Card site. When in doubt check measurements! It appears Doll Family Yo sized dolls are fairly close to Fairyland Littlefees BUT the waist is almost 1cm thicker, so if you are buying LTF sized pants or skirts they may be too snug. Volks Yo-SD are pretty chunky so clothing sized for them might fit better in the waist.

Measurements:

-Height: 25.6cm
-Head Circumference: 17cm
-Eyes: 14mm
-Neck Circumference: 6cm
-Arm Length: 10cm
-Chest Circumference: 13cm
-Waist Circumference: 12.5cm
-Hips Circumference: 14.5cm
-Leg Length: 12cm
-Foot Length: 3cm
 

[MoonHawke]

Den of Angels is a great resource, as you can find a thread for just about every "legit" bjd there is. If you need an invite, shoot me a PM and I'd be happy to send you one.

I'm also a newbie, and while you can find most info that you need online, I also picked up a copy of a book from Amazon "Ball-Jointed Dolls for Beginners" by Alison Rasmussen and Melissa Metheney. It has a bunch of really nice photos and enough info about all areas of doll ownership so you won't feel like a fish out of water.

My advice when shopping for clothes, is to keep note of the measurements for your doll handy while browsing sites. Not all companies list their dolls as YoSD, MSD and SD, so you may have to reference your dolls measurements to find that companies closest match. You'll also find through searching the sculpt threads on DoA that most people will have already asked and answered about clothing, wig and eye sizes.