Sunrise x smart doll

Obviously we don't get to input Volks decisions but the difference is Volks don't act so transparent and give the impression that they want feedback. It makes me wonder why he shows us prototypes etc otherwise - think back to Eiji, who was pretty much made from feedback. (Plenty of people still didn't like him but the point is plenty of people did and he looks loads better than the awkward first version)

Even though some DDs don't look like the character they still look...well-made. This Spike honestly doesn't look right to me, not just because of the character likeness but because proportionally he just doesn't look good to me. He actually kind of looks like someone's hybrid doll using separate companies heads/bodies. That's just honest feedback.

 

You're right that we don't have to buy them, but that doesn't mean we aren't allowed to discuss them...for better or worse. Just like how we're allowed to bitch about weird things Volks does. It's a discussion forum and I think these obvious issues are worthy of discussion. We don't have to buy Spike, but the fact that I've seen few (if any) people say they want to after the reveal should be more cause for alarm.

 

This is an expensive item and prospective buyers have the right to be critical. I really don't see how that makes us all 'not nice'. I'm kind of puzzled and a little miffed that you'd imply we're all big meanies for not blindly praising everything. Like I said before, people are critical of things like this usually because they want to like them and they want them to look good, not because they're aholes. I mean, I own and love an Eiji (Mimiyo too) who does not seem to be well-liked here so I find it kind of odd we'd be accused of nitpicking.

I'm not trying to start anything with you of course, and obviously all the negative discussion might be daunting to people who do like this Spike. They're welcome to speak up and add to the discussion because I'm curious.

 

(I also think contacting Sunrise won't do anything as they've clearly okayed the design)

Dude chill out. Whenever someone produces something like this criticism is going to happen, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has been polite while voicing their concerns and if Danny can't handle that then honestly it's his problem. You can't be thin skinned in this line of work, especially when the criticism has been polite and constructive. Getting offended on someone else's behalf isn't going to help anyone either.

 

Volks dolls get criticism too, plenty of it at times. Hell, people just recently kept saying how Anastasia's chin looked too sharp. I didn't think it looked too bad, but I didn't get mad at them for having an opinion on it.

 

The difference between kos-mos and momo is that even though they look different, they don't look disproportionate. kos-mos in particular is a very liked sculpt while this head looks disproportionate, something those two don't suffer from. It seems like you kinda missed the point of what everyone here was saying.

 

I think it's a very good thing that he's showing prototypes, however if people don't like what they see on these prototypes they're going to say something, and they have every right to do so. Last time I checked that was the point of posting prototypes, to get people's input so you can improve what might be amiss.

 

I love my volks dolls and my smartdolls too even though they're not perfect. But they're not the same thing as this. I really have come to expect higher aesthetic standards from him than this. This really is the first thing he's done that I thought looked bad in any way.

 

And trust me, I don't think anyone who has voiced their displeasure with it so far is going to be buying it if that is indeed the finalized sculpt.

 

I agree with what Torino said as well, we're not trying to start anything with you. I will say that that more or less looks to be your intent though.

I was told the doll community was nice with nice people , I have never seen so much nick picking , IF you don't like his dolls its simple DONT buy them . He has been getting so much bleep from people he has maybe had enough and just doing what he wants and what Sunrise accepts . It is his company and his decision .

Shrugging off criticism is the worst way to run as a company. Every company strives for customer satisfaction and good representation of themselves. I run a business, and I know this is what I strive for and feedback is what helps me improve customer satisfaction and quality of products. If one keeps shrugging off criticism they eventually become a bad company and begin to lose sales eventually leading to bankruptcy.

 

It's a GOOD thing people are picking out the flaws, nobody is trying to make him feel bad about his dolls. Everyone just gives feedback, and people/companies have to improve.

 

Just like art if you can't take criticism you will never improve and always be stuck on square 1.

 

Currently his customer service(see cocoa thread) is unacceptable and embarrassing.

Him not taking criticism and not improving makes it even worse as a representation of a company.

maybe I was a little over zealous with my statements and I am sorry about that but lately there seams to be more negative statements on this forum and that makes me sad , not just spike but all smart dolls , but when I saw spike I recognized him as spike , not perfect but close enough for me to think , that's spike , I cant say the same for Kosmos and Momo , I actually Love Momos face but its not Momo . Spike could do with improvements yes But I would buy him with his smiling face , the bigger issue with spike is that he needs wider shoulders , in the anime his shoulders are very wide , but I know Danny will not do this because he would have to make a new body and that will cost too much and raise his price to much . I am just greatfull that Danny's Character dolls are not going to be limited like volks and therefore there is no profit for scalpers .

I prefer The smart dolls body or Volks bodies but at the moment I prefer Volks heads over Smart doll heads ,

I love Mirai's head but having it repainted over and over as "new Dolls" is a bigger issue for me than the Spike sculpt.

Positive note:

 

If they tanned the skin of Spike, the hair and body might make a great Mugen from Samurai Champloo!

Positive note:

 

If they tanned the skin of Spike, the hair and body might make a great Mugen from Samurai Champloo!

nice I would Love Mugen I have 2 poodles a Male Called Mugen and a female called Fuu

I was told the doll community was nice with nice people , I have never seen so much nick picking , IF you don't like his dolls its simple DONT buy them.

 

Well~ to tell you the truth I really was sad/disappointed/offended about your first statement. This community is by far the nicest I've ever been.

I never ever met sooo many friendly and caring people before, who just want you to enjoy the hobby together and help you out in any way you could think of.

 

So saying something along the line like "you voice your opinion so your not nice people" really stung :/ Its not like something mean was said. To discuss certain topics is a big part of a forum after all :/

 

Especially if you are the senyac from e2046/the Modelkit Community.... compared to this awesome Dollfie Family we have here the Modelkit Community is the deepest part of hell... Never going to take a step back there....

 

Back to topic:

I was looking forward to Spike and I don't like him one bit... Really scared how Lelouch will look like *sigh*

Well, i have been looking at the images for a while and for me it just seems they have not given his jaw line enough strength.

I do know the male Smdoll does have weak ears ( Sadly my El I bought an eye patch for and I can't sue it since his ears are so flat and have no size to them it slips off XD ) so maybe they have not worked on his ears enough making the jaw smaller than it should?

 

 

 

I really don't see how us giving our opinion on the hobby made us " not nice" and like others have said. if he truly did not want our opinion he would show nothing until it was made for sale like volks does. the fact he seems to rebuff and ignore the opinions is what is sad about this though and why I feel we should be respected a bit more by him.

Forgot to add the small image I did XD

 

I just feel like maybe his ears are affecting the overall look, not that we can see that well but just a thought knowing what their first male head was like ( i have not seen a girl Smdoll in person so not sure)

I think we all want Smartdoll to succeed and sell well, so if something appears off, then should we just stay quiet..? I do not think that leads to improvements.

And I certainly do not think it is nitpicking! There should be room for opinions of both kinds in this community.

 

Danny is free to choose to ignore feedback or criticism. But to treat his customers/potential customers like crap, will not help either.

While yes, no one is forced to purchase a doll they do not like... what are the chances of new dolls or new licences if sales are poor..?

 

Does he have time for refinements on Spike at this point?

Especially if you are the senyac from e2046/the Modelkit Community.... compared to this awesome Dollfie Family we have here the Modelkit Community is the deepest part of hell... Never going to take a step back there....

 

Well Yes I am the same senyac from e3046/the Modelkit community and I too will never go back to that forum

 

I d like to apologize again for my statement about this community and explain why my it happened ,

I am not in a good place atm (emotionally/mentally)

I was a fulltime carer for my elderly father for 18 years and he passed away recently at the age of 91 ,

I am struggling with Depression/stress and get quite emotional at the drop of a hat .

 

So I say again I am sorry for my previous statements

thanks Senyac

Smart doll spike by Shoujo Magic, on Flickr

 

From the 3/4 view, i feel like his neck needs to be a bit thicker.

 

i like the adjustments Error did, that might help his sculpt work better on different angles.

 

Also i know the artwork style but i feel like the eyes are just a bit too small for how big the rest of the face is :/ especially in the frown face one, the small eye holes teamed up with the angled up eyeballs it just doesnt look quite right....

 

If i ever get around to buying smart dolls i might buy him but ill be making a hybrid. ^×^

Positive note:

 

If they tanned the skin of Spike, the hair and body might make a great Mugen from Samurai Champloo!

I think that Danny's Spike is looking way more like Mugen, now that you mention it. He always struck me as being leaner (and mangier) than Spike.

 

Linda S.

galatia9

Yeah, the head needs to be shrunk a little in proportion to the body, and he needs a bit more of an angle/buildup at the "corner" of the mandible in particular. I'm also not a huge fan of the "vague" mouth sculpt, makes it look like he doesn't have teeth in there?

 

That said, the smiling faceup looks a lot better than the frowny one.

I d like to apologize again for my statement about this community and explain why my it happened ,

I am not in a good place atm (emotionally/mentally)

I was a fulltime carer for my elderly father for 18 years and he passed away recently at the age of 91 ,

I am struggling with Depression/stress and get quite emotional at the drop of a hat .

 

So I say again I am sorry for my previous statements

thanks Senyac

 

No prob, mate. You apologized so I'm sure everyone agrees we're all chill. Sorry to hear about your Dad. Losing a loved one... it's a very difficult place to be at.

 

Back to our beloved Spike though. I hope Danny listens and makes some adjustments as I would really love to get Spike, not that I won't consider it with this one's smiley face version (need to see more photos) but if he incorporates all the suggestions here and makes a Spike closer to the original then Danny couldn't take my money fast enough. As it is, it's all wait and see. I'm still hoping for what future releases will be like.

Danny said he'd show us pictures of Spike on 11/27, but I don't recall hearing him mention an actual release date. Unless someone else has heard more specifics, it could be that there's still some time before the official release.

I d like to apologize again for my statement about this community and explain why my it happened ,

I am not in a good place atm (emotionally/mentally)

I was a fulltime carer for my elderly father for 18 years and he passed away recently at the age of 91 ,

I am struggling with Depression/stress and get quite emotional at the drop of a hat .

 

So I say again I am sorry for my previous statements

thanks Senyac

 

No prob, mate. You apologized so I'm sure everyone agrees we're all chill. Sorry to hear about your Dad. Losing a loved one... it's a very difficult place to be at.

 

Back to our beloved Spike though. I hope Danny listens and makes some adjustments as I would really love to get Spike, not that I won't consider it with this one's smiley face version (need to see more photos) but if he incorporates all the suggestions here and makes a Spike closer to the original then Danny couldn't take my money fast enough. As it is, it's all wait and see. I'm still hoping for what future releases will be like.

 

Thanks

I will try to chill out more before posting comments again lol

I Like the smiling Spike but also wait and see how he hopefully improves

Danny said he'd show us pictures of Spike on 11/27, but I don't recall hearing him mention an actual release date. Unless someone else has heard more specifics, it could be that there's still some time before the official release.

He mentioned first quarter 2017 before I believe. The exact date of 11/27 is just because that's when Dollism in Hongkong was, where Spike was first shown.

 

I just honestly think he should have started out with characters more suited to the existing smartdoll bodies and hopefully the funds gained from them would help pay for new body types/molds. I think that Lelouche may fair better for this reason. I just really don't understand why he was in such a hurry to do Spike.

No hard feelings Senyac. We all get a little easily pissed at times, straw that broke the camel's back and all that. Sorry to hear you've had a hard time, I know the feeling, sort of.

 

And yeah, really hope Danny listens because if so I'm sold!

I think this was maybe a hard task for Danny to take on. I feel that his company is young and I don't mean that negatively. He is figuring out what he can and cannot do. I want to support his endeavors as I feel that Smartdoll (generally) is filling a niche that was desperately under-serviced in this size doll market. I have a Smartdoll and I really like her in terms of engineering and posing. I feel she is more enjoyable to pose than DDs.

 

With that said, I don't think Spike looks like 'Spike.' I think smoother features with some of the other characters he has tried to do has turned out better. Spike has a very sharp, distinct face, and that is why the 'smile' comes out as such. I'm not however the target audience for Spike. I hope big fans are happy at least.

Especially if you are the senyac from e2046/the Modelkit Community.... compared to this awesome Dollfie Family we have here the Modelkit Community is the deepest part of hell... Never going to take a step back there....

 

Well Yes I am the same senyac from e3046/the Modelkit community and I too will never go back to that forum

 

I d like to apologize again for my statement about this community and explain why my it happened ,

I am not in a good place atm (emotionally/mentally)

I was a fulltime carer for my elderly father for 18 years and he passed away recently at the age of 91 ,

I am struggling with Depression/stress and get quite emotional at the drop of a hat .

 

So I say again I am sorry for my previous statements

thanks Senyac

 

Like katnaper said:

No prob, mate. You apologized so I'm sure everyone agrees we're all chill.

 

So, don't worry! My grandfather died last year from cancer. I know how hard it is.

Hope you will feel better soon! >__<

I agree he shouldn't have taken Spike on so soon. If he's not ready to be able to make the necessary changes,additions, etc he shouldn't have started with him.

Spike is iconic and this doesn't look right at all. Glad my wallet is safe, but more upset at this than anything.

He should definitely have stuck to characters that would fit better into his range.

I understand he has a new business, and I wish to see him succeed. If he is going to act like he wants opinions he needs to accept them all.

I think he takes it personally and that's why he gets snippy. I get it, but you can't do that if you are running a business.

I have calmly and nicely held back a few times myself while taking commissions, so I understand, but you must do what the customer wants after all!

It really seems to me that this is "good enough" The thing that bothers me most of all is that he's...I don't know lumpy looking, like he's just weird and awkward.

Volks definitely misses the mark sometimes, but those dolls don't look like an amateur sculptor made them.

 

I think Sunrise can't do anything, but if enough of us complain maybe something would be said to Danny?

Maybe he will listen to negative feedback instead of just using the positive to reassure him his products are acceptable.

I think Spike would look better as a BJD because of its semi-realistic face with strong facial features.

 

Someone like Immortality of Soul would have done a good job with Spike.http://dollios.us/index.php they have done anime male character dolls before, my favorite so far is Grell Sutcliff from Black Butler . They always look exactly like the character. http://www.dollios.com/gallery2?number=67

 

Or Granado: http://doll-granado.com/index.php

 

Even Iplehouse: http://iplehouse.com/home/index.php?page_no=en_index&nhn1=en

 

That's why the BJD community is full of male dolls because the molds have more variety and they can go from 100% stylized to 100% realistic and good look on both sides.

 

Vinyl dolls only look good with 100% stylized sculpts.

 

I applaud Danny for this step he is taking, though. He might even changed the way Vinyl dolls have been until now and change to direction to more realistic and masculine vinyl sculpts.

 

He took the plunge and I know Danny can do this, he only needs someone who can push him further to finally make the perfect molds. He has a vision but I feel like he is struggling to see it clearly. Maybe he needs time, in a very short period of time he has accomplish what Volks has taken so long to accomplish (male dolls, dark skin) so I have hopes in Danny!

Now that I saw Kotobukiya's Spike I'm probably bothered by his nose and the shape of his face.

 

Would love him if he looked more like this:

 

He probably looks a little bit too young like this though >_<"

Yeah, I referenced this figure earlier. It is a bit closer to what I'd desire in doll form. I think it is hard not to craft him a little young, and sadly you have to paint more of the "age" on him?

 

And I think it is fair to say that everyone wants Danny to succeed. That sadly comes with the fact that when we see failures, or short comings it is like a hit to the community, and to him. It's like an audible "Noooooo!" Not a boo, but an audible sound of disappointment.

 

What I really wish he could do with Spike right now is put the project on hold. If he had the right to delay it or could discuss that then pausing the work and focusing on Lelouch would probably be in his benefit. Lelouch is a lot easier when it comes to crafting. (Not an insult, just anime-wise he's a simple design facially). The head so far for that looks fine, other then that weapon-of-a-chin. I think that was a safer place to start than Spike.

 

Unfortunately, that's not gonna be possible I think at this point. It is just what I wish he could do so he could start off his licensed male character line with a bigger success, and so he can give that time necessary to getting Spike into better shape. This also comes from the fact that I do kinda feel like this project got rushed. With all the stuff going about with Code Geass (new season) that really needs to be the focused project because he's about to hit the best marketable time for it.

 

That's all just a guess, clearly. I just, I can't help but feel like time is what Danny needs to get Spike into better shape. He's an iconic character, without any particular celebrations about to happen. A delay isn't gonna hurt ya.