Sunrise x smart doll

 

Well, at least we can hide his face if it doesn't look good? xDD (Sorry, for the bad joke but I couldn't hold it back loool )

I hope this is stuff we can buy separately. I only want his head and body. D;

Does anyone know when Danny is going to reveal Lelouch? I think he's going to be at Anime Impulse so maybe then? I'm going a bit crazy waiting... lol.

oh yeah .... I am also really looking forward to Lelouch... when did already last!

Not trying to make excuses or anything here, but playing devils advocate for a sec

Danny's sense of humor is really kinda snarky & sarcastic so maybe he didn't mean to be rude by his comments, maybe things just got lost in translation. With how social media is, you can't hear certain things like tone over text or see expressions or gestures so it's hard to understand intention. I mean maybe he totally meant to be rude but I just totally don't get the point of doing that on a public platform to your paying customers when they're giving you totally valid criticism? IDK. Once again, not saying anyone shouldn't be upset by what he said or making excuses, just trying to give another point of view.

 

On another note, I totally know it's not gonna happen but I soooo want CC's Cheshire cat outfit from the Nunnally in Wonderland OVA not as her main but as an option later on maybe? If not maybe I'll commission it.

Danny swooping in hard with the CC teasers over on twitter

Wow. It looks like I am kinda lonely in loving basically everything Danny does. Lol.

Just to throw it out there, I like Smart Dolls way more than Dollfie Dreams. To me, as anime characters, their proportions are off, head does not sit right on the neck, they have a weird waist joint, squished faces, and overall have flat bodies. The only Dollfies I have like the faces of are the Vocaloids and Saber (which I still do not completely like), everything else looks off to me (mainly saying so you get my view point and all. . . )

 

So, for Spike, I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the first face sculpt for Spike too, the frown did not fit the Spike I knew. I had originally thought the clothes were made cheaply, but now I think (when I look at photos of his anime character) that Danny was trying to give the "messy, not quite put together" look his clothes often have in the anime. It is hard to pull loose anime style clothes off with real materials (just go to a convention and look at cosplay) so I can see what he was trying to achieve. Seeing snippets of Lelouch's clothing furthers my belief in that because of how nice and close fitting they are to his body; Spike is not supposed to look like that. I actually really like Spikes hair; I was wondering how Danny would pull of the shape and I think it is fantastic. I have also always characterized Spike with brown hair and the green color coming from the lighting he was around, so I am perfectly happy with the brown.

I do like the smiling face much better than the frowning face, it could use some improvement, but I did recognize it as Spike (unlike some Dollfies I have seen in the past as mentioned earlier).

It would have been nice to have a different torso specifically made for Spike (at least upper torso) to give him a slightly broader neck and wider shoulders. HOWEVER, the problem is the internal skeleton. He can only make the shoulders as wide as the internal skeleton allows unless he also designs a whole new shoulder system just for this one doll. That is unrealistic in a business sense unless he planned to market him above 800 and have people pay for it. Since Smart Doll is still up and coming and has Volks to compete with (late to the game so to speak) that would not be a smart belief.

Also, it is quite common for 'artists' or such to alter a character to their style. Look at all the different versions of Hatsune Miku. Everyone designs something a little differntly.

I also do not think Danny is one to just say "Yay we have a face now lets push to sell!". Danny is excited about what he creates, he likes to share his creations with everyone. Danny likes to have pride in his work and he would not sell something he was not proud of. He does have a sarcastic nature (one more reason why I like him) but at least he responds to comments, even if he does not respond well he does respond. He sees them! More than I can say about the upper management of Volks.

Also, running a business is stressful and he is taking on a lot right now; not the smartest idea which is why he has put some items on hold. I think he is doing this because he is trying to "ride the wave of his success". Unfortunately with some businesses if the company does not constantly produce new items and say "look what I got now!" the customers get bored and go somewhere else. Because Volks is so big they do not have to worry about that.

In my opinion a lot of people in this hobby are comparing Smart Doll with Volks but that is very unreasonable. It is like comparing McDonalds with Burger21, they both sell burgers but have different presentations and business models. Smart Doll is not Volks, they are still a small-medium business while Volks is a medium-large business. SmDoll is going to have a few bumps, he is going to say a few wrong things, and he is going to try to do a lot of design himself because it is still HIS business.

 

Okay, as for Lulu and C.C. and the rest of the gang. . . I AM SO EXCITED. Code Geass is one of my top 3 favorite animes! I am so happy Danny is taking them on and will almost definitely buy at least those two. I think he is looking great and am really excited to see what his face up will be like. I do not mind the idea of Lulu using the default SmDoll boy body at all. It would be kinda cool to see a male version of what Danny did with Chitose's bust, but will not be concerned if I do not.

 

I apologize for the super long post, I was trying to answer all the comments so far. . .

You'll find a lot of people comparing smart dolls to Volks here because this specific forum is focused on the love of, and discussion of Volks dolls.

 

Smart dolls are something we let the peasants talk about.. ocassionally. If they have paid enough tribute to the Volks overlords.

 

You'll find a lot of people comparing smart dolls to Volks here because this specific forum is focused on the love of, and discussion of Volks dolls.

 

Smart dolls are something we let the peasants talk about.. ocassionally. If they have paid enough tribute to the Volks overlords.

 

 

This made me lol harder than I probably should have... XD

In my opinion a lot of people in this hobby are comparing Smart Doll with Volks but that is very unreasonable.

 

I both agree and disagree with this. I think it's natural to compare the products, as both companies produce anime style BJD's. Where I think we can't compare is the businesses themselves. There's no denying that Volks is a larger, more established company, with an emphasis on limited edition dolls and clothes. They also produce a wider range of products (DD's, SD's, clothes, figures, etc) and can afford to participate in ventures at lower profit margins because of that.

 

Smart Doll is smaller, newer, and it's much more important for a company like that to keep their costs at a minimum. Especially since vinyl dolls and clothes are all they produce. Their focus and business plan is different from Volks in that they don't produce limited items, so unlike Volks, who can do a defined production run and then retire it forever, anytime Smart Doll creates a new product, it adds to their inventory cost.

 

To my way of thinking, it will probably take Danny a while to find a good balance between coming up with enough new things to keep customers interested, but not releasing so much that his inventory balloons out of all control. And as Smart Doll gets bigger, they'll be able to handle a wider array of products. He's definitely made some mistakes along the way, but I have confidence that he'll find his stride and we'll see some really exciting things. From both companies.

In my opinion a lot of people in this hobby are comparing Smart Doll with Volks but that is very unreasonable.

 

I both agree and disagree with this. I think it's natural to compare the products, as both companies produce anime style BJD's. Where I think we can't compare is the businesses themselves.

 

Please do not misunderstand, this is exactly how I feel.

I understand comparing the differences between doll types. I do it all the time, for both these dolls and other dolls I collect. Like Madame Alexander 12" play dolls to American Girl dolls; I am completely fine with that. Where I draw the line is when I hear people say "they should do preorders like Volks", or events like Volks, etc. No, Culture Japan should do whatever they want in their business model. I even some times have a problem with hearing something like "I wish Doll Chateau made their faces like SoulDoll". Again, no. If you want a SoulDoll face then get a SoulDoll, if you want a Doll Chateau body with a SoulDoll head then by them like that (one part from each company) and mod it to fit. Otherwise it would defeat the whole purpose of having different doll companies.

(Note: I used different doll companies from Volks and Culture Japan/Smart Doll because it sounded to redundant in my head, but the companies are just examples.)

 

 

Lol, as for the other reply I got. I know this is a DD forum, its why I do not stick my head up about SmDolls too often. And I do love my SMiku, Len, and Rin despite their body faults (yay for bodysuits!).

This is the best place to get details about what Volks is doing on a month to month basis and it is one of the most active communities I have found related to vinyl inner-skeleton dolls. However, I will say that I do not feel much like a peasant. . . more like a visitor from a neighboring kingdom who happens to like some of the lifestyles of this quaint region.

You'll find a lot of people comparing smart dolls to Volks here because this specific forum is focused on the love of, and discussion of Volks dolls.

 

Smart dolls are something we let the peasants talk about.. ocassionally. If they have paid enough tribute to the Volks overlords.

 

 

 

too funny

Danny said on twitter/instagram that Lelouche will be on display (in the store?) on April 5th.

 

Of course its possible he'll show him online before then too - he showed photos of the other new boys before putting their prototypes in the store for display after all. At least we have a date now.

I'll be in Japan in late March and I plan to go see Danny and the store so maybe if I meet up with him and I'm super nice, I can squeeze in a pic or two of Loo Loo to share. Altho I'd much rather see C.C. instead....

 

 

Billy

You'll find a lot of people comparing smart dolls to Volks here because this specific forum is focused on the love of, and discussion of Volks dolls.

 

Smart dolls are something we let the peasants talk about.. ocassionally. If they have paid enough tribute to the Volks overlords.

 

 

 

too funny

And imagine- I've never cared for Volk's DD (have SD, MSD and Yo-SD resins though), but I am a huge Obitsu fan (have at least ten, various sizes, 45 cm and up). So...if the peasants can talk about Smart Dolls...that must put me in the "homeless derelict" category.

You'll find a lot of people comparing smart dolls to Volks here because this specific forum is focused on the love of, and discussion of Volks dolls.

 

Smart dolls are something we let the peasants talk about.. ocassionally. If they have paid enough tribute to the Volks overlords.

 

 

 

too funny

And imagine- I've never cared for Volk's DD (have SD, MSD and Yo-SD resins though), but I am a huge Obitsu fan (have at least ten, various sizes, 45 cm and up). So...if the peasants can talk about Smart Dolls...that must put me in the "homeless derelict" category.

 

Yes.

 

It might not be much but at least they are making collaborated male dolls. ^^; I wish Volks had something similar to the male smart doll bodies, all we have so far is DDS male body, and a Len face which just looks like a teenage boy's face. We need something more masculine to make Dollfie Males. I am curious on the outcome of this doll. I have never watched Cowboy Bebop but my husband keeps trying to make me watch it.

 

Cowboy Bebop (the series) is one of the best animes ever made; you should definitely watch it. The movie I can take or leave.

 

If you need a vinyl male 1/3 doll sooner rather than later, you might want to look into Udell by Granado. I learned about him on Sunday, and I'm impressed by the color choices and awesome price, though the sculpt is NSFW imho. Consider yourself warned… http://doll-granado.com/udell

It might not be much but at least they are making collaborated male dolls. ^^; I wish Volks had something similar to the male smart doll bodies, all we have so far is DDS male body, and a Len face which just looks like a teenage boy's face. We need something more masculine to make Dollfie Males. I am curious on the outcome of this doll. I have never watched Cowboy Bebop but my husband keeps trying to make me watch it.

 

Cowboy Bebop (the series) is one of the best animes ever made; you should definitely watch it. The movie I can take or leave.

 

If you need a vinyl male 1/3 doll sooner rather than later, you might want to look into Udell by Granado. I learned about him on Sunday, and I'm impressed by the color choices and awesome price, though the sculpt is NSFW imho. Consider yourself warned… http://doll-granado.com/udell

Damn! Udell is just... wow. He looks a little too "beefy" for Archer, but he's definitely closer to this than any of the other vinyl boys. And he's a really good price, too. I wonder how he'd look with a more anime-style head like Eiji's...

Udell (Granado) looks amazing! If only they had anime sculpts, but still the bodies and faces are beautiful. Danny had mentioned a long while ago he wanted to get the licensing for Metal Gear Solid, but as we all know w/ Danny's ramblings, sometimes it just never happens. The mature male anime sculpt is definitely a must in the vinyl world atm though. At least for me it is. The youthful looking faces don't appeal to me.

Danny is probably smart not to touch the Metal Gear franchise for the moment. I doubt hardcore MGS fans would buy a product that supports Konami after they pushed series creator Hideo Kojima out of the company to focus on mobile gaming. Give it a few years, and wait for Konami to get desperate and sell their major IP. Get titles like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castlevania back in the hands of actual game studios. But back on topic, Danny is wise not to take the risk right now. Too much bad blood all around in regards to Konami, Kojima and MGS right now.

Has anyone heard anything new about Spike? Last I knew he was supposed to be released in the first quarter of this year. That timeline is fast escaping, so I'm thinking his release might be delayed. But I haven't heard any updates.

Has anyone heard anything new about Spike? Last I knew he was supposed to be released in the first quarter of this year. That timeline is fast escaping, so I'm thinking his release might be delayed. But I haven't heard any updates.

 

I'm hoping they are actually taking the time to fix up his awkward appearance. Or it could be because they are more focused on Lelouch than Spike.

Man... I havnt even heard that name in quite a while... I wouldn't be surprised if the whole collaboration was scrapped... but I really hope not. Besides the obvious reasons I can only imagine how brutal that would be from a business perspective. I think it's really weird we haven't heard AYTHING or even seen random pictures in a long time.

I just did a little twitter-stalking, and the most recent picture of blurry background Spike was on 2/10/17. Look in the upper right and you'll see him.

 

I have to wonder, what are the chances of a Gundam Smart Doll? Maybe Fraw Bow or Sayla, or an MS Girl?