Injection vs vinyl

I spent all weekend talking myself out of buying Gaia and now I'm glad I did! I'll definitely snag her in cortex. My crew needs an android friend I think...

1 hour ago, baldylox said:

The pricing is what is going to make or break Cortex.  Knowing a full set of clothing is around $100 USD when you buy a full vinyl doll makes me think that a fullset Cortex is going to hit somewhere between $350 and $450.  With just underwear they may be less than $300 and I'm betting the kits you put together yourself are going to run around $100 to $200 depending on if you build the skeleton yourself or not.

These are only guesses but I recall Danny saying he wanted to come in at around the $350 mark with Cortex a while ago.

I'll be waiting for the "Final Boss Grade" ones because I'm a cheapo, plus I have a model kit builder friend who really, REALLY wants to help me put one together. Sounds like that won't be until much later this year, which is fine by me.

This line caught my eye: "We will still continue to make vinyl dolls for the foreseeable future but the evolution of Cortex will continue to create alternate timelines in ways which we are not aware of yet."
Honestly, I just got this feeling that he would phase out vinyls once he announced Cortex and my Spider-sense is getting stronger. Thoughts?

I'm very excited for Cortex! I may get Mirai during the first release but I'm holding out for Destiny too. I don't mind seam lines at all and I'm really interested in those clear parts he posted earlier.  

9 minutes ago, Serena-Hime said:

I'm very excited for Cortex! I may get Mirai during the first release but I'm holding out for Destiny too. I don't mind seam lines at all and I'm really interested in those clear parts he posted earlier.  

Me too! Don't they look so cool?! Even if my first cortex girl doesn't get transparent bits, ~somebody~ will. I'd love if they were a part of the first release but I'm sure it'll be a while.

I’m looking forward to getting Mika Jougasaki in cortex. I do wonder when the clear parts will be released. During the soft cortex launch on 5/10 or 6/13?

I definitely might get Gaia (or maybe Mika??) to see how Cortex is. I suspect Harmony might come back as a Cortex doll as well because Mirai and Gaia are the same sculpt (I think??) but that's definitely just wishful thinking on my end. ^^;

15 hours ago, UnderOrange said:

Me too! Don't they look so cool?! Even if my first cortex girl doesn't get transparent bits, ~somebody~ will. I'd love if they were a part of the first release but I'm sure it'll be a while.

I hope they come sooner rather than later! I want to paint circuitry on the inside of the clear parts, or line the inside with jewels or chainmail or something like that. Glam robot assassin?? Yes pls

3 hours ago, Serena-Hime said:

I hope they come sooner rather than later! I want to paint circuitry on the inside of the clear parts, or line the inside with jewels or chainmail or something like that. Glam robot assassin?? Yes pls

Yesssss, this is exactly my thinking, I'm also super hoping I can figure out how to work some tiny LEDs into the mix.

We might have to wait for the do-it-yourself releases though, because I think the ones they put together in shop will be glued before they're shipped.

4 hours ago, Serena-Hime said:

I hope they come sooner rather than later! I want to paint circuitry on the inside of the clear parts, or line the inside with jewels or chainmail or something like that. Glam robot assassin?? Yes pls

 

27 minutes ago, UnderOrange said:

Yesssss, this is exactly my thinking, I'm also super hoping I can figure out how to work some tiny LEDs into the mix.

We might have to wait for the do-it-yourself releases though, because I think the ones they put together in shop will be glued before they're shipped.

THESE ARE BOTH SUCH GOOD IDEAS I LOVE IT. I think they definitely make LEDs small enough to use in a Smart Doll, but I don't know much about how to go about wiring them... battery pack in the torso maybe? Actually, if you could get ahold of the USB Torso that came out once upon a time, you might even be able to get one that can be charged... I'm not sure though, it would take a lot of work I think. ^^;

And circuitry inside would be the coolest thing- this is making me want a Motoko Kusanagi Smart Doll. The clear parts open up so many customization options along with the future DIY kits. If we ever get blank faces as well, it would finally give them the customization potential that DDs have! It's a really exciting time to be in the hobby!

1 hour ago, Mothiraffe said:

THESE ARE BOTH SUCH GOOD IDEAS I LOVE IT. I think they definitely make LEDs small enough to use in a Smart Doll, but I don't know much about how to go about wiring them... battery pack in the torso maybe? Actually, if you could get ahold of the USB Torso that came out once upon a time, you might even be able to get one that can be charged... I'm not sure though, it would take a lot of work I think. ^^;

And circuitry inside would be the coolest thing- this is making me want a Motoko Kusanagi Smart Doll. The clear parts open up so many customization options along with the future DIY kits. If we ever get blank faces as well, it would finally give them thecustomization potential that DDs have! It's a really exciting time to be in the hobby!

I do admit, the USB torso kinda gives me the willies, lol. I think it's just a little too... i dunno, subservient for my tastes? If that makes any sense? I'm okay not having one and just maybe hiding a battery pack discretely out of sight for the lights.

My first cortex girl will still be a robot even without clear parts and blinky lights, because ~robots~. Maybe there will be different kinds of robot shells, like in Questionable Content. Hmmm...

Reading all these posts about androids has made me want one of my own now! Putting LEDs inside the clear parts sounds like such a cool idea. I wonder how well the Cortex material would take paint - maybe paint some body parts in metallic paint, perhaps with panels carved in them for a more obviously robotic look? What about a steampunk Smart Doll with cogs & gears visible through the clear parts?

Cortex gives me so many possible ideas! 😀

@Zaliayn Plastic is as plastic does, I'm hopeful that they'll take to being customized as well as Monster High dolls do. If they're somewhere in that scale, then they have a lot of possibilities for modification, repainting, and even custom parts for people artistic enough to make them work! I'm really excited to see what people do with them- this is opening so much possibility for commissions as well. 

I don't know that I would ever be able to put one together from scratch, but I can't wait to see what everyone else does with theirs as the model kits come out. It's a new era~

10 hours ago, Mothiraffe said:

I think they definitely make LEDs small enough to use in a Smart Doll

I've seen people tend to use the diodes from those plastic candles. But for long, narrow limbs, it might be hard to implement well. Cosplay prop guides feat. LED lights, is the go-to, at least.
 

1 hour ago, Yumeiro said:

I've seen people tend to use the diodes from those plastic candles. But for long, narrow limbs, it might be hard to implement well. Cosplay prop guides feat. LED lights, is the go-to, at least.
 

Hmm, perhaps fiber optic wires could be of use for the narrower areas? I remember as a tiny!me my aunt had this silly color-changing fiber-optic lamp, and at the end-point the colors all glowed like miniature LEDs. But that was well over 20 years ago, and I don't know how... common or accessible those are in this day and age, let alone how one might light and incorporate them into a Smart Doll LED system. But it's food for thought nonetheless!

On 4/16/2019 at 3:05 AM, kranberrijam said:

This line caught my eye: "We will still continue to make vinyl dolls for the foreseeable future but the evolution of Cortex will continue to create alternate timelines in ways which we are not aware of yet."
Honestly, I just got this feeling that he would phase out vinyls once he announced Cortex and my Spider-sense is getting stronger. Thoughts?

 

Yeah, I worry about that too. My friend and I believe that if Cortex is a big success, he'll probably discontinue the vinyl dolls within 3 years. I do hope that the vinyl line will stay around for a while. 

I'm super excited for cortex's release now!  I hope I can get a final boss grade Destiny when the kits get released.

I just received my first Smart Doll Unity ( Thia). I seriously, hope that he never removes the vinyl version, but somehow continue to improve them. The price is good with the cortex, but I do not like the seam lines. Awww

Danny recently released a video on how to build the Cortex! The process is slightly more complicated then I had initially thought, but is still very doable! The video is about 90mins long to get some snacks or something. Lol

Also, the Cortex in Cocoa makes an appearance in the video as well! Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the first time that we have seen one completely assembled!

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by MaKayla_Panda

14 hours ago, MaKayla_Panda said:

Also, the Cortex in Cocoa makes an appearance in the video as well! Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the first time that we have seen one completely assembled!

I think this is the first full body shot, but I believe Liberty was shown on the cocoa cortex body when she was revealed!

@ambrosia Did Danny mention the price and I just missed it? How much are Cortex going to be?

5 minutes ago, Mothiraffe said:

@ambrosia Did Danny mention the price and I just missed it? How much are Cortex going to be?

No price has been stated yet. The cortex is supposed to be ready by the 13th of this month, so maybe news about price soon. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by 20blackbags

Ahhh, thank you... we'll see. I really really want Liberty when she releases ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

I'm contemplating on getting a cortex body for my girls to share - so at least one of them can wear black clothing for longer periods without worrying about stains too much. But in the end it'll depend on the price if I get a pre-assembled cortex, a kit, none at all or use it as a means to justify getting a new girl entirely...

However, I will always prefer the vinyl bust parts, simply because of the additional articulation they provide in the neck area.

 

Some of your modding ideas also sound pretty intriguing:

On 4/17/2019 at 6:32 PM, Mothiraffe said:

On 4/17/2019 at 4:36 PM, Yumeiro said:

I've seen people tend to use the diodes from those plastic candles. But for long, narrow limbs, it might be hard to implement well. Cosplay prop guides feat. LED lights, is the go-to, at least.
 

Hmm, perhaps fiber optic wires could be of use for the narrower areas? I remember as a tiny!me my aunt had this silly color-changing fiber-optic lamp, and at the end-point the colors all glowed like miniature LEDs. But that was well over 20 years ago, and I don't know how... common or accessible those are in this day and age, let alone how one might light and incorporate them into a Smart Doll LED system. But it's food for thought nonetheless! 

Your best option are probably SMD (surface mounted device) LEDs. It might be fiddly to wire them up, when they are not mounted on a PCB (maybe affix them to the plastic shell of the cortex first), but it should be easier than making sure the optical fibers all point outward perpendicular to the skin.

 

On 6/7/2019 at 11:42 PM, Tierparkzone said:

But in the end it'll depend on the price if I get a pre-assembled cortex, a kit, none at all or use it as a means to justify getting a new girl entirely...

However, I will always prefer the vinyl bust parts, simply because of the additional articulation they provide in the neck area.

Yeah I definitely feel the same way. I know that the Cortex will be cheaper regardless of the price but, I really want to see exactly how much cheaper is it going to be. I don't know why he's being to tight lipped about the price. Majority of his customer base can buy on the first release, but some of us need to budget and save. Lol

If the price is low enough, I would definitely consider wiping the original face up and get a new one...

Shizusan has a series of videos on youtube of cortex assembly. I am assuming he got one of the early release ones?