Project Kokorin! UPDATED with mod pics! 12-26

Everyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for project dolls.... meaning, if I find a doll that's in terrible shape or is broken or otherwise in need of repairs and some love, I'm all about adopting it and trying my best to give it a second chance on life.

 

My biggest project to date was Sinon/Motoko. She took months of cleaning and repairing to get her looking good. But the end product was amazing.

 

But I've just finished up another large project code named Kokorin.

 

Kokorin came about because someone on Facebook knew I was into projects and offered him to me at a great price. Yes, you read that right... I said *him*. Korin ( his nickname ) is a modded 04 head stuck onto a 55cm Obitsu male body. Here is how he looked when he arrived here.

 

DSC_1720 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Korin had some MAJOR issues. Mainly that sad face up modification attempt. But he also had stains on his body and some truly awful tattoos. Here's the one on his right arm.

 

DSC_1721 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_1722 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And for some reason he had a reverse tramp stamp. LOL

 

DSC_1723 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The tats and staining were things I could easily handle with some work and some time. But the faceup was WAY out of my league to try and do anything with. Here's a closeup of that mess.

 

DSC_1724 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I kinda liked the earrings but the rest had to go.

 

DSC_1725 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_1726 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I'm not sure what the person who did this was thinking or going for with the mouth mod. It's not really any specific type of facial expression. And the rest of the face up didn't look bad, it just didn't make any sense with the mouth and the body. All I knew was that it needed to go.

 

DSC_1727 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

While taking out the eyes to make it ready for cleaning and a new face up, the mouth part fell out. Seems it was also held in with eye putty.

 

DSC_1728 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

The mouth looked like it was made from clay or something similar.

 

DSC_1729 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

So here's Korin before he got wiped clean. I showed this to quite a few friends and almost every one of them said the same thing..... throw it away. Toss that thing, it's a loss. Just buy another and go from there.

 

DSC_1730 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

While I can understand how it's easy to do that and just get rid of this mess, I felt that he had some potential *IF* he was given to someone who could bring out that potential. Of course that meant I took him to Eblktty and explained what I wanted. She took it as a challenge and then we brainstormed on a character for him as well as what look he would have.

 

It took her several weeks of fixing, sanding, base painting and modding in order to get Korin to a point where he could really have another chance at life. I got to see a few basic pics of his progress but nothing prepared me for how drastic a change he had gone thru and how much more awesome he had become.

 

Now, scroll back up a little so you can see his face as it was one last time. I'll wait.

 

 

 

 

Ok then, ready for what he has become?

 

 

 

I don't think you are.

 

 

 

But I'll show you anyway.

 

 

So without further ado, I present to you my second male doll Kokorin!

 

 

 

 

 

DSC_1683 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_1684 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Oh yes, the name should have given it away but Kokorin is now my two kitty girls older brother! Their names are Kiririn and Kikirin so naturally he had to be named Kokorin. Isn't he adorable??

 

DSC_1685 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

He's a little pouty boy. Why? More on that in a sec. First off let's see his details. Eblktty had a lot of work to do in order to make him look this good. She had to fill in his open mouth and then sand the whole lower facial area to make it smooth and get rid of all the little scratches and scapes he had.

 

DSC_1686 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

She also had to color match his head to match the skin tone of the Obitsu body. And she had to leave the earring holes open so he could get those back as a little nod to his past.

 

DSC_1687 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

His eyes are different colors in order to show his relationship with Kiki and Kiri. One purple to match Kiki and one green for Kiri.

 

DSC_1688 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

But why is he so pouty? Let's ask him.

 

Korin, why so pouty?

 

"If you had two little kitty sisters YOU'D be pouty too! I can't get any time to myself with them always on top of me! Ahhh! No! Not again!"

 

DSC_1689 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

POUNCE

 

DSC_1690 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Ahh, I see. One big, happy kitty family!

 

DSC_1691 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

"HAPPY? Says who??"

 

DSC_1692 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Kiki and Kiri - "We love our big brother! He's so cool and fun!"

 

DSC_1695 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Awww, they look like they love you a lot little guy!

 

"Hrrmmphh. That's why I pout all the time. It's hard to hate these two little monsters."

 

DSC_1694 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

 

 

So there we have him! I have to say that I was so happy when Ebl brought him to the Halloween meet for me to put back together again. I never thought that awful looking guy I adopted could be so cute! As always I want to give her a big thank you for her hard work and to praise her amazing skill with doll painting and repairing. Thanks Ebl!

 

 

 

Billy

Man I’d been dying to see what you were gonna do with that head. The mod work is a miracle, I have no idea how she managed to get the end result from the beginning. Thanks for giving him a second chance at life and not tossing him!

 

And yes, pouty boys are great

Wow, Eblktty sure is a miracle worker! The more of her work I see on your dolls, the higher up she gets on my list of potential face-up artists to commission.

 

Such a cute kitty-boy, but why so pouty about having two adorable little kitty-sisters? Kitty-sisters are the best kind of sisters!

Nice choice of heterochromia, I like to think the recent influx of Kaede-power into the forum influenced you here.

 

 

Man I’d been dying to see what you were gonna do with that head. The mod work is a miracle, I have no idea how she managed to get the end result from the beginning. Thanks for giving him a second chance at life and not tossing him!

 

I have to agree. Very impressed with Eblktty's work.

Eblktty did such a nice job restoring Kokorin! He is really such a cutie with his two lil sisters. I always enjoy seeing how your projects end up in the end

Man I’d been dying to see what you were gonna do with that head. The mod work is a miracle, I have no idea how she managed to get the end result from the beginning. Thanks for giving him a second chance at life and not tossing him!

 

And yes, pouty boys are great

 

Thanks so much! I really didn't think the head could be saved but Ebl had faith that she could work with it and took it as a big challenge. As usual she far exceeded my expectations and hit a huge home run with him. I'd assumed him being pouty would be fun but I'm impressed with just how much I like it.

 

Wow, Eblktty sure is a miracle worker! The more of her work I see on your dolls, the higher up she gets on my list of potential face-up artists to commission. Such a cute kitty-boy, but why so pouty about having two adorable little kitty-sisters? Kitty-sisters are the best kind of sisters!

 

I agree that she is. And to think she used to do nothing but resin dolls up until just a few years ago. I'm happy to have her as my friend and face up artist. Thanks about Korin, I think he's pretty cute too. But like he said, having two KITTY girls as sisters can be a hassle.... all the kitty fights and tumbling and such really can grat on your nerves after a while.

 

Nice choice of heterochromia, I like to think the recent influx of Kaede-power into the forum influenced you here. I have to agree. Very impressed with Eblktty's work.

 

Hee hee, she might have had something to do with it but I've actually wanted a doll with it for years. I just never could find the right combo for any of the girls up until now. And thanks, I appreciate the compliments.

 

 

 

Billy

Eblktty did such a nice job restoring Kokorin! He is really such a cutie with his two lil sisters. I always enjoy seeing how your projects end up in the end

 

Thanks so much! I appreciate it. It was really fun having him come home, he's way cooler than I figured he would be.

 

 

 

Billy

Oh man, he's done! And dude, he looks amazing. Seriously, I can't tell that there even IS a patch job. Seriously, damn.

 

Welcome to the madhouse, Kokorin; take heart, there's cookies.

>:3 Nyans !!!! I'm glad we got to fix him up ♡

Now that is an amazing restoration.

 

I love the expression, it's pretty unique.

Oh man, he's done! And dude, he looks amazing. Seriously, I can't tell that there even IS a patch job. Seriously, damn. Welcome to the madhouse, Kokorin; take heart, there's cookies.

 

 

Yep he's all done! Thank you very much! All the praise should go to Eblktty tho, she did some real wizardry here. I wish I had some inbetween shots of him because there was this HUGE area below his nose that was all gray and filled in with a primer and filler that got sanded down. Then she had to paint the entire head in skin tone to match the body. It was a ton of work for sure.

 

 

He found out about the cookies and milk so he's making due for now.

 

 

>:3 Nyans !!!! I'm glad we got to fix him up ♡

 

No joke! It certainly took a while but all your hard work was so worth it! I'm super happy with him and so are his little sisters. Thanks again for helping me save this little guy!

 

Now that is an amazing restoration. I love the expression, it's pretty unique.

 

 

Thanks! Ebl outdid herself once again with him. I wanted him to have a bit of a pouty/agitated look to him and I found some pics of some MDD girls online that were adorable and had a very similar mouth to his so I went with that.

 

 

 

Billy

It looks like whom ever started him was going for a vampire type guy would be my guess. But wow, amazing restore and save.

I amazed about this one!! The work Ebl did on the face is just impressive. What brand of clay did she use to match the DD skin tone so perfectly??

Oh my! That is absolutely amazing! I never would have guessed that they were the same doll!

It looks like whom ever started him was going for a vampire type guy would be my guess. But wow, amazing restore and save.

 

Possible but that was one ugly vampire. Thanks for the compliments!

 

I amazed about this one!! The work Ebl did on the face is just impressive. What brand of clay did she use to match the DD skin tone so perfectly??

 

I know right? The pics don't do him justice either. As for the clay, I have no idea what color it was before but it didn't match the skin tone at all. The head and the body didn't match either since the head is a Volks and the body is Obitsu. So Ebl actually painted the entire head to match the body's skin tone. It was a lot of work but it had to be done or else he wouldn't look so good.

 

Oh my! That is absolutely amazing! I never would have guessed that they were the same doll!

 

Thank you! It IS hard to believe it! But it's definitely that old head, I can see the repairs inside.

 

 

 

Billy

You really would never say this was the same head, she really killed the rescue here! He is very cute with his new pouty face and fit's in wel with his sisters

I keep coming back to this post, and looking at the images like.. nope, this is real. Didn't imagine it... someone straight up ruined that poor head and wooooooow Eblktty is a miracle worker!!

.

Edited August 25, 2023 by ParacosmDoll

WOW! ElbKtty is a miracle worker. He looks great, and congrats on your second male doll

You really would never say this was the same head, she really killed the rescue here! He is very cute with his new pouty face and fit's in wel with his sisters

 

It's a drastic change I know. I think I will take pics of the inside of the head this weekend and share them here so people can see we didn't pull a switcheroo. Thank you for the compliments! I'm just the idea man and the funder. Ebl is the talent behind most of my projects.

 

I keep coming back to this post, and looking at the images like.. nope, this is real. Didn't imagine it... someone straight up ruined that poor head and wooooooow Eblktty is a miracle worker!!

 

 

Hee hee, thanks! I'm still amazed by it too! And people wonder why I use Eblktty almost exclusively..... Korin is proof of why.

 

 

Wow~ he looks so cute! Eblkitty is a miracle worker that's for sure, what an amazing transformation. He looks so precious with his sisters, the height difference between them all is adorable. Out of curiosity what size clothes do you have him in? I was considering picking up an Obitsu55 boy body for one of my floating heads but it's such an awkward size I don't know whether SD or MSD sized clothing would fit better? xD

 

 

Thanks so much! Ebl certainly is. I like the different heights of them too, it makes them seem more real. As for his clothing, he's wearing regular DD sized clothing. They are just a tad baggy on him but I like the look because it's like he's borrowing "hand me downs" from siblings or something. I have other clothing for my 50cm girls that should fit him like pants and shirts but I wanted to see how these worked out first. So I think it'll be fun to see what works and what doesn't with the DD clothing I already own. I think MDD and MSD size clothes are going to be way too small for him due to his height and the length of his legs and torso.

 

WOW! ElbKtty is a miracle worker. He looks great, and congrats on your second male doll

 

Thanks very much my friend! I appreciate it.

 

 

 

Billy

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Edited August 25, 2023 by ParacosmDoll

In case people are wondering. I used Tamiya epoxy to close the 'wound' and then sanded it as smooth as possible using 150, 200, 600, and 1500 sand papers. Then I covered the whole mouth area and some in the eyebrow region with Mr.Surfacer and sanded that smooth with 600 grit and 1500 grit papers. Then I added 5 thin airbrushed layers of custom mixed color to match the body. Did my usual faceup steps and sealed it all with Liquitex matte Varnish and MSC as well as some liquitex matte medium inbetween pastel layers.

 

Total time spent on this was about 32 hrs.

I was actually super curious about that, thanks for telling us! Really he looks amazing, I'm not surprised such fine work took a while, lol.

People had asked about how the mouth was closed on Korin's head and also ow that looked before painting and color matching the rest of the head. So I asked Eblktty to send me some pics to share here for people to see. I'm still not sure of all the materials used or the actual process so I'm just going to show the pics and maybe Ebl will stop by and do some more explaining if people need it.

 

Here we go!

 

2018-11-22_07-35-56 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

I think there were some eyebrow issues or something?

 

2018-11-22_07-36-13 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-36-28 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-35-39 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-35-23 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-35-04 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-34-48 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

Prepped and sanded and getting ready for paint.

 

2018-11-22_07-34-31 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-34-14 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

2018-11-22_07-33-43 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

And in case you forgot how cute Korin turned out, here's the final product.

 

DSC_1685 by Billy Bennett, on Flickr

 

 

I'm still amazed that Ebl was able to save this head. But THIS is what I LOVE about this hobby. With enough time, care and work, you can take an almost unsalvageable head and give it a second chance at a good life by redoing it instead of just throwing it away.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

Billy

That really is amazing work. Hats off to Ebl for their talent. But I do have a question with the 'filler' used, how flexible is it? Do you have to worry about it drying out over time or breaking off when you handle her? The heads are squishy to begin with and I've personally not encountered a filler that wouldn't harden and flake apart over time when handled when on a flexible substrate.