Hello! Complete Noob in need of guidance...

Hi all

 

I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Debbie and I am not yet an owner of a Smart Doll, however I am saving in order to be able to get my girl - Kanata.  I have been looking at other manufacturers and styles, but I always come back to her.

 

I have no idea what has happened to me.  I started off watching face up videos on Youtube, then one of Danny's was in my recommendations and that was that. I fell in love with the anime style, the quality and Danny's personality.  What concerns me though, as I am so new to this hobby, I have no idea what I am exactly going to with Kanata when I do get her.  What I really want to do is make clothes for her - I can't sew a straight line for toffee, but I am willing to learn.  I have downloaded the free patterns from the website and am bracing myself to have a go.  Does anyone have any tips and tricks, or resources that could help a noob out?

 

Thanking all of you lovely people in advance.

 

Debbie x

Hi Debbie, welcome to this great hobby.

I am happy that you are saving up to purchase your first doll. If you want more of a Anime style doll and Anime clothing I would recommend that you check out Volks Dollfie Dream Dolls which have more variety. Smart Doll is a nice doll too, but it's not really aimed at anime but more for fashion. But that is in my opinion. I own both Dolls and I do like them very much. But for variety I would recommend Dollfie Dream Dolls. Also they are better for posing. 

Which ever Doll you will chose have fun because they are great. 👍☺️

2 hours ago, Silky said:

Hi Debbie, welcome to this great hobby.

I am happy that you are saving up to purchase your first doll. If you want more of a Anime style doll and Anime clothing I would recommend that you check out Volks Dollfie Dream Dolls which have more variety. Smart Doll is a nice doll too, but it's not really aimed at anime but more for fashion. But that is in my opinion. I own both Dolls and I do like them very much. But for variety I would recommend Dollfie Dream Dolls. Also they are better for posing. 

Which ever Doll you will chose have fun because they are great. 👍☺️

Hello Silky 

Thank you so much for this.  I am actually just having a quick look at the Volks Dollfie Dream site.  I just found another thread on here about the 'facebook debacle' and to be honest, it's leaving a sour taste and making me reassess my opinions of the Smart Doll brand and owner.  Who knew the doll community could be so intense!  I really appreciate your recommendations too...it's all a bit confusing

Hi Debbie, 

Please link me the the thread. 

5 hours ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

Hi all

 

I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Debbie and I am not yet an owner of a Smart Doll, however I am saving in order to be able to get my girl - Kanata.  I have been looking at other manufacturers and styles, but I always come back to her.

Welcome to the forum.

 

There are actually several threads. I would take some of the internet rumors about Danny with a grain of salt, even if they are based on something that happened, some of them have grown as they were passed around the internet, and are no longer a truly accurate representation of the events in question.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by BeyondTime

1 hour ago, Silky said:

Hi Debbie, 

Please link me the the thread. 

@Silky So sorry I am totally clueless! 

53 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Welcome to the forum.

 

There are actually several threads. I would take some of the internet rumors about Danny with a grain of salt, even if they are based on something that happened, some of them have grown as they were passed around the internet, and are no longer a truly accurate representation of the events in question.

 

 

 

 

@BeyondTime Thank you for these.  I'm gonna go read through all these.  I can't seem to make my mind up as to what I actually want.  Might be better if i just have a think about everything.

4 minutes ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

@BeyondTime Thank you for these.  I'm gonna go read through all these.  I can't seem to make my mind up as to what I actually want.  Might be better if i just have a think about everything.

One other thing I might add. If you don't buy from Smartdoll directly, you may find third party clothing options for smart dolls harder to find than clothes for Dollfie. A lot of third party clothing makers base their sizes on Volks resins, and Dollfie Dreams can share clothing made for Volks SD13 / SDGr.

If you want an anime themed doll then Dollfie Dreams are a good choice, but if you like dolls in general I would check out Volks Super Dollfie too. More expensive, but they are stunning works of art.

Some limited edition resin models.

http://www.dollsmagazine.com/rose-of-versaille-bjds/

https://myfigurecollection.net/item/184187

https://myfigurecollection.net/item/264836

http://www.junichi-nakahara.com/archives/3791

The resins have a lot of male doll options too. Not my thing, so I am not familiar with all the offerings, but they are very popular.

At this point male dollfie dreams aren't a standard option. You gave to find an aftermarket Len Kagamine, or SAO Kirito to get a male body.

1 minute ago, BeyondTime said:

Some limited edition resin models.

http://www.dollsmagazine.com/rose-of-versaille-bjds/

https://myfigurecollection.net/item/184187

https://myfigurecollection.net/item/264836

http://www.junichi-nakahara.com/archives/3791

The resins have a lot of male doll options too. Not my thing, so I am not familiar with all the offerings, but they are very popular.

At this point male dollfie dreams aren't a standard option. You gave to find an aftermarket Len Kagamine, or SAO Kirito to get a male body.

Thanks for that @BeyondTime.  It is a female I am looking at.  I just can't decide what I want.  I am thinking Dollfie is the way to go now, with the whole availability of accessories and wotnot. But I have no idea which one.  I had a look at the Super Dollfie ones and I don't think they are for me (if i'm looking at the right thing - there was 3 of them...) I think I might be a bit dense as I am finding this all very complicated lol 

Hey Debbie, 

Do you live in US or Europe? 

If you decide on a Dollfie Dream Doll.  I can recommend some Dollfie Dream shops for you. You might find what your looking for there. They have a pretty good selection. ☺️

1 hour ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

Thanks for that @BeyondTime.  It is a female I am looking at.  I just can't decide what I want.  I am thinking Dollfie is the way to go now, with the whole availability of accessories and wotnot. But I have no idea which one.  I had a look at the Super Dollfie ones and I don't think they are for me (if i'm looking at the right thing - there was 3 of them...) I think I might be a bit dense as I am finding this all very complicated lol 

There are a huge number of Super Dollfie, but they are available through a very different mechanic. Volks has something called Super Dollfie Full Choice System, where you can have a doll built from a large range of customization options.

The downside is Full Choice is Japan & North America only. The North American options are more limited.

I will say this, if you aren't finding the aesthetic of the Super Dollfie appealing then the full range of options doesn't necessarily change that. While each sculpt is unique, I find the overall asthetic of the heads is quite similar. There are some big exceptions to that, but for me personally most of the scultps aren't very appealing.

I would also add that Dollfie Dreams are probably a more forgiving entry into this hobby. The internal frame makes them easier to pose, they're less expensive, spare parts are available on the Volks website, and they are pretty darned durable. You can drop a Dollfie Dream, and as long as she doesn't faceplant on something rough like concrete, or sharp like the edge of a baseboard heater, she isn't likely to get damaged. They are subject to stains, but as long as you are careful about protecting the face-up, stains are easy to remove.

Edited August 4, 2019 by BeyondTime

.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Silky

10 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

There are a huge number of Super Dollfie, but they are available through a very different mechanic. Volks has something called Super Dollfie Full Choice System, where you can have a doll build from a large range of customization options.

The downside is Full Choice is Japan & North America only. The North American options are more limited.

I will say this, if you aren't finding the aesthetic of the Super Dollfie appealing then the full range of options doesn't necessarily change that. While each sculpt is unique, I find the overall asthetic of the heads is quite similar. There are some big exceptions to that, but for me personally most of the scultps aren't very appealing.

I would also add that Dollfie Dreams are probably a more forgiving entry into this hobby. The internal frame makes them easier to pose, they're less expensive, spare parts are available on the Volks website, and they are pretty darned durable. You can drop a Dollfie Dream, and as long as she doesn't faceplant on something rough like concrete, or sharp like the edge of a baseboard heater, she isn't likely to get damaged. They are subject to stains, but as long as you are careful about protecting the face-up, stains are easy to remove.

I found one that I did really, really like...but I'm in the UK and they don't ship her here.  I may be wrong, but there doesn't seem much choice for us Brits...unless there is someone that can point me in the right direction. 

2 minutes ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

I found one that I did really, really like...but I'm in the UK and they don't ship her here.  I may be wrong, but there doesn't seem much choice for us Brits...unless there is someone that can point me in the right direction. 

Which Volks website did you find her on? Volks USA is North America only, but Volks Japan ships globally as far as I know. 

3 minutes ago, Silky said:

There are also Dollfie Dream Friend shops. If you go on the Official Dollfie Dream website and click on shops you will find  a few Dollfie dream sellers there. If you live in UK or Europe I recommend Sakura Dreams: Dollfie Dream Friend Shop. I have bought from them before and the prices and shipping are reasonable. And they are always growing their stock and have a decent selection. Plus if you message them with what your looking for, I'm sure they can get it for you. 

Thank you so much.  I'm going to go and see what they have available and if they can get me the girl I want, which is Aio. 

3 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Which Volks website did you find her on? Volks USA is North America only, but Volks Japan ships globally as far as I know. 

I just checked, and it was Volks Japan...and now she is out of stock...I think the universe is trying to tell me not to bother lol

.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Silky

1 minute ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

Thank you so much.  I'm going to go and see what they have available and if they can get me the girl I want, which is Aio. 

She’s out of stock in Japan, but if you can’t find her through the friend shop you should be able to get her shipped directly to you from Volks Japan once she is in stock again. 

https://ec.volks.co.jp/item/4518992387109.html?__lang=en

Just keep checking back. Volks Japan restocks without any notice. 

Just a warning, VAT on dolls adds a fair bit to the price. 

1 minute ago, BeyondTime said:

Just a warning, VAT on dolls adds a fair bit to the price. 

Yes I am bracing myself for that pain 

Unfortunately Aoi is discontinued; however since she's still up on the website it's possible there could still be a restock:

https://www.dollfiedream.tokyo/dd_en/model/list_standard/

2 minutes ago, cfx said:

Unfortunately Aoi is discontinued; however since she's still up on the website it's possible there could still be a restock:

https://www.dollfiedream.tokyo/dd_en/model/list_standard/

Thank you for that.  I am about to give up before I've even started lol

7 minutes ago, cfx said:

Unfortunately Aoi is discontinued; however since she's still up on the website it's possible there could still be a restock:

https://www.dollfiedream.tokyo/dd_en/model/list_standard/

Cfx, once a discontinued item is out of stock on the Japanese website, they will not get them in

17 minutes ago, TheGildedStrawb said:

Thank you for that.  I am about to give up before I've even started lol

I would search Mandarake or Yahoo Japan for her.

Mandarake can be searched in English, but for Yahoo Japan you will need to use Japanese. You can usually just copy the needed text directly from the Volks Japan website, but that's going to work better with collaboration dolls than standard dolls.

You probably will need to grab the text for Dollfie Dream and Aoi.

You may find her as a head, and then you will need to buy her a body, but you can get a headless body directly from Volks.