Casting a Vinyl Doll

Hey all! I have been sculpting up a storm lately. These are OOAK dolls made with LaDoll clay, and I have been having sooo much fun doing it! 

In the Resin BJD hobby, people often cast their own art dolls.... are there any resources for companies that would cast a doll in vinyl? Is there a way to do it yourself? I would love to hear anything you all know of... I would love to make custom squishy vinyl dolls with all sorts of body types!

29 minutes ago, littlecherishdoll said:

In the Resin BJD hobby, people often cast their own art dolls.... are there any resources for companies that would cast a doll in vinyl? Is there a way to do it yourself?

@Cauldroness knows a lot about vinyl & resin doll production. She might be able to answer this. 

Casting in Vinyl has more steps in the production process which make it harder to do smaller runs.
Keep in mind that vinyl "skins" are only one component, and that ABS frames will be a different manufacturing process (injection molds).

AFAIK, Obitsu may be one of the best companies to look at since they have done multiple collaborations with different sculptors/companies. (azone, parabox, visuadoll) Based on my current knowledge, Obitsu offers vinyl production services. This also eliminates the need to engineer the internal frame. Please take this information with a grain of salt though.

Previously, Japan was the "go-to" place for creating soft vinyl toys, but costs/availability are sort of high. There are multiple manufacturers in China that can be found through Alibaba OR through 3rd party broker, but YMMV. There is the added risk that you may need to protect your IP in the case that your molds are repurposed. You can probably look into artist resources for people who make the Sofubi Art Toys like KidRobot and Kaijuu type things in terms of sourcing production methods and info. 

The start-up costs for creating a vinyl doll are a lot higher since you will need actual factory equipment. But if you do a run of like 10,000 units the initial cost would be a good investment when you divide it per unit produced. 

Hopefully I’m not to rambly.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Subaru

You're not likely going to be able to produce a vinyl doll at home. It's a rather complex manufacturing process that generally has to be done in an industrial setting!

Obitsu actually has a great video about the whole process here: https://youtu.be/FOCMjxzJHx8

(Another great video is here, too: https://youtu.be/tCEioJg_84g )

Obitsu is a contract manufacturer for many companies -- Azone, Visuadoll, Parabox, and Angel Philia are among the most notable (and, if rumors are to be true, potentially also SmartDoll). So yes, a company (or an individual) could in theory hire Obitsu to produce a vinyl doll for them. That said, I've heard the molds for casting can get quite expensive, costing around $1,000 *per mold* on the low end and $80,000 on the high end. Think of all the different parts that would need molds... head, bust, right upper arm, left upper arm, right forearm, left forearm, right hand, left hand, waist, right thigh, left thigh, right calf, left calf, right foot, left foot... and that's before you've gotten into the injection molds needed for the internal skeleton!! (Ever wonder why Azone, Visuadoll, Parabox and Angel Philia all use the SAME internal skeleton? Because then they don't have to pay for new injection molds to be created! Even these bigger companies are scared of the cost of those molds.)

Plus then there are order minimums... Obitsu is not likely going to take on a contract for less than 50-100 dolls or more (I know the order minimum is 50 for small toys from them; I assume it's higher for big projects like dolls). Vinyl is definitely more "mass production" than "artisan" when it comes to creation!

In comparison, resin casting is super-easy and can totally be done at home (with proper safety equipment, as the fumes can be dangerous). There are also resin casting services that will take on very low quantities (in some cases, they'll make a single doll, but a lot of them do low runs around 20 or 30 dolls).

Thanks so much for the information, everyone!! I really appreciate it! I can now see why most people go for resin... vinyl only makes sense for a huge amount of product, it seems... Still, I won't give up! I might sculpt a design off of an Obitsu Base and see where I can get with that :3 Thank you!!

On 9/5/2020 at 12:23 AM, littlecherishdoll said:

Thanks so much for the information, everyone!! I really appreciate it! I can now see why most people go for resin... vinyl only makes sense for a huge amount of product, it seems... Still, I won't give up! I might sculpt a design off of an Obitsu Base and see where I can get with that :3 Thank you!!

Good luck! That seems like such a fun project 

I wonder if Cosclay would be of help to you? 

https://www.cosclay.com

I am quite tempted to try that myself...

And what about some good quality silicone? It can be pigmented. Or that would be too soft even if put onto internal frame?

20 hours ago, Lynn said:

I wonder if Cosclay would be of help to you? 

https://www.cosclay.com

I am quite tempted to try that myself...

Thanks for the heads up!! this looks amazing... I have been keeping my eyes peeled for obitsu 40cm bodies, but they are soooo hard to find! Does anyone know if there are any 40CM frames that are usually in stock/can be bought separately?

14 hours ago, Silent said:

And what about some good quality silicone? It can be pigmented. Or that would be too soft even if put onto internal frame?

I would love love love to make a silicone doll... I know peach pai busts go over the frame, but they rest on the vinyl hip portion, and you have to cover the ABS frame with cling film so the silicone does not degrade it...

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by littlecherishdoll
added another quote

30 minutes ago, littlecherishdoll said:

Thanks for the heads up!! this looks amazing... I have been keeping my eyes peeled for obitsu 40cm bodies, but they are soooo hard to find! Does anyone know if there are any 40CM frames that are usually in stock/can be bought separately?

I would love love love to make a silicone doll... I know peach pai busts go over the frame, but they rest on the vinyl hip portion, and you have to cover the ABS frame with cling film so the silicone does not degrade it...

 

https://paraboxshop.jp/index_en_jpy_142-148.html

40cm bodies, plus vinyl/frame parts.

15 hours ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

https://paraboxshop.jp/index_en_jpy_142-148.html

40cm bodies, plus vinyl/frame parts.

Yes, that's the main place I look... i keep checking, but the 40cm bodies are always out of stock!! Even the smaller bodies are often out of stock, I was lucky to nab a ws 25cm one.. Thanks for helping though :3