Misc. questions about DD-f3 body/articulation, plus doll head questions

Hi folks! Been reading the forum as a guest for a few weeks as I'm building up my first doll (after years of wanting one!) and I have a couple questions about the DD-f3 body before I make the jump and potentially buy one. I bought a standalone custom DD head to start off with (the head was what started all of this, really...) and I don't want it to float around body-less longer than it has to lol.

I was originally looking at a Obitsu body for my doll since I read about how the 47/48 cm bodies had amazing articulation/range of movement, but after reading up on the DD-f3 body, it seems pretty much on par with Obitsu articulation. (I had read that the DD bodies were limited in some areas compared to Obitsu. This post I found a while back gives you an idea of what I was looking at, though it compares the older DDII [rather than DDIII] to Obitsu, so I imagine it's a bit outdated.) Can anyone who owns/has handled both compare and tell me which one is the better of the two in that regard? I want to use my doll for photography so I want to be able to move them around pretty freely. My big concern (if I can word it that way) is the knee joint - apparently larger Obitsus (50 cm+) can't bend it all that far, so I'm wondering where DD stands on that front.

Aesthetics of the body itself aren't an issue for me. I'm also a figure collector, so visible joints and etc. don't bother me much. I mostly just want to know if the extra cost of a DD-f3 is worth it - there's quite a big jump in price between the two bodies, after all.

Also, do the chest/bust parts on the Volks site all fit the DD-f3 body just fine or were they made for the DDIII body? The character I'm making a doll of is supposed to be really flat chested, so I was looking at getting a S bust or even smaller, but I want to make sure it all fits.

The head I got is a DDH-03, which I've read is one of the smaller DD heads Volks makes. Does that mean it would look out of proportion on a standard DD body? Should I be looking at a smaller body instead? On that note, what wig size does this head require? I'll need to make my own wig for my doll, and while I've found a place to buy hair wefts and such, I'm not sure what size of wig caps I should get for this head.

Sorry if these are dumb questions, but since I don't own any dolls yet I don't have much to compare to/much first-hand experience with them. I appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you!

Hello!

Unfortunately I can't help you with your questions about the obitsu body, but I can answer some of your other questions ^^

I just tried my DDS M chest on my DDS f-3 body, it will fit. I took 3 pics; I could take more but it's getting late lol;;; 
 

This is an older thread, but you can see DDH03 on various bodies. I feel like it's a very versatile head and will work on all body types.  All standard DD (and almost all DD) will fit volks 8-9 wigs. That's the usual size you should keep an eye out for-- however there is a bit of size difference between other wig manufacturers. If you are buying premade stretch caps... I'm not sure if they get that specific, so the next best option is to look for something 1/3 size. I haven't made my own wigs before though;;

That comparison is definitely pretty outdated at this point, especially on the DD side. Even the Obitsu side has a few small differences! Here's a more modern comparison of my Obitsu and DDS bodies:

Spoiler

Before starting this it's worth mentioning that my Obitsu body has the new vinyl formula arm pieces that Obitsu released last year - they're squisher than the old pieces and allow for more movement! I can't demonstrate this in the legs, unfortunately. Also, no heads since my Obitsu neck connector is in pieces.

Standing
Both are as stable as each other. I intentionally knocked them over after this to see at what point the bodies would bend and fall, the Obitsu failed at the hips, the DDS at the feet. That said though, you can adjust the stiffness of the joints on the f3 frame, so it's entirely possible that the DDS body could be more stable than the Obitsu body. The ankles of the f3 frame also have an extra point of articulation that lets them adjust to the slope of a surface, so there might be more stability there as well.
I feel like this is also a good place to mention that the joints of the Obitsu body creak! I've noticed that the DD hands and feet also creak, but not like the Obitsu body's joints.

Kneeling
Not sure if there's a significant difference here, the photo in the other comparison doesn't have the best angle. The Obitsu body seems to be a little bower though, and the DD body looks about the same.

Arm bending
This is where things really start to change! You can see that the both the DD and Obitsu arms bend further now, but the DD arms are now beating the Obitsu arms in how much they can bend. I've seen posts where people say that you need to pull out the elbow to engage the extra mobility of the DD arm, but that must be for the older DDIII body because these arms bend as easy as the Obitsu one's do. Both bodies need to have the elbows pushed back in after you fully extend them. I haven't found this to be super important on the DD arms, but on the Obitsu body the elbows keep wriggling their way out each time you bend them, so if you don't push them back in they'll come out every few bends.

Bending over
The DD body gets more of a 45 degree angle instead of 90 now. The Obitsu body is about the same. They're also both leaning against the wall since I couldn't be bothered balancing them like the original comparison did (I imagine they might need heads to balance properly as well)

Stick your leggy up real high
This isn't something the original comparison showed, but you can also bend the legs on both bodies like this. I've got an arm wrapped around each leg, but they don't actually need the support, both bodies can hold the leg like that without it. With support the Obitsu body can hold the leg higher, the DD leg can go much more than in the picture.

The old comparison also shows the Obitsu body being able to curl up, but I can't actually get the body to stay in the position. The legs will stay, but the torso won't stay deformed like the one in the comparison. I tried taking off the DDS bust, but it still wouldn't hold.

 

Overall, I feel like the DD bodies are slightly better for me. Being closer to a standard size, they're much easier to dress, I prefer the texture of the vinyl, and the joints also feel (and sound) much better when posing. If it's leg mobility you want though, the Obitsu body is the clear winner. I feel like the two bodies are pretty on par with each other at this point that it just comes down to personal preference of what one you like better.

Also if you do put your DDH03 head on an Obitsu body, I recommend one of the neck adaptors by this seller: 
https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/seller/grayforce 
You can use the Obitsu neck connector on a DD head, but honestly it's a hassle, and sucks major ass. It came apart so many times over the course of a year, and trying to put it back together without damaging the faceup I did on the head I used was not fun.

Also, random suggestion, if you want the best of both worlds, the entire DD arm will fit on the Obitsu body, and DD feet will also fit! The hand frame fits in the Obitsu arms as well. 

If you want any extra comparisons or whatever feel free to ask!

 

EDIT: I forgot a pose!

the DD-f3 can sit suwarikko-style if they're supported by something, like a wall or their arms.

Edited November 24, 2020 by hellFlower

Most essential points have already been stated by @hellFlower. I agree that the Obitsu 48/50 has a decent edge in leg posing over the DDS-f3. Also the option for magnetic feet on the Obitsu is a pretty nifty feature.

However, the DD-f3 has an additional degree of freedom in the wrist joint for more natural hand posing. You can kinda force the Obitsu hands in a similar way, but its not optimal and you may need to heat the hand first. Speaking of which: Swapping hands on an Obitsu is annoying as you'll usually need to heat the hand with a hair dryer to remove it from / attach it to the wrist joint. You can buy multiple wrist joints and swap more easily this way, but they aren't super cheap either.

DD hands are made from fairly soft vinyl so (unless you're in the freezing cold) you can wriggle them on and off without any tools. The softer vinyl also allows a fair bit of leeway on what your doll will be able to grab with her hands.

 

9 hours ago, ZashKiIzzivash said:

Also, do the chest/bust parts on the Volks site all fit the DD-f3 body just fine or were they made for the DDIII body? The character I'm making a doll of is supposed to be really flat chested, so I was looking at getting a S bust or even smaller, but I want to make sure it all fits.

To my knowledge, all f3s use the same bust and hand parts as their respective III counterpart. So a DD-f3 M-bust should be a DDIII M-bust in newer packaging. A bust for DDS will still not fit on a DD and vice versa.

This compares DDIII with DDf3 (well, DDS actually)
And correct me if I'm wrong, but DDIII is starting to be phased-out, right? This is more related to the frame though. And it shouldn't be hard to find replacement parts overnight, but still, something to consider, maybe..?

20 minutes ago, Yumeiro said:

but DDIII is starting to be phased-out, right?

Wasnt it already discontinued as far as the inner frame goes? and the molds were only given for use for the Icon series?

There is still some stock of certain DD3 parts, and bodies, but I thought no new stuff is going to be made .. which is a bit ironic, since at the moment you can buy unitorso DD3-DDS mid sections, but no limbs for them.

Edited November 24, 2020 by finnleo

12 hours ago, Ayuuya said:

Hello!

Unfortunately I can't help you with your questions about the obitsu body, but I can answer some of your other questions ^^

I just tried my DDS M chest on my DDS f-3 body, it will fit. I took 3 pics; I could take more but it's getting late lol;;; 
 

This is an older thread, but you can see DDH03 on various bodies. I feel like it's a very versatile head and will work on all body types.  All standard DD (and almost all DD) will fit volks 8-9 wigs. That's the usual size you should keep an eye out for-- however there is a bit of size difference between other wig manufacturers. If you are buying premade stretch caps... I'm not sure if they get that specific, so the next best option is to look for something 1/3 size. I haven't made my own wigs before though;;

This is really useful, thank you! So the chest pieces are indeed interchangeable then (so long as you keep to the same body size), that's what I wanted to confirm. It's really nice to see the head on various bodies, so thank you for that! I always appreciate visual references when possible.

As for the wig, I did find wig caps in those sizes, so I'll get some of those and see how they fit the head. While it would definitely be easier to buy a premade wig, my character has two-tone hair and I have yet to see a wig that looks like I could do what I intend to do with it lol. Extra challenge, I suppose!

 

9 hours ago, hellFlower said:

That comparison is definitely pretty outdated at this point, especially on the DD side. Even the Obitsu side has a few small differences! Here's a more modern comparison of my Obitsu and DDS bodies:

  Reveal hidden contents

Before starting this it's worth mentioning that my Obitsu body has the new vinyl formula arm pieces that Obitsu released last year - they're squisher than the old pieces and allow for more movement! I can't demonstrate this in the legs, unfortunately. Also, no heads since my Obitsu neck connector is in pieces.

Standing
Both are as stable as each other. I intentionally knocked them over after this to see at what point the bodies would bend and fall, the Obitsu failed at the hips, the DDS at the feet. That said though, you can adjust the stiffness of the joints on the f3 frame, so it's entirely possible that the DDS body could be more stable than the Obitsu body. The ankles of the f3 frame also have an extra point of articulation that lets them adjust to the slope of a surface, so there might be more stability there as well.
I feel like this is also a good place to mention that the joints of the Obitsu body creak! I've noticed that the DD hands and feet also creak, but not like the Obitsu body's joints.

Kneeling
Not sure if there's a significant difference here, the photo in the other comparison doesn't have the best angle. The Obitsu body seems to be a little bower though, and the DD body looks about the same.

Arm bending
This is where things really start to change! You can see that the both the DD and Obitsu arms bend further now, but the DD arms are now beating the Obitsu arms in how much they can bend. I've seen posts where people say that you need to pull out the elbow to engage the extra mobility of the DD arm, but that must be for the older DDIII body because these arms bend as easy as the Obitsu one's do. Both bodies need to have the elbows pushed back in after you fully extend them. I haven't found this to be super important on the DD arms, but on the Obitsu body the elbows keep wriggling their way out each time you bend them, so if you don't push them back in they'll come out every few bends.

Bending over
The DD body gets more of a 45 degree angle instead of 90 now. The Obitsu body is about the same. They're also both leaning against the wall since I couldn't be bothered balancing them like the original comparison did (I imagine they might need heads to balance properly as well)

Stick your leggy up real high
This isn't something the original comparison showed, but you can also bend the legs on both bodies like this. I've got an arm wrapped around each leg, but they don't actually need the support, both bodies can hold the leg like that without it. With support the Obitsu body can hold the leg higher, the DD leg can go much more than in the picture.

The old comparison also shows the Obitsu body being able to curl up, but I can't actually get the body to stay in the position. The legs will stay, but the torso won't stay deformed like the one in the comparison. I tried taking off the DDS bust, but it still wouldn't hold.

 

Overall, I feel like the DD bodies are slightly better for me. Being closer to a standard size, they're much easier to dress, I prefer the texture of the vinyl, and the joints also feel (and sound) much better when posing. If it's leg mobility you want though, the Obitsu body is the clear winner. I feel like the two bodies are pretty on par with each other at this point that it just comes down to personal preference of what one you like better.

Also if you do put your DDH03 head on an Obitsu body, I recommend one of the neck adaptors by this seller: 
https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/seller/grayforce 
You can use the Obitsu neck connector on a DD head, but honestly it's a hassle, and sucks major ass. It came apart so many times over the course of a year, and trying to put it back together without damaging the faceup I did on the head I used was not fun.

Also, random suggestion, if you want the best of both worlds, the entire DD arm will fit on the Obitsu body, and DD feet will also fit! The hand frame fits in the Obitsu arms as well. 

If you want any extra comparisons or whatever feel free to ask!

 

EDIT: I forgot a pose!

the DD-f3 can sit suwarikko-style if they're supported by something, like a wall or their arms.

So many photos, thank you so much for doing all of this! It's really helpful to see a side by side comparison like this. The DD body has improved a ton since I found that original link, it's really cool seeing what it can do now. Honestly, I mainly mentioned the knee joint because it struck me as one of the ones that had the biggest difference in movement range between the bodies. (Incidentally, that was part of why I never bought a Smart Doll - I remember finding them soon after they came out and finding them really cool, but at the time the webpage said the knee couldn't bend further than 90 degrees and that just seemed weird to me. I did ask them if that was a limitation of the outer body of the leg, or if it was the frame itself that couldn't bend that far, but never got a reply.)

The fact that DD is a standard body size is definitely something that makes me lean towards buying a DD body - it would be much easier to dress my doll if I know what fits them! It seems like no one can make up their minds if Obitsu 48 is considered 1/4 or 1/3, and that's made clothes shopping very frustrating.

 

7 hours ago, Tierparkzone said:

Most essential points have already been stated by @hellFlower. I agree that the Obitsu 48/50 has a decent edge in leg posing over the DDS-f3. Also the option for magnetic feet on the Obitsu is a pretty nifty feature.

However, the DD-f3 has an additional degree of freedom in the wrist joint for more natural hand posing. You can kinda force the Obitsu hands in a similar way, but its not optimal and you may need to heat the hand first. Speaking of which: Swapping hands on an Obitsu is annoying as you'll usually need to heat the hand with a hair dryer to remove it from / attach it to the wrist joint. You can buy multiple wrist joints and swap more easily this way, but they aren't super cheap either.

DD hands are made from fairly soft vinyl so (unless you're in the freezing cold) you can wriggle them on and off without any tools. The softer vinyl also allows a fair bit of leeway on what your doll will be able to grab with her hands.

 

To my knowledge, all f3s use the same bust and hand parts as their respective III counterpart. So a DD-f3 M-bust should be a DDIII M-bust in newer packaging. A bust for DDS will still not fit on a DD and vice versa.

This is very useful info to have, thank you for that! Sounds like DD has quite the advantage compared to Obitsu when it comes to their hands. The extra wrist articulation is something I've read about before, and I have to admit it sounds like something I could make very good use of.

I really appreciate everyone's help and advice, I wasn't expecting such detailed replies and so many pictures but it definitely helps a ton! Knowing now that the DD body has pretty much caught up with Obitsu when it comes to poseability changes things quite a bit for me. The smaller details everyone has mentioned (easier to dress, easier to change hands, etc.) also make me lean more towards a DD body, now that I see it's definitely worth the jump in price. My doll's head hopefully won't be floating for too long! Once my doll is completed I'll make sure to share photos.

Thanks again for all of your help!

21 hours ago, ZashKiIzzivash said:

This is really useful, thank you! So the chest pieces are indeed interchangeable then (so long as you keep to the same body size), that's what I wanted to confirm.

Yes, chests are interchangeable within a body type and in some cases between body types with mods. You can put a DD bust on a DDDy, but you have to trim the vinyl. 

Both sizes of hand parts are interchangeable between DD, DDS, and DDDy. 

Heads are interchangeable between all the body types, but aesthetics plays a role in what head looks good on what body. Most seem to prefer smaller heads on the MDD body.