3rd Party Heads

Do we have any threads on compiling third party head makers for DDs / other vinyl companies who's heads are compatible? Sans the whole "here's how you get a head that uses an S-hook onto a DD body" technique, I mean. 

 

I honestly don't know of that many. The list I've got so far is something like:

• Dollce
• Obitsu (compatible)
• Smart doll (compatible)
• SQ labs
• Parabox (compatible)
• Youpla Dolls (discontinued) (MDD / DDP)
• Dollypop 

Question zone:

• Azone (could work for DDP or MDD)
• Visuadoll

EDIT: Rearranged the list a bit, and added some size qualifications. Hopefully that helps a bit!

Edited December 12, 2020 by kakulolita

This is super useful!  I was collecting info on the resin anime girls who had appeared since the last time I was active just a few days ago.

I will definitely add the Azone heads should be compatible.  The Iris Collect girls apparently only have one head mold, but it’s still an option, and with the other girls, if you don’t like the painted eyes you can always drill them out.

Dollypop also has done two head molds I think.

Sadol currently has the SQ/Kanalcode license.  Otherwise, I know there are a lot of small hobby makers in Japan making DD parts, either 3D printed, or resin cast.  It can be hard to turn them up sometimes, since they usually only make a few things, and sometimes are only available at festas — I found some jointed DD feet and different option hands a while ago, but unfortunately sold out.

I’m sure some other Japanese hobby creators have done heads too, it’s just a matter of finding them.

The Angel Philia “anime” head for Elle and Ellie is an Obitsu head.

I haven’t found anyone making heads at 1/3 scale on booth yet, although I am always investigating.  I track the doll tags lol.

2 minutes ago, Gabihime said:

I will definitely add the Azone heads should be compatible.  The Iris Collect girls apparently only have one head mold, but it’s still an option, and with the other girls, if you don’t like the painted eyes you can always drill them out.

Dollypop also has done two head molds I think.

That's true! I'll add those- I wasn't sure if Angel Philia made any large enough for DD bodies.

There are a number of dolls lost to wonderfests and so on, but it's nice to have a decent list of things! Thank you so much for your contribution ^^

Both Azone and Angel Philia are way too small to look any good on DD bodies, unless you're really into the pin-head look!

Dollfie Dreams are generally an 8-9" head size, and that's the size you want to stick to if you like your dolls looking proportionate (and not pin-headed).

Azone Iris Collect, Obitsu 50cm and Visuadoll are all 7-8" head size. For me, this is WAY too small for a DD body and looks bad. Other people might (?) be OK with it. Most Parabox "1/3" heads are also 7-8" and don't look great on DD bodies, in my opinion. They look much better on 50cm girl bodies.

(Obitsu used to make 60cm heads, which can look fine on DD bodies.) (Also, Azone Iris Collect Petit are 8-9" -- same as DD -- but have child-like features made for an adolescent body, like the MDD or possibly DDP. I would never put one on an adult DD body.)

Angel Philia is one size smaller still, 6-7" head size. There is absolutely no way this looks good on a DD body. (The exception here is Ellie, who is a 8-9" head size. She could maybe pass on a DD? Maybe??)

SQ Labs (now owned by Sadol), Dollipop and YouplaDolls Emi (discontinued) are RESIN heads, not Vinyl. For them, you ARE using the "here's how you get a head that uses an S-hook onto a DD body" technique. Also note... once again, SQ Labs are actually 7-8" heads, not 8-9" heads. The body SQ Labs used to sell for them was a petite 53cm, and they look way better on it than on the 60cm DD body. And while Dollipop is at least a 7-8" head size, they're scaled for petite 26cm bodies (less than HALF the height of a 60cm DD).

So really, compatible + proper scale + actually looks good:

- Obitsu & Parabox 60cm heads, ideally at the 8-9" size

- SmartDoll heads

- Dollce heads (which are actually a giant 9-10"!)

Edited December 10, 2020 by Cauldroness

Well, MDD and DDP are still Dollfie Dreams lol.  SQ heads are generally smaller than Volks DD heads too.

I think it all comes down to personal taste.  Yeah, a standard Angel Philia head would be super small on a full size DD body.  I was commenting specifically on the mold that Elle/Ellie uses, which ought to be fine for DDP and MDD.

It really depends on the character design and what a person likes themselves.  Some people might be down with a smaller head.  Standard Angel Philia heads are much smaller in scale to their bodies than DDs, but people still like them.  I think the smaller head generally works on an older or more mature female character, since many times they can be drawn at a 1:8 head ratio.  A lot of that can be balanced by the wig/hairstyle too.

 

But it is super important to note which heads are which size in circumference definitely.

Also, unless I am incredibly mistaken, the Dollypop heads I’m talking about are made for 1/3 scale dolls.

http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~dollypop/seihin/dollypop_01_02_head.html#dpo2_head

1 hour ago, Cauldroness said:

(Obitsu used to make 60cm heads, which can look fine on DD bodies.) (Also, Azone Iris Collect Petit are 8-9" -- same as DD -- but have child-like features made for an adolescent body, like the MDD or possibly DDP. I would never put one on an adult DD body.)

...

SQ Labs (now owned by Sadol), Dollipop and YouplaDolls Emi (discontinued) are RESIN heads, not Vinyl. For them, you ARE using the "here's how you get a head that uses an S-hook onto a DD body" technique.

...

And while Dollipop is at least a 7-8" head size, they're scaled for petite 26cm bodies (less than HALF the height of a 60cm DD).

A couple notes, if I may ^^

When I say DD, I mean in general reference to dollfie dreams as a whole- not specifically DD3 or DDf3. This is therefore including MDD, DDP, and so on, so some of the notes added here don't apply to scale specific notes. 

As far as Emi and SQ Labs goes, these were added under the note that to my knowledge they'd been made to fit on a DD body- or, rather, at least Emi had to my understanding. Though, the companies marked them as DD compatible, so I added them for that 

And Gabihime and I are actually referring to a different Dollypop- this one! http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~dollypop/Which is why it was spelt that way. This dollypop does indie parts.

As far as Azone and Angel philia go, I agree on scale- but I intend on leaving the heads that can be argued as solely a matter of taste (Visuadoll, parabox) be, since they're also compatible with the smaller bodies

Just now, Gabihime said:

Well, MDD and DDP are still Dollfie Dreams lol.  SQ heads are generally smaller than Volks DD heads too.

I think it all comes down to personal taste.  Yeah, a standard Angel Philia head would be super small on a full size DD body.  I was commenting specifically on the mold that Elle/Ellie uses, which ought to be fine for DDP and MDD.

Also, unless I am incredibly mistaken, the Dollypop heads I’m talking about are made for 1/3 scale dolls.

http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~dollypop/seihin/dollypop_01_02_head.html#dpo2_head

Oh! Beat me to it haha

Ooh, learned something new today! I don't think I've encountered Dolly Pop! before. It looks like they're using Obitsu to manufacture their doll parts, which is always good news because you instantly have a bunch of vinyl matches. [Side note: Obitsu manufactures Angel Philia, Azone, Visuadoll, Parabox and a host of others. They all share the same "Whitey" and "Super Whitey" vinyl colors, although it seems like tans can vary a little bit.]

All resin heads have roughly the same challenge going onto a DD body, because you don't have a stretchy vinyl head "clasping" the neck peg. SQLabs and YP Emi are compatible in that they can fit over the DD neck, but that doesn't mean you can just pop them on the neck peg and have them stay on without issue the way you can with a vinyl head. You're going to have to go a little bit of extra finagling -- how much is going to depend on how large the neck hole is. Other anime-style resin dolls that can likely fit onto a DD body include the Luts Betty and Amy (I'd also throw Yuri on that list), who I believe are all 8-9" in size, and the 2D Doll girls (they've got a big list), although I can't really speak as to resin/vinyl color matching.

I think it's a bit disingenuous to discuss "compatibility" without discussing "scale." Part of what makes a head "compatible" imho is that it's properly scaled for the body, and treating "DD" as if it's all one scale and heads have simply Yes/No compatibility for the entire range of sizes doesn't help the newbie reading this forum thread a year from now.

Personally, I'd break out my compatibility lists as follows:

Dollfie Dream (DD) & Dollfie Dream Dynamite (DDdy) & Dollfie Dream Sister (DDS):

• Obitsu-made 60cm heads in the 8-9" size***
• Dollce heads
• SmartDoll heads
• Dolly Pop! heads
• Possibly other 1/3-scale resin heads such as Luts, 2D, etc.^^^

Dollfie Dream Pretty (DDP):

• Obitsu-made 50cm and 60cm heads in the 8-9" and 7-8" size*** (including the AP Elle/Ellie mold, which is actually the standard OBT 50-04 head anyway)
• Dollce heads, Dolly Pop! heads
• Maybe the 6-7" Angel Philia heads*** (if you're OK with a smaller proportioned head)
• SQLabs (resin)^^^
• YouplaDolls Emi & Mei (resin)^^^

Mini Dollfie Dream (MDD) (including Mochi-Achi):

• Obitsu-made 50cm and 60cm heads in the 8-9" and 7-8" size***
• Dollce heads
• Dolly Pop! heads
• SQLabs (resin)^^^
• YouplaDolls Emi & Mei (resin)^^^
• Possibly other 1/3-scale resin heads such as Aimerai^^^

I personally wouldn't put Angel Philia 6-7" inch heads on the MDD list because the adult-proportioned head on the kiddo body is going to look odd

***Get ready to get creative with how you attach the head to the body! These heads have really big neck holes, to accommodate the Obitsu neck peg, so they're just going to fall off any Volks-made vinyl body unless you make some kind of custom rig.

^^^ Resin heads, require special rigging to properly connect to a Volks-made vinyl body

Out of curiosity, I did pop an Iris Collect head on a DD body and... oof. I would say this goes beyond a question of preferences because the head simply doesn't fit properly. Instead of settling down onto the neck like a DD head would, it sits up on top of the neck (and if you move the body even slightly, the head just straight-up falls off because the Azone neck hole is so much larger than the DD neck hole).

The size of necks is always a hangup for compatibility, and one of the biggest ones you have to tackle when creating a hybrid doll.  That being said, there are work arounds, and again, we have been seriously talking about personal preference.  I don’t personally like the way the Iris Collect looks on a full size DD (DD3, DD2, DDDy) but we weren’t ever discussing that honestly.

When someone is planning a hybrid doll, they generally start at square one, and look at all the possibilities they have in terms of head molds and bodies.  Taking scale into consideration is a part of this.  Again, this all comes down to taste.

For instance, you’ve clearly stated that you wouldn’t put a “childlike” head on any “adult” DD body because that’s not to your taste, but I certainly would, because that’s to my taste.  This is a hobby about customization and personal aesthetics.

I’m sure some people would find that a DD head on an AP body is too bobble head, but it’s perfect for what I need.  Apart from neck fitment, I don’t classify heads as being “adult” or “child” heads, and the fitment just indicates which bust or neck pieces are going to be the best fit with that head.  Volks produces L size busts for the MDD because they’re trying accommodate 4 to 4.5 head characters, some of whom are certainly adults.  That’s just how moe art is.

A different scale head can change the feeling of a character, generally making them feel older or younger, depending.  A smaller head makes a character seem older (more menacing?), and a larger head makes them seem younger or cuter.  For instance, my IOS Blood is a 60cm doll, but he has an MSD sized head, because he’s basically a 60 cm version of a 70 cm boy.  It works because his neck is the correct size.

But honestly, there are DD heads from Volks that sometimes have this neck scale problem, but people love their dolls anyway.  It does ultimately come down to personal taste. This is a hobby about customization and dreams.
 

So it’s best to lay out all the information and let people make their own decisions, especially when it comes to which heads to put on MDD-DDP-DDS, where there’s going to be a whole lot of variation based on personal taste.  It’s definitely easier to use a larger head on a smaller body than vice versa, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.  Ultimately, each of these heads is a little different, and each one has their own set of solutions.

The same goes for putting DD heads on any of the many Obitsu made bodies.

And yes, we know that Elle/Ellie is an Obitsu head and that Obitsu makes Dollypop parts.  We were talking about it earlier in the thread.  I think we’re also clear on the kind of work that goes into making a hybrid doll.  Lots of people hybridize between Obitsu and Volks heads and bodies, so there are a number of tutorials available.

I think the only reason Kakulolita didn’t include all of the other resin heads that you can technically hybridize, is that the list would be endless.  Meanwhile, Kanalcode SQ have traditionally been associated with both DDs and the vinyl doll hobby in general.  Before they made their schoolgirl body they were unquestionably putting their heads on DD and Obitsu vinyl bodies.  That is why the heads were originally cast only to match DD skin tones, not resin ones.  And people still buy their heads to put them on vinyl bodies.  I have two coming for just that purpose, one for an MDD and one for a 50cm AP body.

I don’t think anyone on this thread is being disingenuous.  We’re just collecting and discussing information.  We also both already agreed that noting head circumference is valuable information.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Gabihime

Ahh, sorry if I sounded negative or angry.  I just want to make sure people thinking about making a hybrid aren’t discouraged.  I love hybrid dolls and I’m fascinated by all the different ways you can make parts come together.

Its definitely a more advanced part of the hobby.

 

Also I work professionally as a character designer, so what may seem very straightforward to me in terms of design sense may not be as clear when I’m only talking and not showing examples.  

Edited December 11, 2020 by Gabihime

I edited the initial thread- I worry my lack of specificity might have caused some confusion, so I went on and tweaked it. I removed Angel Philia, and tweaked the notation and positioning of a couple companies on the list. Hopefully that helps a bit ^^;

To help with direct comparison of size, I laid out a lot of the blank heads I currently own: two from Obitsu, two from Dollce, and three from Volks.

One thing that became abundantly clear as I was looking at them is just how much the 50cm Obitsu heads vary in size.  The 02 is considerably smaller than the 04, and the 04 is similar in size to the 06.  I’m sad I don’t have a DDH 001 to put in the comparison lineup, since I know it’s very wide, but we’ll go with what we have.  I can’t find blank 001s anywhere online right now.

I do actually have an Obitsu 01 and 03 for comparison as well, but I haven’t unpacked them yet.  The 005 wasn’t available when I ordered.  As you can see, there’s quite a bit of variation in size for these heads, although they’re all intended for 1/3 scale dolls.  The size of the “face” part is also quite variable, although they all pretty much have huge foreheads.  Anime characters tend to have big hair, and the big forehead is what allows for that.  One of the basic rules in character design is to make bigger what you want to emphasize, and make smaller what you think is less important, so anime characters tend to have big eyes and big hair, but smaller and simpler mouths and noses.  The faces with the eyes clustered closer to the bottom of the face also have a more childlike or moe sense, regardless of size.