Azone 50's anyone?

@ AnnePecaro: Great work on Anatole's mods and faceup refresh! The new mouth placement is much nicer than before. I really love her glasses and outfit too! She really has the bookish look down perfectly.

 

I admire people who can work on their customization projects so quickly! I always have big custom dreams but get scared of failure and end up taking forever. ^^" I am indeed dyeing two of my girls. I just tried some dye tests earlier, and soft vinyl really does take to dye really well! Their ABS joints... not so much. xD;; I'm dyeing them so they can have tan skin instead.

(big pictures ahead >< sorry!)

 

 

I got two Azone50's recently

 

First is Ellen V: Princess of Dream

I redressed her and put her in a licht wig for this photo, but now she's back in her stock wig.

 

 

 

and Amane: The Precious Ring

 

 

 

I really love these girls They're a unique challenge to photograph with the painted eyes, and i've been struggling to make them not look all O_O. but I'm getting there.

 

I absolutely adore their little size, and their posing is wonderful!

I'm not sure about durability.

 

just a few days after I got Ellen I realize the shoulder connector inside the chest was cracking on her right side it still holds ok, but that arm will slowly slide out of socket as I pose her while the other arm stays tightly in.

I did get her "used" though. I got her from ami ami as a "pre-owned" product, but she didn't look like she'd been touched at all, and all ami ami said about her condition was that an outfit piece was missing.

Her shoulder could have been cracked when I got her and i just didn't notice till days later :/

 

eventually I'll buy a new chest joint if I have to, but for now it's not enough to make me replace the part.

Oh geez the new Moka (Hidamari Waltz) is the most adorable one yet.

Good thing I'm only into the smaller Azone dolls (I'm not big on painted eyes on bigger dolls) but they sure did a great job of making her eyes look '3D' here. Is anyone gonna get her?

Her whole colour scheme and outfit coordination is just

...oh gahh the new Moka(and Himeno) are so hard to resist. ;; I absolutely LOVE her outfit, but I won't get her because I'll never use her head. I really hope Azone sells at least that skirt separately sometime. The 1/3 section of the latest clothing flyer was pretty underwhelming. I just want spring/summer clothes already!

Azone put up pictures of AZO2 Rem:

 

She'll be up for preorder on the 28th, and *should* be released starting in the end of July. I think she looks great! This and all of of the custom Rem dolls I've seen so far have looked amazingly well-done. ^^

 

And it looks like they'll be re-releasing Leviathan since the anime is airing a new season.

 

So does anyone have any tips for removing the ankles on these dolls? I got Saber a spare pair of ankles (this piece), because having to unscrew her feet every time I wanted to switch her in and out of her boots was pretty hard on the original pair. But it seems to be impossible to pull out the ankles... I could get her whole shin off, but not the ankle piece. Will using a hair dryer help at all, or not?

You absolutely need the help of a hair dryer if you want to remove the ankles. Since you've already taken out the lower leg from the shins..

 

Next, heat the bottom of the shins where it meets the ankle joint VERY well before pulling out the feet and ankles. Keep turning as you blast them to oblivion, and continue heating them for an extra 10 seconds once you think they're ready. The heated vinyl should be very, very soft(and hot) and pulling it out shouldn't be too hard. If it doesn't come out after using a moderate amount of force then it wasn't heated enough. Also, when pulling out Obitsu feet you should focus your grip on the ankle ball joint instead of the feet(which could come off by itself before you manage to pull the ankle off if you yank hard enough...). When you pull out the feet, the ankle joint as well as part of the shin frame should come out.

 

Sort of copy-pasted the above from the other thread xD;; Hope it helps tho!;;

THAT ****ING ANKLE PIECE I SWEAR TO GAWD

 

*ahem* Yeah, getting Obitsu 50 ankle pieces off is a royal pain; I had to do it to Homura last year, and managed go give myself a nasty blister in the process. (When people asked, I was like, "Dolls are beauty, beauty is pain. Therefore, dolls are pain.")

 

So, yeah, the recipe is: hairdryer and patience, mix well. Add swear words liberally as needed.

The first time I tried removing Obitsu ankles, I unscrewed and removed the feet first and didn't use enough heat. The struggle to get those little monsters out was real. ;___;"" But as long as you keep heating things as you go it should come out. Keeping the feet on until after you get the ankles out of the shins will help you get a better grip too.

 

The only thing more frustrating (by a looong shot) is installing Obitsu neckpieces into DD heads... orz

Speaking of Obitsu ankle pieces, I too have had quite the issue with them for the past few years. Luckily, I'm in Japan right now so I was able to stop by the main Azone store in Akihabara to buy 3 sets of replacement ankles along with some knee joints and wrist parts at retail. Having extras for future issues is nice, especially when I don't have to pay shipping for them.

 

P.S. - The Azone store is AMAZING. I took pics of some of their display cases because they said I could so once I get home next week and get things in order, I'll start uploading photos to show everyone.

 

 

 

Billy

P.S. - The Azone store is AMAZING. I took pics of some of their display cases because they said I could so once I get home next week and get things in order, I'll start uploading photos to show everyone.

 

It is! Neemos everywhere! Those displays made me want a Kikipop so bad too I think it's cool how they had a section just for all of the replacement/optional Obitsu parts.. they even had a (discontinued) 60cm male bust when I went. How was the selection of 50cm clothes? It was pretty sparse last November.. Or at least, the Akiba Label Shop didn't have what I wanted. xD Amiami's physical store made up for it tho! Tax free with lots of stuff you'd expect from them.. for cheaper than retail. I found the pair of Azone shoes I wanted most there.

They had a very decent amount of 50cm clothing, I made sure to pick some up for my 45-50 cm bodied girls. They also had lots of nice shoes and accessories. All totaled, between getting new stuff for my Pure Neemo girls and random others, I spent over $500 in Azone. But it was worth it since I've never bought my little ones anything since I got them 2 years ago. Now they'll be spoiled beyond belief!

 

 

Billy

Yui made a new friend this week.

 

 

The Azone Original Characters always have a better sets and general quality than their Anime characters(Asseylum was ... a Dress, shoes and crappy panties for the same price <.<;)... So I have been ignoring the Anime girls. I'd like to get the most recent Nanaka sometime, she is really cute.

 

I've noticed that all of the new AZ02 girls are using Obitsu shins now ... does this mean that Azone realized there was an issue with the AZ02 shins finally? I don't know if it goes back as far as Cecily but I know its in most AZ02 girls released around the same time as Western Village Yui going from photos I could dig up anyways...

I've noticed that all of the new AZ02 girls are using Obitsu shins now ... does this mean that Azone realized there was an issue with the AZ02 shins finally?

The Azone AZ02 body (as all Azone 60cm and 50cm bodies) are manufactured by Obitsu and based on Obitsu designs. The AZ02 body is based on the Obitsu 50cm body with custom exterior skins designed by Azone. If there was a change to the Obitsu stock shins over the AZ02 shins, it was purely an aesthetic design decision, not due to any problem with that part.

I noticed that Azone hasn't made many girls(in the Happiness Clover line at least) with the AZO2 shins, but I also think that's for aesthetic reasons. Because of part swapping, all of the current girls have specific 'builds'..

 

Yui - G bust/AZO2 50 shins

Moka - G bust/48cm shins

Mahiro - I bust/48cm shins

Nanaka - C bust/48cm shins

Kureha - G bust/50cm shins

 

I really like the AZO2 shins myself, though I didn't have them on a body for that long before disassembling it. There were issues?? The worst I can think of is that their thickness may make it hard(er) to find shoes...

 

EDIT: and that bunny looks GINORMOUS next to Yui! Really cute tho! I really like Yui's two-tone wig too!

The Issue is with the vinyl having a large gap where it meets the knee, Ive seen this in several photos of AZ02 bodies .. the gap doesn't exist in the obitsu vinyl its a neat and clean joint. All 3 versions of Yui use the AZ02 shins I suppose if they release a new Yui using the Obitsu50 shins that will confirm that they've switched. I like them too but the combination of AZ02 thighs and Obitsu50 shins does give a nice looking leg.

 

Yeah hes huge lol. The two-tone wig is the one She's been wearing for a while I also like this Purple wig on her as well.

 

I have been trying out various wigs on Yui for some time now and I think she looks good with most of the darker colored ones.

 

Another one I really like on her is this one.

But this wig bothers me because the wefts in the front bulge out and make it a pain to style.

Also you can see the AZ02 shin gap im talking about in this image....

Ohhh that gap! That's one of the things I look for when checking AZO2 body listings at yahoo!japan. xD It doesn't bother me in particular tbh, but I can see how it can be an aesthetic issue. My girl had been been an AZO2 with regular 50cm shins for a while, but I eventually got another AZO2 body with the AZO2 shins(originally Toudou Kirin's body, apparently) so she can be extra-curvy(and to get her BFF a body with the rest of the parts). While I thought her original configuration looked nice itself, I'm really happy that we have options.. (especially when adding AP/vmf50 parts into the mix!)

 

Somehow I doubt that Azone will change Yui's shins in her next release because of her Retrotic Version just a few months ago also has AZO2 shins. If I remember correctly, one of the main points of the Happiness Clover line is that all of the girls use AZO2 bodies, so I don't see them changing out their first girl's parts unless they design an entirely new one. That being said, it is odd that so many of them have been shorter girls with 48cm shins.

 

I would LOVE it if Azone made AZO2 versions of true 48cm thighs. As it is right now, to me it looks reaaaally long if paired with 48cm shins..

 

Back to your Yui though! She looks fabulous in the wigs and dresses you gave her! Where did you get the white frilly one if you don't mind me asking?

I would still contend that the shin swap was made for aesthetic reasons, i.e. the slimmer shin of the stock Obitsu over the thicker AZ02 shin. Overly large joint gaps are usually caused by parts not being pressed together completely. Working a joint a few times while posing the doll can cause parts to separate. Unless noticed by the photographer it is easy to take a photo of a doll with the joints not seated completely. It happens quite frequently.

Back to your Yui though! She looks fabulous in the wigs and dresses you gave her! Where did you get the white frilly one if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks! Yui is amazing! The frilly top and that skirt are on loan from a friend, I asked her where she got it as it was my fave from the stuff she lent me and she didn't really remember but it was one of the BJD shops. Its fairly old and I've tried looking for it myself with no luck....

 

 

I would still contend that the shin swap was made for aesthetic reasons, i.e. the slimmer shin of the stock Obitsu over the thicker AZ02 shin. Overly large joint gaps are usually caused by parts not being pressed together completely. Working a joint a few times while posing the doll can cause parts to separate. Unless noticed by the photographer it is easy to take a photo of a doll with the joints not seated completely. It happens quite frequently.

After swapping Yui's shins with Asseylum's I do agree that Azones change could indeed be for aesthetics. Also, I have considered heating the shins to see if I could "reset" them as I believe the gap to be a flaw in the vinyl itself, It persists regardless of how hard I attempt to press them together. Perhaps I will proceed with heating them so that I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is indeed a manufacturing flaw.

After swapping Yui's shins with Asseylum's I do agree that Azones change could indeed be for aesthetics. Also, I have considered heating the shins to see if I could "reset" them as I believe the gap to be a flaw in the vinyl itself, It persists regardless of how hard I attempt to press them together. Perhaps I will proceed with heating them so that I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is indeed a manufacturing flaw.

Could you post a picture of this gap? Depending on where it's located it could possibly be minimized by trimming one of the skeleton's "bones" so parts fit together better.

A bit of an urgent question!

 

What size wig does Moka wear? Does anyone know?

I just made an order on denver doll and realized I forgot to get a wig for my incoming Moka. Trying to email them before they ship my order

A bit of an urgent question!

 

What size wig does Moka wear? Does anyone know?

I just made an order on denver doll and realized I forgot to get a wig for my incoming Moka. Trying to email them before they ship my order

 

I'm assuming that Moka's head is around the same size as the other Happiness Clover(and presumably, all of the other 48/50cm Azone) girls.. My Mahiro's wig is a 7-8 if I'm not mistaken.

A bit of an urgent question!

 

What size wig does Moka wear? Does anyone know?

I just made an order on denver doll and realized I forgot to get a wig for my incoming Moka. Trying to email them before they ship my order

 

I'm assuming that Moka's head is around the same size as the other Happiness Clover(and presumably, all of the other 48/50cm Azone) girls.. My Mahiro's wig is a 7-8 if I'm not mistaken.

 

that's helpful!

I have Ellen V and she takes a wig, fits 7/8 well.

 

Moka's head is just rounder, so I wasn't sure. Sounds like 7/8 is the best bet tho! Thanks!

According to some handwritten signs in the wig area at the Akihabara Azone Label Shop, Moka wears a 9-inch wig. So does the character doll Tomoe Mami (Madoka). However, Yui & Mahiro wear an 8-inch wig.

According to some handwritten signs in the wig area at the Akihabara Azone Label Shop, Moka wears a 9-inch wig. So does the character doll Tomoe Mami (Madoka). However, Yui & Mahiro wear an 8-inch wig.

 

That's. . . odd, that Mami supposedly wears a 9-inch wig. Homura, same manufacturer, same series, same height body, definitely takes a 7-8. (I tried 8-9s on her, from my DD girls, as hypothetical color tests. I may as well have put her head in a hair-covered sack.)