Azone 50's anyone?

On 10/23/2023 at 4:14 AM, dolloramore said:

I really love their bodies sculpt! Does anyone knows if they sell the AZO2 bodies alone? I could only find full dolls for sale

I only know of Azone selling them at their own stores in Japan or through their online Azonet or Rakuten shops.  

https://www.azone-int.co.jp/azonet/item/4582119997335

(AZO2 50cm body, G-bust, shins are standard Obitsu 50 type, Whitey)

 

Or you could look for a second-hand recent release for a slight bit more, which would include a clothes set, wig, head, like:

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1242627840&soldOut=1&categoryCode=02011404&keyword=アゾン&lang=en

(2022 release, AZO2 50cm body, G-bust, but she is Super Whitey, versus the regular Whitey)

Not sure if off topic but I just recently ordered a Noix Happy Sunny Day Aozora ver. 😍😍 Can't wait, Noix and Sumire are my favorite girls but I chose Noix because I like her expression just a tiny bit more

Just realized thar while I mentioned this in my local group's Discord, I didn't mention it on the forums!

After many years, I FINALLY snagged Madoka Kaname from YJA, to go with Princess Grumpybutt Homura. She's a real cutie patootie.

I did end up making some tweaks to her: I glossed her eyes just like I did Homura's. I also added a bit of subtle blushing to her lips and cheeks. I'm not sure if she had had blushing that faded, or if she never had any in the first place, but I feel like this suits her better.

It's a bit wild to have her after literally nine years! She's coming to a meetup this weekend so hopefully i'll get some more pics to share.

3 hours ago, Poofiemus said:

I glossed her eyes just like I did Homura's.

How did you gloss her eyes? The blushing looks great btw!

1 hour ago, ragnamuffin said:

How did you gloss her eyes? The blushing looks great btw!

I used Sculpy Glaze. Polymer clays like Sculpy, Fimo, and Cosclay are chemically related to vinyl, so I've found that materials that are safe for one are safe for the other. Homura's had her eyes glossed with the stuff since winter of 2014 and they still look great. 

Thank you! I'm debating whether or not to do similar blushing on Homura. I love the lively look it gives Madoka but I'm not sure it's Homura's vibe, exactly. 

I'm really into the new happiness clover doll with the inset eyes. Yui?

I hope they re release the whole series like this. I would love an inset eyes version of Yukari too, or the tan version of Yui😍

 

On 4/12/2024 at 10:18 AM, Cydril said:

I'm really into the new happiness clover doll with the inset eyes. Yui?

I hope they re release the whole series like this. I would love an inset eyes version of Yukari too, or the tan version of Yui😍

 

I know right? She looks so good, but I'd be so doomed if they re-release a Yukari (especially with the long black hair and red eyes) I would also like to see Moka get a refresh too, I remember when she first came out and a lot of people were already impressed that her eyes were actually painted.

 

But tbh, I don't really get why these are still under the Happiness Clover line, aren't they the same as Iris Collects now, just with the updated body? (I also don't get how Mira is considered an Iris Collect Petit when she's 1/6 and on the normal pure neemo reflection xs body) Not complaining or anything since I love the inset eyes either way, but at this point would the only difference be the characters?

4 hours ago, Roserolls said:

But tbh, I don't really get why these are still under the Happiness Clover line, aren't they the same as Iris Collects now, just with the updated body? (I also don't get how Mira is considered an Iris Collect Petit when she's 1/6 and on the normal pure neemo reflection xs body) Not complaining or anything since I love the inset eyes either way, but at this point would the only difference be the characters?

Each of the Azone doll lines tend to have their own storylines.  With Happiness Clover, they're high school students that have joined the talent agency "ph Productions".  (except for Moka, who sort of got left behind...)  A number of years ago, Azone asked for fans to submit names for the fictional idol group that the Happiness Clover girls would form.  (The name chosen was Happilish!)  But anyways, each character has a simple background story.  For example:

Yui Sakuranomiya

Birthday: November 23

Blood Type: O

Favorite Foods: French Toast, Napolitan (type of Japanese spaghetti)

Hobby: Making bentos (lunches)

Yui was out shopping with a friend when she was scouted, and thus began her path to becoming an idol.  Her family runs a dojo, so naturally she's skilled in martial arts, but she keeps it a secret.  She seems strong-willed, but actually might be a bit lonely.

 

I don't remember if there's an updated relationship chart, but here's one from about 8 years ago, when they first introduced Kureha.

I also realized the four of them are each associated with a season. 

1. Yui Sakuranomiya = Spring, as she has the sakura kanji in her last name
2. Mahiro Hiiragi = Winter, as the winter kanji is a sub-part of the holly olive kanji in her last name
3. Nanaka Anno = Summer, as she has the apricot kanji in her last name (apricot season is the summer)
4. Kureha Mihagi = Autumn, as the autumn kanji is a sub-part of the bush clover kanji in her last name

Not sure how Yukari fits in with the seasons.

Edited April 21 by nanika
More info

10 hours ago, nanika said:

Each of the Azone doll lines tend to have their own storylines.  With Happiness Clover, they're high school students that have joined the talent agency "ph Productions".  (except for Moka, who sort of got left behind...)  A number of years ago, Azone asked for fans to submit names for the fictional idol group that the Happiness Clover girls would form.  (The name chosen was Happilish!)  But anyways, each character has a simple background story.  For example:

Yui Sakuranomiya

Birthday: November 23

Blood Type: O

Favorite Foods: French Toast, Napolitan (type of Japanese spaghetti)

Hobby: Making bentos (lunches)

Yui was out shopping with a friend when she was scouted, and thus began her path to becoming an idol.  Her family runs a dojo, so naturally she's skilled in martial arts, but she keeps it a secret.  She seems strong-willed, but actually might be a bit lonely.

 

I don't remember if there's an updated relationship chart, but here's one from about 8 years ago, when they first introduced Kureha.

I also realized the four of them are each associated with a season. 

1. Yui Sakuranomiya = Spring, as she has the sakura kanji in her last name
2. Mahiro Hiiragi = Winter, as the winter kanji is a sub-part of the holly olive kanji in her last name
3. Nanaka Anno = Summer, as she has the apricot kanji in her last name (apricot season is the summer)
4. Kureha Mihagi = Autumn, as the autumn kanji is a sub-part of the bush clover kanji in her last name

Not sure how Yukari fits in with the seasons.

Woah! I had no idea there was lore behind them, that's so cool! It's really cute how much thought went into these characters ☺️

They already went ahead and released Mahiro with the inset eyes. I wish they would give us a little more time between releases. I kinda want the whole set but I can't afford one every month😂

Quick pic of Yui

Her outfit and wig are really nice quality, but I was surprised how hard her vinyl is! Even the chest part is hard. I will probably add to her makeup at some point.

10 hours ago, Cydril said:

Quick pic of Yui

Her outfit and wig are really nice quality, but I was surprised how hard her vinyl is! Even the chest part is hard. I will probably add to her makeup at some point.

 

You mean they feel different from the previous bodies? The chest is usually softer and I prefer to stuff them so its not that squishy.

On 5/4/2024 at 6:14 PM, Cydril said:

Quick pic of Yui

Her outfit and wig are really nice quality, but I was surprised how hard her vinyl is! Even the chest part is hard. I will probably add to her makeup at some point.

 

Ah, she's so cute! I'm surprised to hear that the vinyl is hard though! If anything, I would've expected for the parts to be softer. Is it a super noticeable difference between the old bodies and this new one?

 

Also, I did NOT expect for them to release a Mahiro so soon! I wonder if they're going to just do a refresh for the core four with the Kazuharu Kina uniforms, or if they'll also end up adding Yukari and others as well (after all, Yukari had like 4 versions in those uniforms)

On 5/4/2024 at 5:14 PM, Cydril said:

Quick pic of Yui

Her outfit and wig are really nice quality, but I was surprised how hard her vinyl is! Even the chest part is hard. I will probably add to her makeup at some point.

Obitsu changed the stiffness of the body parts in late 2019/early 2020.  

It applies to Azone too, as Obitsu manufactures the frame & skin parts for Azone. 

Originally, Azone 50's had a rigid body shell (arms & legs), even harder than the current one.  The bust and lower torso were soft however.  It was nice that the bust was soft, but I felt the lower torso shell should have been more rigid.  

Then when Obitsu decided to modify things, they changed the entire body to semi-rigid.  It was good for the arms & legs, and they went from rigid -> semi-rigid.  It allowed for better range-of-motion.  I think it was also good for the lower torso, which went from soft -> semi-rigid.  But I felt it was unfortunate that the bust went from soft -> semi-rigid too.  

Older Azone releases (early/mid 2019 and earlier) have the soft bust, which is interchangeable.  The older, soft busts are softer than Volks' DD busts.  

I do wonder if they'll change the busts back to soft, as with the new Obitsu GGR Body coming out this year, the bust alone is soft.  (Hands, feet, lower torso, & head are medium (semi-rigid?), and legs & arms are hard (rigid?))

 

1 hour ago, nanika said:

Obitsu changed the stiffness of the body parts in late 2019/early 2020.  

It applies to Azone too, as Obitsu manufactures the frame & skin parts for Azone. 

Originally, Azone 50's had a rigid body shell (arms & legs), even harder than the current one.  The bust and lower torso were soft however.  It was nice that the bust was soft, but I felt the lower torso shell should have been more rigid.  

Then when Obitsu decided to modify things, they changed the entire body to semi-rigid.  It was good for the arms & legs, and they went from rigid -> semi-rigid.  It allowed for better range-of-motion.  I think it was also good for the lower torso, which went from soft -> semi-rigid.  But I felt it was unfortunate that the bust went from soft -> semi-rigid too.  

Older Azone releases (early/mid 2019 and earlier) have the soft bust, which is interchangeable.  The older, soft busts are softer than Volks' DD busts.  

I do wonder if they'll change the busts back to soft, as with the new Obitsu GGR Body coming out this year, the bust alone is soft.  (Hands, feet, lower torso, & head are medium (semi-rigid?), and legs & arms are hard (rigid?))

 

Wait so was the old obitsu's soft bust/torso super squishy like the soft skin Angel Philia's? I think my Azone 50s are all on the semi-rigid body (oldest from 2020) since their torsos and busts have some give, but aren't anywhere as squishy as APs.

I think I got Yui confused with the doll Obitsu is releasing with the GGR body, turns out she's on the normal AZO2. I wonder if Azone will ever end up releasing dolls on the GGR body, then?

Not quite as squishy as Angel Philia's, but it was the same material that they use on their 1/6 line.

Yep, older Obitsu and Azone busts were soft, but not super soft like APs.  They held their form without the need for internal stuffing.  I think the changeout came with one of the releases in ~Dec. 2019.  

As for the Obitsu GGR body-- right now Obitsu is treating it as their exclusive product.  I think eventually they might offer it to Azone, Parabox, and other companies that they manufacture for, but it might be a few years.  

The Obitsu GGR external body shell is similar to Azone's AZO2 body (basically both are more realistic/shapely updates to the old Obitsu 50 body), so I don't think Azone has that much of a reason to want to adopt it.  Not all AZO2 clothes fit the GGR body, so it creates another issue there.  A better fitting outfit for one wouldn't fit as well on the other.

However the internal skeleton has some nice reinforcements, which eventually Azone might be allowed to incorporate into their AZO2 body.  It might require some minor modifications.  Or maybe in the future we'll get an AZO3 body! 🤣

Edited May 8 by nanika

Some weeks ago I snatched a cheap Luluna Moonlit Raven Azone Direct Store limited version off Mandarake, because I was curious about the Azone 50s with painted eyes but not sure I'd like the painted eyes. The outfit she came with was not her default one (meaning I also did not get her scythe), but consisted of a too short (MDD?) white wedding dress + white sandals + white sexy socks + pink striped panties (these kinda ruined the effect of the white wedding dress) + some jewellery - if you search Mandarake for sold Lulunas you can easily find her. Maybe someone's (now ex-😅)waifu. That outfit had to go.

So I got her an Azone AZO2 furisode + hakama set (FAO237-BBR - the black/dark red one with pink cherry flowers on the furisode - fits perfectly with her hair and eye colour), normal socks, and boots, and I gotta say, with the proper clothes the painted on eyes are less bothersome. Just for fun I stuck one of the two Obitsu katanas I got in the same order in her hakama band, and now she looks like she could star in a martial arts flick (or be a surrogate member of the Flower Division, or join Kenshin Himura in his adventures).

The furisode and hakama are simplified, but still were a pain to dress her in. There's one thing I don't like about the furisode, and that's how the bow on the back of the obi is permanently attached to it in a way that makes it sit crooked.

Problem: below the furisode and hakama she is bottomless. I could re-use the pink stripes panties, but don't think that would fit with her new image. I understand that the bottomlessness* would be historically correct for certain regions of Japan, but...

I'll probably make a new scythe for her later. Just gotta find a proper piece of wood for the handle.

* It somewhat worries me that my browser's spell check believes that's a real word...

Edited May 14 by Kemonomimicry

anyone knows if it's possible to buy spare parts of obitsu that makes up the new happiness clover dolls ? (yui and mahiro for now) 

what i've seen so far is soft vinyl but they are semi-rigid now! 

i was looking into getting mahiro and dyeing her (only if it's possible) because she's so similar to my oc 

Dammit, now I have an Amane coming.

Might also need a Lilia.

I wanted to limit myself to four dolls this year. I'm up to five now. There are still seven months to go.

 

13 minutes ago, Kemonomimicry said:

Dammit, now I have an Amane coming.

Might also need a Lilia.

Which one did you get? I always thought that if I got another Azone, it would probably be Amane or Lilia (or both!)

10 hours ago, ragnamuffin said:

Which one did you get? I always thought that if I got another Azone, it would probably be Amane or Lilia (or both!)

Fate of Blaze Wandering Soul regular version.

For Lilia I want one of the cat maid versions - although the one with the big sword also looks interesting, but I fear the outfit is mostly pleather...

 

So for those who are looking for plain underwear for their Azone 50s, MDD/DDP underwear from BlackDahlia (Booth shop: https://turumaroom.booth.pm/items) fits them just fine. I got these: https://turumaroom.booth.pm/items/1597225 You will need to remove your doll's head to get the top on.

Meaning my Luluna is not bottomless anymore.

And Amane received (after some DHL shenanigans because they changed their import taxes payment system to one requiring a smartphone - which I don't own - haven't felt this stressed while waiting for a parcel since quite some time). Mandarake removed her arms for shipping, but looking at the joints there don't seem to be any shoulder cracks. She looks brand new. All her accessories are still sealed too.

Also had a little surprise waiting for me at the bottom of her box: the Black Raven Chronicles book(let), a 2017 calendar, and a cardboard 2016 Christmas ornament DIY-thingie. I'm pretty happy with that, as the booklet on its own is available on Mandarake for 5,000 yen...

1 hour and some profanity later...

Well, I got Amane dressed in her outfit. Luluna helped, but mostly seemed interested in prancing around in her underwear and showing off Amane's tail and how it was rooted not to her spine but to her underwear. I had to tell her to stop getting in the way and get dressed (which she still hasn't done).

Amane's outfit has some minor problems. Firstly, it's not entirely simplified, so you end up having to take apart really small knots and then knot them again once the clothing is on - my fingers are too big for that and I've got small hands (for a guy). Secondly, her hip-cover-thingies tend to separate and fall off when you try to attach the waist band. I had a few initial attempts, then got annoyed (hence the profanity) and went on with her boots instead.

Which turned out to be the most difficult part of her outfit to get on. Cue more profanity. They took me at least 15 minutes each. Unlike some other Azone boots, they don't have a convenient zipper that you can open to avoid having to take the knots apart. So I had to take the knots apart, and then had to considerably loosen the laces to even be able to get the feet halfway into the boots. The final half was a total pain in the behind, because the boots are too tight and the only way to get them on properly is to ease the feet into the final half millimeter by millimeter. The worst is that the boots aren't fully stitched, but rely on glue to keep the parts together that get most stressed while putting them onto Amane's feet. So we'll see how long that holds...

OTOH, after that stressful event I was able to get the waist band on properly without the other bit falling off.

What made me laugh is that both her cape and her scarf have metal wire running through them so they can be put in dynamic, flying poses without there being any wind...