Prototype Garage

Can someone explain to me why he is making prototypes in Milk again?

And OMG what about the prices ??? was that real? 139k for Alicia in Milk?

https://shop.smartdoll.jp/collections/filter-garage/products/alicia-candidate-milk-3d-head?variant=40195776151706

I wouldn't mind to have a prototype in milk because It would be nice to have with my previous milk, but it was sold out so quickly and so expensive

43 minutes ago, Plumo said:

Can someone explain to me why he is making prototypes in Milk again?

And OMG what about the prices ??? was that real? 139k for Alicia in Milk?

https://shop.smartdoll.jp/collections/filter-garage/products/alicia-candidate-milk-3d-head?variant=40195776151706

I wouldn't mind to have a prototype in milk because It would be nice to have with my previous milk, but it was sold out so quickly and so expensive

To be fair, that's 139k Yen, which is closer to.... 1,390 USD. Still nuts, but not 6-figures nuts, at least.

I know that in the past CJ prototyped in milk because it was easiest to see all the lines for the masks. I guess I assumed they switched to cinnamon when milk was discontinued, but maybe they're still prototyping in milk and we could still see prototypes in that skin tone from time to time.

I'm sure future milk prototypes will continue to push the boundaries of what he can get away with like this, though. 😩

Edited July 13, 2021 by Manaphyyy
Incorrect math

3 minutes ago, Manaphyyy said:

To be fair, that's 139k Yen, which is closer to.... 1,390 USD. Still nuts, but not 6-figures nuts, at least.

$1390 for a unique head with visible 3D print stepping lines. Basically what Saber Lily’s head costs, only Lily’s head is a lot nicer.

Ah yeah, that's not the only one. I noticed a different milk girl prototype a few weeks ago.

Guessing that if they have to keep making milk vinyl bodies for support (which is good) and they still have some milk coloured filament left, they're gonna want to use it up just for the sake of it. It's probably most useful for testing new sculpts, but also good for playing around with? There was a post a while back where Danny talks about wanting to reduce waste, so that could be why some milk dolls are popping up. No one wants old rolls of filament lying around! Might as well play with it!

Most of the prototypes are cinnamon now, I think? So I'm inclined to think the milk ones are flukes. Plus the extra demand for milk dolls is gonna drive up the price. Some cinnamon prototypes have taken longer to sell and sold for less... because I eyed them longingly wishing I could buy one haha

But really, I have no idea.

His Prototype Garage should be called 'Danny's Wheelin' and Dealin' Garage'

7 hours ago, Deyja said:

His Prototype Garage should be called 'Danny's Wheelin' and Dealin' Garage'

I think a better suited name would be that of one of my favorite old school Discovery Channel shows...

 

Monster Garage.

 

😄 

 

 

Billy

A doll hold for the elite who like to spend stupid amounts of money on 3D printed heads.

 

Did you know you don’t even get the clothing the doll is pictured in. Talk about a fishes arse.

3 hours ago, AliensOfGold said:

A doll hold for the elite who like to spend stupid amounts of money on 3D printed heads.

 

Did you know you don’t even get the clothing the doll is pictured in. Talk about a fishes arse.

Oh really? I thought that at least for the price...

 

I love milk skintone, I have one and wanted to have another for ages,.. 

Danny said that there he will be making collabs in milk because the deal had already being made but not for his normal line.. too bad...

At least he could keep selling the hands or parts... 

BTW I am really impressed with this price

https://shop.smartdoll.jp/collections/filter-garage/products/anomaly-candidate-blue-vinyl-body?variant=40195453681818

I'm really trying to find like, "nice points" about the prototype garage dolls, but it's hard to justify almost $3,000 for a blue girl that appears to be almost identical to the released version but without the blurred blushing layer (so you're technically getting less, but paying more).

Yea they should be cheaper than standard models not the other way around.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Mars
Grammar

The earlier prototypes weren't so bad.  More or less complete dolls whose price mark-up was only slightly higher.  Now the majority have 3D printed heads, and at least one person has purchased a prototype with a damaged/botched face-up, and the SmD community--some of them, anyway = went after them like a pit of vipers for wiping and redoing said facup.

 

I would still kill for the 'Sensei' prototype, though.....

Me too I loved sensei prototype she was gorgeous.

I really liked the Ragnarok, Arrow and Karol prototypes! They're so different from the usual SmD style.

13 hours ago, Plumo said:

Oh really? I thought that at least for the price...

The one for that was posted for ¥139,000 included:

3D printed head.

Body.

Wig.

Underwear.

That price isn’t really unprecedented within the hobby, but it seems like a lot when you consider that it still has stepping marks. 

1 hour ago, BeyondTime said:

That price isn’t really unprecedented within the hobby, but it seems like a lot when you consider that it still has stepping marks. 

Okay but lets think though, Volks has had dolls that expensive, but you get A TON MORE STUFF.

 

I am honestly kinda over the prototype garage. TBH I am kinda over Smart Doll in general. Danny seems great and I do like how he treats his employees really well. But the fact that he is only making stuff for himself now is kinda annoying. Like don't make a company if you won't at least *consider* what your buyers want/say. I would love to see more boys. He could have taken over and made that market, but he just keeps making more and more girls and I think, after almost SEVEN YEARS he would have refined or made another body for the girls at least...

38 minutes ago, Courtmom said:

Okay but lets think though, Volks has had dolls that expensive, but you get A TON MORE STUFF.

 

I am honestly kinda over the prototype garage. TBH I am kinda over Smart Doll in general. Danny seems great and I do like how he treats his employees really well. But the fact that he is only making stuff for himself now is kinda annoying. Like don't make a company if you won't at least *consider* what your buyers want/say. I would love to see more boys. He could have taken over and made that market, but he just keeps making more and more girls and I think, after almost SEVEN YEARS he would have refined or made another body for the girls at least...

In IG stories and posts he's made teasers that they're working on a new frame, but who knows when/if that will be released🤷‍♀️

7 minutes ago, Manaphyyy said:

In IG stories and posts he's made teasers that they're working on a new frame, but who knows when/if that will be released🤷‍♀️

Yeah but how many times has he "teased something" that didn't end up being a thing? There was the pocket doll, the centaur- which he put into he put into the garage and stated something like "don't buy you will be disappointed" on the twitter- the blue girls got a bunch of ppl excited but I've already heard from others that he probably won't continue making those. Idk its just disheartening.

2 hours ago, Courtmom said:

Volks has had dolls that expensive

Strictly speaking Volks hasn’t made a vinyl that sold new for that much money. Their SD16 and SD17 resins sell for a bit more than that, but they’re worth every last penny of it. Their charity auction one-off dolls have sold for tens of thousands. 

After-market Volks vinyls can reach silly prices. Saber Lily averaged around $3000 after-market, and her head alone sold for $1400. IIRC Lily isn’t even the most expensive after-market Volks vinyl. 

2 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Strictly speaking Volks hasn’t made a vinyl that sold new for that much money.

I feel like that kinda proves my point almost. If the prototypes came with more- maybe if he threw in some chaos clothes or something- then maybe the price would make sense. I mean, I get that they are "one of a kind" but honestly? I just don't think they're really worth all that $$

1 minute ago, Courtmom said:

I just don't think they're really worth all that $$

My cynical side says that a thing is worth what people will pay for it, but my critical thinking side agrees with you. 

Just now, BeyondTime said:

My cynical side says that a thing is worth what people will pay for it, but my critical thinking side agrees with you. 

I mean, obviously there are people out there snapping them up at whatever he prices them at, but still. Its kinda nonsense numbers to me.

I love smartdolls I really do, but as you all said, Danny says he cares about the employees but the costumers are the one who are making his company to have something to work with?

I mean, I work as a RH for a japanese company here in Japan and I do understand they sometimes overdue "the customers are always right" thing and the people who works for a company are over-working due the lack of employees in gerenal in Japan...

But whe could at least be a nicer with people, we are paying.. 

35 minutes ago, Plumo said:

I love smartdolls I really do, but as you all said, Danny says he cares about the employees but the costumers are the one who are making his company to have something to work with?

I mean, I work as a RH for a japanese company here in Japan and I do understand they sometimes overdue "the customers are always right" thing and the people who works for a company are over-working due the lack of employees in gerenal in Japan...

But whe could at least be a nicer with people, we are paying.. 

Not if he doesn't want your money.

 

I'm sure if the Japanese fanbase was bigger/more vocal than the Western one, he'd probably backtrack and keep his customers a lot happier.  Because at the heart of things, he just wants to badly to fit in/be loved and acknowledged by Japanese society.  It fell through with CJ, and it is falling through with SmD.

8 hours ago, Courtmom said:

Yeah but how many times has he "teased something" that didn't end up being a thing? There was the pocket doll, the centaur- which he put into he put into the garage and stated something like "don't buy you will be disappointed" on the twitter- the blue girls got a bunch of ppl excited but I've already heard from others that he probably won't continue making those. Idk its just disheartening.

Oh no don't mention the centaur! Here I go again... Just kidding, I got it all out in the 'Facebook...' thread, and was killed by the blu-tac. So I'm still dead. How is everyone else? 🤣

I do wish there were enough blue girls for everyone who wanted one. They were so hyped, it does feel a little fumbled. But then, I really felt it watching people miss out on dolls they'd dreamed of. Probably, if he's not going to do a long preorder period like resin companies do, an answer might be to keep making the dolls until they take more than x amount of time to sell out, as a way to gauge demand. 20 minutes is not a big window to buy a doll. 2 days is. (But then again, a month of preorder time would be the easiest way to know how much demand there is. I know he did preorders before, but they were very short: 1 or 2 days, sometimes just hours. It's not the same.)

The blue dolls were always gonna be limited, but I think they're way more limited than anyone expected!