And Then There Were Seven (DDC MDD)

...Well, not all at home, not yet, but as of today I have seven full dolls in my vinyl collection. Seven is a good number, a holy number in Jewish and Christian beliefs, and interestingly, this girl decided that standard times and methods were not for her. She came in her own way

(All of this is loosely documented in the waiting thread; feel free to skip if you know it)

In the beginning I had vague aspirations of acquiring a Dollfie Dream. They were so expensive that they seemed far out of reach. But then Volks introduced the MDD, and I decided that someday I would have one, as their standard model prices were much more attainable.

 

But I got hooked on BJDs instead. For a couple of years I did own a small lot of vinyl heads I won on Ebay: an Obitsu Mizuki (That standard head they used to include with the 40/45 girl body), what I think was a modded 01, and a used 04. The 04 was the reason I bought the lot. At the time I thought she was the cutest of the standard heads. But the longer they sat there and were unfinished, the more tired of them I got. Especially 04. I sold them all off and didn't touch vinyl again until 2019.

 

After owning my Angel Philia girls, when I reentered vinyl for the second time proper in 2021, I went with Smart Doll as I'd heard good things about the stability. But I never lost sight of MDD, especially after Dream Choice exclusive heads, tan skin, and Mochi Ashi were released. In fact Nemicus, my custom DDS, was supposed to be an MDD until I found her body at a steal on Mandarake. Mandarake, great despoiler of plans.

 

"Okay," I said, "since tan skin is now an option, I'll save up and buy a 19 from Dream Choice." A solid plan. Only problem is, DDC is horrifically expensive through proxy, and while the fees are reasonable and fair, it's still a lot out of pocket. And this year was... not lean on unexpected costs. By the time I got around to saving, Smart Doll released their M01 sculpt, and when it came down to it, I opted for the chance to nab her in my favorite skintone because Dream Choice would still be there. No problem, right? I can save up next year.

 

Unless Volks discontinues MDD.

 

...Turns out that was an overreaction on our part and MDD is still a part of Dream Choice, and relatively accessible until they run out of parts. We're all waiting to see what they'll do with Anya Forger. But at the time it seemed like the final nail in the coffin. A tan 19 head even came up for sale, and I passed because finding a body would be difficult.

 

Mandarake has become a blessing and curse this year. After seeing all of your ladies and lads, and having the opportunity to speak in person, I went from checking it once in a blue moon to checking it every day after three tan Dream Choice girls, two DDS male bodies, and an Anthy all slipped through my fingers. They tend to upload between two and five AM our time, which makes them inaccessible over here if one needs sleep for work. I was especially salty about Anthy, but the most frustrating one was a tan 01 MDD that sold minutes after I emailed a US proxy who offers layaway. So close.

 

While waiting for midnight on New Year's eve, I opened the site on a fluke. Lo and behold, they had uploaded later / earlier than usual, and there she was.

 

(Sadly no good pictures. Yet.)

The listing claimed that she had a damaged arm, but from what I can tell, they meant the slit that the F3 frames have in the bicep socket where the elbow plugs in. They look the same on both sides and nothing is overly loose, so I may have ended up with a perfectly fine Dollfie for a mere $300 because someone didn't know their stuff. Crazy. I find it funny that after avoiding 04 for so many years, she came right back to me. She's not as oversized on the body in person, but still a tad bobbleheaded for my liking. If all goes well she will be replaced by 19, but I must admit that she's much cuter with the default faceup.

 

In the end it pays to stick by going for what you planned. I could have bought any MDD up until now, and there were a couple of times I almost went for it. But they wouldn't have been tan or a 19, and I have to say even as an 04, she was well worth the wait. Hopefully her new head arrives safely next month, and I can go about determining her name. She knows who she is... but not what she would like to be called.

 

Obviously when she decides, she'll tell me. It's not like I have any say at this point. 😂

 

She's such a cutie!!! Congratulations, it's always nice when that fluke turns into a beautiful full-circle moment. ❤️

She’s cute. And yeah Mandarake is hell and heaven. I went to their Nakano store back in 2015 and bought some manga. Never thought I would own a Dollfie Dream.

She's super cute, and congrats on finding one for a great deal!  

On 1/14/2023 at 4:09 PM, PolitelyNefarious said:

Unless Volks discontinues MDD.

 

...Turns out that was an overreaction on our part and MDD is still a part of Dream Choice, and relatively accessible until they run out of parts.

 

Sorry to bring this up because it's a bit unrelated, but what!! I didn't hear about this... but I'm a bit confused on the wording here, could someone fill me in?

Also congrats on your new girl, she's so adorable!

Sorry, Everyone. I haven't been keeping up with the forum as well as I'd like.

 

@amijules  Thank you! You are spot-on. I saw her head posted months before I found the DDH04 girl on Mandarake, but it was too expensive for me to purchase her as a full doll with her Mochi Ashi body, and I couldn't justify buying the head without the body; it would be so hard to find one. I am grateful that she stuck around this long for me so I could finally put her together, and I've almost finished fixing her up; there were no broken parts, but she needed to have her screws tightened, and I still need to figure out how to tighten her shoulders and hips.

 

@nyampo  Aha, yes. Once the dolls get on your brain, they haunt you. I never thought I would be a doll person either. I hated most dolls as a child, so it was a shock to my parents when teen Nefarious spent all the Christmas money on a Pullip. Then again, I was an anime nerd before it was 'cool', and Revoltech / Figma wasn't readily available then, so the idea that I could get something articulated and manga-esque alieved some of their confusion. Dollfie always seemed too expensive to be feasible, but lo and behold, here we are.

 

@Beansproutmomo  Thank you! I look at her several months later and still can't believe that she's mine. Still have that experience with some of my older BJDs too. Someday she will get an updated faceup, wig, more clothes... but for now I enjoy her as she is. The 04 head is slowly growing on me too. If she's stuck here long enough, she may end up staying.

 

@Frollywog  Hi! The topic you're looking for is this one. To clarify, MDD base bodies and parts in the Volks stores are being discontinued, but they are still selling them until they run out of parts. Apparently there is something else in production, but we don't know whether it's a new size or an updated MDD. Volks hasn't said anything more on the matter, but there has been speculation on the forum that whenever the DD Anya Forger release is revealed, she will be on this new body since Anya is a short character.

 

Personally my bet is with updated MDD since it is one of, if not their most popular size. MSD / MDD size seems to do well world-wide, regardless of doll maker. The nice thing is, nothing has sold out yet that I know of, parts continue to restock, and TierParkZone has said that Dream Choice is selling MDD as normal, so if you had MDD Dream Choice plans, you don't have to jump the gun like I did.

 

...Not that I have any regrets. Thank you! Minori is the reason she exists, and I could not be happier. Her face is everything I wanted from this size in a default doll. And if you hadn't submitted that photo of Minori to the seasonal forum banner, she might never have existed. I would still be looking for a DDH22, and as cute as 22 is, I know this girl was the right choice for me.

 

10 hours ago, PolitelyNefarious said:

 

@Frollywog  Hi! The topic you're looking for is this one. To clarify, MDD base bodies and parts in the Volks stores are being discontinued, but they are still selling them until they run out of parts. Apparently there is something else in production, but we don't know whether it's a new size or an updated MDD. Volks hasn't said anything more on the matter, but there has been speculation on the forum that whenever the DD Anya Forger release is revealed, she will be on this new body since Anya is a short character.

 

Personally my bet is with updated MDD since it is one of, if not their most popular size. MSD / MDD size seems to do well world-wide, regardless of doll maker. The nice thing is, nothing has sold out yet that I know of, parts continue to restock, and TierParkZone has said that Dream Choice is selling MDD as normal, so if you had MDD Dream Choice plans, you don't have to jump the gun like I did.

 

...Not that I have any regrets. Thank you! Minori is the reason she exists, and I could not be happier. Her face is everything I wanted from this size in a default doll. And if you hadn't submitted that photo of Minori to the seasonal forum banner, she might never have existed. I would still be looking for a DDH22, and as cute as 22 is, I know this girl was the right choice for me.

 

Thank you so much for helping me find that, I was lowkey panicking over it lol. I'm both nervous and excited to see where it goes, though I guess the only thing we can do is wait for more news...

Also, I am so glad that I was able to help you find the right doll, even if indirectly! I don't know if I can convey even a bit of the emotions that reading your post gave me, I'm just so happy that Minori could inspire you!! To be honest, when I was choosing her, I almost chose the DDH-20 or 21, getting 19 was almost a last minute choice, but I've been so happy with it that I also have no regrets! It's an adorable style, and the default makeup is so nice that I don't think I'll ever change it.

@Frollywog  Agreed; the initial announcement upset me too. Fingers crossed that it's not the end of MDD, though I have trouble imagining that. Even though DD has been around longer, there are far more people who cater to MDD. Thankfully MDD is still accessible on the secondhand market too. After saying, "I won't get Mochi Ashi; the thighs don't stay in place," this girl already has me thinking about it, even though I'm waiting on a substitute. MMDs really are like potato chips. At least when they're this cute.

 

Yes! Thank you. You did. She ended up being 'last minute' too- I was dead-set on 22, and after a year of looking at 22s, I can safely say that would have been an expensive mistake. 22 is adorable, but I'm not sure she's a 'must own' for me. But Minori's photo stopped me dead. I'd seen one photo of 19 as a tan boy in the DDCH catalogue and liked him, but no owner photos. And then I more or less forgot the sculpt existed. But once I saw Minori, I had to have this doll. I was so fixated on her that it's probably a God-given mercy that everything fell into place, because I couldn't focus on much else for the latter half of 2022. And she goes everywhere with me now. I take her out, she sits closest to me on the doll shelf, she hangs out at the keyboard... Someday I hope to style her half as well. All the love and attention you pour into Minori shows. And it makes her all the more endearing. 

 

20 and 21 are the other two major MDD DCH sculpts on my wishlist. 😆 It seems we have similar taste. The more the merrier! And the DCH default makeup is fantastic, agreed. I actually like it better than many of the character faceups- the soft browns of the eyelashes and gentle lips bring out the best in the sculpts. Often I look at a non-optional faceup as a necessary evil- it adds to the price but you can't avoid it- but Dream Choice really does give you the premium quality. Minori looks perfect the way she is, and she can wear anything.

 

10 hours ago, PolitelyNefarious said:

@Frollywog  Agreed; the initial announcement upset me too. Fingers crossed that it's not the end of MDD, though I have trouble imagining that. Even though DD has been around longer, there are far more people who cater to MDD. Thankfully MDD is still accessible on the secondhand market too. After saying, "I won't get Mochi Ashi; the thighs don't stay in place," this girl already has me thinking about it, even though I'm waiting on a substitute. MMDs really are like potato chips. At least when they're this cute.

 

Yes! Thank you. You did. She ended up being 'last minute' too- I was dead-set on 22, and after a year of looking at 22s, I can safely say that would have been an expensive mistake. 22 is adorable, but I'm not sure she's a 'must own' for me. But Minori's photo stopped me dead. I'd seen one photo of 19 as a tan boy in the DDCH catalogue and liked him, but no owner photos. And then I more or less forgot the sculpt existed. But once I saw Minori, I had to have this doll. I was so fixated on her that it's probably a God-given mercy that everything fell into place, because I couldn't focus on much else for the latter half of 2022. And she goes everywhere with me now. I take her out, she sits closest to me on the doll shelf, she hangs out at the keyboard... Someday I hope to style her half as well. All the love and attention you pour into Minori shows. And it makes her all the more endearing. 

 

20 and 21 are the other two major MDD DCH sculpts on my wishlist. 😆 It seems we have similar taste. The more the merrier! And the DCH default makeup is fantastic, agreed. I actually like it better than many of the character faceups- the soft browns of the eyelashes and gentle lips bring out the best in the sculpts. Often I look at a non-optional faceup as a necessary evil- it adds to the price but you can't avoid it- but Dream Choice really does give you the premium quality. Minori looks perfect the way she is, and she can wear anything.

 

The thighs really don't like to stay in place, but it doesn't bother me as much since I've gotten used to it now😁 There was one time before I knew how to properly seat the legs when I got frustrated that they wouldn't stay put and decided to take them all apart to see exactly how everything went together. After about 2 hours of pouring over the Volks guide and taking things apart, I finally got everything put together correctly, and I haven't really had any big issues since then, though I don't know if that's luck or I'm just not noticing them.

I've never heard the potato chip thing before but it's so true! I'm already sort of planning future MDDs, though realistically it's going to be quite a bit before I can save up that sort of money again lol. I had orginally planned to have Minori's face redone after I got her and was mostly going off of the basis on which face sculpt would suit the face I wanted best, but ended up deciding to wait and see if her default makeup would grow on me... and it did. And I also struggled finding owner photos of DDH-19, I'm not sure why but not many people seem to have them, or even to customize them as much, which was a big reason that I didn't orginally consider it as an option for Min.

Also being honest here, I did cry a bit after reading your comment. That's so sweet to say! Min has been my comfort doll ever since she arrived, and even on days when I don't have the energy to do anything, her face cheers me up. Reading all of your wonderful comments just makes my day, and I'm really happy that you enjoy her as much as I do❤️

12 hours ago, PolitelyNefarious said:

20 and 21 are the other two major MDD DCH sculpts on my wishlist. 😆 It seems we have similar taste. The more the merrier! And the DCH default makeup is fantastic, agreed. I actually like it better than many of the character faceups- the soft browns of the eyelashes and gentle lips bring out the best in the sculpts. Often I look at a non-optional faceup as a necessary evil- it adds to the price but you can't avoid it- but Dream Choice really does give you the premium quality. Minori looks perfect the way she is, and she can wear anything.

My Misaki is an MDD tan with a DD-H-21 head. She is just soooo cute. She was an impulse buy from a FB group. She wasn't cheap but compared to using a proxy I guess I got a pretty good deal. There was an insane amount of interest in her.

I haven't posted many photos of her but she has a D'Coord outfit coming so she'll pop up more now she has a proper backstory. I don't know if she was a Dream Choice or D'Coord - probably the former I guess.

For anyone else wanting a MDD Mochi-Ashi without proxy fees then Touhou Project Marisa is absolutely gorgeous and comes with a beautiful default set. I need to post my MDD girls on here more often.