Smart doll joint mobility?

Hai all! So, for years now I’ve wanted to get a smart doll but I haven’t yet (partly because of money, partly because of circumstance). I’ve been looking at them and was wondering if it’s true the joints don’t move very easily? Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? What can I do to ensure my doll’s joints are taken care of and don’t accidentally snap when I try and move them? 
 

I suppose this isn’t exclusive to smart doll, I’m sure I’ll face similar challenges with my imomodoll.. but I’m used to the easy going joints of my pullip dal Taeyang-Isul Hybrid? 

I've never owned a Smartdoll, just Dollfies. But I can assure you that mjd's aren't that delicate. Not to the point you have to baby them.

 

They won't snap from a simple move. What could cause damage is trying to move/force a joint beyond it's intended range of motion. Or playing with the doll in a careless manner (like a child with an action toy). 

Hopefully we hear from smart doll owners ☺️

from what I've read on the SD site, due to them being put together by hand, some dolls may be "tight" when you receive them. If this is anything like DD, it just means it may take a very small effort to move joints- but nothing worrying/to be concerned about (Especially if you're buying a SD on a newer frame).

2 hours ago, luna_Lillie said:

I've never owned a Smartdoll, just Dollfies. But I can assure you that mjd's aren't that delicate. Not to the point you have to baby them.

 

They won't snap from a simple move. What could cause damage is trying to move/force a joint beyond it's intended range of motion. Or playing with the doll in a careless manner (like a child with an action toy). 

Hopefully we hear from smart doll owners ☺️

from what I've read on the SD site, due to them being put together by hand, some dolls may be "tight" when you receive them. If this is anything like DD, it just means it may take a very small effort to move joints- but nothing worrying/to be concerned about (Especially if you're buying a SD on a newer frame).

Thank you so much for this info 🙏🏻 honestly it’s a relief to hear that they won’t need to be babied 😭🙏🏻 the last thing I want is to get my doll and then have it break right away!

58 minutes ago, AngelusFeles said:

Thank you so much for this info 🙏🏻 honestly it’s a relief to hear that they won’t need to be babied 😭🙏🏻 the last thing I want is to get my doll and then have it break right away!

yep, in comparison to resin, Vinyl dolls don't have much to keep in mind.

Yellowing isn't a huge worry

Spoiler

(of course, this doesn't mean you should display them in direct sunlight 😅)

, them falling over isn't as scary

Spoiler

(it would mainly be a worry if you had a custom faceup) 

and If anything goes wrong with their bodies- finding replacement parts can be way easier (depending).

 

 

main thing is making sure your hands are clean, and avoiding staining. Even then staining can be removed so it isn't that catastrophic. 

 

On 11/2/2024 at 4:44 AM, AngelusFeles said:

Hai all! So, for years now I’ve wanted to get a smart doll but I haven’t yet (partly because of money, partly because of circumstance). I’ve been looking at them and was wondering if it’s true the joints don’t move very easily? Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? What can I do to ensure my doll’s joints are taken care of and don’t accidentally snap when I try and move them? 
 

I suppose this isn’t exclusive to smart doll, I’m sure I’ll face similar challenges with my imomodoll.. but I’m used to the easy going joints of my pullip dal Taeyang-Isul Hybrid? 

For older Smart Dolls, tightness of the joints can vary a bit, but it shouldn't be so tight that you have to worry about breaking anything easily. If the joint is tight AND creaky, it doesn't have enough grease for some reason. Applying a tiny bit extra might help in those cases. Afaik, SmD uses (used?) lithium grease.

If you're planning to get one of the current Smart dolls, they have the new clicky joints. They feel fairly different compared to other vinyl dolls but in general are not too tight either - and the skeleton is a lot beefier now.

In general, when moving a joint, apply forces close to it: So e.g. when when bending the hip joint, grab the doll by the torso and by the thigh. For moving the wrist joints make sure you're turning them in the correct direction. - The seam at the joint can be very tricky to see sometimes.

Whenever you get a new type of doll for the first time, it might also not be a bad idea to test some poses on the nude doll first. You'll get a much better understanding what is possible and what to watch out for while you can see the joints. If most joints are hidden by clothing, it can be a lot trickier to figure out what's going on.

 

Edited November 8, 2024 by Tierparkzone

I have a Pear SmD, and her joints are somewhat stiff in the sense that it requires slightly more force to get them moving than my DDs, and they have a tendency to snap from position to position. The upside is that she feels more stable in a pose than a DD, who tend to be floppier. The tighter joints, especially in the hip, and the intentionally noisy Evolve frame were a little off-putting at first - if one of my DDs made that noise when I moved their leg, it would be a pretty bad sign - but I got used to it pretty quick. She's not nearly as stiff as some of the joints on a curvy MTM Barbie, which is probably the most stressful doll posing experience I've had.