Hoping to get a custom Dollfie Dream in Japan (first timer)

UPDATE:

Made a progress thread in the "Character Concepts" subforums, going to keep that updated instead ^_^

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7512

 

~Keripo

 

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Hi all!

 

Newbie here, looking for some first time advice xD

My account is too new to be allowed to post links/images, so bear with the text orz (I've bolded important parts for your skimming ease)

 

In one week, I will be visiting Japan and was thinking about getting a custom Dollfie Dream. I've never really looked much into getting a Dollfie doll, but after looking through many pictures and giving it some thought, I convinced myself to attempt coming back with a custom Arcueid Brunestud Dollfie Dream (I'm kinda a huge Arcueid fan and have pretty much finished collecting all figures/plushies/etc. of her). I am targetting Arcueid's character design from Melty Blood Actress Again, but the new Tsukihime redesign version is fine too (but plus her characteristic hair folds/bangs). So I did some digging and research and here's what I've come up with so far.

 

Parts needed:

• DDH-07 head
  
• DDIII base body
  
• DDIII-B-04 bust
  
• Custom/Animetic H Madder Red eyes
  
• Custom wig
  
• Custom makeup
  
• Mix and match outfits

 

Head:

Finding the perfect mouth, eyes width, and face shape is essential for pinning down likeliness in my opinion. Based on pictures of other customs, the DDH-06 head seemed to fit well with Arcueid's face and smile. I also really like Saber Extra's smile and I think Akihabara Girls' Akira's duckface might also work, but both are character dolls I doubt will be either cheap nor easy to find.

 

Body/Bust:

The DDIII base body seems to be more recommended than the DDII due to improved posability and general quality. Based on the Volks' webstore, it's looking like roughly $500 to build from individual parts. In comparison, a pre-assembled DDII base body is priced at $250. Given that this will probably be my one and only Dollfie, I'm leaning toward going for a DDIII. The other way of getting a pre-assembled DDIII it seems would be to find a limited edition DD, though those seem to be much more expensive. The DDS body also seem to offer the same flexibility, but I assume those also only come with the expensive limited edition dolls.

 

Given that most of Arcueid's body will be clothed, second hand bodies would be acceptable. I'd like to keep this project at a reasonable budget, so advice on body buying would be greatly appreciated. I will be shopping Akihabara and other spots in Japan, so physical pickup preferred.

 

Arcueid is a slightly busty character, so I'd assume she would need a slightly larger-than-average bust. That said, having never seen a Dollfie doll in real life, I'm not sure if an M-sized bust would work or if an L-sized is needed for that emphasis (I looked at DD Dynamites and those are wayyy too huge). Opinions/recommendations?

 

Eyes/Wig/Makeup:

Arcueid essentially has red cat eye (see the Melty Blood versions of Arcueid). The stock Animetic H Madder Red eyes look alright, but I have a feeling that I'd rather get something custom.

 

Arcueid's hair, on the other hand, absolutely needs to be custom and well defined for the character to be recognizable (even in different clothes). It is short, golden blonde with layers of characteristic angled folds and an ahoge. The closest I could find would be Akihabara Girls' Akira's wig, but it would still require much modification (and I assume something custom-made would also be cheaper).

 

I don't know much about makeup, but I would say for Arcueid, the main key would be getting those Takashi Takeuchi-style thick eyelashes that extend to the sides (see Arcueid Brunestud, Illyasviel von Einzbern, and Irisviel von Einzbern). Either way, it would definitely have to be a custom job as I would not be able to do makeup for the life of me.

 

Having zero experience nor supplies, it seems that my best bet would be to commission someone who would be able to essentially do the entire custom head (face, eyes, wig) for me. Any pointers for where I would look in Japan to find such artists? I have a feeling it would make more sense for me to commission it in person than the long describe-ship-wait online commissioning process, but if there is someone here who'd be able to do all three, point away!

 

Clothes:

At the least, I'd like to target her original outfit. White turtle neck, long purple skirt, dark gray/black pantyhose, and black slippers. If the long purple skirt turns out incredibly hard to find, I don't have an objection to settling with a short dark blue skirt like in her new design (my biggest issue with the new design is the boring hair, and a plain purple skirt doesn't seem good for posing).

 

Once that's done, I'll definitely try to go for more outfits. The Archtype-Earth outfit would need to be custom-made and probably only if the custom wig maker is willing to make a second long hair version (swap out and add wand for Phantasmoon!). If there's a cheap one, a white dress similar to the TYPE-MOON 10th Anniversary event outfit would be nice. Her Carnival Phantasm school outfit I think is doable, as well as some generic Santa outfit. Kokahu maid cosplay would be nice, but I'll probaby only be able to find a generic black/white french maid outfit. Since I'll be going for a DDIII/DDS body, I assume I'm looking for the acronyms BJD, SD (SD13 or higher) and DD, or clothing fitting the 60cm height range or for 1/3 scale dolls.

 

Either way, I have a feeling that this part will be the mostly impulse-driven. I know that in Akihabara, there's the Volks store, there's Figure-R, and there's Mandarake. I haven't done much store researching in terms of DD items, so if you know any big doll stores, please let me know! Of course, this would all depend on me being able to find someone who'd be able to make the custom Arcueid head first while I'm still in Japan.

 

Plan:

So my overall plan is to hopefully receive some advice/feedback/input from you guys before I arrive in Japan one week from now, then spend a good chunk of my trip getting this custom Arcueid DD. The first required step would be to commission someone early on for the custom head (and hopefully finish before I have to leave). For example, I noticed that there are a few websites such as momo-man(dot)net which feature custom works - any idea if they do commissions as well? (and if so, do they have emails I could contact?). Alternatively, a custom head from an experienced artist here would work too.

 

Finding the body I suppose would be a matter of browsing around the the various doll stores recommended to me. Once fully assembled would the outfit searching happen (while also completing the remainder of my PVC figure and gunpla collection). My budget would be a target $1000 USD total, with my newbie estimates being $500 for the body, $300 for the custom head, and $200 for the outfits (aiming for no shipping costs!).

 

To be honest, I only started seriously looking into things two days ago and so really don't know much more than what I've written above. I've never even held a real Dollfie Dream before nor even bothered stopping by the doll sections the last time I visited Japan. This time though, I am strongly interested, and am leaning toward going ahead with this if I can plan for everything needed before arriving in Japan.

The more info you guys can give me, the more prepared I'll be to make this happen!

 

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice/help ^_^

 

~Keripo

Edited June 19, 2013 by Guest

Well, if this post was posted a few months later, I would be able to do all three for you XD (eyes, hair, faceup). For now I can't do the hair

 

I won't be much help, probably SakuraSylph can help you most with this, but I just wanted to say that if you can wait till more limited DDs come up, you can get DDIII bodies for relatively okay price compared to buying parts, because lots of splits pop up in the marketplace with bodies around $300-400.

$300 for the custom head looks so much to me!!! O_O;;; A basic head costs $40-50 retail and there are lots of cheap artists online you can commission that will cover shipping back and forth and commission price all bellow $100 >_<;;; Of course that's up to you though uvu;

Wow, this is going to be an ambitious project. On the plus side, you seem to have done your research and know quite well what you want to end up with (including parts to get there). On the minus side, your time horizon to completion is really short, as a custom character DD is typically a months-to-year or longer project.

 

The chance of you finding someone that can make you a head / eyes / wig to spec in one week is (to be realistic, not to sound bad) not high. For a custom job, you can expect to either send your head off to a faceup artist, or wait until a premade custom that you like shows up on Yahoo Japan Auctions. I'd recommend the former, since YJA customs like Momo-man go for ludicrous amounts of money.

 

The chance of you finding lots of doll stuff is good, with Mandarake, Dolk, Parabox, Azone, Volks, Closet Child, and others all at either Akihabara, Ikebukuro, or Nakano Broadway. You may or may not find things specific to Arcueid's outfit though, just because of how the doll world revolves around limited quantity items. You can find a lot of cool clothes, just maybe or maybe not Arcueid. You would probably be happiest with the result by commissioning the outfit from a doll tailor. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't look! I just find I have a lot more fun shopping in Japan looking for "cool stuff" with no particular agenda and finding unexpected treasures, than looking for a specific thing (where because of all the limited stuff I may not find it).

 

Your best chance at meeting some of the Japanese customizers in person is going to be at a show like Dolls Party or i-Doll. Next one in Tokyo is i-Doll on 17 July I think...

 

Regarding body type, it is possible to build either DDIII or DDSister from parts. I would recommend either one over DDII myself, but that is a personal-preference thing. Buy the CoolCat hip and shoulder ring sets for DD3/DDS to go with it, and you'll be set. Arcueid isn't super-short I don't think, so you will probably want a regular DD3 type (most dolls). For a busty character you will probably want L-bust. For a type-moon reference, the official Aozaki Aoko is made as L while Saber and Rin are made as M. Perhaps, never having held a DD, you can compare artwork with that info and come to a decision for your vision of Arcueid.

 

For a body, the best bet for your situation would be to buy Standard Model Aoi 2nd to get the DD3 L-Bust, slip, and pantsu, then later go back and sell the head and wig to get some money back. Estimate maybe $360ish cost for the body and clothes after sale. I say that from a price standpoint (slightly better after selling than building from pieces), but mostly from an availability standpoint. It takes 8 parts to build a DD3 including hands, and this way you don't have to worry about them all being in stock at the same time during the short time you are in Japan.

 

For the heads you mentioned, I can get hold of for you a DDH-06 with red eyes (aka Magical Ruby prepaint) and / or a Saber Extra noggin with no eyes. These are things you will not find in the store easily. It would be possible to meet in Japan to get things like that to you if you want to talk about it more offline. I guess you need 20 posts before you can PM though.

 

Anyway, custom doll projects are fun, and I wish you luck with yours. Expect to get started on it while in Japan, but expect it to take more months after that before it is 100% complete!

Hello Keripo, nice to see that you've decided to join this forum.

I think I've told you everything I can think of already.

Also, since you seem a bit interested in a Saber head, Saber Extra comes with a DDIII body with L bust, so a good idea might be too look for a Saber Extra doll only, sold without any accessories, if you decide to use the Saber head?

Although I personally think the DDH-06 would be a better fit for a custom Arcueid.

 

I wish you good luck on your project and look forward to seeing the result!

Having zero experience nor supplies, it seems that my best bet would be to commission someone who would be able to essentially do the entire custom head (face, eyes, wig) for me. Any pointers for where I would look in Japan to find such artists? I have a feeling it would make more sense for me to commission it in person than the long describe-ship-wait online commissioning process, but if there is someone here who'd be able to do all three, point away!

Not to shatter your dreams, but I think this is pretty much an impossibility. As far as I know, none of the "major" Japanese faceup artists (ie, Momo-man, Ronronshuka, Lala) do commissions, nor have I ever seen anyone else advertise doing them. Most people either do their own, or buy heads off YJA.

 

Even if you were to find someone who could do it, having it done in under a week sounds like a stretch.

In general, it's pretty rare for an artist to meet up in-person to do transactions anyway outside of conventions. It's just that weird thing of, "Do I trust this person to meet with them? Is it worth my commute? What if they turn out to be a creep? Should we meet in a public space? Do I even want to give them my number so that we can coordinate such a meeting???" Doing wig + eyes + face-up under a week would be very difficult for anyone, as most people do doll stuff on the side and not as a full-time job.

 

Anyway, the Type Moon style is very clean and simple, so a face-up like that could be done by most competent artists without needing to go for a big name Japanese face-up artist that doesn't do commissions anyway. :p I think it's a lot more reasonable to find a local artist within the country that you live in, because meeting up with someone in person twice to get the custom work done within a week is really hard. Shipping within your country will be cheaper, and that will also give the artist time to do the work carefully and properly. Wig styling is something you may need to do yourself to maintain the wig, by the way. It might be a good idea to get yourself a basic blonde wig and dedicate yourself to learning how to do the style yourself, or you might be in big trouble whenever the wig loses its shape.

 

Her outfit is really simple, so even if you can't find it, you can probably commission someone to do it. A circle skirt is one of the easiest beginner sewing projects, after all! Good luck!

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

 

there are lots of cheap artists online you can commission that will cover shipping back and forth and commission price all bellow $100 >_<;;;

I think it's a lot more reasonable to find a local artist within the country that you live in, because meeting up with someone in person twice to get the custom work done within a week is really hard. Shipping within your country will be cheaper, and that will also give the artist time to do the work carefully and properly. Wig styling is something you may need to do yourself to maintain the wig, by the way. It might be a good idea to get yourself a basic blonde wig and dedicate yourself to learning how to do the style yourself, or you might be in big trouble whenever the wig loses its shape.

After reading through all these responses, it looks like a custom job like this would definitely not fit in a short time span (I'll only be in Japan for two weeks, and won't still be there for i-Doll), so I'm fine with commissioning from someone here and waiting it out while I make do with a random default head in the meanwhile. Preferably in the US I suppose for shipping reasons, but doesn't look like it'll be practical commissioning someone in Japan (due to the language barrier if not anything else).

 

As for the wig making, I had a feeling that self-stylized would be the better route, but Arcueid's hair style looks pretty advanced and I've pretty much done next to nothing with hair styling before (I'm a guy with low maintenance asian hair - no hair gel or any fancy shampoo/etc. so I'm pretty clueless about styling). I think I'd rather commission a good custom wig job first, then take my time learning how to make wigs later and slowly (which would also be good for cosplay so I don't always just cosplay characters with short black hair).

 

Is there a sticky/list with people who are currently taking such commissions, or where would I post my request?

 

You may or may not find things specific to Arcueid's outfit though, just because of how the doll world revolves around limited quantity items...

Arcueid isn't super-short I don't think, so you will probably want a regular DD3 type (most dolls)...

For a body, the best bet for your situation would be to buy Standard Model Aoi 2nd to get the DD3 L-Bust, slip, and pantsu, then later go back and sell the head and wig to get some money back.

Also, since you seem a bit interested in a Saber head, Saber Extra comes with a DDIII body with L bust, so a good idea might be too look for a Saber Extra doll only, sold without any accessories, if you decide to use the Saber head?

Although I personally think the DDH-06 would be a better fit for a custom Arcueid

Arcueid's standard outfit (white turtle neck, skirt, dark pantyhose) I think shouldn't be hard to find I think, but of course I'd have to know where to look first xD I'm looking up those listed stores right now but Google Maps doesn't exactly have all the exact locations, so a local guide would be nice ^_^. The lunar princess dress will definitely have to be a custom tailor, but that's for later on (I probably got way ahead of myself in that first post).

 

Judging by pictures, Arcueid is definitely an L-bust compared to Saber and Rin. As for the body, I didn't realize that Aoi 2nd ver. has an L bust, so I think she'd be the best starting point (L-bust, DDIII body, temporary head to visualize with, and all assembled). Price-wise, it looks like it'll still be roughly $400-500 based on the Volks website, which is fine (I'll probably keep the clothes and sell the head after getting the custom one). I also agree that the DDH-06 head looks better than the Saber Extra head, and I'm sure Saber Extra will cost at least double (cheapest I could find online was 90k yen on Jungle).

 

The chance of you finding lots of doll stuff is good, with Mandarake, Dolk, Parabox, Azone, Volks, Closet Child, and others all at either Akihabara, Ikebukuro, or Nakano Broadway...

It would be possible to meet in Japan to get things like that to you if you want to talk about it more offline. I guess you need 20 posts before you can PM though.

If you're willing and have the free time, I would gladly take you up on that offer ^_^ The first time I went to Japan I literally just ran around like an overexcited kid with no sense of direction. An experienced local guide who knows where to look/shop would be definitely be awesome and a lot more fun - I'll even treat you to lunch/dinner too ; P I doubt I'll be able to chug out 20 useful posts soon without spamming, but you can send me a message on facebook.com/keripo or email me at k.darktiger@gmail.com. If you're busy though, just that list of store names is already really helpful!

 

My tentative plan is looking like as follows:

1. Find a list of people who are willing to take on the custom Arcueid head commission job (names/links/etc would be appreciated!)
   
2. Photoshop some mockups of the custom head (and rest of the body while I'm at it) and reach out to the custom DD artists
   
3. Arrive in Japan!
   
4. Hunt around the shops for a cheap Aoi 2nd body and generally check out all the doll stores
   
5. Buy the body and all other basics (need to make a list)
   
6. Shop around leisurely for more outfits and do the rest of my shopping (PVC figures and gunpla)
   
7. Come back from Japan with all the parts ready, minus the custom head
   
8. Decide on who to commission and send off the base head/eyes
   
9. ???
   
10. Profit! I mean, project complete! (hopefully only a few months later)

 

~Keripo

You can find people to commission for the face-up here in this section: Painting and Customization. I guess your request would go in the WTB section uvu

You can find lots of tutorials on Deviantart for making cosplay wigs and I think the tips and information can easily be applied to dolly wigs too.

You can find people to commission for the face-up here in this section: Painting and Customization. I guess your request would go in the WTB section uvu

You can find lots of tutorials on Deviantart for making cosplay wigs and I think the tips and information can easily be applied to dolly wigs too.

Went through the painting and customization part, but since it doesn't seem like many people do wigs, I'll probably end up putting it in the WTB section as well.

 

I played around with Photoshop and was able to mock up a pretty nice face that I think should be pretty easy to paint. Trying to mock up the hair though turned out a lot harder than I thought, but I found a picture of Akira's hair that served as a decent reference (still ended up just doing a rough outline since I'm not exactly sure how hair physics work). I suppose if I happen to come across an Akira wig I can try my hand at stylizing it myself, but I assume the special wigs are really hard to find and expensive ;X

 

Crappy pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/WmSQH#2 (select and copy-paste cause I can't link URLs yet still >_<)

 

~Keripo

Yea, that face-up looks easy enough .u.

As for chara wigs, I think most you will find will be around $60? I haven't seen much more expensive ones. Probably not TOO hard to find either if you stalk the MP and YJA

I think dollce will do custom wigs, they have a shop in akiba and attend many doll events:

http://doll.shop-pro.jp/

 

I've also heard some good things about Usagihime customs:

http://usagihime.com/

 

You will find a few more folks on DoA who can do wig commissions.

 

Actually, someone on this forum has done a custom of this character, I just can't recall who right now. A quick search may turn up some leads.

You'll want to buy Aoi directly from Volks, so that will narrow your search parameters there. There are any number of VS shops you can go to in person, so if one is out of stock, there are several more to try. Some still have Aoi 1st on the DD2 body, so if you want DD3 be sure it says 2nd ver on the box.

 

It would be good to write down your hotel's address and bring it with you, BTW. Before you buy anything at Volks, especially Aoi since she's a few hundred bucks, ask to sign up for a "points level" card. It is free, and you will need that address. You'll get 1% points, which you can then use as a discount on future purchases. It's only valid in Japan, but you could get a small freebie out of it maybe by the time you leave.

 

Haha, thanks for the offer.. Meeting up to make a trade would be one thing, but I can't join you on your vacation full time since I'm not on vacation myself. It's OK though. Each of the stores I mentioned has their own web page with an address, walking directions, and pictoral map. No need to depend on google maps for this (it's not so accurate in Japan yet).

I think dollce will do custom wigs, they have a shop in akiba and attend many doll events:

I've also heard some good things about Usagihime customs:

You will find a few more folks on DoA who can do wig commissions.

 

Actually, someone on this forum has done a custom of this character, I just can't recall who right now. A quick search may turn up some leads.

Thanks, I'll definitely look into dollce and check out their Akiba shop. I just sent both dollce and Usagihime emails, hopefully one of them will reply in my favour ^_^ The DoA forums look like they're invite only so I don't think I'll be able to poke around there too much ; /

 

I searched around the DollfieDreams forums and only found one example: the "Miyu's Arcueid cosplay" thread from user "mitsuki". The Akira wig definitely looks like it'd work quite well with some modifications. I wonder how hard it would be to hunt down just the wig, or to find an unofficial one that looks very similar with that angled hair. mitsuki's DD's Sirius face does kinda scare me a bit to be honest and quite contrasts the smiling, playful Arcueid in my mind. There was one other custom Arcueid that I came across, which can be seen at http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/237773. It is To Heart 2's Kousaka Tamaki with a blonde wig and a white turtleneck. Although not perfect, that picture was the one that lead me into thinking about getting my own custom Arcueid DD.

 

You'll want to buy Aoi directly from Volks, so that will narrow your search parameters there. There are any number of VS shops you can go to in person, so if one is out of stock, there are several more to try. Some still have Aoi 1st on the DD2 body, so if you want DD3 be sure it says 2nd ver on the box.

By "directly from Volks", are you referring to from the Akiba Volks store? If so and they do have stock, that'd be pretty awesome (body + HHD06 head + blonde base wig in one go!) The high EMS shipping prices from Japan still never ceases to amaze me - recently bought ¥20,000 of stuff from YJA and ended up with ¥10,000 in shipping costs, and I'm pretty sure DD boxes don't qualify for SAL orz. Will definitely make sure to check for that "2nd ver" part, or at least ask the store employees via awkward hand symbols xD.

 

It would be good to write down your hotel's address and bring it with you, BTW. Before you buy anything at Volks, especially Aoi since she's a few hundred bucks, ask to sign up for a "points level" card. It is free, and you will need that address. You'll get 1% points, which you can then use as a discount on future purchases. It's only valid in Japan, but you could get a small freebie out of it maybe by the time you leave.

Living in some student summer dorm (cause the landlord speaks English and it's much cheaper) but I think that should work. I've never used a points card system though - would I essentially 1) sign up, 2) buy Aoi, then 3) come back in and buy the head/wig/accessories/etc. but also show the card? Or do I have to come back the next day? On a related note, any chance Volks or any of the other stores are duty free? I remember saving a good 4k yen when I bought my gunpla at Nipponbashi because I was able to show them my passport and they waive the taxes (in exchange for a lot of paperwork stapled to my passport).

 

Haha, thanks for the offer.. Meeting up to make a trade would be one thing, but I can't join you on your vacation full time since I'm not on vacation myself. It's OK though. Each of the stores I mentioned has their own web page with an address, walking directions, and pictoral map. No need to depend on google maps for this (it's not so accurate in Japan yet).

Darn, there goes my "make-a-new-friend-in-Japan-and-go-weekend-shopping" plan. I will be there for 3 whole weekends though... (would a free maid cafe lunch change your mind? xD). I've noticed Google Maps is extremely inadequate in the densely packed Japanese shopping districts, so I'll probably end up walking around with one of those paper maps they hand out at the train station. Last time I marked out the map the night before, but was pretty much overwhelmed when I got there (Akihabaraaaaa!!!!) and ended up completely forgetting about the map. This time, I should be wiser ; )

 

~Keripo

By "directly from Volks", are you referring to from the Akiba Volks store? If so and they do have stock, that'd be pretty awesome (body + HHD06 head + blonde base wig in one go!) The high EMS shipping prices from Japan still never ceases to amaze me - recently bought ¥20,000 of stuff from YJA and ended up with ¥10,000 in shipping costs, and I'm pretty sure DD boxes don't qualify for SAL orz. Will definitely make sure to check for that "2nd ver" part, or at least ask the store employees via awkward hand symbols xD.

It could be from Volks' Akihabara store, or Shinjuku, or Ikebukuro for instance. There's also a Volks in Harajuku, but that is SD only (good for clothes). But yes, getting Aoi from any of the downtown-Tokyo Volks stores is what I meant. Aoi wouldn't be very much cheaper at a place like Mandarake second-hand, so rather than use up a lot of limited time hunting, it's better to just buy from the source.

 

You could indeed buy Aoi, a Head-06, and one of many choices of blonde wigs all there in one stop. For wigs, another place to look is DOLK in Akiba, which has a ton of nice ones from Crobidoll.

 

BTW, it says "2nd ver" in English on Aoi's box, so you will be able to recognize it even if you don't know Japanese.

 

Living in some student summer dorm (cause the landlord speaks English and it's much cheaper) but I think that should work. I've never used a points card system though - would I essentially 1) sign up, 2) buy Aoi, then 3) come back in and buy the head/wig/accessories/etc. but also show the card? Or do I have to come back the next day? On a related note, any chance Volks or any of the other stores are duty free? I remember saving a good 4k yen when I bought my gunpla at Nipponbashi because I was able to show them my passport and they waive the taxes (in exchange for a lot of paperwork stapled to my passport).

 

As long as you get the full Japanese address, your dorm will also work when signing up for the card. For a points card, you can get the card and then buy Aoi and everything else all at the same time if you want. No waiting, no need to come back later. It just depends on how you want to play it for the discounts. Each time you buy something you get 1% points credited to your card, which you can use as a discount off a future purchase. 1 point = 1 yen discount. You present your card every time at checkout to earn or use points, and you just need to tell the cashier when you want to use your discount (it isn't automatic).

 

Volks Akihabara will do duty-free. I don't think any of the other Volks locations will, since I don't see it advertised in any of the other Volks stores. So yeah, the Akiba store is the largest Volks, and you can get them to waive the tax there. The bottom floor is chock full of figures, treasures, iM@S stuff, and rental cases, so there is a lot to like here beyond the dolls.

 

I don't know, however, if you can apply both the tax credit and the points card together. The card is intended for people in Japan (hence the address requirement), so it may not be compatible with duty-free shopping. That's something you'd have to ask the clerk at the store I'm afraid. If it turns out you can only do one, take the duty-free since that saves you the 5% tax rather than getting 1% points.

 

Darn, there goes my "make-a-new-friend-in-Japan-and-go-weekend-shopping" plan. I will be there for 3 whole weekends though... (would a free maid cafe lunch change your mind? xD).

Oh wow, you're going to be here for a while! Is this a student exchange program, or did you luck into three weeks off work? That'll be plenty of time to see many cool sights.

 

I thought you were asking for a week-long tour guide every day which wouldn't work since I'm not off. But it'd likely be possible to swing a weekend day for a while. Akiba in general opens at 10am and closes at 8pm, so for each day you're here those are the prime hours you're looking at in terms of shopping.

 

Bring a bottle of water and insatiable curiosity, and you can spend days in Akiba. A map helps but isn't required since the majority of places in Akiba are all on Chuuou-dori or one block over. I think DOLK/DOLK+ is the only exception that comes to mind since that is south of the station instead of west. Volks is right outside the station, so very easy to find.

I googled her and the outfit, if this is the one you're after, with the turtleneck and circle skirt is very simple. You could probably piece it together or have someone make it

 

As for the wig, I've actually styled a wig with those similar triangular hairpieces (for myself) and it might be a challenge to work on a smaller scale, but it's possible. So if you want to style it yourself, then that's possible, but if you aren't comfortable with cutting and trimming and styling with hot water or whatever, then you could get that commissioned.

You could indeed buy Aoi, a Head-06, and one of many choices of blonde wigs all there in one stop. For wigs, another place to look is DOLK in Akiba, which has a ton of nice ones from Crobidoll...

 

So yeah, the Akiba store is the largest Volks, and you can get them to waive the tax there. The bottom floor is chock full of figures, treasures, iM@S stuff, and rental cases, so there is a lot to like here beyond the dolls...

 

I don't know, however, if you can apply both the tax credit and the points card together...

Sounds like it'll be a big haul from the Akiba Volks store early on in week 1 xD For simplicity, would probably make more sense to get it all from there at once and just stick with the 5% duty free.

 

I thought you were asking for a week-long tour guide every day which wouldn't work since I'm not off. But it'd likely be possible to swing a weekend day for a while. Akiba in general opens at 10am and closes at 8pm, so for each day you're here those are the prime hours you're looking at in terms of shopping.

I'm there for two weeks and three weekends for fun with a few friends. But since none of my friends are anywhat interested in anime/figures/dolls/etc., I'm planning on just spending the entire first week shopping/exploring around in Akiba, and the second week doing touristy stuff (with exceptions, e.g. if I noticed I missed something on the shopping list). No definite plan though and plenty flexible, so whatever weekend works for you would be fine!

 

Bring a bottle of water and insatiable curiosity, and you can spend days in Akiba. A map helps but isn't required since the majority of places in Akiba are all on Chuuou-dori or one block over. I think DOLK/DOLK+ is the only exception that comes to mind since that is south of the station instead of west. Volks is right outside the station, so very easy to find.

Last time I went, I was powered by 2-litre bottles of Calpis everywhere I went. What I'm just cautious about is walking into the ripoff/overpriced stores (e.g. Kotobukiya store) and letting my impulse get the better of me, so better to mark out and visit all the key stores first, then random impulse explore later.

 

I googled her and the outfit, if this is the one you're after, with the turtleneck and circle skirt is very simple. You could probably piece it together or have someone make it

 

As for the wig, I've actually styled a wig with those similar triangular hairpieces (for myself) and it might be a challenge to work on a smaller scale, but it's possible. So if you want to style it yourself, then that's possible, but if you aren't comfortable with cutting and trimming and styling with hot water or whatever, then you could get that commissioned.

The outfit is quite simple and I saw multiple items online that looked like they'd work, so not too worried about that. The wig, however, looks quite challenging to the inexperienced me. I plan on picking up a simple blonde wig to attempt self styling, as well as an Akira wig for just-in-case-I-suck-really-badly-and-need-to-commission-someone. Do you know any styling guides for dummies that you can point to for the folds/triangle? Essentially hoping to have the Akira/Aoko sharp folds (three of them - two on the sides and one for the front). All I have is a comb, a hair dryer, and a barely touched container of Gatsby >_<"

 

~Keripo

If it's not on your list already, you might want to pick up a body stocking for her too ^^

I saw this blonde wig and thought it might interest you.

If it's not on your list already, you might want to pick up a body stocking for her too ^^

Are you referring to CoolCat's "Anti-Color Migration Close-Fitting Clothing"? (can't link yet >_<)

I saw this blonde wig and thought it might interest you.

Looks like a pretty good alternative to Akira. Will definitely go back to it if I don't find something better in Japan. Thanks! ^_^

 

~Keripo

If it's not on your list already, you might want to pick up a body stocking for her too ^^

Are you referring to CoolCat's "Anti-Color Migration Close-Fitting Clothing"? (can't link yet >_<)

 

~Keripo

Yep, those are body stockings, and Volks also has body stockings http://www.volksusa.com/ofoth20091202.html

Yep, those are body stockings, and Volks also has body stockings

Noted, thanks!

Also found the perfect eyes I need: SQ Lab's EC-04 (22mm resin eyes). They are resin though instead of the standard acrylic... I hope that won't turn out to be an issue later ; / Also, $20 shipping fee? >_<"

 

Current shopping list:

(items in italics are backups/maybes)

 

Body:

- Volk's DDIII Aoi Ver 2 full set

- CoolCat's Fortified Shoulder joint Sheath

- CoolCat's Fortified Hip joint Sheath

 

Head:

- Volk's DDH-07 head (Mandarake/2nd hand/DollfieDream's Marketplace)

- CoolCat's Head Cap Elastic Cotton Normal Skin

- Commission custom makeup

 

Wig:

- Volk's DDS Akira wig (Mandarake/2nd hand/DollfieDream's Marketplace)

- Lich's L-522 mixed gold wig (test wig

- CoolCat's Wig Hair Meta Tool Brush

 

Eyes:

- Commission custom eyes

- SQ Lab EC-04 red resin eyes

- Twin Snow's WIC01 Wings Collection eyes (discontinued?)

- Twin Snow's RAC02 Rain Collection eyes

- Twin Snow's CAC02 Cat Collection eyes

 

Extras:

- Stand (will probably just make my own)

- SQ Lab's 01-RED-GL/01-BLK-GL glasses (can't decide which, maybe both?)

- Volk's violin carrying case

- Volk's DDAC Black headphones

- Throne/chair

 

Outfits:

(strikethrough are duplicates, bolded are still being looked for)

 

Original Arcueid outfit:

- CoolCat's DAN-10-1 White turtleneck (request no Rhinestone)

- long purple skirt (custom tailored?)

- CoolCat's DDPY 10N Black body stockings

- Volk's High Heels Black

 

New Arcueid outfit:

- CoolCat's DAN-10-1 White turtleneck

- dark blue skirt

- CoolCat's DDPY 10N Black body stockings

- CoolCat's LS-14 Brown boots

 

TYPE-MOON 10th Anniversary:

- CoolCat's DAN-14 White dress

- CoolCat's DDPY 08N Thin White stockings

- white gloves

- CoolCat's LS-02 Leather High-Heeled Shoes Shiny White

 

Carnival Phantasm swimsuit:

- CoolCat's SS29 White (request black strings instead)

 

Carnival Phantasm school outfit:

- Volk's White Standing Collar Shirt

- blue bow tie

- yellow vest

- dark blue skirt

- CoolCat's DDPY 11N Thin White body stockings with shorts

- CoolCat's LM-02 White ankle socks

- CoolCat's LS-08 Matt Brown student shoes

 

Misaka Mikoto cosplay:

- white t-shirt

- brown vest

- dark blue skirt

- CoolCat's LM-06 White short leg warmers

- CoolCat's LS-08 Matt Brown student shoes

 

Archtype-Earth:

- Full custom tailored?

 

Phantasmoon Eclipse:

- Full custom tailored?

- Custom wand?

 

French maid cosplay:

- Volk's Noir Maid set?

 

Santa cosplay:

- Whatever I see that looks good?

 

Looks like I'll essentially be getting the Volks stuff first directly from the Akiba store, browsing around trying to check off the bolded items as well as any other equivalents in person, then order the rest online after I'm back. Pleasantly surprised on how many things CoolCats has ;3 Their DAN-10-1 white turtleneck sweater is almost perfect for Arcueid except for those extra glued on stones. I hope they're willing to make one without the stones, cause ripping them off myself sounds like a disaster waiting to happen ; /

 

~Keripo

Edited May 28, 2013 by Guest

the volks noir maid set is very nice, available and only 5040 yen

the volks noir maid set is very nice, available and only 5040 yen

Nice, didn't notice it was available! Added to my list, thanks!

 

This just got posted on Figure.fm today...

http://www.figure.fm/en/post/48521/NO+39+Custom+Golden+Darkness+VOLKS+DDH+06+Head.html

 

Looks so convenient (DDH-06 head, almost perfect makeup, and placeholder red eyes), but the price tag...

I'm guessing it'll be cheaper to commission someone here, even with the shipping costs added ; /

 

~Keripo

If you haven't ordered from CC yet, you'd do well to skip the neck piece for right now. CC doesn't yet have a good way to attach it to the Volks internal frame such that it doesn't rotate loosely. The shoulder and hip reinforcements are the important bits.

If you haven't ordered from CC yet, you'd do well to skip the neck piece for right now. CC doesn't yet have a good way to attach it to the Volks internal frame such that it doesn't rotate loosely. The shoulder and hip reinforcements are the important bits.

Haven't ordered yet (was planning on ordering after the first week of Akiba shopping to see what else I'll need), but thanks for the heads up and removed from my list. I also emailed them about removing the glued on stones for their DAN-10-1 turtleneck top and they said they're able to make one for me ^_^

 

For the eyes, after playing around with Photoshop, I think I'll go custom after all. Currently still juggling on what to do with the head. Was originally decided on the DDH-06 but the DDH-07 is looking like a possibility. Hard to decide since there aren't really that many DDH-07 pics. Here are some Photoshop mockups comparing DDH-06 and DDH-07, opinions would be greatly appreciated:

http://imgur.com/a/T4h6q#1

 

~Keripo