Head Sculpt Variety

I have a question for everyone-- what do people think of the heads that Volks has been producing recently when it comes to the sculpt quality?

 

Since the limited doll heads are mostly made to mimic the art style that the character is from, it's understandable that the blank doll heads may look similar when the paint is removed due to the source material. Moe styles do get lots of bad rep for looking very similar. For instance, Peach-Pit and Noizi Ito have similar moe stylization choices, but Peach-Pit is a lot more elaborate/decorative while Noizi Ito goes for smooth and shiny.

 

Thus, I thought that perhaps the lack of variety is a limitation imposed by the source material-- if moe series are popular, then they may become moe dolls. If moe styles are criticized for being too generic, then the moe dolls may suffer the same criticisms. However, SQ Labs does a good job of producing extremely moe sculpts, and their sculpts are drastically different from Volks-- I'd say there are many more planes on a SQ Lab head (much more exaggerated shapes overall resulting in more shadows falling across the faces) than from a Volks doll. The other side of the spectrum are Obitsu/Parabox heads, which I often feel don't have enough depth to them for a doll their size. To my eyes, while a lot of the Obitsu/Parabox heads are super cute, I feel that the faces are very flat resulting in the dolls looking akward from angles other than the front. This is fine on a Pure Neemo to me, but a lot more awkward on a 1/3 doll.

 

Also, doesn't it seem like the most popular doll heads tend to be the really distinctive ones though-- Mio, Alna, and Miu-- with a few exceptions for the heads that might be too distinctive (Haruka, Haruhi)? What I mean by distinctive is that you look at the blank doll head and you instantly know which doll it is-- no if's or but's about it. Meanwhile, if you were looking at a blank DDH-06, Asuna, and Yaya side by side, then you might need to take a few extra looks to be sure.

 

So, once again, I'm interested in hearing what everyone else thinks about head sculpt styles and variety in features. Are the recent waves of dolls really too same-y? Has Volks gotten to the bottom of the barrel when it comes to sculpting moe dolls? Do people want to see them release character dolls from series with non-moe styles, or more unique moe styles?

I think Volks needs to venture into more facial expressions. What would be cool to see would be one character with a few heads in varying expressions.

 

It's like, the round eye and a slight smile look is getting boring and a lot of the new heads sorta mesh together in my opinion (how the 06 and Asuna look similar).

I for one am happy that Volks play it safe with expressions, because I'm not a fan of most SQ-Labs heads. I find them too... situational. Can add iM@S Haruka to that mix as well.

I for one am happy that Volks play it safe with expressions, because I'm not a fan of most SQ-Labs heads. I find them too... situational. Can add iM@S Haruka to that mix as well.

 

I have to agree with you on the Haruka head, but I see it as a design..flaw? Like the wide, open mouth smile could've been better

Yeah, Haruka's open smile could have been done way better. There's been a lot of beautiful mods by good artists of open mouthed dolls, so unfortunately Volks done goofed on that one. :,D

 

I agree that I'm bored of round eyes and slight smile. I would love to see more faceted eye shapes by them too. DDH-07 has a pretty angular shape, but I loooove the really angular shapes you see for SQ Lab sometimes because it really works for a more serious or tsundere look.

 

I'd love more Rise and Alna types too-- smaller eyes, some realistic features, still has the smoothness of anime, stuff like that. Bigger noses are cute too! Or even a medium sized but somewhat realistic nose? That would be very sweet. I'm a big fan of Honyalala for instance, and I'd loooove to have a doll in her style:

 

 

BJD sculpts are stylized too, but they're not necessarily anime-- they have their own look, just like how DD's have their own look. I just had another thought too-- figures are sculpted by so many different artists with their own distinct style too. There's a lot of great variety with how a character is sculpted between different companies. So it would still be doable to capture the spirit and look of the character even when the details are different.

I'm such a big fan of the "moe" styles that this current era of Volks is basically like heaven for me! Regardless, even in moeland there are varied eye shapes and they should be hitting more types - give me some tsundere girls, or some shy girls, or some mature girls... but keep it moe!

I've been having very similar thoughts lately and I think I agree with you.

It seems to me that Volks has some "rules" about face features when it comes to sculping their limiteds and that clearly shows... IMHO most often than not it works towards the character's benefit while some others it does more harm than good and the sculpt ends looking barely like the character its supposed to be based on. Maybe their focusing too much on outfits and accesories is taking away from the head sculpts?

I think it has more to do with the fact that there seem to be only two or three sculptors for DDs--the ones that get accused of looking similar often have the same sculptor. (Miku to Saber, Nanoha/Fate, and Tohsaka Rin for instance are all sculpted by Misaki Serika.) The sculptors do each have their own style, as they should, but with such a small pool of them and their tendency to sculpt within their comfort zones does make the similarity kind of obvious.

 

I actually am a huge sucker for Misaki Serika sculpts, so I often appreciate even the girls that I don't really want to own. ^^;;

 

However, I think it would be REALLY cool if they got guest sculptors now and again, even if they were just yanked from other Volks departments like the Super Dollfie or figure sections. Might inject some inspiration into the usual suspects.

Remember who their target consumer is. Its not a mix of international people, its the japanese male primarily. Small noses and wide eyes seem to be a fail safe in selling out dolls. To me it seems that the heads now take an old sculpt and tweak the features here and there. Some of them are way too similar as if no effort at making it look like the character was done. This by no means is a dig, just an observation.

 

Ranko was kind of a delightful change like Alice, with sharper angled eyes, and a lips that were not the usually tepid smile. (Ranko's have more detail and look slightly mischievous) I personally hope they continue with that aesthetic. I don't see anything wrong with the general look they are going for, but adding more variety would be a lot more fun and interesting for collectors. I know I have passed on many dolls because they indeed look too similar.

 

However, I think it would be REALLY cool if they got guest sculptors now and again, even if they were just yanked from other Volks departments like the Super Dollfie or figure sections. Might inject some inspiration into the usual suspects.

 

I thought they were trying to hire some new sculptors? Either it didn't work out, or they handed them a picture of HDD-06 and said "Welcome! This is your guide!"

I don't find it wrong either, I just would like more variety. :> I'm also a sucker for moe too, but as mentioned there's many different kinds of moe. I'm honestly surprised that there isn't more variety though because of how popular the really distinctive sculpts are though-- doesn't that send a message to Volks that the customers really dig the distinctive ones? Then they wouldn't end up with the dolls that don't sell as well-- such as Nanami.

 

I thought they were trying to hire some new sculptors? Either it didn't work out, or they handed them a picture of HDD-06 and said "Welcome! This is your guide!"

 

Oh my goodness, haha. :>

 

They could also hire sculptors that have done slam dunks in the past. :,D I can dream of more Mio-styled heads. The chubby cheeks! The angular eyes! The cute mouth!!! Wahhhh!!!!!

I think DDs have a certain aesthetic and if they deviate too much, they won't look like DDs anymore. Like Volks SDs have their own distinct style compared to other resin companies. But, like everyone else, I'd like some variety--I'd really like a girl with half lidded eyes and a slightly tsundere (maybe?) expression

I personally wouldn't be a huge fan of extreme facial expressions or super-stylized heads, but I also wouldn't be upset if Volks wanted to experiment here and there. If I'm not a fan, then at least my wallet gets a break! I'd be really excited to see more adult-looking heads (like Beato, Saber, Rin Tohsaka), rather than the very girlish crop we've had lately.

 

I am growing a little weary of the round-eyed, hint-of-a-smile look, but only because there have been so many models recently. For example, although I own an Erica and am very familiar with the mold, I can barely tell the difference between an Erica repaint and a Yaya repaint. And I think they both look very close to Yuki, too. Plus the 06, Asuna, Neris, Moe / Natsuki, Nanami, and Haruka Niimi all have similar-ish expressions.

 

And it does seem like the most popular girls are also the most distinct: Ranko, Rise, Melty, Sasara, and Beato all look very unique and all command higher prices.