Alternatives to resin BJDs?

[zettaichan]

Hi all,

I've begun dipping a toe into BJDs after ogling them since the first Super Dollfies came out. After a couple of false starts I found a doll I like that convinced me that resin BJDs could be worth the investment to me, and I ordered one of my dream dolls soon after (Dollshe Aramis). I'm eyeing two more resin BJDs I'd love to bring home.

Still, it niggles at me a little. Resin is more brittle than I would like, and it yellows over time... I know it has advantages as far as sanding and customizing, but overall, I think I'd prefer a more durable material. What I love about BJDs isn't the resin, it's their poseability and their sizes. There are plenty of very poseable, inexpensive playline dolls in the 6-14" size range. But for larger dolls with extremely flexible jointing, I only know of resin BJDs, plus the large plastic dolls from Volks Dollfie Dream, Hujoo, Obitsu, Azone, and Parabox.

I've been lurking here for a while, and searching the archives, I found posts about plastic Ye Luo Li "Night Loli" BJDs from China. So I thought if anyone would know about any other very poseable dolls in the 14+ size range, it would be the people here! Am I missing some alternatives that might turn my head from the Loongsoul resin BJDs I keep drooling over? Something attractive, wiggable and flexible that can hold a pose, but won't leave me paranoid that if I breathe on my doll wrong, I'll snap its fingers? I love how they look and how they can move, but what else is out there?

[DollyKim]

My big Obitsu and first resin are 8 years old and doing fine, all fingers are intact.. Of all the different dolls I've had over the years only the Medicom RAH has broken beyond repair. You can't break them if you look at them funny, you'd have to hit something with the doll or slam it to the ground.

[richila]

http://dolliehsanctuary.com/sanctuary/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10231
One of our members has porcelain bjds and I know of wooden ball jointed dolls by Xenis.
http://www.xenis.com

[yarwel]

I think you named all the one I can think of. You might want to consider making a hybrid with a resin head on an ABS or vinyl body.
But, you know, resin is actually pretty durable; I personally wouldn't worry too much about breakage. I once dropped one of my doll heads (by accident, of course) face first onto a marble floor and she wasn't even scuffed.

[Vetinari]

Yea despite the yellowing, resin (which as far as I can tell the vast majority of the time = polyurethane) is a fairly durable plastic! But I second or third the Obitsu suggestion; and Hujoo are making larger ABS dolls.

[zirconmermaid]

Each material has its own faults. Vinyl stains, but is more flexible. That is actually why it stains more easily. ABS doesn't stain, as it is a harder form of plastic than resin or vinyl. There are things you can do to minimize resin yellowing, and some work better than others. Wood drys out and cracks, and porcelain is very fragile compared to other materials. All of these materials are well able to survive a normal human lifetime, so no worries.

[she_flame]

I think you named all the one I can think of. You might want to consider making a hybrid with a resin head on an ABS or vinyl body.
But, you know, resin is actually pretty durable; I personally wouldn't worry too much about breakage. I once dropped one of my doll heads (by accident, of course) face first onto a marble floor and she wasn't even scuffed.

I have seen solid resin skull thrown on full force to stone and without any visible damage. Thin resin is brittle but when you have bigger block of it, it is quite hard and durable.

[K2!]

The durability of any resin is dependent on it's formulation, which will vary by manufacturer.

[Trethowan]

I've dropped Jim's face-plate so many times on my tile kitchen floor and he's not broken yet. I guess Granado resin is pretty tough (or I'm super lucky.) That said I snapped one of Foster's fingers trying to get him to hold a sword. I think with a modicum of care there's no worries about busting up a resin doll.

If one wanted more detail than Obitsu but a super strong plastic would Hujoo's new SD girl be a good choice? ABS is pretty strong stuff. I could go bang one of my Hujoos on concrete and see what happens. hahahaha

[zettaichan]

Thank you everyone for your replies (and reassurances about resin). I appreciate the links to beautiful porcelain and wooden BJDs, and the tips and suggestions.

I bought a BJD years ago, but family issues came up and I had to put him away. It's only recently that I hauled him out of storage, and discovered that despite being wrapped in a pillow that was swaddled with plastic inside his shipping box in a dark closet, the doll is very yellowed. To be fair, he is from 2006, and he was probably made of very cheap resin. But I've seen people selling their higher-end dolls from 2012 and showing in photos that they're very yellowed from their original coloring. It's discouraging. And one of the dolls I've been seriously tempted by on the DoA Marketplace has a broken finger...

That said, I do love the shapes and styles and sculpting of BJDs, and I recently got a resin mini who's very poseable and a lot of fun. And he doesn't feel fragile. And a hybrid with a resin head and an Obitsu or Hujoo body sounds intriguing.

I guess I just wanted to ask if I'm overlooking anything because it would just figure if I splashed out on an expensive BJD only for someone to say "Geez, if you wanted a big flexible doll that can hold poses, there's this other kind of doll that looks just like BJDs and they're made of magic indestructible non-yellowing material and cost way less... why didn't you get one of those?"

So thank you for helping me with my neurotic need to exhaust all possibilities! I feel much more relaxed about the possibility of choosing more dolls.