Dollieh Sanctuary

I got my MNF body today and I'm happy that she poses well and has the petite look I wanted for Kirah. There is an issue with the cover on the back of the right knee joint though. The seller says it wasn't there when she shipped it and is willing to compensate me somehow. I'm just not sure if it's a big deal or not. Although I am concerned about the possibility that the resin could continue to chip and I'll explain why.

In the photo the three dark marks above the edge of the knee cover are actually nearly identical scratches that look almost like they'd been made with a tiny fork. Below them is a good sized chip with indentations resembling something a gear might make. Then the bump, which is a bit hard to see, actually has a small chip on the far side - kind of like a hook was used on it. It's all very weird and unexplainable. It's just the cover for the joint, so it doesn't seem to affect posing, but I do worry the resin is compromised and will continue to chip there.

I'd appreciate any experience, suggestions, thoughts.

To me it looks like damage done with an instrument or from an impact and not something happening due to a faulty resin mix. I don't see any cracking from the photo. If the resin was compromised due to a bad mix the part would either be sticky, which would not result in chipping, or flaky, in which case the surface would look chalky as well from the joint movement. My guess here is that the little bump bothered the previous owner either due to aesthetics or because they thought it might make the joint stick, and so they attempted to scrape it off with a metal implement of some kind and the tool slipped (possibly several times) landing where the scratches are and maybe causing the chip too. I can't make out how deep the scratches are but to prevent the chip from catching on the lower leg ball at some point and possibly snagging and causing a bigger chip, I would take a bit of sandpaper to the chip area to smooth it out and transition it a bit--and while I was at it I would sand of the little bump- which is what the previous owner should have done instead of trying to scrape it off. Resin sands nicer than it carves.

As for the seller stating it wasn't there when shipped? I don't believe that is true, but it is possible they were not the first owner of the doll, did not make the damage, and never actually looked at the back of the knee joint closely. Its minor damage, does not affect movement (based on your comment?) and so I would just let it slide and give them the benefit of the doubt so I could get on with enjoying the doll.

And don't forget to show us her face! I just love the Beauty of MFee! Which one is she?!!

The seller has been nothing short of terrific from the get-go and told me about other small issues, so I don't doubt her when she said it wasn't there. She even gave me a $10 refund. Not much, but she was already giving me a decent price on the body. I can only wonder if something happened in customs since it came from Canada....

This weekend I have a doll group meeting and our local "doll whisperer" (Chayanne from DOA) has offered to sand the scratches down for me.

And this is the body that will go with the Asen head I got from Evelien. Right now the head is with Ban Sidhe waiting on her face-up. Ban is also going to weft two Monique wigs together for me to get the perfect hair for her. I can't wait to see her home again, though! And neither can Roho - he misses his Kirah!

Well, it sounds like you have everything under control! LOL

I'm glad to hear she will get the spot sanded. That should blend it out nicely and prevent any further trouble!

I was a protyper/designer for doll companies up until a few years ago and did all my tooling models and finish sculpting in resins to make the master models. As long as there are no cracks and the chip is sanded you should never have any more trouble with it.

WOW! She sounds like she is going to be AMAZING! I'm blown away by the "Wig Blending" I never even imagined a technique like that! So much amazing Knowledge out there!

Promise you will post some pics!!

Yes, promise!!!!

Oh, natch! If I can keep Roho and Kirah apart long enough to get pics of faces, that is. LOL! These two have been a long time in the making!

To give you an idea, this is what Ban will be using as her inspiration:
This is my very old original concept for Kirah


Then she has a couple of other photos showing how I'd like the brows, eyes and lips to look. She is going to do the lips similar to the default Asen lips with a little highlight of gloss in the center.

Oh, and the wig? I know! Ban told me she wefted two Monique wigs together to create a unique shade for one of her dolls and she's going to do that for me. I'm thrilled because Kirah's hair color (blond with streaks of reddish blond) is impossible to find.

I'm really excited to see how she turns out!!

ME TOO! She's going to be stunning!