Well, I decided to try a couple of those Eva BJD ABS plastic BJDs. The last one arrived today. And they are freaking adorbs. Very sturdy as far as I can tell. Costume quality is mixed. There are a couple different faces. The heads do not open on most, so you can't change the eyes on a lot of them.
Got this one. The ears are glued on, and are very, very nice! Much better than the glue-on Obitsu elf ears. The costume quality is meh, the wig is lovely, the faceup is better than shown.
Got this one.
The ears are cast on the doll, the articulation is really good, the faceup is much better than shown.
Got a variation on this doll, same head. OMG it is cute in person, the articulation isn't quite as good as the others but the face makes up for it. Faceup is much, much, much better than shown, there was even some fantasy flower action going on.
I really like these things, and I think they are a great entry level for someone not sure if they want to commit to the 60 cm size. Plus they seem to be sturdy enough for kids to play with. I'd search carefully for ones with headcaps though, because changing eyes is going to be a challenge--or else you'll have to cut your own headcap. That can be done, but probably not unless you're really experienced.