Noob questions

[Vycem]

Hello,

So I'm about to own my first BJD. It's an Obitsu Azone 1/3 48cm and...uh...I could use some help. So if a kind soul could provide guidance:

1. Okay, so 1/4 scale goes up to 44cm and 1/3 starts at 50cm. From what I read online, Obitsu 48s are basically Obitsu 50s with shorter legs. Does that mean they are officially 1/3 figures?

2. I read somewhere that Dollfie MSD outfits more or less fit the Obitsu 48s. is this true? Somewhere else I read it had to be "MSD Slim", but I don't really see outfits out there marked like this. Any other sizes you recommend, and where to find them?

3. Protective body suit: should I get a Volks MSD one? If not, which one would fit best? This one is a biggie for me, so any help will be greatly appreciated? Her clothes are all black and I'm terrified of staining.

3. Carrying cases. Are cases for 1/3 too big? Are cases for 1/4 too small?

4. Obitsu Azone heads, are they different from Obitsu heads? Are they hard to swap? Does swapping a head ruin it?

5. Is it true you can wash their clothes? Should you? Is it dangerous? Anything to watch out for?

6. Any good tutorials for complete beginners for doing faceups?

Okay, I'll stop for now, but as I said, any help and guidance will be greatly appreciated!

[EAB]

Vycem, I wish I could answer even one of your questions, but I can't. Nevertheless, there are people on here who know everything there is to know about dolls, and I'm sure someone can help you.

[eendogenisis]

i'll try to answer a few of yer questions ^_^
(my first bjd was an obitsu)

2. I know that on etsy..people usually mark skinny msd clothing with unoa, since that mold is one of the slimmer ones.

3. I've never used an protective suit for any of my dolls...but it all depends on if yer willing to risk staining from shoes and clothes...socks are always an good idea..

3. carrier cases differ from company to company..ya just have to look at the ones ya like and check the measurements, they pretty much always have them written on the sales page..ebay usually have a selection of sellers with carrier bags.

4. I've never seen an azone head, but the obitsu heads are easy to swap, unlike strung dolls, it has the system of elaborate action dolls, so there is no tension to the head and it can be changed without fighting with s-hooks ^_^

5. yes, it can be done..but carefully. colours might fade easily or bleed over to other items when washed.

hope i've been to some help for you ^_^

[Greyhaunt]

Hello,

So I'm about to own my first BJD. It's an Obitsu Azone 1/3 48cm and...uh...I could use some help. So if a kind soul could provide guidance:

No problem - that's what we are here for

1. Okay, so 1/4 scale goes up to 44cm and 1/3 starts at 50cm. From what I read online, Obitsu 48s are basically Obitsu 50s with shorter legs. Does that mean they are officially 1/3 figures?

I classify the 48cm obitsu as being more in the MSD range than the 50cm because they are a bit smaller than what's usually considered 1/3rd scale.

2. I read somewhere that Dollfie MSD outfits more or less fit the Obitsu 48s. is this true? Somewhere else I read it had to be "MSD Slim", but I don't really see outfits out there marked like this. Any other sizes you recommend, and where to find them?

I think what is most important when trying to get clothing is take some basic measurements of your doll when you get it and see what dolls are in the same measurement range. I do have a 48cm, but honestly she's still in a box and hasn't been dressed yet so I can't be much help there. THe thing with all bjds is that they totally range in sizes so it's hard to give a general "one size fits all" answer.

3. Protective body suit: should I get a Volks MSD one? If not, which one would fit best? This one is a biggie for me, so any help will be greatly appreciated? Her clothes are all black and I'm terrified of staining.

If you want to help prevent staining then YES get a bodysuit or make one! It is, unfortunately, inevitable that your doll will stain no matter how careful you try to be, but there are ways of cleaning stains that we can help you with when/if the time comes.

3. Carrying cases. Are cases for 1/3 too big? Are cases for 1/4 too small?

Again, that will be dependent on measurements. Yes, a 1/3 will be too big, BUT that will give you room to also put extra clothing, shoes, etc... in with your doll. With 1/4 you'll need to make sure you know the interior measurements. Of course you can always pop the legs off your doll to make her fit in a smaller carrier, but that's not something everyone is comfy doing. Keep in mind that you don't have to use something made specifically for dolls. I use all sorts of different backpacks/cases/boxes to carry dolls. It's whatever works for you. Just be sure that the interior is not lined with something that can stain the dolls - or if it is, then make sure you always wrap your doll in a nice white towel.

4. Obitsu Azone heads, are they different from Obitsu heads? Are they hard to swap? Does swapping a head ruin it?

Yes, they are different because they are custom made for Azone, but only in appearance. they "work" the same way a regular obitsu head works and they are super easy to swap out. No, swapping a head wont' ruin it, I do it all the time.

5. Is it true you can wash their clothes? Should you? Is it dangerous? Anything to watch out for?

Doll clothing is just like human clothing, only smaller so YES not only can you wash it, you SHOULD wash it! Particularly if the clothing is dark I recommend hand washing it using something like Woolite and warm water to get the excess dye out of the fabric. You'll know if this is happening when the water stops discoloring as you wash and rinse. Some stuff will only require you doing one wash, on the other hand I've spent up to 20 minutes washing one piece until it stopped leaking dye. Doing this, however, is a big step towards protecting your doll from staining After you wash it just either hang it dry or lay it out to dry and then iron it. You can throw it in the dryer, but if it's a shrinkable fabric you may end up with somethign that is not quite a fit anymore so I'd recommend against that.

6. Any good tutorials for complete beginners for doing faceups?

I don't think we have many here, but there are a lot out there in the internet if you do a bit of googling there is also the huge doll community, Den of Angels, which has an area just for tutorials that really can't be beat. Mind you their stuff is really aimed at resin BJDs, but most of the basics are the same. Never use markers, or oil based paints/pastels as those will ruin your head.

Okay, I'll stop for now, but as I said, any help and guidance will be greatly appreciated!

I recommend that you go down to our Toolshed area and read some of the pinned posts under Tutorials and such. You'll get a lot of good info on supplies and such

[kiki-chan78]

Hihi! Those are actually pretty good questions. Other people to look to for advice are K2, Zirconmermaid, Cirquemom, Greyhaunt and Misheru.

1. Technically they are 1:3 scale figures. Obitsus are kinda weird that way (and yes, your body is obitsu, marketed through azone). They really do fall in between sizes.

2. SD sized clothes will be too big, and MSD clothes will be short. Cute MSD dresses are the way to go. MSD shoes will also fit. I've also found that Monique Luvable Heels in 64mm have a very tight fit, but look fabulous, come in 14 colors and my girl was stable as a little rock in them.

3. The volks MSD body suit will have the wrong dimensions. The MDD is chunkier than a 40-48-50cm obitsu body. Here's a quick and very useful body-suit tutorial. I used and slightly modified that tutorial to make a body sock for my 50cm.







3.2? Yoga bags are your friends. Seriously. Wrap the doll in a white cloth, slap on face-up protector, and shove in bag. Though, from what I understand, a carry case for a 1:4 doll will work for an obitsu. In another month or so, I'll be able to verify this for you. Though, honestly, I've never owned a carry case for my dolls. When I travel, I just pad out one of my carry-ons and tuck dolliehs in there. ^.~

4. The connectors will all be the same. Azone pays a licensing fee to use the obitsu body for their products. Heads may be different, but they all come off the same production line. If you want to swap heads out, it'll actually be easier to get a new connector per head and swap head&connector.

There will be no damage and you will not ruin it if you rip your doll's head off. If a part is damaged or stained, it can be replaced with the corresponding obitsu part. They have option hands, option busts, and even high-heel feet. Here's the link, for some reason they don't have the replacement parts for the 48cm legs up yet.

5. True, but I don't bother unless I *really* have to. I slap my more stain-happy dolls into body-suits.

6. A quick google search brings up a lot of stuff on face-ups. There's also the handbook that Iza wrote.

And just for fun, here's a shot of the obitsus in my ever-expanding herd:







<3

-Kiki-chan78.

[Greyhaunt]

LOL - I was just going to post the link to the faceup book and Kiki-chan beat me to it!

[kiki-chan78]

Awesome! Great minds think alike!! ^___^

Also, there is the option of commissioning someone to do the face-up for you. Once I've got my plate cleared off, and my studio up and running again, I'll be able to start accepting them once more. But there are several talented artists in the forum. The upside to commissioning is, you don't have to invest in the supplies, and don't have to deal with a learning curve. ^.~

<3

-Kiki-chan78.

[Vycem]

Wow! Thank you very, VERY Much everyone, these are great tips.

So many of these tips are worth their weight in gold!

The etsy tip just blew my mind. A whole new market there.

Now I really want to get that faceup book and see if I feel like I can tackle it.

I'll look into those bodysuit instructions.

Off to read the tutorial and tip stickies.

Thank you everyone!

And kiki-chan78, thank you for the pictures!

[kiki-chan78]

Not a problem. ^____^

Oh, here's some links you might like. They are to threads over in JS, but, will apply to your new girl.

Doll Basics 1 - Moving the head.
Doll Basics 2 - Measuring and positioning eyes.
Doll Basics 3 - Cleaning.

Most important thing to remember when it comes to BJDs of any size, DON'T TOUCH THE FACE. When in doubt, don't touch the face.

<3

-Kiki-chan78.

[Vycem]

Kiki-chan,

Thank you very, very much for the links! Although now I'm horrendously terrified of ruining my Obitsu. I mean, wow. Talk about pressure!