Feeple 60 - Delf? VF? F65-esque?

I may get in a heap of controversy if I air my views, but then not as jumped on and slagged as much as I would sharing them on Den of Angels.

For those who haven’t noticed yet (or aren’t big readers of Fairyland’s blog or the MNF/Delf/VF pages on DoA), Fairyland has announced its plans to release a “Feeple 60”. This has of course produced a myriad of speculation.

The speculation probably has one major cause - Luts has stopped selling the Delf line. For those who know the story, these have always been sculpted by Cerberus Project, the same sculpting company which stocks Fairyland with all those dolls we know and love. When CP moved their dolls to Fairyland around 2007-2008, the Delfs stayed with Luts. It was always speculated on but never confirmed that there was a deal in place that gave Luts rights to sell the Delfs and all SD heads of a particular aesthetic that CP produced. There is the possibility that the timeline on that deal is now up and the Delfs reverted to CP (with all that entails) and now, that CP may have given Fairyland permission to sell them.

At the same time, through Yamato Japan, CP has released an updated F70 body along with a special, limited edition only sold in Japan Black Butler doll. (it said 70cm on the sale page, but it was a source of great mutterings because it was before they released the F65). They have also released teaser shots of a doll called the Victoria Frances doll, which appears to be on a Delf 60cm body - although with double joints and magnet hands. This doll is in the hands of Yamato Japan and the original artist and will only be released when they have worked out whatever is going on.

CP also released, through Fairyland, a doll known as the Feeple65, a large, 65cm doll with a distinctly human aesthetic, one which is in stark contrast to its 70cm and 58cm dolls - the Feeple70 and the Delf, which are both very anime with rather large bobbly heads. While the F70 was never particularly popular because of its height, the smaller version, the Delf (as sold by Luts) is probably one of CP’s biggest money makers.

CP also sell a large range of dolls with the same aesthetic as the Delf and F70 - the Minifee, the Little Fee, the Pukifee, the PukiPuki and the RealPuki. All of these dolls are vastly successful; many owners have more than one of which ever particular size they like. CP created one MSD sized doll similar to the F65 - the Chic line. While reasonably popular, it is no where near as popular as its anime-esque double, the MNF. In fact Fairyland has confessed that the Chicline is not being currently sold due to it needing a price increase - the dolls are harder to string and take longer to produce than the dolls of its own size and smaller. Like the F65, the Chicline does not have the popularity of the more anime-like dolls.

Which brings us to the F60 release and the speculation that surrounds it. Several ideas have been floated on various threads on DoA. (none of these are direct quotes from any thread, just a general statement)

• “It’s the VF doll! Oooh they’re going to release the VF doll!”
• “They’ll release a new F65 type 60cm....”
• Delfs which will be upgraded with a new F65-esque body
• Just Delfs with the double-jointed body shown on the VF doll.

My own personal thoughts is the fourth - that the doll will be a Delf, renamed to fit in with Fairyland’s naming process rather than still echoing Luts’ choice, with a body which has been simply upgraded to include double joints in the elbows and knees and mag hands. (pretty much the body seen in the photos of the VF doll).

So why don’t I think its any of the other choices??

VF doll:

The VF doll will be sold by Yamato Japan. Fairyland and CP have both made this very clear. They sculpted the doll and created the outfit/entire look etc, but they have NOTHING to do with the sale of said doll. That is up to Yamato Japan.

F60 version of the F65

1. Why not a 60cm version of an F65? Well... its fairly simple: CP spent at least 10 years developing the F65 and clearly stated before it arrived how much work they had put into the doll. IF they had wanted an F60 version of this doll... it would have been THAT doll. they wouldn’t have put 10 years work into a doll which is 5 cm taller. 
2. Why would you do a 60cm version of a doll, which while epically structured and beautiful in design, is simply not selling all that well? The F65, like the Chicline, is not showing the popularity of the Delfs/MNF/LTF/PKF etc, so why would you release yet another version of it? Most hard core FL collectors don’t have a Chic-line or an F65 in their collection, even though they do have two or three of the other sizes. (I’m not saying that there are NO FL collectors with Chiclines or F65s - I have Chiclines and have plans for an F65 and I do know collectors with them). 
3. Why release another F65 which is only 5 cm shorter than the previous model? Is it going to make it any more able to sell? - not particularly, since 5 cm is not going to change the heft of the doll or the size of it. It would just make it slightly more compact and that is a lot of work to go to to produce a doll which most likely won’t make lots and lots of money.

Upgraded Delf with F65-esque body

I simply don’t understand how people cannot see the difference in the aesthetic of the F65/Chicline v the Delf/F70/MNF. They are nothing alike. The F65/Chicline is more realistic in its proportions (particularly its head size), but they are broader, more muscular and with more interesting jointing (the girls in particular!). The Delf/F70/MNF are more cartoony - their heads are bigger, their bodies slimmer and they’re slightly more unrealistic. 

It would be like seeing a MNF head on a Chicline body where the photographer hasn’t made allowances for the massive size differences... or a Delf head on the F65 body which looks like a too small head perched on a muscular bound body (steroids anyone?).

Some collectors have managed to do these head swops successfully, but you have to be really careful in head choice and the manner in which you photograph them, otherwise they just end up looking silly. 

So why would CP cross the aesthetic lines like that? They just give us an option to do it - they don’t do it themselves... (in the case of the multihead/Puki/Pukifee situation - they are all the same aesthetic, just different sizes)

Delf - renamed and updated:

1. The renaming is easy - you can’t bring in the Delf - the name stinks of Luts’ branding and doesn’t fit with the other dolls which Fairyland sells, all of which have “fee” somewhere in their names - FeePle 70; FeePle 65; MiniFee; LittleFee; PukiFee (except RealPuki and PukiPuki, but they link in with the “Puki-fee” so I think that works and the Chicline - which I think was done to make them more unique in the lineup). So for the Delf to make its comeback under CP’s control and sold by FL, then a name change would be needed.
2. The VF doll showed that while the Delf had seemed to pause in body updating while they were with Luts after the split, CP had still been updating the body. The body which is shown in the VF doll looks unmistakably like a Delf 58cm large bust body - but with some striking differences: double jointed elbows and knees (how many have complained that Delf girls had single joints??) and mag-hands. Some have speculated that CP also changed the torso joint, but I have never been of the opinion that it occurred - mainly because why would you recast an entire torso/body combination when its already working so well? Double joints and magnets are simple enough changes to make without spending stacks of money.
3. CP has shown that it loves to makes it customers happy (FL does not always agree with them it seems). What would make long time customers more happy then finally being able to take their first doll back from Luts and sell it to the customers? Having all those sculpts back for them to have their own company sell them? Being able to finally have the money from this super popular line back into direct benefit to them?
4. Why would they not resell these? Think of how much money the Delf line has made over the years since it was first released! Why would they pass up that popularity for a new doll??

You don’t have to agree with anything I say. I’m just glad I’ve put my thoughts out there - I don’t mind if I’m wrong, but I’m hoping I’m not. 

Feeple 60!!!!

Oh my GOODNESS! YES! finally... well, hopefully...

If it's a Delf re-release by Fairyland, I will be ecstatic! If its another version of the F65/Chicline I will want to bash them over the head about their lack of business knowledge. F65s and Chiclines do not sell as well as Delfs have for years. And everyone wants Delfs back... with an updated body which they showed off with the Victoria Frances... and does this mean that the updated F70 body will be out soon too??

Arum - a reshelling project, cont.

Previous post on the reshelling project here: Arum - a Reshelling Project

So where I left this story was that I had chosen a DZ Clovera to take my reshelled character from my Goodreau OzDottie. Well, I bought my Clovera and sold on my Goodreau OzDottie, but the story doesn't end there.

I bought my DZ Clovera, I gave her the face up I deemed appropriate rather than the default. I dressed her in the black outfit from Alice Collection's when she arrived...

I took photos of her, I admired her and in the end, I didn't keep her. She was very beautiful, but at the same time as I received her, I was looking for a Delf body for my Elf Lishe. There was a body on offer in Australia and one of the things that the girl was willing to trade for was a DZ Clovera. I think originally my reasoning was along the lines that I could always get another DZ Clovera for Arum and that chances to get nice WS Delf bodies within Australia didn't come along all that often.

I don't think the Clovera lasted more than a couple of weeks before she was packed up and disappeared again. I never really got around to purchasing another Clovera to become Arum, in fact Arum was placed to one side and at some points I wondered if I would ever replace her.

Then I had another idea. One of my friends bought a DZ Helen in white skin and gave her a fantasy tattoo down one side of her body - this was at the same time as I received my Clovera. Her Helen looked fantastic with the white curling tattoo and I immediately thought of purchasing a DZ Stamonium  in Tan and tattooing the other side of her body with thick black geometric shapes as a kind of reverse twin for my friend's Helen. 

Odina, LK's Helen

The Stamonium has been purchased by my supplier and is sitting around waiting for me to buy her. She seems to have taken over the name of Arum, and I'm not sure if this means that my idea for a black tattooed girl is gone (in a side comment someone else stole my idea, although I'm not sure on their execution of it) and whether or not the character of Arum - the goth lolita, has taken over.

I would still like to try my tattooed girl and hand her over to AngelToast to see how she would do it... (I would like to see what she does with something she has for me now, but I have high hopes). But if I did get her done - she would have thick black geometric tattoos down the left side of her face and body, all the way to the tips of her fingers and the ends of her toes. She would have a similar wig to the one the Stamonium wears in her production shots and I'd hopefully be able to get my hands on some similar black pleather outfits as the Helen wears in her production shots.

DZ Stamonium

Outfit of choice

wig of choice

That's the plan anyway... So Arum is still my girl-to-be-reshelled and until I have the Tan Stamonium, I'm not honestly sure how it will go... this story could still have more twists and turns!!

To be continued??

The Box

I have to admit one of my favourite parts of this hobby has to be the time you get the box arrive and you get to unwrap another small or large resin occupant for your household. There's no feeling like finding out there's a parcel waiting for you either at home or at the post office (the post office more often than not) and that you get to unwrap it and revel in its contents.

I got to have that experience when a small box arrived at my house last Wednesday. I had an errand I had to complete before I got to open and I forgot a whole heap of "supplies" when went through past my place to pick it up, but I did unwrap it and I did have the shiver of excitement when I did.

The box contained one small Minion - Ankou and one body for another Minion, Veja and a faceplate for Emma. So I now have three Minions (although Mati is protesting her superiority) and I love how different they look now they're out and about.

Ankou is a WS Aki, the only one of my RealPukis with an actual RealPuki faceplate. He has a gorgeously cheeky face and a tiny pair of fangs - I'm already planning a photo shoot with him, Nemain and Pax. I also need to get some photos of him with his Masters - the twins Vesna and Rasmus.

I'm only not particularly sure about his face up around the lips - it looks a little like it was put on with a crayon in some places...

Ankou!

Emma's Roro faceplate

Minion x3. How do you tell a boss Minion? They're the only ones wearing shoes!!

I did also get a different box earlier in the week, which contained a new wig for Arawn. I haven't been happy with any of his wigs so far and it has been a source of annoyance for me that I haven't picked right twice in a row. The first I bought before Arawn arrived, so there is some concession, however the second wig, while a good colour - was the wrong style and it made it so hard to photograph Arawn. 

He is now wearing a bigger version of Hades' wig except in Natural Black and Goldenrod and it looks so much better on him. I think I've finally found the right wig!

decisions, decisions

I know I haven't posted in a while and that is a little because the next Blog Challenge post is a silly pose and sometimes it takes me a while to think of one... and then even longer to execute it since I am house sitting at the moment and I only have a few dolls with me at a time  rather than all of them available for photos.

My dolly collecting is pausing, which is probably a really good thing as it allows me some time to think about what to do next (except for my Lishe collecting as some people may have realised...) But it brings me to an even better state of affairs - at the end of my current layaway I will have no floating heads! (this of course does not include any heads currently for sale). I do still have the Juri, she's up for sale - I've had a few bites the most recent one backed out because of the price of shipping, somehow from her wording she seems to think I inflated the postage price on purpose!! (just in case anyone thinks that I did, Australia Post is the only option around here and EMS starts at about $50... and Pack and Track, which is the cheaper option only goes to the US and UK.)

The exciting news is Ankou is on shipping! He is coming with a body for Veja and a faceplate for Emma, which is all very exciting. It will mean I have three vampires and I look forward to photographing him with his master and mistress...

Other than that I have a couple of payments left for the bodies of Pax and Nox and they will also be complete and I can take photos of ALL of my MNF... I am kind of hoping that they won't be hear for the 200 ADAD photo, although its going to get harder regardless.

Then all I have to decide is if I'm going to purchase any Pukifee or Minifee before the end of the year!

Rasmus and Vesna

I couldn't say better things about Andrea, or AngelToast, the customiser. I sent her Rasmus and Vesna to get their face ups done. I have to fill in a form when I do and I gave her the following information:

• Vesna is arrogant and proud, she enjoys looking down her nose at people with a haughty expression. She is a princess and she knows it. I asked for her to have red lips and blue eyeshadow and a tattoo at one side of her face - black and both angular and girly, lol.
• As for Rasmus - I asked her to open his eyes so they looked more like Magnus' as well as his face up, which I wanted his lips to be light (he has huge lips!) and a face up similar to Vesna's with a tattoo which is more angular and more male.

Admittedly even with the photos that I attached, I did wonder what they would look like. They look PERFECT. And so I wanted to share them with everyone - I can't wait to get them home... 

Vesna looks so arrogant and vain and Rasmus looks a lot more mild-mannered... I can't wait to see him in his glasses!

Blog Challenge 26: Do you have a favourite?

What a question! And I don't think it matters if readers don't tell, I think it would be discovered anyway.

I'd like to think I don't have favourites - but I know I do, and I'm sure that sometimes it can be a little obvious. But then I don't like to discuss the idea of favourites - it might get me into a lot of trouble. I suppose I could talk about favourites in terms of a favourite size, or a favourite sculpt or possibly a favourite within each size, so I might try to do that... I might not get in as much trouble if I spread the favouritism around...

My favourite size would have to be Pukifee - I love how cute and bobbly-headed they are. They are also a favourite in terms of numbers - I currently have six Pukifee with another four on my wish list. I also have a gap in my wish list if CP ever produces a Pukifee Lishe, at which point I would probably need two.. lol.

As for favourites within sizes... Well here goes:

• My favourite SSD would have to be Morrigan, possibly because she has been with me the longest. Arawn would come a close second. (nothing against Pallus, he's just harder to move around).
• My favourite SD would have to be Magnus I think - he is a pain to move around and ironically enough he's not a Lishe, but he was for a long time my only male SD and that gives him a special place in my heart.
• My favourite MSD would probably be Vulcan - just because he's so much fun. There are a few runners up - Bellona Lua and Magna Dea, as well as my Chiclines... that's almost all of my MSDs, I know.
• My favourite LTF is definitely a lot harder, I like Hades, and Ianthe - with soft spots for Violet and Emmeline.
• Pukifee size, well, I think my favourite would have to be Isis, but then as my favourite size in general they all get a special place in my heart simply because of their personalities and fun.
• Tinier than Pukifee - Well, I don't think I can go past Mati. The attitude does it to me again, I think.

As for favourite sculpt, I think that's obvious(!) - I currently have 9 Lishes in a variety of sizes: 5 Delf sized heads, 2 MNF, 1 Chicline and a LTF.  I only have two more girls to collect - a Delf Tan and a basic OE Elf 05... more information on them in my other blog: Lished. My second favourite sculpt would have to be the BA - I have all of the Fairyland releases except for the Dreaming F70 head, which I don't think I'll ever be lucky enough to have. I currently have 5 BAs - an F70; a scarred MNF (with sleeping head); and three LTF.

So those are my favourites... I don't think I dug too big of a hole for myself in answering that question, did I? And if you're trying to figure out who my all time favourite of my collection is, I think it might be easy to realise if you're a follower of my flickr. Someone does turn up in pictures a lot more than anyone else...

Update:

1) Why do you like BJDs?
2) Do you own any? If so how many and if not, do you have any plans to at the moment?
3) Post a picture of all your dolls!
4) What/who was the first BJD you ever owned? Do you still own them? (Who is your planned first?)
5) What/who was the very first BJD you saw?
6) Biggest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)
7) Smallest size you own? (Have held/seen/like)
8) What is your favourite size?
9) What is your least favourite size?
10) Post a picture of a doll and an animal!
11) What do your friends think of your dolls/dolls in general?
12) Dollie shoes! Show us how many you have!
13) Have you ever had a floating head? What about a headless body? (What do you think you would do if you had either?)
14) What do your family think of your dolls?
15) Can any of your crew stand on their heads? (Show us~)
16) What is your favourite item of dollie clothing?
17) Do you have a favourite company?
18) A least favourite company?
19) What is your dream doll?
20) One doll you love, but will never (probably) buy?
21) What’s your favourite doll scale prop?
22) Is there a part of the BJD hobby that you dislike?
23) What about your favourite part of the hobby?
24) Have you ever modded a doll? (Do you think that you would?)
25) Done your own faceups? (Again, do you think you’d do that?)
26) Do you have a favourite out of your own dolls? (Don’t worry, we won’t tell the others ;D)
27) Post a crazy/silly pose!
28) Post a picture of your dolls exploring the outside world!
29) Have you ever been to a doll meetup? Did you enjoy it/do you plan to go to one in the future? 

30) a Surprise!