!!!!A WORD OF WARNING!!!!

[Shaorin]

my latest addition, Miss Hikaru Shidou♥

from the 1994 CLAMP Anime/Manga/Video Game "Magic Knight Rayearth"

she is from SEGA's "Chara Doll Selection" doll series from 1997 or so,

which seems to be a reissue series of SEGA's 1994/95 RAYEARTH doll series,

as well as their 1996 Sakura Wars series.

well, SEGA's QC left a LOT to be desired, so i went ahead and repainted her sword,

as well as the ruby crystals on her chest armor and little white boots.

speaking of those cute little boots, i had to make those from scratch, as the originals

were made out of some HORRIBLY INFERIOR vinyl pleather that was actually rotting away

straight out of the box!!!!

let this be a word of warning to anyone here whom might ever have a fancy for SEGA's MKR dolls!!

oh and a final thing; i replaced her HORRENDOUS SEGA body with a spare OBITSU body i had. FAR SUPERIOR!!

here are some shots of the original production dolls:

[mikeszekely]

Don't collect anime Barbies. Got it.

[Keith]

Don't collect anime Barbies. Got it.

lol

[Wanzerfan]

I hate to say it, but the knee joint of the top pic looks almost androidic.

[taksraven]

I hate to say it, but the knee joint of the top pic looks almost androidic.

DESTROY ALL HUMANS!!!!!

Taksraven

[VFTF1]

Well - with all due respect to matters of taste, I very much prefer Figma and Revoltech Fraulein.

Also - have you checked out Yamato's VFM dolls? Although...I think there's only one for now - Queen's Blade Ari... but perhaps in future there will be more.

I just find these dolls to be a tad on the generic side - I much prefer the sculpts on recent figmas and revoltechs which have a lot more dynamism in them.

But to each his own of course:)

Pete

[Wanzerfan]

DESTROY ALL HUMANS!!!!!

Taksraven

Just make sure that your Big Willy remains leashed.

[Beltane70]

I'm not afraid to say it. I have an Umi and Fuu doll! Whle she's not a Rayearth doll, I also own a Miki Koishikawa doll from Marmalade Boy.

My Umi doll, however, is wearing Miki's school outfit. I wound up buying a naked Umi doll from a friend of mine that bought her in order to get her Magic Knight uniform. This was at Project A-Kon way back in '98. The funny part of this story is the fact that I wound up having Umi wear a styrofoam cup so I wouldn't be carrying around a naked Umi during the convention. I got a few laughs out it, too.

[Wes]

Yeah I thought the "word of warning" would be "be sure you're in a committed relationship with a very understanding partner before collecting, or you never will be" or something like that.

Besides the thing you get from Sega is the games not the toys.

[anime52k8]

I find jointed dolls unbelievably creepy. My be it's the nutral expression with those fixed, unblinking eyes, starring endlessly forward with an almost demonic leer. As if waiting endlessly to steal the immortal soul of any man unfortunate enough to meat it's gaze for even a passing moment.

A fate worse than death beyond the gates of doom awaits the foolish mortals who look into the eyes of Mara!!!

[VFTF1]

I find jointed dolls unbelievably creepy. My be it's the nutral expression with those fixed, unblinking eyes, starring endlessly forward with an almost demonic leer. As if waiting endlessly to steal the immortal soul of any man unfortunate enough to meat it's gaze for even a passing moment.

As usual I agree with you, so long as "jointed doll" is distinct from "jointed figure" such as Figma or Revoltech.

And it's not the joins that are the problem with the jointed dolls; it's the un-dynamic joints. They are rigid and do not have the curves and range of motion that would humanize and feminize them in a pleasing way that corresponds with line art. The facial expressions are also of course, a problem, given how - as you say the expressions seem neutral and fixed.

But I think part of the appeal, judging from Shaorin's pics, is the accessories and doll-houses. And that I understand.

I think it's a pity that there aren't more accessories and dioramas available for the Revoltech and figma figures. They figures as so cool that they deserve to have houses to live in, beds to sleep in, class rooms to run wild in etc etc etc.

Meanwhile, it appears that the jointed dolls are at least easier to shop for if you want to buy them stuff

Pete

[Shaorin]

Meanwhile, it appears that the jointed dolls are at least easier to shop for if you want to buy them stuff

and to make them stuff. i dunno, Anime dolls have a special appeal to me.

maybe i'm just a pervert or something, but the fact that an Anime doll has

real cloth clothing, and an actual human body underneath,

is why i like them so. they feel more "Real" to me,

in the same way that my 1/60 PG ZETA GUNDAM feels more "Real"

to me than my old 1990 1/144 HG.

an Anime Girl figure/statue, well executed, is a thing of beauty.

still, the creative freedom inherent in an Anime Doll always wins out in my world.

imagine having a doll of your favorite Anime Girl, and being able to make and

dress her up in exactly what you'd like her to wear,

right down to her lingerie!!

i dunno, maybe i have a little femininity inside me?

perhaps i'm just totally gay?

could be that i'm just a creepy perv?

...all i know is that it is all very beautiful to me, and makes me very happy indeed.

OH, BTW;

Yeah I thought the "word of warning" would be "be sure you're in a committed relationship with a very understanding partner before collecting, or you never will be" or something like that.

Besides the thing you get from Sega is the games not the toys.

i meant "word of warning" as to refer to the fact

that SEGA

(yes, they made toys, as well as VGs, ever since at least their 1987 MASTER SYSTEM/ZILLION days, in fact...)

used inferior material to make these doll's

boots, and that anyone looking for one of these SEGA MKR dolls will most likely

have to expect their doll's factory boots to be deteriorating,

which, of course, necessitates a total shoe replacement...

Edited November 26, 2009 by Shaorin

[VFTF1]

Well, the anime figure technology is advancing too - and the thin about clothing is that I prefer sculpted clothing because it's nearer to what we see in the anime.

But in terms of the bodies - you do realize that the revoltech Queens Blade figures had soft asses? At least one of them did...

What I'm most interested in though is Yamato's VFM line - which for now apparently only consists of one Queen's Blade figure - but there's great potential there I think...

Pete

[JB0]

could be that i'm just a creepy perv?

Yeah, probably.

i meant "word of warning" as to refer to the fact

that SEGA

(yes, they made toys, as well as VGs, ever since at least their 1987 MASTER SYSTEM/ZILLION days, in fact...)

Even before Zillion, I'm pretty sure.

Of course, Zillion was only SORT OF a toy VS electronic game, given it was a Lazer Tag bootleg. It was suspiciously close to a standard electronic game, so it may've been their first real attempt at branching out.

Honestly, the first time I realized they made something besides games was when I flipped over some old Pocket Power toys(anyone remember those?) and saw a Sega logo.

[VFTF1]

Aww...shucks. There I was hoping that the newest post in this thread would be about cloth vs. molded clothing instead of sega

Don't worry Shaorin - even though I don't collect anime barbie dolls, I DO love anime poseable figure dolls - and I think it's ok to call the figmas and Fraulein Revoltech dolls.

In fact, I can proudly say the following:

When I turned 30, I stopped smoking, started lifting weights, sold my Transformers and replaced them with dolls!

Anyways - do you ONLY collect these kinds of dolls, or do you maybe have Fraulein Revoltech as well? Or VMF from Yamato?

Personally, the only kind of dolls I don't really like are the statues - I have one and a second on the way; both of Yoko. And I also have the Gutto Kuro Minmey - but those are two iconic girls for me, and anyways Minmey doesn't have any poseable figures made...

In general, I really like poseable sculpted figures because it seems to me that you can get more anime-accurate goodness out of them with the swapable faces and hands and all the accessories. Plus the molded clothes are more accurate because "real cloth" clothing - to me - seems very cheap.

Maybe if they actually worked harder on the clothing then I could get into it. But seriously - it looks like the clothing is not high quality. It's like Walmart when it should be designer label

I know that's pretty retarded - but if I was going to have a doll with real cloth clothing, then I'd want it well tailored and not done badly. The tailoring looks bad. Whereas molded clothing sculpts are at least vibrant and anime accurate - and the skirts are kind of rubbery (like on my Suzumiya Fraulein) and actually are REMOVABLE on a number of girls. Panties are also there.

The one downside on Fraulein is that the butts are not well done - not like VFM anyways. I find that I must photoshop my Figma and Revoltechs - I can't stand to present photos of the girls with joint-cracks - particularly where their behinds are concerned. But photoshoping them is really easy and the figures lend themselves to smooth photoshop work and are very lovely.

Finally - the faces and hair on molded figures seem - to me- more anime accurate and cute.

Pete

[Shaorin]

i collect Anime dolls and also static figures;

[Shaorin]

i also make clothes for my Shaorin doll (from Mamotte Shugogetten)

some Anime-based, some not...

[Golden Arms]

The one downside on Fraulein is that the butts are not well done - not like VFM anyways. I find that I must photoshop my Figma and Revoltechs - I can't stand to present photos of the girls with joint-cracks - particularly where their behinds are concerned. But photoshoping them is really easy and the figures lend themselves to smooth photoshop work and are very lovely.

Finally - the faces and hair on molded figures seem - to me- more anime accurate and cute.

Pete

Thats part of the reason why I stopped collecting the Revoltech figures. The joints completely ruin the figures appearance to me. The Figmas have them beat hands down. I wish Figma would make a few other characters from Ikki Tousen, Queens Blade, and some of the characters designed by Shunja Yamashita.

I have Yamato's VMF figures of Motoko Kusanagi, and Shimei Ryomo. The have their flaws, but they are good figures. I wanted to get the Kanu Uncho figure, but she was only sold on the website.

If you go to figmas website, you can download paper backgrounds for the characters and print them out. Some of tthese backgrounds are meant to be placed over the figma stages. They also have been selling alot of cool acessories such as bikes, skateboards, purses etc.

I see why some people collect the dolls though. The attention to detail is astounding. Check out some of the ones on Danny Choos site. Some are kinda creeepy, but the clothing, possibility, and sculpting is very creative.

[VFTF1]

Well to be fair, Kaiyodo were the ones who first set the bar very high in terms of poseability - and they have been getting progressively better - I mean, just compare their Revy or "2G" Saber Alter to the later Faulein offerings. And then compare Rei Ayanami or Asuka Langley to Yoko. Asuka especially deserves (and is getting) a remake/upgrade. Her hair is stiff and completely ruins her poseability - I hope the new one has poseable hair. The Haruhi Suzumiya figures are wonderful - although their legs look better in beig/pale skin color and not so good in the dark brownish tan that the Bunny Suzumiya has on account of her bunny girl panty hose. That color really makes the joint work look robotic.

But we are being slightly picky because we've been spoiled silly by technological advances. It's like people who complain about Yamato, totally forgetting that once upon a time, they though the 1:72 YF-19 was a work of art. Nowadays it looks like a piece of crap. IN FACT, nowadays, technology is advancing at such a pace in terms of the craftsmanship that there are lots of people who suddenly think the 1:60 YF-19, which was hailed as a work of art when it came out, and was the first Yamato valkyrie I ever bought - is lacking and also a piece of crap and needs a v 2.0. Hah. I mean, I can see why they'd say that - but it's so easy to forget how much lower the bar was set and therefore what our expectations were before the 1:60 YF-19 came out. Seriously. That thing revolutionized my thinking - I don't know about other folks - but for me that thing was a kick in the face that said "hey stupid! LOOK!" And it was 200 bucks back then - and back then 200 bucks was actually a lot of money (nowadays it's practically worthless).

Err - anyways - my point is that it's kind of the same with Fraulein and the like. Besides - unless you're a big Idol Master fan, you were probably tuned out of Kaiyodo's exploits for a long time - at least I was. I'd check out Fraulein and all I'd see are Strawberry Shortcakes rejects. Then they started with Queens Blade and the thing is - yeah, I like boobs and ass and all that, but I'm not really into the whole middle ages armor/made/fantasy fetish thing. I don't like the aesthetics of the middle ages or - well, not even the middle ages really but just the whole fantasy thing. I much prefer grungey punk sci-fi - which is why Yoko is my dream girl in many respects. When they finally got around to Haruhi Suzumiya I was thrilled - but Figma just happens to have them beat in the department of variety - since they have done ALL of the main cast from the anime, rather than just the main cast from Adventures of Asahina Mikuru.

In terms of how they compare - hard to say because there's no parity. My figma Haruhis are different sculpts to my Fraulein Haruhis. I guess once I have Figma Yuki I can compare her to Fraulein Yuki since both have their uniforms - and I'll see. Figma technically have better stands - but they come at the cost of holes in the backs of the figures.

I really want to finally get a Yamato VFM.

The thing with the dolls is that I just think that they have the most ghastly joints possible. Revoltech Fraulein and Figma joints are not as bad as the regular doll joints. I mean - remember Yamato's ...what was it 1 like...1:5? Minmey? The HUGE Minmey? I was really excited until I saw the actual doll - and it just totally turned me off. The price was ok - but the doll - no. I prefer them to be poseable action figures.

The problem with the dolls is that they are usually sculpted on generic bodies. Now - if the bodies are like Real Action Heros - then we have winners, because there they have body TYPES - like skinny body time etc - but the dolls I'm seeing in pictures are just generic bodies without the accurate proportions of their anime counter parts.

I'm going to get my hands on the Neon Genesis Evangelion RAHs and will happily report on them. But these SEGA dolls... just not seeing it - except in the realm of playing with accessories - that is a plus.

Pete

[treatment]

[anime52k8]

thank you for this insightful and informative contribution to this thread good sir.

[Ghost Train]

lol is that a wheelchair in the background to transport her around ?

[VFTF1]

Somebody needs to go watch Cherry 2000 with Meryl Streep! Not only is it great bad 80s sci-fi - but it's all about how great the future is going to be for guys and dolls

EDIT: WHAT?!?!? WHO CHANGED THIS TO "MERYL STREEP" !?!? I COULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THAT!!

In a world where PC has gone to the level that just to avoid being sued for sexual harrasment, guys go to discos with their lawyers and their lawyers present women with offers to sign a contract stipulating exactly what they will agree to do that night, the only alternative for men are mass produced love dolls!

That or real women living in post-apocalyptic desserts in trailers - like Meryl Streep!

EDIT: WHAT?! NO WAY!! I WROTE IT TWICE?!?! I KNOW IT'S MELANIE GRIFFITH!!! I WASN'T STONED THEREFORE HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THIS SAYS MERYL STREEP!?

In any case - the picture makes fun of guys who like dolls. Meh. Big deal. I have a doll collection and I like it. My (ex?) girlfriend has to compete with my dolls for my affection.

The last time I saw her, I took her to dinner, and she saw my Haruhi Suzumiya pin (I wear a pin of Haruhi on my jacket lapel - it features Haruhi in swimsuit, facial close up, sucking on a lolipop. I also have a pin featuring Gurren Lagann's Nia in swimsuit). She told me I had to "take off those licentious women!"

Then, we went window shopping for high heels and lingerie for her

So - it helps keep girls on their toes knowing that there are small plastic alternatives to them!

Yay dolls and yay doll collectors!

Pete

Edited December 8, 2009 by VFTF1

[blacklotus]

Somebody needs to go watch Cherry 2000 with Meryl Streep! Not only is it great bad 80s sci-fi - but it's all about how great the future is going to be for guys and dolls

In a world where PC has gone to the level that just to avoid being sued for sexual harrasment, guys go to discos with their lawyers and their lawyers present women with offers to sign a contract stipulating exactly what they will agree to do that night, the only alternative for men are mass produced love dolls!

That or real women living in post-apocalyptic desserts in trailers - like Meryl Streep!

In any case - the picture makes fun of guys who like dolls. Meh. Big deal. I have a doll collection and I like it. My (ex?) girlfriend has to compete with my dolls for my affection.

The last time I saw her, I took her to dinner, and she saw my Haruhi Suzumiya pin (I wear a pin of Haruhi on my jacket lapel - it features Haruhi in swimsuit, facial close up, sucking on a lolipop. I also have a pin featuring Gurren Lagann's Nia in swimsuit). She told me I had to "take off those licentious women!"

Then, we went window shopping for high heels and lingerie for her

So - it helps keep girls on their toes knowing that there are small plastic alternatives to them!

Yay dolls and yay doll collectors!

Pete

Hey! Cherry 2000 is one of my favourite movies, and also what I hope the future will be like.

Also, Meryl Streep isn't in it. (Thank God). The 2 hot actresses in the movie are Pam Gidley (Cherry 2000) and Melanie Griffith.

p.s. I collect dollies too. Too many of them in fact. I think it's an addiction now...

Edited December 8, 2009 by blacklotus

[VFTF1]

Yeah but Pam Gidley gets defeated by vast amounts of dish washing detergint early in the movie - so she doesn't really count!

Pete

[blacklotus]

Yeah but Pam Gidley gets defeated by vast amounts of dish washing detergint early in the movie - so she doesn't really count!

Pete

"Thank you for purchasing our Acme Cherry 2000 android model. We hope she will give you years of pleasure"

Warning!!!

DO NOT, we repeat, DO NOT attempt hot sex in a wet environment. Examples: kitchen, bathroom, swimming pool, etc)

Edited December 8, 2009 by blacklotus

[VFTF1]

Exactly - and I just noticed that I did indeed write "Meryl Streep" when all the time I was thinking "Melanie Griffith." I swear I was not drunk, on drugs or in any other way mentally hampered. I have absolutely no clue why I did that - TWICE. TWICE. Honest to gosh. Not joking here. Aliens did it.

Pete

[blacklotus]

Exactly - and I just noticed that I did indeed write "Meryl Streep" when all the time I was thinking "Melanie Griffith." I swear I was not drunk, on drugs or in any other way mentally hampered. I have absolutely no clue why I did that - TWICE. TWICE. Honest to gosh. Not joking here. Aliens did it.

Pete

Fraudian Slip perhaps?

Ok, I got to admit it to myself, although Melanie Griffith and Pam Gidley are sexy kittens, sometimes what a man really wants is a cougar.

And yes, Meryl Streep in "An Officer and his Woman" is plenty hot with that Eastern European accent of hers. I admit that I especially like women with those accents.

[VFTF1]

Fraudian Slip perhaps?

No - but that sure as hell had to be the Freudian slip of the century up there

I think my slip up was caused by a malfunction in my brain - like when you change the language key on your computer, hit a button and something other than what you thought comes out...

And yes, Meryl Streep in "An Officer and his Woman" is plenty hot with that Eastern European accent of hers. I admit that I especially like women with those accents

I don't But maybe that's because I live in Eastern Europe and have had my fill of cute girls trying to speak english to me and inevitably having that "Eastern European accent."

I dunno... I don't get a kick out of it. They sound so much better in their original language.

Plus - if you don't understand their original language, there's always the side benefit of never having to really listen to what they're saying

Pete

[blacklotus]

No - but that sure as hell had to be the Freudian slip of the century up there

I think my slip up was caused by a malfunction in my brain - like when you change the language key on your computer, hit a button and something other than what you thought comes out...

I don't But maybe that's because I live in Eastern Europe and have had my fill of cute girls trying to speak english to me and inevitably having that "Eastern European accent."

I dunno... I don't get a kick out of it. They sound so much better in their original language.

Plus - if you don't understand their original language, there's always the side benefit of never having to really listen to what they're saying

Pete

Thanks for the correction. I knew I spelt Freudian wrongly in my post. Just to lazy to google and correct it.

Don't worry. I had the same reaction when my Caucasian male friends go gaga over my Asian female friends. Since I grew up Asian, I really don't know see the attraction of thin, bamboo shaped ladies.

[Shaorin]

as i have stated somewhere here on MW in the past, i've never seen the Suzumiya Anime past Ep.1.

while i'm heavily considering getting the complete collections, i'm honestly not

so sure that the series' alleged "Zaniness" would appeal all that much to me.

still, i'm finding myself ever more compelled to give the series a shot, all on the strength

of one darling sweet little lady;

yes, i ♥Love♥ Miss Mikuru Asahina!! i haven't really seen her series at all, but nevertheless,

the moment i had first seen her, back around the series' debut, 2005/2006ish, probably in an issue of NEWTYPE USA (R.I.P.)

it was an undeniable Love♥ at first sight.

several years on, i finally get an internet connection (*Embarrassing*) and go looking for the Mikuru Figma,

and happen instead across the MegaHouse Mikuru doll that i now have.

oh, my GOD!! i HAD to have her♥ she was everything i had truly wanted, but had ended up settling on the Figma for,

not realizing that a doll of her had even existed! when i got her, i was taken to heaven above. still i had one little problem;

her GINORMOUS melons!!

i must be the only man on earth that actually DISLIKES "Z" cups on a woman, god save my soul...

i found, however, that Mikuru's body was made by OBITSU corp. and that they made stock doll bodies for hobbyists.

i was elated to find and order a body with smaller, "M" size breasts in Mikuru's skin tone.

the results are shown above.

as a long time doll hobbyist, i found that Mikuru's lingerie wasn't quite as "finished" as i thought it should be,

so i added lace trim to the bra and panties, as well as made her a pair of frilly socks and a coordinated garter.

all of which can also be seen in the above photos.

i ♥Love♥ my precious little princess, and i'm planning to make several outfits for her, starting with a japanese

elementary schoolgirl uniform (white red and dark royal blue) a wedding dress, and possibly also a copy of

Lynn Minmay's concert costume seen at the climax of MACROSS; D.Y.R.L.

at any rate, i'll be rather busy...