The tiny BJD being made by the dollb company/group is becoming closer to reality for each day. Today they put up preview pics at their flickrstream (there are also pics of dressed dolls) and launched their new website dollk.com. Well, at least the splash page. ;)

I was a bit uncertain about how I felt about the head size compared to the body at first, and did a quick mockup comparing the dollk doll to Lati Yellow and Pukifee. This shows that she has a much more slender body, which definitely makes the head appear bigger compared. The scale is otherwise pretty similar between the dolls (the Lati and PF were both in the same pic to begin with, the dollk doll has been edited in and resized to the same size).

What do you reckon? Is s/he a doll you’re going to check back for? I know I am – depending on her price. I was planning on getting a Pukifee, but if the dollk doll is, say, 25-35% cheaper, I will most probably get that one instead. The dollk has great knee joints, but it seems the hands (straight fingers, not too happy about that) and elbows (single joint) are lacking compared to the PF. Not sure if they will release extra hands, I hope they will!

Groove updated their website today. If you click the “English” banner, you are redirected to www.junplanningusa.com – which explains things about the confusing “if Jun Planning is bankrupt, why is JP still the distributor of the dolls in the US?”.

The Japanese site is awesome, packed with information. The English speaking website sadly doesn’t date longer back than 2009 as far as Pullips go – I hope they will add to it in the time to come (they have quite a bit to add to the rest of the content pages as well..!).

Nibblet stands just 2 inches tall. He has a cute little mini-button nose and wears his heart on his chest. A lovely sheep down the road named Evelynn donated the warm apricot wool for his body. His face is soft baby peach wool from Bernice the sheep who lives with Evelynn. Nibblet was made by the needle felting method which means poking and poking a lump of wool with a very sharp barbed needle until his form appears. This has made him fearless and brave despite his short stature.

He adores hedgehogs, Jacabunnies and plays well with others too. (except kitties)

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The above text is the profile of the needle felted character I just adopted from KitLane’s Etsy store – I keep being amazed by her wild imagination and the speed with which she crunches out bizarre creatures like little Nibbles. In addition to the characters she’s currently offering up at her store, she’s also open to commissions. I am hoping to add to the Ursabob family with time, I’ve seen so many fun photos of them while browsing flickr.

Other than that, the New Year’s weekend means three days off work, and I hope to use those to take pics and lots of pics (it’s way too cold outside to take the kids sledding anyway). I’ve started decorating the dollhouse for the tinies, but it’s come to a slight pause as I make my mind up whether to keep the tinies as kids or if they should become chibi versions of young adults. Somehow, I reckon the scale will work better that way, as Lundby is smaller than the BJD scale – but it will be a challenge in regards of outfits, especially shoes!, and also their facial expressions. The Brownies are getting new faces anyway, but somehow I fret changing the adorable factory faceup of my Lati White Belle..!

Comparison pics of Lati Yellow heads and the dollb head:

I don’t see any striking resemblance between any of the Lati heads and the dollb head. The dollb head is coned towards the top, while the Lati head tops are wide, the dollb eyes are rounded on top, while most of the Lati eyes in general are either almond shaped (same curve on top and bottom of eye), or flat on top and round underneath. The dollb chin seems more angled, while the Latis have “drooping” cheeks so that the chin and the bottom of the cheeks are almost in line. Finally, the face area (eyebrows to chin tip) seems longer on the dollb head than on the Lati heads. Of course, the angles of the heads in the photos are not the same, but that’s how I interpret what I see. Extra pics of the Coco head underneath, a head mentioned specifically in a comment in my LJ blog:

Groove calls her Asian goth Tina, and comments on her character stamped eye chip like this XD

The right eyes of the “cat” Brr … mysterious character

While I kind of like her outfit, I’ve found out why I can’t seem to warm up to the Byuls; it’s their stare. I’ve yet to see a Byul where you can actually get some kind of eye contact..!

Speaking of eyes, the Dutch Pullip dealer “Shimmering Magic” has posted several closeups of the February/March dolls (browse to the left in their photostream for more), which may be of interest to those of you who still haven’t made up your minds about them. The faceup of the Hellcatpunks dolls actually aren’t all that bland when you get a close look at them, at least not the Dal (soooo getting her!) and the Tae.

The April Pullip is called Shanria, and is supposed to be dressed for a celebrity show or like a celebrity (I can’t quite get a grasp of the text). I see nothing I want in her – although, if I get her for a reasonable price nude/bald from the second hand market, there is a chance she could fill the void that Isolde is leaving (because there’s no way I am paying $800 for a Pullip..!). She does resemble Isolde faceup wise, doesn’t she? (and Naomi too, I reckon..). The price of the April releases seem to be in the $116+ area.

My last piece of news for today is about the energetic new doll company/collective dollb. In a short time, they’ve managed to mark their position when it comes to making stuff for tiny BJDs – cute shoes and accessories (panties, stockings, socks) – for a reasonable price, and recently even more elaborate clothing, like pants, dresses and fullsets. In addition to their main website, they have a really clever “extra” website where you can browse their creations with just a few clicks. Yesterday, they posted pics of their own tiny BJD in the making! S/he is the same size as Lati Yellow/PukiFee, and looks really promising. When the face is this cute even without faceup, I am quite anxious to see the final result!

I am also curious to learn whether they will release the doll as a fullset with accessories, like Ixtee’s “Mui-chan”, and if so – will s/he compete with Mui-chan in regards of quirkiness? Or will s/he become more of a cutesy Lati/Volks copy? I really hope they release the doll as a basic body/head combo, and not just fullsets. I also hope s/he will be as affordable as the other products they are offering. Mui-chan sadly looks like she’ll be outside my comfort zone, price wise. Ixtee seem to be targeting the Blythe crowd, and they’re used to shelling out, I guess.

My trio is complete – Simon has finally got his sisters! River, a Lusis, arrived as a fullset kit one day ahead of Simon’s (L-bi) one year anniversary, and today Leilani, a pre-loved Sist, joined the group. She will keep the black Monique Navajo wig, but I wanted to show off the blonde Monique Gold Collection Faith wig that my still unpainted (un-sanded, un-stringed, un-everything..) River will use. Leilani’s faceup is by her previous owner, and I am keeping it for now. Both she and Simon will undergo a “renovation” this Christmas.

Groove has been posting to their blog like crazy this last week, in the preparations of the upcoming Doll Carnival this Sunday. They’ve posted several entries showing outfits which will be for sale (made by different Pullip customizers/dealers), and they’ve also finally decided to release the long since planned BJD Hawahh, a 57cm beauty – I hope they use “proper” resin this time so that they will be on topic for DoA!

I was never a huge fan of the grumpy, grimacing, yet fun looking Mui-Chan, but the upcoming December release looks really promising! Seems as Ixtee is doing the pure cuteness routine this time, keeping her characteristic look but giving her face a more relaxed expression. I love their attention to detail when it comes to accessories, but of course that doesn’t help much if you don’t like the doll itself. Check the awesome retro trikes they’re making! They’re sold on eBay, and fit Lati Yellows too, which probably also means PukiFees. You can follow the upcoming release on flickr, Facebook, and the official website. I reckon she will only be made in a limited edition this time as well (100 pieces the last time around, I believe?), so keep your eyes peeled if you are thinking of getting her! If my research is correct, the pricing is expected to be around $2-300 – version 1 included 2 sets of hands/feet, faceup, wig, carrier, outfit and a passport (!). If you have more knowledge about this type of doll, please share!

Another new doll that has caught my attention, is the Monochrome Luxes bjd series from Ondormi. The dolls are beautiful, and the designers have a great sense of humour – can’t really beat that!

I don’t know how tall these are, but they were promoted at the tinybjd.com message board, which leads me to think that they’re probably 1:6 or thereabouts. They are 44cm tall, meaning a little bit more than average MSD size (which is 40cm for girls). They look incredibly cute, and there’s a mix’n'match system when you purchase a doll. You can choose between 25 different parts, some of those being large or small bust, different hand options, low or high heeled foot, an optional face plate, and more. Check out the doll builder! They also have an amazing eye mechanism (patent pending), with a lever in the back of the head which lets you move the doll’s eyes in any direction – check out this demonstration video! The flickr stream shows sleeping dolls, I am not sure if this means that they can blink and keep their eyes closed, or if that’s the other faceplate they’re mentioning. – the eyelids can be adjusted from an open to a closed position by removing the faceplate and adjusting the eyelid piece manually. The eye mechanism may be removed if you want to use other eyes – much like Unoa, this.

From their FAQ: DOLL BUILDER dolls are themed collections, full set dolls, it includes one of each item on the menu, chosen by you. Also included are; Collection face-up, deluxe doll box, Bead Hands and replacement springs for the eye mechanism. I am really curious about their pricing level – from a comment on their Facebook wall I believe they’re not going to be the cheapest around, but I hope they’ll still be affordable.

The store opens on December 5, I have my alarm clock set! ;) In the mean time, I am watching their flickr and Facebook profiles. It’s also possible to play with the doll builder and read about the dolls on the official website.

Ltr:
“Forest rabbit” by bee @ BabyBee (Honey Drops) & Micah (Korisu Factory)
“Attic storage” by @ nai LABO X MOMOLITA
“Knights of the attic” by MOMOLITA X haco
“Glass-liang” (?) -Lira- by Honey Drops & Daisy-D

I have a feeling gtranslate doesn’t quite get the names of the three last dolls…

do you have a pullip papin to adoption?

how much is the shipping to Brazil?

I replied to her in detail:

Hello. :)

I will have to check how much shipping would be. Do you want me to check both with and without insurance/tracking?

Three minutes later, her reply:

how much? and how much is the shipping to Brazil?

Bzuh. *headdesk* I told her to read my reply once more. :P

Other than that – it’s Friday, no work tomorrow (= no need to get up early), I have money in my account, a bottle of Amarone and the whole evening to browse doll boards and ebay..! ;) (Seriously: I am primarily looking for Christmas presents for others, and a fun gift for my knit crazy mother’s birthday next weekend.)