Dollfie Dream from Scratch - Part 2 - Needs

Reprinted by permission of the original creator Alexander Shen of http://www.alexandershen.com/ and creator of Gashapon Shop

What do I need?

I'll use the list of items I used for my Dollfie Dream. Feel free to substitute any of these parts with the ones of your own choosing. Maybe you like the Aoi head better or the long, shaggy purple hair? I went with something that looked somewhat like Rally Vincent's hair, though the skin shade is a too light to match.

Volks Store

1x DDH-03 Option Head - Eye Hole Open

1x Animetic Eyes / H Type / Apricot - 22mm

1x W-131D-M33/12 Short Bob (Long in Front) - Rich Brown

Target / Convenient Store

1x Tac 'n Stick / BluTac

What is this for? I didn't realize this until after I had received the pieces that there is no actual way to put in the eyeballs into the head without some kind of adhesive! I had no idea that Volks had something called eye putty that was made specifically for this reason. I stuck with the Tac 'n Stick because it cost me $2 instead of $11. I have also heard that you can use hot glue, but that keeps the eyes in a permanent position.

Hobby / Art Store

1x Chaos Black Paint (Games Workshop)

1x Flat Brown Paint (Tamiya Color)

1x Pink Paint (Tamiya Color)

1x Detailing Paintbrush

I'm very partial to Games Workshop paint because of how uniform it is when it dries. I also like how there's a paint well built into the cap that collects paint after you shake it. Tamiya Color paints are also good, but they have a less opaque nature than the Games Workshop paint and require multiple layers to get a solid look. However, because this was meant for eyebrows and lips, the somewhat translucent "one layer" was exactly what I wanted.

Part 3 will be up in the next few days, so stay tuned

Dollfie Dream from Scratch - Part 1 - Intro

I have recieved a couple of E-Mails from folks asking if there was a good source of information for putting together their own Dollfie Dream, thanks to a chance discussion with Mr. Alexander Shen, I found out he had done  a five part series of articles on building your own custom Dollfie Dream. He graciously agreed to allow me to reprint this series here on the site, so over the next week I will have the entire series up for readers to puruse and enjoy.

Reprinted by permission of the original creator Alexander Shen of www.alexandershen.com and creator of Gashapon Shop

Background

So, you're interested in building a Dollfie Dream from pieces? Then you've come to the right place! I'll introduce myself to start things off! My name is Alexander Shen (I also go by Mr. Shen) and I was once a non-believer in the world of Dollfies. I believe my first interaction was when I was tabling at the Alternative Press Expo in 2005. I saw a girl walking around with a two foot doll sitting on her forearm and immediately fell into judgement mode: "Whoa, that's weird." I soon found

out what they were, thanks to the internet, and brushed that off as a really strange part of "otaku culture" that I was never going to be a part of. Then I started reading Danny Choo's Blog in 2009.

What I had witnessed then was a Super Dollfie. That style just wasn't something I was into. However, I hadn't realized that there were so many different versions of the Dollfie. What really caused my jaw to drop and my shift was this post on Danny Choo's Blog. I already own a number of PVC and resin anime statues and this really was nothing more than just a larger, more beautiful, version of them. That's when I realized that I wanted to join the hobby.

Unfortunately, I couldn't justify going the Limited Edition route because of lack of pocket money. The non-Limited Edition ones were more reasonable in price... but there had to be an even more affordable solution. Oh, hey, you can buy the parts individually! My DIY personality took over and I decided to do some research.

Cost Breakdown

Let's do a quick side-by-side comparison of purchasing a non-Limited Edition version of a Dollfie Dream and building one yourself.

Yukino

Sculpted by: Zoukei-mura Inc.

Eyes: Acrylic Eye 22mm Animetic H-Type Anzu (Apricot)

Wig: W-121D-27 Shaggy Curl (Natural Gold), DD size

Body: DD Base Body II, Normal Skin, M Bust

Head: DDH-03 Head

Included Items: Slip, Shorts

Price: $418

Custom

Painted by: Yourself

Eyes: Acrylic Eye 22mm Animetic H-Type Anzu (Apricot) - $11

Wig: W-121D-27 Shaggy Curl (Natural Gold), DD size - $42

Body: DD Base Body II, Normal Skin, M Bust - $231

Head: DDH-03 Head - $42

Included Items: No clothes.
Price: $326


The difference between the two is roughly $92. The custom version, however, does not include the Slip, Shorts or Volks Make-Up job on the head. So as a reference, those three previously listed items is what makes up the $92 difference.

Personally, I liked the short bob (long in front) wig more than the default shaggy curl, so that was a savings of $6. Also, I have average painting skills (I've done a few kits back in the day), so I was confident that I could, at the very least, paint the eye areas relatively symmetrically. I could also, with the $92 I was saving, spend it on clothes that I actually wanted her to be wearing.

Be warned that if you don't have the confidence or skill to do the make-up yourself, I would recommend you find someone who can or just simply pony up the difference. There's nothing worse than using paint and messing up on the head, causing a bad case of Shannen Dougherty Syndrome.

Part 2 will be coming later this week, stay tuned!

REVIEW: Queen's Blade: Exiled Virgin

“Holy Cheesecake Batman!”

[Note: This review was done off the Netflix streaming release of the series, so there were no extras to evaluate]
There are guilty pleasures of all types, for some its a fattening meal, others a special book, for me and my wife, it was a bit of silly cheesecake, read on for our review of Queen's Blade: Exiled Virgin

Story 2/10

Ok so basically the story can be summed up simply, it’s the story of an all female fighting tournament where the best fighter AND most beautiful woman will become Queen, and it happens once every four years. Into this tournament comes our reluctant heroine Leina, who is trying to escape her destiny in nobility, and

That is really all the story there is to this show, there are some light subplots dealing with issues of family and loss, but for the most part the series is an excuse for a lot of fanservice and cheesecake.

My biggest complaint with the story is that there is no real growth with most of the characters, leading to a plodding pace for the story

Art 9/10

Unlike the story which is stuck in mediocrity the art is anything but, fast flowing combat, beautifully drawn, its a shame that the story cannot match the same quality. Special note has to be given to a series that spent apparently a great deal of time dealing with the bounce physics of the girls "Assets" its that kind of show, like it or hate it.

Voice Acting 6/10

Mixed bag when it comes to the voice actors, some like our hereo Leina are actually pretty well done, but by the time you have listed to the Bunny Demon [no I am not kidding] and the annoying Angel, you just might want to poke out your ears, it serviceable stuff, but not too much more.

Parental Advisory: MATURE

This show is definitely not for kids, there are constant sexual overtones, and naked breasts abound in every episode, while the violence is surprisingly non graphic, and the language is certainly nothing above PG the constant sexual overtones will be too much even for some adults, let alone kids.

Overall [Not an average] 7/10

Ok so that rating might not make a lot of sense to people, but hear me out, despite all its shorcomings storywise, and somewhat questionable material, at the end of the day it was a simply fun show to watch, kinda like a train wreck, its not going to be for everyone, but its a bit of silly fun, and if you can think of it in that capacity, you are going to love it.

Hometown Dolpa Kyoto 9

Hey folks, just wanted to get the information about the lastest Dolpa up, sorry if this is cutting pretty close to the deadline for the lottery, I had some computer issues that prevented me from getting this up before now.

For DD fans the biggest news is the release of the limited Haruki Kiimi from "Photokano" [$594]

What  makes this release so important is that its the first release of the new Dollfie Dream Dynamite Base Body III, say that three times fast! This means that she has the same lovely proportions and sculpting as the regular DD Dynamite, but with the articulation of the DD Sister, as you can see in the picture below.

Currently the new body isn't available for individual order, so the only way to get the new body type is going to be through this limited purchase.

The other limited DD doll release is of Lucy Maria Misora from "To Heart 2" [$605]

Good luck to all who enter! If you get one of these limited releases, drop me a comment with a link to photos of her in your collection and I will gladly post them here!