Another month another limited release! Once again there are a ton of new fun and limited items for the Dollfie Dream collector out there. I am not going to list them all here since there are so many, click the link above to go directly to the information page, and happy buying!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
February 2012 Collection
Another month another limited release! Once again there are a ton of new fun and limited items for the Dollfie Dream collector out there. I am not going to list them all here since there are so many, click the link above to go directly to the information page, and happy buying!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Dollfie Dream from Scratch - Part 5 - Assembly
Reprinted by permission of the original creator Alexander Shen of http://www.alexandershen.com/ creator of Gashapon Shop
Attaching the Back of the Head
I'm not sure if it's the seam combined with the semi-elastic band around the wig, but it cause the wig from slipping off to the back. I then pulled the bottom portion of the wig back to near the neck.
After you get the wig securely on the Dollfie Dream head, you've now completed what I consider to be the key portion of a Dollfie Dream: the head! Sit back and admire the work you've just done, as well as the money you've saved. This head is now completely 100% original and there is no one else in the world that has one like this. I'd like to think mine turned out pretty good! I can't say it matches the professionals at Volks, but I'm very happy with, as Danny Choo puts it, my first daughter.
Now you're free to purchase the Basic Body II and dress her to your liking with the $92 you saved! Thanks for checking this out and feel free to pass this along! Good luck, fellow hobbyists!
Well folks that's it! I want to thank Alexander Shen for allowing me to reprint these articles, and I hope you have all had a chance to learn more about buying and painting your first Dollfie Dream, and that it isn't as scary as it seems!
Attaching the Back of the Head
I wish I could have provided a video or some kind of image sequence that accurately depicts how "difficult" it is to get the back of the head to connect properly. It's not that it's loose, but the complete opposite. It's made significantly larger than the hole, so you have to force it in. Just be careful of your paint job and don't be bending any pieces. Just be patient and keep working it. It'll go in.
Slipperiest Wig in the Universe
When I first tried attaching the wig, it just would not stay. It kept falling off and I figured that I needed to use some double-sided tape or get one of those Volks non-slip wig covers. Then I looked at the diagram that came with the wig. I placed the top of the wig where the back of the head connected to the front of the head where the seam is.
I'm not sure if it's the seam combined with the semi-elastic band around the wig, but it cause the wig from slipping off to the back. I then pulled the bottom portion of the wig back to near the neck.
After you get the wig securely on the Dollfie Dream head, you've now completed what I consider to be the key portion of a Dollfie Dream: the head! Sit back and admire the work you've just done, as well as the money you've saved. This head is now completely 100% original and there is no one else in the world that has one like this. I'd like to think mine turned out pretty good! I can't say it matches the professionals at Volks, but I'm very happy with, as Danny Choo puts it, my first daughter.
Now you're free to purchase the Basic Body II and dress her to your liking with the $92 you saved! Thanks for checking this out and feel free to pass this along! Good luck, fellow hobbyists!
Well folks that's it! I want to thank Alexander Shen for allowing me to reprint these articles, and I hope you have all had a chance to learn more about buying and painting your first Dollfie Dream, and that it isn't as scary as it seems!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Dollfie Dream from Scratch - Part 4 - Eyes
Reprinted by permission of the original creator Alexander Shen of www.alexandershen.com and creator of Gashapon Shop
What's Inside the Head
This is what the inside of a Dollfie Dream head looks like. It's empty. All you have are the two holes of which the eyes will be looking out of. They're beveled inwards, meaning they slope toward the inside of the head. I wish there were some kind of skeletal system inside the head itself that let you stick eyes in. Alas, there is not.
What's the Eye Look Like
Here's a photo of the eye. They have a prong in the back that allows you to easily hold it with your fingers. Outside of the eyeball part and the prong, there's nothing more to the eye. I will mention that the eye is not perfectly spherical. It's actually a little pointed where the iris is, which allows it to fit into the eye hole a little better. So you will have to get this ball and peg to stay put in the hollow Dollfie Dream head.
Applying the Tic 'n Tack
I rolled four little portions of Tic 'n Tack and adhered them to the inside of the head as shown in the photo below. I have one above the eye hole and one below the eye hole. As previously mentioned, the shape of the eye (a bit pointer at the iris) allows the rest of the spherical eye to make contact with the Tic 'n Tack.
Before you put in the eyes, make sure that no Tic 'n Tack is visible from the front of the face. As you can see on her right eye (your left), you can see Tic 'n Tack sitting there. Adjust accordingly and make sure it's completely clear. Once you're good to go, it's time to go and put in the eyes.
Do some quick measurements from the front to make sure the eye looks okay and then just stuff them in there. The Tic 'n Tack will adhere to the eyes pretty well. If you have to, you can try to secure the eyes with some more Tic 'n Tack over it. The plus is that this stuff is always ready to use and isn't supposed to dry. This makes eye transplants, positioning, etc. relatively easy.
Hey, not too shabby!
Time to attach the back of the head and finish it all up!
I'll have the final part up in the next couple of days, keep watching and reading!
This is what the inside of a Dollfie Dream head looks like. It's empty. All you have are the two holes of which the eyes will be looking out of. They're beveled inwards, meaning they slope toward the inside of the head. I wish there were some kind of skeletal system inside the head itself that let you stick eyes in. Alas, there is not.
Here's a photo of the eye. They have a prong in the back that allows you to easily hold it with your fingers. Outside of the eyeball part and the prong, there's nothing more to the eye. I will mention that the eye is not perfectly spherical. It's actually a little pointed where the iris is, which allows it to fit into the eye hole a little better. So you will have to get this ball and peg to stay put in the hollow Dollfie Dream head.
Applying the Tic 'n Tack
I rolled four little portions of Tic 'n Tack and adhered them to the inside of the head as shown in the photo below. I have one above the eye hole and one below the eye hole. As previously mentioned, the shape of the eye (a bit pointer at the iris) allows the rest of the spherical eye to make contact with the Tic 'n Tack.
Before you put in the eyes, make sure that no Tic 'n Tack is visible from the front of the face. As you can see on her right eye (your left), you can see Tic 'n Tack sitting there. Adjust accordingly and make sure it's completely clear. Once you're good to go, it's time to go and put in the eyes.
Hey, not too shabby!
Time to attach the back of the head and finish it all up!
I'll have the final part up in the next couple of days, keep watching and reading!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Dollfie Dream from Scratch - Part 3 - Paint
Reprinted by permission of the original creator Alexander Shen of http://www.alexandershen.com/ and creator of Gashapon Shop
The material that this head is made out of makes it pretty easy to make pencil markings. Vigorous rubbing or a clean eraser can remove the pencil marks as well. However, I can imagine a dirty/crappy eraser will just cause smudges that will never be coming off. In any case, use a pencil and start making the eyes. I used the original Yukino picture as a reference.
Once you're satisfied with pencil outlines, it's time to get that paint started. Take a deep breath and go for it.
Paint!
There's not really much to say here except that you just have to paint within the lines that you've created. I think the hardest thing here is coming to the realization that your pencil markings were or were not symmetrical. Mine were close, but not perfect. I also have a slightly shaky hand.
Grab That Pencil and Start Marking
The material that this head is made out of makes it pretty easy to make pencil markings. Vigorous rubbing or a clean eraser can remove the pencil marks as well. However, I can imagine a dirty/crappy eraser will just cause smudges that will never be coming off. In any case, use a pencil and start making the eyes. I used the original Yukino picture as a reference.
Paint!
There's not really much to say here except that you just have to paint within the lines that you've created. I think the hardest thing here is coming to the realization that your pencil markings were or were not symmetrical. Mine were close, but not perfect. I also have a slightly shaky hand.
After looking at it some more, I realized that I didn't quite like the way it turned out. The eye lines seemed a bit thin from the front, as if I hadn't painted anything at all. I made them a bit thicker and added a double prong eyelash on both sides of the eyes. It also helped close the gap between the eye and the upper eyelid (which is physically gooved into the head itself). The eyebrows had a pencil outline as well, but I made sure to paint right above it (not directly on top of the pencil, but above it so the pencil straddled the bottom part of the eyebrow).
I figured this was the best I could do with my average painting skills and lack of an "undo" button for my work. I proceeded with the lips portion. I didn't use any pencil markings as that would have shown up through the light pink. I'm pretty sure once you get to this point, you'll be breathing a sigh of relief! The hard part is over!
Part 4 will be coming soon, so keep wathching the site for more!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)