Showing posts with label FR2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FR2. Show all posts

10/28/2016

Excellent Size Comparison Photo for Integrity Toys Dolls

With permission from MiyukiDollfie on flickr.



From left to right: Poppy Parker, Victoire Roux/BoD, Monogram, FR Tall, FR2, Color Infusion/Jem.

This photo will referenced in a side bar so readers can find it even after it scrolls off.

As far as the bodies, my favorites are the FR2 and the Monogram.

8/12/2015

Wearing the Same Old Outfit!

Going through my photos this afternoon and I thought it would be a good idea to post dolls who have never had an outfit change. 

Elise and Adrian
Sometimes they're just perfect the way they are.

Tatyana

Ollie
Monogram Allure
I lied. I just changed Allure last week. But she stayed this way up to that point.

Monogram Interlude
Face Time Vanessa. Original is on the right.

Intoxicating Mix Vanessa. The one on the left is the original.

Flame Blue Vanessa
Luxe Life Vanessa
Vanessa (the original sculpt) wins. She always has.

I have three other FR dolls who are still dressed in their original clothes. Somehow they escaped my camera. I don't know how.

My only other dolls who don't get changed are my 5 Cissy megaliths and many Silkstone dolls.
I don't play with the Cissy, the Silkstone or any of my Madame Alexander 10" dolls.  I do have some Tiny Kitty dolls who have not had wardrobe changes but that's for another post, maybe.

Do you have many dolls you don't change?

11/20/2014

Ayumi's New Look and Adele's Incarnations

Ayumi Nakamura is a character who was introduced to the NuFace (originally called Model Behavior) collection in 2007. That doll was called Miracle Child. If I remember correctly, the Model Behavior dolls were quite popular. Ayumi wasn't as popular as Erin, Colette and Giselle.
The next Ayumi incarnations were London by Night in 2008 and Sunset Rave in 2011. By that time, the Model Behavior line was called NuFace and many new characters had been added. Ayumi seemed to have faded away along with Nadja and Colette.




Surprisingly, Ayumi popped up in the FR2 line as Luminous in 2011 (below, left)  and Opium in 2012. Luminous was not a popular doll and although her dress was quite pretty, her face was not.  I'm not sure what sculpt Opium uses. She has grown on me and in a close-up is very beautiful. Of all the aforementioned Ayumis, she has remained in my collection. She was a change from the first Ayumi sculpt. At that time, the IT designers were mixing up the sculpts like crazy. I don't have a clue as to whether or not Opium's sculpt is a mix from other dolls or a new sculpt entirely. 



The third sculpt is totally new. She looks beautiful. The screening is lovely. Her youthful and glamorous hairstyle and the sequined qi pao made her a keeper in my collection!



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"Le Smoking" Adele received rave reviews by collectors. She's been compared to The Muse Adele, (2008), widely held to be the most beautiful Adele ever produced. For this version of Adele, they went back to the Adele 2.0 sculpt. Hopefully, they will keep it there as 3.0 is dour. 




Via Venetto Adele (2004) from the amazing Voyages Collection was my first ever Fashion Royalty doll. I have a fondness for that sculpt but I do like 2.0 more. In the photo below, she is not wearing her original fashion. 



Graphic Language Adele (Graphic Flirtation, 2004) used a new sculpt. This doll is still very popular albeit not on her original body. 

The Muse (2008) It doesn't get better.




In 2011, Adele 3.0 was introduced at a convention as part of a two doll gift set called Style Counsel along with Veronique. What a hot mess these two turned out to be. Veronique needed a different hairstyle and Adele needed her old face back. 

In 2013, Adele was released as an ITBE doll. She appears to be using the 2.0 sculpt. This image is by Julia Leroy who restyled the hair and designed the jewelry.



I call this 2014 FR2 version What Were They Thinking? It is really named Vivid Encounter.



9/20/2014

Vivid Encounter Adele Makeda Review

My first of the new FR2 bodied dolls has arrived. I purchased her for the fashion which is beautifully constructed and quite pretty.



The bodice details are perfection and the fabric drapes very nicely. There are no 'cons' to this doll at all....unless one stops to consider whether or not this is Adele. To me, she is not Adele. If she had been manufactured using the Adele 2.0 head mold, I probably would not be selling the nude doll.

Perhaps using this Muse Adele as a comparison is unfair because she was arguably the most gorgeous Adele ever produced. Her dark creamy vinyl, the gorgeous screening and her flocked head are incomparable.


On the other hand, this Adele 3.0 looks dull in every way imaginable.
IT Photo
In looking at my first photo above, it looks like one arm is out of it's socket more than the other.  I wonder if she has a pop-it bead body. That's what I'm calling them.  W Club members were sent a deceitful letter that said in part:
"As many of you who have received the Agnes and Natalia Fatale dolls that are currently shipping may have noticed, the Integrity Toys design team updated the functionality of the female FR body to make it even more versatile and adaptable!
Starting with these two dolls, you will now be able to not only swap the hands at will, but also detach the limbs from the body at the elbows, shoulders, bust line and knees to make dressing the dolls in ultra tight fitting clothes without the need to stretch the fashions and/or run the risk of damaging them! "
How would people have noticed? Does everyone pull the arms and legs off their dolls when they first get them?  Seriously?
I have never had to remove more than hands to dress a doll easily...except when I had to remove a head to take off a necklace Integrity made without an opening big enough for a neck. Perhaps they're planning more of that.
Anyway, they claim that this new change with enable people to get replacement parts more easily. That's ominous depending upon how you look at it.

What made me laugh was this warning:
PLEASE LOOK AT FUTURE PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BODY CAN INDEED BE DISMANTLED BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS.
Definitely a good suggestion. 


And what ever happened to the face switching feature?

12/31/2013

Collection: 2013 in Retrospect

I usually do a "Best-Worst" themed post at year end. This year I'm going to do more of a "Best of My 2013 Collection" post. Going through my 2013 purchase database, I made a list of my favorites. The list revealed that I concentrated, number-wise, on wigs and fashions more than anything else. And, for the first time in a few years, Integrity Toys' dolls scored multiple bests.

Below, left: Lukas Maverick as "Beauty." He was paired with a female doll entitled "Beast," not shown. Right: "Interlude," the last Monogram doll in the line, (supposedly) was a welcome bag doll at the 2013 convention. She is dressed in a fashion called "Completist" which was also a gift to attendees.

The two Integrity dolls below from their last convention are both Elise Jolie. On the left is the convention souvenir, Midnight  Star, and on the right is a workshop doll dressed in the Beast's outfit. These dolls are gorgeous and I love the Elise sculpt as much as I loved the original Vanessa sculpt!

A fashion designed by Chris Stoeckel for the W Club Luncheon for Victoire Roux made my favorites. Chris had previously done this dress for a 15.5" Gene doll (right) in a different colorway. It translates very well to the 12" "Out Sass."
IMO Chris is the most talented designer IT has (if Jason isn't around.)

Mel Odom's beloved Gene Marshall doll made a surprise comeback in 2013 as a resin BJD produced by JamieShow Dolls. It's great fun to have new Gene dolls and it has brought renewed life to so many long-time Gene collections. On the left is J'Adore Gene wearing  a Sybarite fashion and a Cheryl Wood wig. On the right is Phoenix Gene wearing her own gown and a wig by Cheryl Wood.

Speaking of wigs, I added at least one dozen to my collection this past year. My favorites are those made by Ilaria, Patta, Cheryl and Chewin. My dolls have varying sized heads so they need lots of wigs. Below are two from Ilaria aka "Time of Doll."
On the left is Miss G White, a Ficon doll I traded for. Although she debuted in 2012, she is new to my collection. On the right is Inro. She is the first in the Inamorata line produced as a limited edition as opposed to a OOAK by Emilia Nieminen. 

For the first time in ages, I'm paying attention to male dolls again. While the Jamieshow Alejandro below, left and the Tonner Neo Tokyo are not from 2013, their fashions are. These fabulous garments are by the uber-talented Chewin. I also commissioned him to do Alejandro's wig.

 Another Chewin outfit modeled by Tonner's Yoshio, a 2013 16" favorite.

Yian (modsdoll) repainted this Dionysis Sybarite. She's wearing a 2012 Cheryl Wood wig, a gorgeous dress from the 2013 Metrodoll's luncheon entitled "Eventail," and a stunning neckpiece by Asher of New England. I'm sure you can see why she made my favorites list.

Of course I have too many dolls so I buy outfits for them. Early fashions that I couldn't get previously and newly released ones arrived regularly.
Many of the amazing fashions from Sandra Stillwell's Kansas City Every Day's A Holiday event can be seen elsewhere on this blog. Here is one called "Delicate Bloom." The floral motifs are all ribbon embroidery!

V John offers a monthly fashion for either 12" or 16" dolls.

There are always Tonner dressed dolls or fashions that need to come to mama.  Some fashions are offered separately and some are from dressed dolls. Tiny Kitty is older (2005) doll called "Flirtation."  Sometimes it's good to wait because many collectors sell Tonner products for much less than they paid.

Antoinette is wearing a 2012 gown from "Sweeping Antoinette."

This Antoinette fashion is called "Fanciful." It's so Barbie-ish and reminds me of Silkstone Provencale.  "Hypnotic" Antoinette, whom I chose to model the Tonner gown, has the same hairstyle the Silkie (on the right.) Provencale is not a new acquisition.

I was more careful with my purchases but I definitely made a few mistakes. I am happy with my dolls. When I'm not, they go. Some stick around until I'm sure.

My doll collecting resolution is to continue to be careful and focused with what I purchase.  I resolve to re-photograph many of my dolls and photograph all new dolls as they join the tribe.

Do you have any doll-related resolutions for 2013?

12/23/2013

Review of Emilia Couture Accessory Packs

Emilia recently offered 4 accessory packs, a new Inamorata doll and a fashion. I purchased three of the accessory packs. They were $95. each but the shipping was extraordinarily expensive at $59.  which raised the price of each accessory pack to $114.67. The package was delivered by DHL a few days after I ordered it. I guess that was the benefit of paying so much. I could have waited as there was no rush on my end.
Each pack consisted of a dress, handbag, shoes, hosiery and belt. The dresses stretch and fit a few dolls other than Inamorata. They do not fit the Sybarite body or Tonner dolls such as Cami. I have seen the dresses on the Innoquii dolls. The shoes fit Sybarites very nicely.
The dresses have no closures and need to be pulled up over the legs. The hosiery must be pulled on first. They go up to the tops of the thighs. I had to fiddle with the hems on the dresses as they are sewn only at the back seam and just folded up.
The three images just below show the fashion on Integrity Toy's Tulabelle body. (Yes, the head is Avantguard with a transplanted body. ) Very good fit but with this color dress one can see the outlines of her nipples and all the doll's joints.
The shoes on a Sybarite doll:
Here's a little surprise. The dress is also suitable for an FR2 (12") body. I pushed it up to the hem length I wanted and the belt went around an extra time or two. I couldn't use the shoes, of course, but the handbag worked. The striped dress wouldn't do well on this body.
This is Color Therapy Vanessa (on an FR2 body) modeling.
I am pleased with my purchase. The individual pieces will be useful for mix and match in the future.
My one hope is that there will be a less costly way to ship from China.