Nuts and Bolts and Photos of AvantGuard Goldmine

I'm having a great time redressing Goldmine. She is really a beauty and can carry off many varied looks. It's been a long time since I felt this way about a doll.
I've had just one problem with this gal - inserting earrings is particularly difficult. I use a push pin as I do with all my dolls to make the ear hole the right size for earrings. There seems to be something inside Goldmine's head that stops the earring from going all the way in. I really had to work the opening more than should have been necessary.
The only complaint I've heard is about the light weight of this doll line. Someone called it a "quality issue." When I questioned her she said that she wants her dolls to weigh more. Since I don't have anything to compare her to besides Gene and Tonner dolls, I can't make a statement about her weight.

I certainly hope that nuts don't suddenly appear inside their bodies.

This photo was taken by a collector named, Em'lia. Her Model Behavior (12"/Integrity Toys/Jason Wu) doll broke apart in a fall and she was horrified to discover the nut glued inside. Obviously there is no intrinsic need for a nut inside these doll bodies. It must have been placed there to make the doll weigh more. Many have come to the conclusion that the nut is the cause of the floppy hip joints which keep the majority of Fashion Royalty and these dolls from holding an upright pose. This discovery has been the source of a great deal of indignant foot stamping and the source of several conspiracy theories. I have discovered that many people do not know the difference between a nut and a bolt and that several people think that a nut like this weighs a great deal and is causing their postage to sky rocket.

However, some pretty good comedy has resulted. A remark from one collector went like this: "...now if anyone takes apart a Homme and discovers they have matching bolt...I will die laughing."

Another collector made the following suggestions:

"I suggest they make the nutsack, I mean the nutcase, I mean the body cavity, accessible. Certain edition numbers could contain a valuable prize instead of a plain nut, which would give us a logical reason to look at the COA. Or you could take the nut out and put stuff in the doll, like her jewelry, or a baby tarantula, or one of those little voiceboxes from Build-a-Bear*, something fun."

The entire thread made perfect sense to me. ;-)
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Back on the topic of AvantGuards.
There is something about the body that inhibits complete posability. I don't know what is causing it yet. In any event, she is way more posable than Tonner's 16" dolls.

Here are some of my recent images using Goldmine as my model.

This is the fashion from Film Fatale Gene by Ashton Drake. The pants looked too short when she was wearing shoes. Therefore - no shoes.

Wearing Integrity Toys/Mel Odom/Jason Wu silver trench coat from "Star Entrance Gene."

Wearing Ashton Drake's "Tango."

Wearing Ashton Drake's "Lucky Stripe."



I am looking forward to the release of Androgyny and Aphrodisiac.