Of the four available ITBE 16" dolls, I was immediately drawn to Reflective because of her sculpt, her hair and her coloring. As of right now, she is the only one that is sold out. Marl & B does have 2 available for $150. each.
Her one-piece dress isn't the nice quality we're used to with FR16 clothing but the price of the doll was right. I applied my $25 W Club coupon and she cost me $74. plus postage. She came with panties, shoes and stud earrings. I'm looking forward to redressing her.
I do want to have her cartoon brows and possibly her eyes repainted to make them more realistic.
Now let's talk about the ankle joint/foot problem. This is not a new issue but I was hoping it would have been fixed by this time. Elsa Lin and Platinum Society had it in 2014.
When the doll is set down on flat feet, she is fine.
As soon as the ankle joint is enabled the foot turns inward. The doll becomes pigeon-toed and each foot tilts outward. From left to right: on tip-toes, with toes bent, with shoes.
One can see it in every doll in the promo photos. Some might say that the photographer posed their feet that way to make them look cute.
The issue is that the joint was engineered incorrectly. I have no idea if any collectors have taken issue with this. I'll bet Alain is aware of it but if collectors say nothing, the problem will not go away.
These are very nice dolls. The body needs fixing.
Given that I can see the ankle fault in the two dolls with their feet parallel in IT's pics, I doubt it's just you! :D
ReplyDeleteI've never noticed it, but I've never photographed my FR16s, and that, for me, is probably one of those things I only catch in a photo later, not while I'm interacting with the doll. Now I wonder if Tulabelle has the same problem... or even the AG's, for that matter, but I don't have one to check.
On the topic of long-standing defects, I got my Sybarite Columbia yesterday, and do you know, she still has the little overlaps at her knees!
I guess it's pricey to re-engineer parts but I think the Sybs should have been done by now. Be careful putting hosiery on her if there are rough edges.
DeleteBTW The Aantguards did not have that problem.
DeleteThe FR16 dolls are such poor sellers for Integrity that I doubt they will ever go to the trouble of fixing the issue. Even with these TINY editions, only one of the ITBE dolls has sold out (Reflective).
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right
DeleteFigures. The one I really wanted sold out!!! The Integrity/ Wu Alex had the same problem. But, when posed, the pigeon toe is not terribly noticeable.
ReplyDeleteAlex was made by Madame Alexander.
DeleteWell maybe IT shouldn't make them then. I mean, making products no one asked for and that don't sell well, and then arguing that they cannot improve them becasue the product doesn't sell well and is not worth it, is idiotic and some rather ass-backwards thinking. Maybe actually make good products so that people feel more inclined to by them. Even $100 is not little money. Sure, compared to a $800 resin doll it is, but it is still a lot of money that I do not think a lot of people will be compelled to spend, especially when such "defects" are present.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but $100 bills do not happen to grow on the trees near where I live :)
I don't care about the ankle issue. I just don't like the cartoonish faces. To make this doll pretty I'd have to send her to a face-up artist, and then she wouldn't be a $100 doll... Integrity should stick with small scale. If they aren't going to put the money into a decent face screening, they shouldn't bother at all. At least with the tiny dolls it just doesn't seem to matter so much that they look cartoonish, or it isn't as noticeable.
DeleteI agree. The faces just look really odd. They do not have the refinement of the smaller scale faces. But it is strange because I do not feel that way about the 16 inch Poppys and the Mallory one (which used to be Tulabelle). Their faces look great but the faces of the AGs here just look cartoonish. In fact, and if I may say so, they are right out ugly in my opinion. Like a larger version of that god awful Josephine Baker/Lady Ga Ga doll or sculpt or whatever she was.
DeleteI do like Reflective's eyes. They are beautiful but I cannot get over her mouth.
I'm having issues getting both the boots and gloves to fit my FR16 Shades Of Grey Hanne Erickson doll i just got. Seems the boots & gloves were made too small. Anyone else have this issue?
ReplyDelete