Update on GENX body Problem

I was pretty upset with the overlapping vinyl on the left leg's knee joint. Ayal suggested an Xacto knife operation and I wasn't going to do it but I just happened to be near a nice sharp little slicer and I went to work on her. It was easy and I got the vinyl down to the point that it will not protrude from hosiery. It doesn't look exactly like the other leg but no one will know except me and about 3,000 of my readers. :-)

I received a lovely email from Joe Quinlan, Operations Manager at Superdoll. Apparently he tried to call my home but my NoMoRoBo blocks most unknown callers so he couldn't get through. At least that's why I think he couldn't get through. He did offer help via email if I wanted to go that route.
I wrote to him about the metal pin which is sticking out of the (same) leg and asked how to fix it.
He recommended the following:

I would recommend holding the leg down on a solid surface and applying pressure with a blunt metal object like the underside of a spoon, for example. Try and make sure the pressure is directly on top of the protruding pin at a 90 degree angle and the leg is as steady and secure as possible, this should just aid the pin into its intended position.  Warming the area up my also help if you are still struggling.

I have not tried it yet as I wanted to photograph my doll before undressing her again. I hope it works as I do like to put hosiery on my Sybarites. I have bad visions of cracking the leg altogether. Ugh. 

Many colorful comments have been made in my related thread on Prego and here on the blog about Superdoll. Let me just say this. I think their product is fantastic. No one makes dolls and fashions with the styling and daring they do. Is that the reason so many say nothing?

I love my Sybarites but..."if you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything." 

 
What product line is so important that you would keep your mouth shut when it is defective or if you are not offered a fix? This is the Emperor's New Clothes syndrome in action.

I have friendships with many doll manufacturers and I do care about them and their success. I want to see thriving, healthy competition in the doll world among designers and manufacturers. It's better for all of us.

It's only money - mine.

Superdoll: New Dolls with GenX.2 Body

Today two dolls debuted.

VALKYRE DD_099

Dark Brunette wig of mohair upon her head, with eyes of fiery amber. Shades of red and liquid gold eyeliner surround her alluring eyes. Lips of dark apple red.

White organza and lace blouse against her skin and sequin black ventilated back opening jacket. Matching sequin trousers.
Formal touches are her Sado Masochist body harness with detachable 'leather' and cut-out embroidered sleeves. Ankle boots in weave and studded belts.
The perfect accessory, her VENUS 'diamond' stud knuckleduster!
She dons her bonnet of boned organza that frames her face in a halo of studs.

Bound by the vanity of another.... she awaits her sister's escape to Triumph over their capture.

Price: £259.20 (Excluding VAT at 20%) [About $386.11 USD]

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MIDNITE DD_100

Vibrant Titian wig of mohair upon her head, with eyes of poison green. Shades of black and iridescent blue eyeliner surround her vicious eyes. Lips of deceptive coral.
Nude mesh vine and thorn embroidered bodice against her skin trimmed in velvet flowers attached to her ever so luxurious velvet skirt form her delightful gown.Nude hose and nude petticoat.
Formal touches are her Dominating lace up patent belt with jeweled detail bearing midnight blue stone, she created from the tears of those she holds capture.. Patent navy ankle strap sandals.
The perfect accessory, her SD monogram AXE!
She dons her silver glitter mask in hope she escapes recognition.

Holding fast with her Axe and threat.... there is no escaping her!.

Price: £249.60 (Excluding VAT at 20%) [About $372. USD]

 

I guess the boxes won't say "sample" now that they've got the bodies right. 
They are now labeled GENX.2 and the skin tone is called Cosmetique.

Both dolls:

Clone: 1000 Venus d'Royce
Of course she comes with the following standard accessories:
-manic_cure hands (see booklet for hand change instructions)
-booklet
-stand

In stock and ready to be delivered

They are very edgy, interesting and attractive. If the 2015 dolly dollars weren't all earmarked already, I'd order Midnite. I like her makeup palette and fashion. 

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I will be posting an update about the body defect issue I posted previously.

Superdoll: PVC Skirt Packs, Boot Packs

Superdoll Collectables has listed some fine goodies to outfit your Gen-X ladies.

 Two PVC skirt packs: left, Autumn Skirts; right, Neon Skirts. Each £95.00 ($143. USD)

Two packs of 4 pair of boots each. On the left, Hallogenic; on the right, Kitten.  Price: £109.44  ($164. USD)

Postage for one pack of skirts and one pack of shoes shipped to me in PA would come to £14.28 or $22.55 USD.

 Note: I use Yahoo's currency converter. On any day, at any time, the conversion rates may differ.

Superdoll Collectables' Black Friday Event

I don't know what time they put up their sales items but I know we were on the New Jersey Turnpike when I ordered what I wanted. No, I was not the driver.

Nothing can stop a doll collector - neither a moving car nor sun in her eyes!

Back to reality, in addition to giving 50% off on all items which have languished on their site for a year or more, three new adorable 50's style dress sets debuted at reasonable prices.

I wanted all three so I decided to get none of them. How's that for a reasonable decision?

A new style of shoe is offered with each of the above:

As of right now, they are all still there.

 

http://www.superdollonline.co.uk/acatalog/FBR.html

What's a Glitter Tit?

A Compilation of Photos & Descriptions from Neutron Prom, a London Sybarite Event

This past weekend, those collectors lucky enough to be able to attend the  2015 Sybarite Convention "Neutron Prom" in London, England were treated to wonderful dolls, fashions and a Chalk White event. 

Izzy beautifully described her experience on Prego.

The venue was spectacular - a secret room in one of the old big Victorian railway hotels rediscovered behind bricks and plaster when the hotel was redesigned as a luxury boutique venue about four years ago.

Marble steps and columns, black and white tiled floor, chairs from carved wood and leather - looking like thrones, white candles flickering everywhere......and above it all this incredible painted and gilded and sculptured ceiling with the signs of the zodiac and other mystical symbols.

Yeah.....despite the gorgeous blue and gold painting and the beautiful room.....all eyes were on the four pedestal cabinets precisely lined up in the centre of the room.

To discordant yet beautiful music we made our way from the Zodiac perfume launch to our seats in this magical room.

The music changed.....and with Charles and Des looking gorgeous in their formal evening dress at the end of the room....a voice began to speak.

As the voice described how we were all gathered together for a single purpose a breathless hush descended....and finally the voice queried what was behind the curtain.

Suddenly lights illuminated the cabinets and we could see colour/shape/pose/outlines...... there were the girls we had come to London to see! Even through the black drapes we knew we were in for an exhibit of truly amazing beauty.

In silent unison Charles and Des walked along the room removing each black drape and revealing the full glory of the collection.

For a few seconds we sat in stunned silence unsure of what to do next or where to look next...AND THEN WE RAN TO THE CABINETS!!!!!

Twelve beautiful girls....one named for each sign of the Zodiac although we didn't get to know that until much later.

A mixture of DC and Venus faces.....I'm not sure of the actual split but possibly somewhere around equal numbers of each.

Vibrant shiny glossy hair colours....some teased out into beautiful styles and others hanging in fabulous ringlets. I may be wrong but I think the hair colours were in four groups to represent the air/fire/earth/water signs in blues, blondes, auburn and brunettes (not in that order). All the colours were beautifully saturated with the blondes having delicious golden strawberry tones and I think all were slightly different shades.

Lips were a mixture of soft corals, vermilion, deep red, plum......gorgeous shades!

Colour was everywhere but looking totally fresh....almost like freshly dried paint on some of the gowns which appeared to be sewn literally from "old masters"! The girls themselves were rising out of a bed of undulating plain artists canvasses I think...at least that was my impression.

Most were dressed in full length gowns but with totally original shapes and trims....I do remember at least one girl in a cocktail length strapless gown too.

Gold snakeskin slippers with sparkling jewelled soles...some with fur pompoms or buckles or trims.

And.....acupressure maps on their palms!

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Here is a photo of the cabinets posted by Superdoll on Facebook

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Janina Fiehl has been extremely helpful in explaining the events so I could pass the information on. All of this information and all the photos below were provided by her.
Registration took place on Thursday. Attendees received "Vanity" and had the opportunity to chat with other collectors at the Salon.
On Friday evening, guests received Pandora and Mischief and the new Superdoll perfume, Zodiac!
That evening, the Chalk White exhibit took place as well. 
On Saturday there was a formal dinner and the beautiful (resin) "Dawn Star" doll was given.

Vanity

Mischief

Pandora Gift Set

Pandora Gift Set

Pandora Gift Set

Dawn Star

Dawnstar is French resin and was literally made from old bodies they had left over from a OOAK collection.  It is a material they used for very few dolls. 

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Simon Farnsworth of Doll Observers.com posted a detailed write up and a few more photos at this link: http://dollobservers.com/blog/sanctum-a-superdoll-chalk-white-exhibit

Review and Comparison: Sybarite Chandelier

This Sybarite arrived faster than the previous 4. She is the last in this series and I decided to debox this one. I have been asked many times about the differences between resin Sybs and the new ones and now I can answer the questions.

Deboxing was not fun. It reminded me of the process we used to have to go through to get an ordinary Barbie out of a box. Chandelier was attached to the back of the box to within an inch of her life. Clear, flexible plastic was pulled taut around her arms, legs, chest and elsewhere. Finally there was a coated wire which could be accessed only by tearing the back of the box open. Her hair was held in place with thread that was stitched to the box on both sides.
Prior Gen X dolls had loose items inside the boxes; this one did not. However, I dislike this packaging immensely. It feels cheap.

Reminder: clicking on the photos will enlarge them.

I like the fashion and all the bits and bobs included in the ensemble. She comes with a tiara, two 'gold' necklaces, a ring, several thin bangles (not shown.) The outfit consists of a t-shirt which is actually a bodysuit, pantyhose, shoes, handbag, skirt, rhinestone buckled belt and a Chanel-like jacket. It's an interesting mix of sophisticated and bling.

The skirt is too large and sits very low on her hips. I would have liked it better if it were shorter.  I order to remove the crown necklace, one has to open a jump ring. The other chunky necklace fits over her head but be careful not to screw up her hair.

The fabric used for the skirt is beautiful. It's like a miniature upholstery material blinged up with the coppery gold points on the hem. The jacket is very nice but be very cautious about the rhinestone settings catching fabrics and causing pulls.

The belt is adorable. It has two purses which can be slid off if desired so the belt can be used as a conventional one...as if a hot pink belt with a rhinestone buckle is anywhere near conventional.

The fingers are all separate and rings work very well. It arrived attached with a rubber band. What I do to secure rings is put some Elmer's glue on a toothpick and touch the back of the ring's band so the glue also touches the finger. It's easily removable when dried and the ring won't fall off on it's own.

Look at that cute pony! While I'm not a huge fan of hot pink faux fur, the bag is adorable.

More:
The color of her vinyl is sallow. She looks a little sick. In the comparison pictures, you can see it accurately. I think the previous 4 vinyls were a better color but I don't have them here to compare and I never deboxed them to take pictures.
The dolls are very close in size but not shape. Gen X has an incredibly high arch. The shape of her breasts are different and possibly larger.
The sculpt has changed somewhat and I think the original is prettier.
Chandelier weighs 18 ounces (1 lb. 2 oz.); my resin girl weighs 21 ounces (1 lb. 5 oz.) I was surprised at Chandelier's weight; I thought she'd be lighter.
The vinyl doll sits well with her knees together.

Superdoll's vinyls come with 4 sets of hands and instructions for changing them. They are like the Fashion Royalty hand-speak hands and Tonner's removable hands but these are hard to remove. The brochure suggests warming in hot water for a short period of time. I could not remove the hands on my own.

My biggest pet peeve is a doll stand that doesn't support the doll. This stand is a piece of crap. The wire saddle is too high to allow the dolls feet to rest on the base. If she were wearing platform shoes, it would be fine but she's not. The funny thing is, the stand is adjustable albeit in the wrong direction.  Poor engineering.

Look closely at the saddle part. There's a raw end of wire ready to snag pantyhose or scratch the body.  Of course I know that I can coat that on my own with something to protect my doll and her clothes but why should I have to?


The parts of the outfit I tried out fit my resin Syb, including the shoes. No, she will not be wearing the crown. 
I want to shorten the skirt!

Bottom line:
The first three Gen X dolls were the nicest ones of all. Superdoll needs to up their packaging and engineering

PEONIE - GEN X - DD_087 Sybarite Rebel Princess

Today another in the new line of vinyl Sybarite dolls was offered for sale.
Here is the description posted on the Superdoll sales page.

With eyes of sour apple, jetted for attitude brows in chocolate and charcoal with shadow of nude. Lids in translucent soot. Lips the colour of candy with day old pomegranate accent.

Huge auburn blend wig bearing side parting and jaw length fringe, in a 'voluptuous' state; cascading down and swirling into waist length big loose curls.

It's hot outside... maybe a champagne lunch with the gurls?!
Venus had booked the bandstand in Hyde Park, had it cornered off with velvet ropes and sent in her decorators. For this privvy broad daylight affaire, she chose colour and pattern to make her statement. Bias plaid hotpants, a psychedelic halter collared shirt, a hot pink grosgrain tie, and lime all in one suspender hose with attached 'girly socks.
Looking herself up and down in her mirrored dressing room and tugging her shirt tails to peek out her hotpants 'just so', she popped on a few rose coloured bracelets, and giggled as she attached her acid yellow tutu around her waist. Doing a little Prima Diva spin, she placed a red rose and pink fluoro band on her head and flung a huge big gold 'chain & key' around her neck. Opening her accessory closets, her acid yellow handbag screamed 'grab me', so she did.
Not knowing where today may end, she opted for a dark violet base custom floral print jacket trimmed in 'ivy' and huge multicolour stones, slipped on her gold and pink sandals and headed for the door.

As her handmaiden hurried to keep up with her she asked 'did you remember the Vodka?'
Her handmaiden ran off in the opposite direction to call the caterers.

Of course she comes with the following standard accessories:
-manic_cure hands (see booklet for hand change instructions)
-booklet
-stand

ED:100

Price  £239.19 plus postage £42.95

 $373.24 + $67.00 = $441.24 shipped

Gen-X Precious from Superdoll

I adored her fashion, her accessories and her hair. The spousal unit thought she was scary looking. I didn't care until I stood her next to Eira and her head looked enormous. I was cured of wanting to keep her at that moment.
Of course, many dolls will pale next to the beautiful Eira but this was different. Precious looked ridiculously out of proportion to her own body. Her head is too damn big. Maybe that's the point...big headed, egotistical, rebel princess.

Chaise from Tonner Convention and Kingdom Doll Eira

I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it. Tonner's props and furniture are simply the best and always have been. They're always fully scaled and fabulous for photography.  It sold out shortly after going up for sale on Wednesday but I got my order in while I was on the treadmill at the gym. Now that's determination (aka obsession.)

Took some quick iPhone shots of Black Lipstick seated on the chaise.

Love the doll, the chaise and the outfit which is from Sandra Stillwell's "Radio Days" convention.
The jewelry is Franklin Mint.

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As expected, Kingdom Doll's Eira, a very limited edition, sold out almost immediately leaving several collectors moaning and groaning. ( I could also say 'pissing and moaning' but I'll be diplomatic outside of the parentheses.)

Cheer up because the next doll up, Orbit-seen below, is a larger, though limited edition, and she is another beauty.

That's not to say she'll last long once available. The usual suspects will complain and condemn Kingdom Doll for not making enough, blah, blah.

When the new GenX Solitaire went live on Superdoll's site, she didn't last long. Of course, a few people were disappointed they missed her but I didn't see venom-tinged remarks aimed at the company. When Mansion came and went very quickly, there were no angry collectors posting on Prego about Superdoll's business practices. Superdoll doesn't even tell anyone a specific time a doll will go live! You have to keep checking the site and hope you find it ready to buy.

With Integrity Toys, you know when to contact your dealer after seeing a doll. It's called NOW. You don't get time to think about what you really want because if you hesitate, the doll will be sold out. You have people emailing every single dealer, trying to get the dolls any way they can. Ultimately, the disappointed collectors complain about the dealers, favoritism and canceled orders. 

When Mattell posts a Platinum Barbie for sale the site crashes or they cancel the sale and then hold it a few days later without broad announcements of the new date. 

Sybarite Gen-X Mansion and Barbie-like Packaging

Much to my surprise Mansion was delivered by DHL on Memorial Day! I immediately opened the shipper box and was somewhat dismayed to see an angular plastic box wrapped in cellophane.

I know that Superdoll is attempting to stay in business and has produced a vinyl doll to appeal to those who will spend about $400 (give or take) for a doll instead of $700. But, packaging the doll in a plastic fronted box was going too far. At least with Barbie dolls, the box is wrapped in tissue and not cellophane.

Of course she is impossible to photograph through the cellophane. Frustrated, I took it off and the results were not much better.

The box itself has a bendable cardboard back and insert with a cardboard top and bottom that slip in and out of the plastic casing. The flexible plastic casing itself slips off easily.

$400. is not a cheap doll. Integrity packages it's $100. dolls better - so does Mattel.

My doll arrived in an extremely awkward-looking pose (see the third photo above.) It was very distressing and I had to examine her although I did not wish to debox. I straightened the limbs before taking these photos.

I certainly hope Superdoll rethinks their packaging as this is really unacceptable.

Regarding the doll herself, she has a great face and the screening looks very good. Her handbag is adorable and so is the outfit.