Fixer-upper acquired!

Just put the reservation payment on an Alchemic Lab Unoa Light Azurite. This 1:6 scale BJD, issued in 2005, is rather scarce; like his female counterpart Fluorite, Azurite commands at least $400.00 on the secondary market, especially if in good condition, with all spare parts, as well as box autographed by maker Gentaro Araki. I scored this little dude for $232.00 shipped because he has yellowed a lot and suffered uneven dyeing, dye removal, sanding, etc., in an attempt to even him out.

Anyway, I'm thinking that he's going to be Carter's friend, Isabel's ex, the purchaser of Isabel's car and a representative of some of the truly stupid shit that abnormals say about PWS. He's not evil, like Anneka's ex Thomas was. I think he and Isabel broke up when he started transitioning because the T really lessened his libido. Isabel got really frustrated because her sex drive was much more active; he encouraged her to have other partners, but she didn't want to. They tried to work it out monogamously, even though he was only monogamous for Isabel's sake. However, they eventually parted ways. He's currently happier living in Essex with one partner that he is very close friends with. He is not happy about regularly traveling "up to the ass end of the Kingdom" to visit his regular sex partner in Derby Line.

He needs a name. Hmmm...Dillon Rayes.

Wait...now they drive CARS???

Ever since I got the idea for Zombieville to start by Isabel losing her left eyeball, I've been wondering how this would affect her ability to drive a car. From what I can tell, people with monocular vision can still drive in Vermont if they have a certain level of vision in their remaining eye. I have no idea what that level of vision is, however.

Anyway, I initially made the assumption that Isabel's newly acquired monocular vision would require her to give up her car and depend on public transit, a complicated proposition in Vermont. Chittenden County Transportation Authority runs a network of buses throughout the county [yay!], but they all center on downtown Burlington and are scheduled mainly to serve first-shift commuters [boo!]. I was hoping to dedicate at least one subplot to the challenges of being a carless and disabled bus rider.

Even though people with monocular vision may be able to drive in this state in certain circumstances, I think I'll still have Isabel get rid of her car. She and Peter are going to get into a minor accident, which is how they meet and how she starts becoming part of the Zombieville community.

Naturally, in order to have a car crash, Isabel and Peter need to have cars. Great...more 1:6 scale shit. :p

Given my limited storage space and photography area, as well as my penchant for compact cars, I decided that they both drive really small cars. It would be unutterably cool to find a 2009 Toyota Corolla in 1:6 scale and spray paint it silver to make a miniature version of the FLE car. I don't think those are made in cheap playline versions, though.

Cheap playline versions exist, however, of VW Bugs and Smart Fortwos. The first can be found on Ebay with a search under "barbie volkswagen beetle," and they even come in non-pink options! [The pink option appears to be currently in print and therefore much cheaper, though, at least on Amazon. However, deboxed ones in all colors can be had quite inexpensively on Ebay.] The second can be found on Ebay with a search under "moxie girls rc car." You can also find it for rip-off prices on Amazon. Reviews say that it's crappily made, but I don't need it to function as an RC toy. I just need it to sit there and look minorly damaged. Even if it's a little small [as playline cars tend to be], it will still work.

So apparently now my dolls drive cars. Uh oh. Look out, world. If you see a little fat doll with a little wry smirk driving a little Smart Car...for God's sake, tell her to get something more practical! Smart Cars, being small and light, are a ridiculous choice for transportation in a state that regularly contends with mushy, sloppy, heavy snow. :p
 

Dillon as he comes to me

Here is a picture, taken by sahoma, DOAer and previous owner, of Dillon.
( Read more... )

Man, he has a square head, especially from this angle. :p

I've taken a look at the closeups as well, and I am not sure why all the failed deyellowification treatments warrant his "Oh please God I'll PAY YOU to take it away!!!" discount. If he was missing, say, major body parts, I could understand the cut rate, but yellowing is literally superficial damage that happens to even the most zealously protected BJDs. Yellowing can be lessened with preventive sealants, disguised through blushing, partly removed with various abrasives or -- gasp! -- accepted as part of resin's inevitable ageing process. The point is...one can do something about yellowing. It does not indicate that a doll is salvageable only for spare parts.

But, as sahoma explained to me, she doesn't like modding and/or restoring dolls that need the kind of help that Dillon does. When I said to her that I enjoy fixer-upper BJDs because I grow more attached to them while improving them, she replied that the prospect of laboring over BJD restorations just makes her really hate the doll. I completely understand that because doll enthusiasts use their dolls for different purposes. While some people value them as raw materials for customization, others regard them as finished products to beautify their surroundings. Other people feel confident with certain aspects of personalization -- sewing clothes, making wigs, doing faceups, doing additive and/or subtractive mods, commissioning the perfect outfit and accessories, stalking the right wig, etc., etc., etc. -- and not others. One doll enthusiast's source of extreme annoyance and frustration represents another's thrilling creative opportunity.

Okay, sanding has never been and will never be a thrilling creative opportunity. However, I think I will try my Dremel + sanding/buffing discs on Dillon's body parts, which, if successful, should render sanding less tedious and [slightly] more rewarding.

I need to...

...redo Avery and Mazzy's faceups. They look really flat and without personality compared to Ellery, Lucian and Jamisia's.

Lumedoll wants my money.

Eva just came out with an elf version of her first 1:6 scale BJD Koit. Maybe it's just the more flattering photos, but elf Koit looks more relaxed and happy than regular Koit. I asked Eva if the sculpts differed. She said:

I looked at the blank sculpts and the only difference (other than the ears) is the mouth has a slightly deeper part and that might make him look like he's a bit happier than the regular Koit! Also, I noticed that from the side profile, the nose on the elf is the tiniest bit rounder.

Hmmm...I'm feeling the desire for a Lumelight elf Koit to enlarge the eyes on and paint up all cheerful and welcoming.

CURSE YOU LUMEDOLL YOU JUST WANT MY MONEY.

I only have 4.5 Lumedolls, but they figure larger in my consciousness, probably because Lumedoll has the most numerous 1:6 scale offerings of any BJD company. Males are Koit regular and elf, Lucas and Blaze. Females are Elin and Arine. Where most BJD companies do, at most, a 1:6 scale hetero couple as an afterthought to their major 1:3 or 1:4 scale lines, Lumedoll offers a veritable diversity of 1:6ers.

Clearly I need a tan elf Koit.

>_>