Confessions of a Male Doll Collector

Photo Shoot - Teresa and Barbie Giveaway

2011-05-23T22:36:00.000+08:00

In the last blog post, I told you I had to give away Barbie and the cute leopard sofa to my nieces. The truth is more brutal - I had to give away two dolls, including Teresa. The two dolls have moveable joints on their arms, almost like their higher end cousins in the Pivotal Barbie line.

Enjoy the photos, the only ones I took for Teresa and Barbie. By this time, the dolls and sofa should have reached my nieces overseas. Hope they take care of my dolls and furniture.

Photo Shoot - Puppy Love Barbie

2011-05-21T09:32:00.001+08:00

I was told that I would have to give her away, together with the cute little leopard sofa, to my nieces. :((

She came with a life-sized t-shirt - the same one she is wearing - for kids. You can see the box display here. The doll is my first "normal grade" barbie with moveable arm joints, the kind you find in the Pivotal Barbie line.

I actually have a photo-shoot done with a bigger leopard sofa; the model then was Bond Girl.

Photo Shoot - Barbie Basics 08

2010-09-30T23:24:00.000+08:00

After buying seven barbie basics dolls and having blogged about the purchase, it is time to debox them for photo-shoot. #08 will have the honour of being the first in the barbie basics line to grace my setup. Enjoy!

The Seven Princesses are here

2010-06-26T17:45:00.001+08:00

Customize. Personalize. Play. Barbie Basics is all about permission to play. Each doll is in the fashion staple “Little Black Dress”—break her out of the box and customize to make her your own. All of the 12 different dolls come attired in different little black dresses. Add one of the accessory packs to personalize your very own Barbie doll.

Photo Shoot - Harley Chic 3.0 Creative Edition

2010-05-28T00:01:00.001+08:00

I decided to get creative with the photos taken in my first Harley Chic 3.0 photoshoot by adding effects. The effect is known as "low contrast darken". Not sure if appropriate but the photos sure look different, lol.

Photo Shoot - Harley Chic 3.0 with Bike

2010-05-25T08:00:00.000+08:00

It has been 10 months since I bought my Harley Chic and Otaku 1.2. Two weeks ago I decided to do some spring cleaning of the room and the result is a display table that is spick and span. Well not really because dust is accumulating everyday but at least the table can now double as a photo setup for dolls. BBI Perfect Body wearing Harley Chic 3.0 was the first to go on stage.

Triad Toys Harley Chic 3.0 outfit set includes

-1 Black Leather Motorcycle Jacket
-1 Black Leather Motorcycle Pants
-1 Pair Black Leather Boots with Bootfeet
-1 Black Tank Top with Front Zipper

Bike is Honda CBR 929RR from NewRay.

Our girl is holding a Desert Eagle, don't play play!

The gun is not part of the set. The outfit set itself can inflict enough damage already ($34.99 on Triad's website)

Preview of Black Widow at Toy Hunter, Hong Kong

2010-05-22T19:47:00.001+08:00

I was in Hong Kong recently and the routine included visiting Hot Toys at Toy Hunter. Black Widow from Iron Man 2 was in the display window!

Natasha Romanoff - Black Widow in the movie.

Black Widow by Hot Toys

Purchased Barbie and Teresa T-Shirt Pack

2009-12-10T08:00:00.037+08:00

Was at Toys "R" Us that day when I saw them. They are not new, these Barbie dolls bundled with a 1:1 T-shirt. I did not pay attention to the joint at the arm last time .. can you spot that in the picture above? Looks like one of those Pivotal body barbies! Mai tu leow .. score!

Not one but two. Below is Teresa, I prefer Teresa's T-shirt design than Barbie's, especially the big doll logo.

Now, I wonder whether there are joints on Barbie's legs. I believe Teresa should be using this "pivotal" body type as well.

Finally Purchased Muriel!

2009-12-07T23:50:00.001+08:00

I have waited weeks to score Muriel. Retailers brought them in before my regular contact. As a loyal customer, I decided to get Muriel from him.

My patience paid off. It better be as I waited two more weeks for the stock to come in. Muriel retails from $128 to $140 in places I have asked but I managed to score her for $120 from my regular contact!

Overall a very nice ZC Girl with cool Cheytech M200 and other accessories. I have not bought military figures for a long time because frankly I was sick of those which flooded the market, but Muriel is too hard for me to resist.

Muriel is modelled after Meryl Silverburgh from Metal Gear Solid. I have not played the game but who cares. :P

Purchased TTL Female Body (Brunette)

2009-11-22T18:43:00.000+08:00

Went CSC today but didn't buy anything. Wanted to score Muriel but my regular contact told me stock will only be in next week. There was a 'sale' at CSC, the Hot Toys slim or narrow bodies going for $25 (retail $40). They were snapped up quickly. Too bad I'm not into male bodies now, or I would have snapped them up too. But I don't think I had that much spare cash on hand. :P

So I came out empty-handed. Walked to my next destination - The Falcon's Hangar. Wanted to score a TTL female body. I almost came out empty-handed again 'cos the body was not on display. Luckily I opened my mouth .. and asked.

I made a surprising discovery. TFH accepts payment by credit card! Wah, are they the only 1:6 toy shop in Singapore to do that? And best of all, there is no surcharge!!

So I bought the brunette version. Her bigger bosoms (compared to the black version) are not my main consideration. I just find her headsculpt nicer. :)

Philipp Plein Barbie in 1:1

2009-11-14T23:12:00.000+08:00

"he was selected to create the birthday dress for the 50th anniversary Barbie®. The occasion is one of a kind, therefore it was the aim of PHILIPP PLEIN to give Barbie® a glamorous and noble appearance, underlining her timeless beauty but still making a statement for an high end fashion queen. The dress is made out of precious Jakob Schlaepfer Haute Couture fabric from Switzerland, decorated by hand with CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements. Soon the PHILIPP PLEIN Barbie® will be available as a 500 pieces limited edition."

From this website. Selling for around $385 .. USD I think! Very expensive right?? But pictures are free, so enjoy these pictures of the 1:1 version. The doll, we can buy it in our dream, haha.

Hilary Duff Fashion on My Obitsu

2009-11-07T22:06:00.001+08:00

I did this photo shoot many eons ago. Dressed the Hilary Duff Fashion on an obitsu because she can pose better due to her wider range of articulation. You can see the clothing set in Tecadelic's gallery.

I'm "censoring" her eyes first because they look kinda freaky, haha.

From source, Duff dresses Barbie dolls

Upcoming: Hot Toys TrueType Female Body

2009-10-22T01:55:00.000+08:00

Will be looking forward to this. From Hot Toys website:

Highlights:

Over 28 points of articulation
Realistic head sculpt with blonde and implanted hair
A full-torso soft rubber skin layer from neck to waist
2 pairs of hands
2 pairs of feet (high-heel and flat-heel)
1 set of top and bottom
A figure display stand

Expected release date is Q4, 2009. Woo, looking forward to my first Hot Toy body. :)

Photo Shoot - Otaku 1.2 Blonde in Yellow Bikini (2)

2009-10-17T02:34:00.000+08:00

Continued from part 1.

Photo Shoot - Otaku 1.2 Blonde in Yellow Bikini (1)

2009-10-13T01:44:00.002+08:00

Finally dressed up my blonde Otaku 1.2 from this post. Yellow bikini from ZC Girl Eve.

Part II of the photo shoot is here.

The Barbie Movie Turns Barbie into a Star

2009-09-28T21:05:00.001+08:00

Have you read the news? Barbie is starring in a live action film. Who is the lucky actress?

http://weblogs.variety.com/bfdealmemo/2009/09/u-turns-barbie-into-movie-star.html

Guys and Dolls

2009-09-12T21:29:00.001+08:00

From source:

MEN collecting dolls?

Some will tease: The inflatable kinds you can order off dodgy websites?

Others may start to speculate about the collector's sexual orientation. But male doll collectors here are unfazed by the heckling.

"It is better now than a few years ago. Instead of peering over our shoulders, passers-by now come up and talk to me about my dolls", said engineer Aaron Sim, 27, who has close to 200 manga-resembling Japanese dolls in his collection.

With the rise of the metrosexual in mainstream culture, the idea of males collecting dolls - a hobby once associated with young girls - has been gaining acceptance here in recent years.

Toy shops such as Dollz Inc in Wheelock Place and Magma Heritage in D'Centennial mall say about 25 to 35 per cent of their customers are guys.

Media relations executive Sharon Tan, 24, who held a doll convention last December, estimates that there are more than 15 male collectors among the 250-strong community, up from less than five only two years ago.

Most of them are earnest collectors, spending thousands of dollars and hours customising the dolls with props or weapons.

"The dolls, being expensive, make them seem less like boy's toys and more like a serious hobby", said arts student and doll collector Faith Chung, 21.

Most women interviewed agreed and said that they would judge a guy based on the type of dolls they collect and their reasons for collecting then, rather than on their gender alone.

"Some guys might be genuinely interested in the history or the craftsmanship behind the dolls", said civil servant Grace Tan, 27. "But if the dolls are in poses that border on porn, it might change my impression of him".

Said Ms Tan: For guys to be able to play with dolls so openly shows that they are confident enough not to bother about what people think about them.

After all, as they say, real men aren't afraid to wear pink.

So who are these men that collect dolls? And why do they do it?

0ne is a naval combat specialist. The others are engineers. Tough jobs, really. But after work, they go home to a bedroom full of dolls.

Guys and dolls? Strange combination.

Not for Mr He Zhixing, 28, Aaron Sim, 27, and Andrew Ho, 28.

They are part of a small but growing group of Singaporean men who collect Asian ball-jointed dolls. There are about 10 men here who share this hobby.

Originally from Japan and Korea, ball-jointed dolls are resin dolls which are gaining popularity among young adults here for their resemblance to manga characters.

Unlike regular dolls, all their joints can rotate and their facial features and hair can be customised.

A doll would set a collector back by US$200 (S$286) to more than US$1,000, depending on how customised the figurine is.

"They are life-like and much nicer to display and look at than regular dolls", said wireless engineer Mr Sim, who started collecting the dolls two years ago.

He has four of them, which cost him about $1,500 in total.

His dolls, named Shaiya, Maiya, Naiya and Bianca, each have birthdays, hobbies and favourite foods.

Shaiya, the smallest at 26cm, sits by his bedside as he sleeps.

The rest of his collection of 178 Japanese Pinky dolls is displayed across two walls of his bedroom in his family's five-room flat.

The eldest of three brothers, Mr Sim began playing with Barbie dolls since he was 7.

He still spends his weekends designing and stitching costumes for his dolls.

But Mr Sim, who orders the dolls from websites, insists he is not a sissy.

He attributes his hobby to growing up with a seamstress mum and 12 female cousins.

As a teenager, he used to do Cosplay, or dressing up as Japanese animation characters.

However, his girlfriend, Ms Kitty Koh, 22, is not worried that he "sleeps" with dolls.

The customer service co-ordinator owns seven dolls herself, and pairs up her male dolls with Mr Sim's female ones.

She said: Girls like it for dressing up, while the guys are more interested in the technical aspects of the doll.

He also helps friends and other doll collectors restring their dolls for a fee.

The doll clothes he designs are sold on his blog.

Mr Ho, who got to know Mr Sim through the Cosplay community, bought his first doll last July.

The combat specialist spends his free time crafting doll-sized swords and armour, mostly custom designed and commissioned by fellow doll-collectors.

So much so that his girlfriend began to feel jealous.

Said Ms Evon Toh, 25, co-owner of a comics shop "Andrew tends to be quite obsessed when he starts to do something. For the first two months of getting the doll, I was a bit upset that all he talked about is his doll's weapons, but thankfully now it's died down".

On weekends, the couple and their friends take their dolls to the Botanical Gardens for photoshoots.

They also took their dolls to Kuala Lumpur to exhibit them at a comics convention.

Mr He, a technical specialist by day and photographer and graphics illustrator in his free time, switched from collecting fantasy figurines like Spawn and Marble Heroes characters when Mr Sim and Mr Ho introduced him to the dolls last July.

He has nine dolls which cost him about $400 to $900 each.

Well, those are big players. My doll are not that expensive. :P

Triad Purchases - Otaku 1.2 and Harley Chic 3.0

2009-08-24T02:30:00.006+08:00

On Sunday I finally got my Otaku 1.2 from my regular contact in CSC. Been waiting for weeks. And I'm slow because most of Singapore seem to have got it already.

Bought a Harley Chic 3.0 black at the same time. Let's see how this Triad clothing set will fit a Triad body.

Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 (2) - Dolls

2009-08-17T23:06:00.000+08:00

Dolls did not come in full strength this year with the Pullips and BJDs conspicuously missing. I had a good time shooting them last year and was expecting this year to be the same if not better. However I did not see a single Pullip in the convention. BJDs fared slightly better - I think there were two or three in this miserable booth. The star this year must be Blythe managed by Dollzinc. Doll after doll, visitors just couldn't stop snapping. I caught a couple of shots myself. Interestingly their focus was on selling Blythe memorabilia, not the actual dolls. The dolls on display were customized by I think this guy called Freddy. I saw him in the booth.

The BJDs on display in the miserable booth.

Nice Blythe backdrop behind Dollzinc booth.

Blythe galore in the booth

Customized Blythe masterpieces on display.

Barbies on display.

These and other photos in my flickr.

Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention 2009 (1) - Cosplayers

2009-08-16T19:12:00.001+08:00

Last year's toy convention was a fun-filled event for me (here and here). This year, I waited in anticipation and when the day arrived, I happily zipped down to Suntec for the event. I'd say it is OK but somehow it did not surpass or live up to my expectation. I was expecting to see more booths than last year. Maybe there were more booths this time, but they were not what I'm looking for. In fact, I couldn't even find Magma Heritage or Domuya. Have they boycotted the event?? On the good side, Blythe by Dollzinc has a nice booth this year (photos in part 2), Nintendo (Wii Fit) and cosplayers (including 501st Legion) graced the occasion.

Cosplayers posing for visitors.

Little girls posing with cosplayers.

501st Stormtrooper posing for me. He was kind enough to pose for my Point and Shoot camera. To the person inside the helmet, thank you very much!

Garang girl posing for me candidly. She was caught by surprise.

FF Cloud posing with (chio) visitor.

Young cosplayer posing for female videographer.

and finally .. chio cosplayer posing for nobody.

These and other 2009 convention photos in my flickr set here.

Photo Shoot - Jessie Fashionista

2009-08-10T08:00:00.000+08:00

After Red Dreams and Elisha Cuthbert, here is Jessie in her full costume from the boxset. Since body is not included, I took the one from my ZC Girl Eve. Problem is, the black dye has *already* stained the base figure so I might as well make the body permanent for Jessie.

Photo Shoot - Jessie and Elisha Cuthbert

2009-08-05T08:00:00.000+08:00

A photo shoot is a creative exercise. Here is Jessie and Elisha Cuthbert. I first saw Elisha Cuthbert in the movie The Girl Next Door. Chio actress. If only my doll can strike that pose, hehe.

(The Elisha backdrop is a high res, full screen image on my LCD monitor.)

Photo Shoot - Jessie Red Dreams

2009-08-02T01:17:00.000+08:00

Excited over the purchase of my first boxset (ST 001 Jessie), I set up a photo shoot at the first opportunity. Been kind of busy lately and procrastinating, finally here is it.

I like to experiment with new photo shoot techniques and angles, challenging myself to do better each time. I am not always successful, due to the environmental constraints and figure articulation.

This Red Dream photo shoot has - can you guess it - a LCD monitor as backdrop. The 'red curtain' is a high resolution full-screen image. Light source is mostly artificial lighting from my IKEA table lamp and a bit of natural lighting.

Upcoming: ZC Girl Queenie

2009-07-25T01:07:00.000+08:00

Upcoming new babe from ZCGirl.

The hair is nice, but the black red sexy suit is just normal fare.

First 1:6 Box Set Purchase: Jessie

2009-07-16T00:48:00.000+08:00

I have bought carded accessory sets and figure box sets in the past, but not accessory box sets. From my memory, accessory box sets started to get popular with VeryHot imitation of Hot Toys. I think the accessory box set is quite a smart idea, after all many collectors frequently swap inferior stock bodies for customizer bodies like Hot Toys True Type 38. For me, it is a good way keep my growing collection in check.

Finally bought an accessory box set on Sunday at CSC. My first. The good thing is, the set comes with a head sculpt, pretty well done in my opinion. The company's Super Toys, another made in china phenomenon, but hey the head sculpt's better than those ZC Girl ones .. whahaha

From the product website:

Here are some photos of the box and inside.

New Female Head Sculpts (TTL)

2009-07-13T00:50:00.000+08:00

Saw three new head sculpts on pre-order at TFH website. The company's TTL, one of those china-based companies recently sprang up. On their website, the preorder is at USD 17.99, but TFH has them at SGD 20 each. They look good, I may considering buying them.

Long Black, Straight.

Long, Curly.

Short, Curly.

Photo Shoot - Eve on the Gold Leopard Sofa

2009-06-19T02:12:00.001+08:00

Eve was my first foray into ZC Girl and second base body after BBI Perfect Body Female. I've read negative reviews about ZC Girl bodies but overall I think she's ok. Just get their designers (if they have any) to touch up on her 'cartoon' face. Eve has quite high quality hair as compared to Perfect Body so the face's a mismatch. Oh yes, her butt could have more fats though.

Today, Eve has the honour to be Model No. 2 for my Gold Leopard Sofa.

Photo Shoot - Glamorous Lifestyle on the Gold Leopard Sofa (I)

2009-06-14T22:20:00.000+08:00

I eagerly set up a photo shoot session after unboxing the Gold Leopard Sofa. First model was Barbie "Bond Girl". She was the natural candidate for the sofa.

I'm glad I got the scale right. A good sofa or chair will have the 'seat' at kneecap height, this I discovered only recently ~~after years of sitting on chairs and sofas~~. For Barbie whose legs cannot bend at right angles, it is better to err on the side of caution. Better a larger sofa than a smaller one.

My favourite photo has Barbie lying sensuously on her back with her smooth silky legs showing through the gown. Gotcha!

I Purchased the Gold Leopard Sofa!

2009-06-13T19:10:00.001+08:00

That day at Marina Square, I chanced upon a contemporary gift shop, the playful and funky kind selling unconventional gifts like lava lamps, wall clocks and can-drink phones.

What excites me was the toy furniture on display. They are not 1:6 accessories but jewellery boxes in disguise. At $48 per piece after discount, they do not come cheap. But hey, who says the 1:6 hobby is cheap? Digressing. Since they look so intricate (look at the legs and ornament; pillows are included!!), I decided they are worth the price.

The jewellery compartment is well-hidden from sight. I probably have no use for the compartment except to store my 1:6 accessories. Well, let's see, should I hide the bazooka or the various rotting faux leather bags and apparel?

A bit of caveat emptor here. There are chairs/sofas/sofa-beds and they come in a few (near 1:6) scales, but they all cost $48. Which means you probably give the smaller furniture or the not so pretty ones a miss. I had a tough time choosing the scale. Based on experience, I tend to underestimate the scale for 1:6 furniture and my dolls will sit in an awkward position if they choose to sit (not like they have a choice .. lol). The Gold Leopard Sofa I bought is of the largest scale and the most intricate. This time my dolls will sit comfortably. :)

Front:

Back:

Pillow:

Legs:

Ornament:

Open Sesame!

Interior:

PS: The shop's Epitome, for those interested. You find it near the overhead bridge exit to Suntec.

Photo Shoot - Dance of the Kunoichi

2009-06-06T18:46:00.000+08:00

Been busy lately, no time to update my toy blog. This afternoon, I decided enough was enough; if I procrastinate, this blog will not see further photo shoots. My first photo shoot was Barbie, my entry to doll collecting.

Today I present Crazy Owners Kunoichi, my first purchase for 2009.

To end, here's my white ninja prostrating in front of Kunoichi. :D

Upcoming: Hot Toys Chacha Asai (Ryoko Hirosue) from Goemon

2009-05-09T16:04:00.001+08:00

Gorgeous.

Saw the preorder on TFH. At $219.95, this is considered middle range for Hot Toys products. I may consider getting one of these Hot Toys ladies as my entry into the Hot Toys line. Boy, doesn't this Chacha Asai look like a doll?

Chacha Asai is a character from the just released (I think so, the trailer says 2009 5.1) CG movie Goemon. You can watch the trailers (ver.1, ver.2) and read IMDb for the cast.

Ryoko Hirosue (広末涼子) plays Chacha in the movie. I used to watch JDrama and she was a familiar face in big productions like Long Vacation and Beach Boys. I've also watched her other shows like Lipstick, Summer Snow and Shotgun Marriage. Therefore she is one of the few Japanese actresses I can identify with. Another reason to get her 1:6 representation.

The Hot Toys product page wrote of a "highly detailed head sculpture with authentic likeness of Ryoko Hirosue as ChaCha Asai". The head sculpt is by Hiroki Hayashi who also gave us Silken Floss.

So how authentic is the head sculpt? And her gown? According to the product page, she is "dressed in her movie-accurate costume of gorgeous gown and detailed footwear".

In my opinion, the face's too long and pointed. It is not that her face has slimmed down in recent years. Here is how she looked a decade ago.

I tried to find movie stills from Goemon and I gave up. Here are some screen-caps from the trailers.

Chacha Asai is no barbie all right, but still, it is a pity for Hot Toys action figure origin to show through the doll. The ugly POA (point of articulation) glares at us in the next picture. And her leg showing through, not sexy but like a stick.

Her image as a doll is further marred by the molded hair. Why didn't Hot Toys use rooted hair? Now her two waist length locks just look so fake.

Otherwise, the figure is ok. She is not high on the accessory list but the highlight is her gorgeous gown anyway. If you can get her to pose with her folding fan (or knife) and her legs tucked in, she looks great.

There is another reason why Ryoko Hirosue as Chacha Asai in Goemon is a must-watch. According to this website,

Ryoko Hirosue, a Japanese actress, will disrobe and appear nude for “Goemon.” In “Goemon”, Hirosue will be seen naked in the shower. Hirosue will have a nude, intimate bed scene with her male leading actor.

Okay .. ahem.

Photo Shoot - Barbie "Bond Girl"

2009-04-05T23:46:00.000+08:00

I finally got to upload my 1:6 photo shoot. Previously my photo shoots were the Chinese minority dolls (Spotlight on Culture series), but they are not true sixth scale dolls. For example, their limbs have limited articulation and everything below the torso is fake.

Barbie Bond Girl comes as part of the James Bond 007 Ken and Barbie Giftset, but I bought her loose from Dollz Inc. Ken doesn’t attract me as much as Barbie.

Ignite White Ninja - First Male Purchase in a Long Long Time

2009-03-22T23:02:00.002+08:00

Shaun’s photo-shoot of his Ignite Brown Ninja made me so gian that I decided to buy another ninja. I just couldn’t take it any more.

Why was there this inner conflict? You see, the brown and white ninja did not score high on first impression, unlike my female black ninja. It was not that i didn’t like them. I considered them “good to have”, but due to my shrinking room space, I cannot be collecting every “good to have” figure in the 1:6 world. So I own a Asajj Ventress, but buying one more alien Jedi Master like Plo Koon is akin to opening Pandora’s Box.

Until Shaun posted the blog. I thought, a new ninja could act as bodyguard for my female ninja. She would have a sparring partner. A lover. Or arch-enemy.

Today at Yellow Box Trade, I saw the white ninja. It still did not score high on first impression. I asked the boss whether the black and brown ones were still available. No more. Then he said something that was like sage advice – these figures don’t wait, if they’re gone they’re gone. I can’t remember the exact lines. I left the shop, but halfway back I relented and returned.

The original plan was to score both white and brown ninjas. But the colour combination looked weird to me : white – black – brown. I dropped the idea.

Preview: ZCGirl 'Rosanna' and her Motorbike

2009-03-19T22:16:00.000+08:00

Chanced upon this on TFH - ZC Girl Rosanna w / Bike -- SGD$169.90 ea (Available end-April).

A bike girl in leather outfit and comes with a bike. Perfect combination.

Her equipment list, from the product website:

ZCGirl "Eve" Body (Tan)
Long and Short Torsos
ZCGirl Real Like Head (Eye Rotation Technique)
Brown Iris Eye Ball x 1 pair
Green Iris Eye Ball x 1 pair
Protective Gloved Hands
Black Leather Biker Jacket
Black Leather Pants
Black Racing Boots
Black Protective Pads
Black Motorcycle Helmet
Backpack
Scorpion Vz61 Submachine Gun
Black Motorcycle

Some preview shots, from ZCGirl, and my opinion.

Selling point: Realistic (non cartoony) headsculpt, 'outstanding' hair colour. Even the chain looks metallic.

She does resemble Kate Beckinsale to an extent:

Selling point: Equipment looks complete. The bike girl carries a SMG even. She is all ready to roll out for her kill.

Unique selling point: The bike. Not like when you buy Batman, it comes with a Batpod. However, ZCGirl doesn't think that way. They put the bike last in the list.

Now comes the non-selling point - the leather outfit. It will probably rot in our weather. Which is why I avoid buying dolls clad in leather material. They are sexy, but their clothes will rot.

The SMG and backpack also look crude. Maybe they should have given her a Desert Eagle instead. The contrast will look good.

Assouline $500 Barbie Fashion Book Sneak Preview

2009-03-18T13:07:00.001+08:00

Was dumbfounded to read about this $500 coffee-table book by Assouline. At the prevailing rate of 1 USD to 1.5391 SGD, that will be $769.55 in my local currency. I'm not even sure whether Kinokuniya or PageOne will stock it. Can NLB do me a favour and buy it? :D

From the product website:

Barbie Limited Edition
by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Big-eyed, blonde, and beautiful, Barbie took over the world in 1959 with little more than a white-and-black striped bathing suit and a pair of high heels. Today, Mattel sells three Barbies a second, and children in more than one hundred and fifty countries know her name.

Now, on her fiftieth anniversary as cultural icon, Assouline presents the ultimate collector’s volume on the world’s most popular doll. Encapsulating her history, chronicling her fashion, and imagining her life as a woman of mystery, glamour, and fun, Barbie presents this totemic figure as never seen before—in vivid dioramas of Barbie at work and play and in portraits of vintage dolls and accessories. A muse for children and adults, designers and artists, writers and cultural critics, Barbie remains a powerfully evocative and enigmatic reflection of our dreams, our hopes, and ourselves.

Assembled using the traditional anglaise technique and color-tipped by hand on art-quality paper, each page of this limited edition series bears the unique imprint of the artisan. The Assouline Ultimate Collection heralds a return to luxury, care, and mystique of a fine, hand-bound book.

The book is a limited edition and comes with FREE high quality Assouline Tote Bag. A 128 pages tome with 69 illustrations, cloth over board with linen presentation box:

The product website has a small sneak preview of the content. For easier viewing, I compiled them into one image. Note that copyright belongs to Assouline.

The New York Magazine also has a sneak preview and in higher quality. I just post my favourite:

Barbie decked in a white gold, diamond, and emerald serpent necklace designed by Boucheron. Sassy. Copyright Avrile.

Barbie Runway Show 50th Anniversary Full Video

2009-03-15T12:56:00.001+08:00

I have missed Barbie’s birthday due to my hectic schedule (plus I concentrate most of my efforts on the other blog on heritage). It is a shame because I collect Barbie too. I hope it is never too late to say Happy Belated Birthday Barbie!

So Barbie is turning 50 and there are ton of festivities to commemorate the special anniversary. One such event was the Barbie Runway Show on Feb 14, 2009.

From ChipChicklets,

In honor of Barbie’s 50th Anniversary, Mattel put together a very special Barbie Fashion Show at Fashion Week in New York two weeks ago. The show celebrated 50 years of Barbies and their fashions through the past few generations with a great visual presentation piece. Barbie also came to “life” on the runway when models strutted Barbies most famous fashions on the actual runway. This video of the event is a must to check out for any Barbie lovers out there.

I managed to find these videos by ErichBen on YouTube. Split into three parts but should be the full show.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Love Dolls in Japan

2009-02-28T23:02:00.001+08:00

Just when you think 1:6 dolls are too much (financially and storage-wise), you have people collecting the 1:1 version. This is not news to me ~~and I know their bust is squeezable~~ but I’m just intrigued about their body articulation. Just how posable are they?

Asajj Ventress at the Career Fair

2009-02-15T03:08:00.002+08:00

I was at the NUS Career Fair to score goodie bags and free gifts when I chanced upon this booth. Wah, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. Banner shows Ahsoka Tano from the Clone Wars movie. Clone commander in the background banner.

They had those animated character badges in a bowl as gifts. I had no intention to join Lucasfilm Animation but proceeded to pick one. The thicker your skin, the better.

I already knew which one to pick. There was only one most desirable character.

Asajj Ventress.

Serving as Count Dooku's most-trusted assassin, Asajj Ventress was a lithe beauty possessing both serpentine grace and lethality.

Power-hungry and cunning, Ventress took great delight in toying with her victims before she killed them. Using her exotic allure, Ventress often distracted her opponent before dispatching him.

Asajj has perfected a lightsaber combat form that uses paired blades to strike and parry. She carried twin weapons given to her by Count Dooku, and each bears a similar archaic curved handle design favored by the former Jedi Master. Ventress' lightsaber handles are especially modified so that they can connect into a joined, S-shaped handle, becoming a double-bladed lightsaber.

I have a 1:6 Asajj Ventress from Sideshow. The serpentine grace and lethality ….

Blowing Her Hot - Uncasing My Triad Toys Otaku Body

2009-02-08T12:34:00.002+08:00

I blogged about my purchase of Triad Toys’ Otaku Body. After lying in state for a week, I decided to release her from the plastic mausoleum.

Initial impression:

Her body is one solid mass and she feels like a brick in your hand. My other doll bodies are never this heavy.

The matt skin is fantastic. It does not have the plasticky feel typical of other sixth scale dolls. It feels good when caressed. It looks good when photographed.

True to general consensus, the joints are legendary stiff. Mine especially at the shoulder.

The hair is top quality – Japanese saran from product description.

The bikini is tight. It is immovable. I own other stock bikini figures and they are never this tight. The string strap is the reason, other figures use stretchable material for the strap.

Following general advice, I blew her hot with the hairdryer. I’m not sure of the correct technique, so I aimed the nozzle and blasted her joints with hot air.

Her joints must be pretty stiff because there was no significant improvement after some time. Maybe she should get a hot water bath?

The first round of hair drying is over. Vincent’s advice was to blow her across three different days. Frankly she did not loosen up significantly on my first attempt. I had broken the elbow of my Pivotal™ body Barbie before and she was more expensive than the Otaku (close to a hundred dollars). Now I handle the Otaku with trepidation.

1:6 Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss

2009-02-04T01:10:00.002+08:00

Saw this on Shaun’s blog.

It began with a silhouette from Hot Toys’ January newsletter. Again, I got wind of it from Shaun’s entry (check out his sexy Scarlett photo).

Silken Floss is Scarlett’s character in The Spirit. The silhouette is that of Silken.

I’ve not watched the movie, but I’ve loved Scarlett ~~and her boobs~~ from The Island.

The silhouette’s finally revealed. Hot Toys is releasing her as a Movie Masterpiece Series, in Q2 2009.

Here is what she has to boast:

1/6 scale with over 30 points of articulation. (means she is very playable)

Highly detailed implanted hair and head sculpt with authentic likeness of Scarlett Johansson. (authentic or not .. look at the next picture and the next few and tell me)

Dressed in her movie-accurate costume of military suit, shirt, jodhpurs and boots. (doesn’t matter if you’re not a The Spirit fan)

A removable hat, pair of glasses, belt, necklace, armband and syringe are some of the accessories included. (syringe .. poke who?)

I thought the head sculpt is outstanding. The rest, so so. I’m not into female Nazi uniform (SS?) and neither are her gears attractive.

Below are photos of Scarlett Johansson. Ooooooh..

Second image is a wallpaper from The-TrukstoP.com

Triad Toys Otaku Pale Body

2009-02-01T16:40:00.001+08:00

Went for the much-anticipated Otaku Body this morning. First heard Vincent’s gonna stock her when I bought my Triad sailor uniform from him. Been a long wait since then; according to Vincent shipping had been a pain and expensive.

On Triad Toys website, the Otaku bodies retail for $29.99. Bought the pale version from Vincent at SGD50. Wonder how much I would be paying if order from Triad direct.

Mine is Otaku 1.0 Pale Body version, featuring:

25+ points of articulation

1 female anime head (yeah, her eyes are big) with Japanese saran hair.

1 pair of pistol grip hands

1 pair of fist hands

1 pair of relaxed hands

1 bikini top and bottom

Otaku bodies may have broken the record for the most expensive fragile body by a 1/6 manufacturer. From what I’ve read, the joints are rather brittle and she has broken the hearts of many who tried posing her or change her clothes. In fact, Vincent advised (cautioned) me to blow her three times over a few days to play safe. Let’s see how, I’m rather impatient when posing my sixth scale.

So this is Otaku Pale Body from Triad Toys. For official pictures, check out the product page.

2009 First Purchase: Crazy Owners Female Ninja 'Kunoichi'

2009-01-11T18:10:00.001+08:00

I scored this one today from Vincent at CSC Toy Market. The last time I bought ZC Girl 'Eve' and Triad Toys 'New Skool Outfit Set' from him. He looks like an honest chap and has toys I fancy, so I probably buy from him in future. His retail price was $95 but other shops retail for $90~~, so maybe he is not so honest~~.

What I like:

Cool concept .. female ninja!

The eyes behind the slit are really sexy. Check out my banner photo. This is probably the no. 1 point. The box art has her unveiled and in a very nice pose.

Loads of ninja accessories, standard from Ignite ninja line.

Affordable price. It is not easy to find a sub-hundred sixth scale now.

According to the box, the weapons are die-cast. I think Vincent was joking (he is a humorous chap from the way he talks) the metal Trident can poke people's neck. The weapons are sharp, check out the product poster below.

Merry Christmas, Carol!

2008-12-24T18:25:00.000+08:00

For half a year, I've been fascinated by a cardboard poster lying on my doll display. The display is in my bedroom, so every day for half a year, I look at the poster - the big head and larger than life eyes - but ignorant of the subject's name.

Then last week, while window shopping at Orchard, I saw some Pullip/Taeyang old stock behind the counter at Dollzinc. I was checking for Pullip new stock so I did not give them a thought (regrettably Dollzinc does not deal with Pullip anymore, their speciality is Blythe). Later, it began to dawn on me that one of them resembled the subject of my poster. As fate would have it, I requested to have a closer look at the doll while in the shop. She was the only one I requested.

I learnt her name is Carol and she is a 1st generation Pullip from 2003.

The poster is sentimental as it was a gift from my first Pullip. A Pullip poster with its real-life counterpart will be cute, I thought. Furthermore, since I cannot imagine anybody giving me a Pullip for Christmas, I decided to get one myself. My Christmas present.

Dollzinc trademark shopping bag with the doll inside. I have a few of these from my previous doll purchases.

Pullip Carol in her box. My observation is that Pullip dolls do not look as good when they are boxed. They are cute all right, but you must unbox them to feel the power. ~~Unlike my other recent purchase, the bust sealed the transaction.~~

The doll with her poster that spurred my purchase. Pullip Carol is a Christmas doll and she is dressed in a santa suit. Because she is on a 1st generation body, the designer has given her a suit to cover up the body flaws. From my brief research, I learnt there are visible screws on the body, on the arms at least; very glaring if she is sleeveless, that's why even her arms are covered with the I-dunno-what-you-call-that detachable sleeves.

The poster I've been staring at for half a year. I love those eyes. While it was a gift from my earlier (first) Pullip purchase, I deliberately chosen it from among the pile of free posters.

Merry Christmas, Carol!

First Foray into ZC Girl and Triad Toys

2008-12-16T02:32:00.002+08:00

Scored a ZC Girl "EVE" Body (Pale) and a Triad Style New Skool Outfit at the CSC Flea Market. My first foray into the respective manufacturers.

I have to say the boss was quite friendly to me. You don't find many such people in CSC especially. I was told the Triad Otaku body may be coming at month's end. Hopefully can score one from him.

I'm a mini-collector (can't fight with the big players of course) of female bodies and I own a BBI Perfect Body Female. I'm not satisfied with the quality, honestly, and I want to see how Eve fares.

~~The size of her bust was also a consideration.~~

I bought the Triad Style outfit 'cos it looks cute. The outfit is obviously designed for 1:6 action figure bodies, so it will not fit my obitsus and Jennys nicely. I already have a sailor uniform from my Jenny collection, let's see how this one compares.

Apologies for the sloppy photos. I can't wait to get them photographed and my "professional" studio/stage for doll photography is packed with dolls now.

Upcoming: Star Wars Force Unleashed Stormtrooper Commander

2008-11-16T19:07:00.005+08:00

New 12-inch figure by Sideshow. Check it out.

More photos in their product page.

The Blogging Continues

2008-11-16T00:12:00.002+08:00

This blog is still alive and will continue to be updated.

A new theme and a new start. =)

Spotlight on Culture: Baoan Nationality

2008-07-06T22:20:00.002+08:00

My Baoan doll has a totally different flavor from the Wa doll. Long sleeves cover the limbs and the overall costume gives you a prudish feel.

About their costume:

20世纪50年代以后，保安族妇女的服饰也有不同程度的变化，大多喜穿色彩鲜艳的衣服。年轻妇女上穿粉红色或青、蓝色的长夹袄，上套坎肩，长度刚过双膝，称作“一锅烟”。衣襟、衣袖都不有同颜色的三道花边，第一道仅二分宽，为红色；第二道四寸宽，为浅蓝色；第三道为“万不断”云子，色彩要与服装的颜色相搭配。妇女和姑娘们都戴盖头。起初，盖头长至腿腕，后来就比较短了。盖头的颜色，姑娘为绿色，出嫁时，在间顶处缀两条交叉的红绸带垂于背后；中年妇女为青色；老年为白色。盖头只有出时才戴，在家只戴白布帽，保安语称之为“琪项麻勒赫”。喜订节日时，年轻的姑娘喜戴红、绿色礼帽。

Hmm, what's our girl doing in the last picture?

She's in the sujood prayer position. ^^

In fact, you might have guessed it by now. The Baoan nationality is Muslim, one of the ten nationalities in China to believe in Islam.

PS: Apologies to my Muslim readers. I know her sujood position is full of mistakes. This is because our girl is not bendable. Let her be a negative example. She still has much to learn.

Singapore Toy and Comic Convention Day 2

2008-06-30T02:00:00.000+08:00

I miss her.

I didn't realize it on the site, she only caught my attention while I was writing the entry for Day 1. The bespectacled girl with silvery long hair has every mark of a "must-own" doll. She is not freaky, her tender lips, smooth complexion and silky hair exude a girlish charm. Plus she is not dressed provocatively. 她看起来好帅气！

I regretted not taking more photos of her at that time. Also my coverage of the event is pathetic. I did not take as many photos as I should. I'm not going to leave our first local toy convention with the measly selection of photos. Moreover, as an amateur Star Wars fan, I did not get to enter the Hasbro booth and I also missed out on the Cosplay parade which is on Day 2. Not wanting to have any more regrets, I decided to visit the convention again.

The D-BOX Motion Code activated theater and game seating. It is right at the entrance, so you won't miss it. The technology creates real-life motion in your seat that's synced to the action on screen. Hmm, I wonder what happens if your car flips? Will your seat fly up as well?

Movie memorabilia at Popcornpop. Just bought a Audrey Hepburn Pullip yesterday, so seeing the real Audrey on poster and the "Breakfast At Tiffany" poster in the convention is especially memorable. Nay, won't buy the posters. Too big and no place to hang the frame. May consider if I have a house as big as the Louvre.

Blythe booth manned by Dollz Inc. Have bought a few dolls from their shop. The boss and lady shop assistant know me by face, but I do not know their names. Shame on me! A pity they specialize in Blythe. As a whole, I do not find them attractive, though a few are cute. This convention, I have nothing to buy from them. To ease my guilt a little, I put up the photo of their booth at full size.

Bouquet for Dollz Inc. So colorful! It is addressed to Lai Keng & all. Is the lady boss called Lai Keng?

Domuya booth. My photo coverage for Domuya on Day 1 was pathetic. Today, I shall carry the 宁可杀错，不可放过 attitude.

BJDs in their full glory:

Wait, why is her glasses crooked? Somebody might have knocked onto her. Poor thing. Imagine you are one of those dolls, posing for 8 hours a day for two days, enduring not only stares but also camera flashes ....

I find the above doll very cool. It is her hairstyle and the way she stands. I think it is her clothes also, the metal armour that hugged her sleek body frame and notice her doll joints are hidden. Her posture is definitely more alluring than the maid and the doll in dress higher up.

Another doll with similar clothing. This posture is not as good, however.

A rare sight. The nakedness and dolls going for operation. On the right, all the dolls on display. The maid actually got her glasses straightened. Yay!

Wait a minute, where is my bespectacled girl with long silvery hair?? She's not there. What? You mean I came for her and she's not there?! Gosh, looks like I have to surf the net for her pictures. Haiz.

The poster on their glass cabinet. I couldn't resist taking the shot 'cos she looks very much like Ayumi Hamasaki!

Magma Heritage booth. Surprisingly there was no crowd. The reason, I suspect, is 'cos they removed all their display dolls from the shelves. Not sure why they did this.

Other dolls on display at Magma booth. Hey, that's Rei Ayanami from Neo Genesis Evangelion! Anime girls and dolls like Pullip are a match 'cos of their big eyes and head.

LEGO booth. The LEGO man below the logo looks like he is beckoning you. Cute! The finalists for the LEGO Build-A-Brick Competition.

Artists at work. The man signing autograph is Gary Erskine.

Hasbro Star Wars booth. The photo of the queue was taken when I reached the convention hall. I visited the doll booths before joining the queue. There wasn't any. Explains why I could take the second picture, as I was the first in line.

Jedi Master Kit Fisto welcoming me! We are told these toys are courtesy of local collectors. Not sure how many collectors contributed, but if I were to mix them up, can they find their toys back?

All stormtroopers at attention. The way the lady looks at them is eerie, it's like the troopers are taking orders from her.

The troopers are at attention for the arrival of Emperor Palpatine. A classic scene. From ROTJ (Ep VI).

General Obi Wan and his loyal clone troopers behind him. If Darth Sidious were to initiate Order 66 at this time, our Jedi will be dead meat.

Lao Fu Tzi also at the convention! On the right, speedcubers solving Rubik's Cube at CJ 917 booth. Interestingly, the logo for the convention is also a Rubik's Cube.

Bandai's booth. No giant RX-78 on display, but Ryubi Gundam. The display label has a typo, not sure how many of you spotted it. I didn't know they have such creative gundams these days. Ryubi .. Liu Bei .. ok.

Nintendo's booth. They always have these girls in Japanese fashion playing in their center booth. Is this deliberate? From the way they dress, they don't look local. Perhaps they are Japanese studying in Japanese schools locally.

501st Legion. Kids simply love these villians from Star Wars.

Military fanboys at the convention. Typical HK SDU style. The guy with goggle was actually posing for my camera. I feel so honored, haha.

Finally, the Cosplay part. They are one of the reasons why I revisited the convention.

The above photo was taken outside the Domuya booth.

I know nuts about the local Cosplay scene, so don't ask me what characters they are imitating. I watch anime too, just not those.

I felt paiseh about taking their shots. This explains why they were not looking at my camera. Imagine, you want them to pose for you and you only have ............ a PNS camera?! It is like covering Oscar with a PNS when everybody else using professional level SLR. If you are a star and there are ten photographers clamoring for your attention, you probably turn to the one with the biggest looking SLR (big lens + flash unit + vertical grip). An expensive SLR is also a testament to the skill of the photographer.

So the reason why they were not looking at my camera is because I did not explicitly catch their attention. I have to be contented taking pictures from the sideline.

The convention has ended and so will my coverage. For those who went to the convention, I hope you have enjoyed yourself like me.

Singapore Toy and Comic Convention Day 1

2008-06-29T01:12:00.003+08:00

I was too balonglong this morning.

As a result, I missed the official opening of the convention and the Star Wars Imperial March by 501st Legion. When I reached the entrance at level 6, it was already teeming with people. The crowd inside was bigger than I expected.

I came to the convention hoping to see my line of toys, but sixth scale toys were not well represented. In fact, none of the manufacturers like Hot Toys, Dragon, Blue Box etc. are taking part in the convention. Only female dolls like Blythe, Pullip, J-Dolls and BJDs are represented. No Barbies, no Jenny, no Momoko!

I was surprised to see a BJD booth by Domuya. I gave the Doll Affair a miss last year, so this is my first time seeing BJDs up close.

The booth is small and packed. You have to make your way into the interior to get a shot, but it is not that hard to get in. A few of the BJDs:

Dolls with glasses are cool. The background doll in the first picture:

Chio! My heart is itching .. to own a doll like her.

Turns out that's not the only bespectacled doll in the booth:

Err, why does she have to dress up like a maid?

Domuya has this scantily-clad doll on display, but in a class cabinet:

They are probably afraid the doll might catch a cold. Or that somebody might molest her because she, her whole body, is too realistic.

The Domuya booth was unexpected but not Magma Heritage. I actually came to know this toy convention through their website. Knowing they are going to represent Pullip and J-Dolls, I awaited the convention with anticipation.

The Magma booth is small but more packed than the Domuya one. I can probably understand this. Ball-Joined Dolls (BJDs) are big, freaky and uncommon locally. Each doll costs hundreds of dollars and collectors typically import their stuffs overseas. In other words, the barrier to ownership is higher. In contrast, the dolls in the Magma booth are of the sixth scale variety, smaller, cutier and prettier. Ok, BJD fans are gonna whack me for this, but what I mean is a BJD is all about realism. If one day you suddenly find a 1/1 ultra-realistic doll on your bed, bet you freaked out first, right? So there is a price to pay for being too big and too realistic.

If you look at the Magma dolls (Pullip, Dal, Taeyang), they may be freaky to some with the huge eyes, but they also look cute and more approachable with their disproportionate head and cheerful expression.

So inside the Magma booth, there are people snapping pictures and girls buying/inquiring about the dolls, reasons why the booth is packed.

Left to right: Jade Taeyang, Sol Taeyang, Seiran Taeyang, Youtsuzu Pullip, Hanaayame Dal

Left: Youtsuzu Pullip. Right: Celsiy Pullip

Left: Suigintou Pullip and Souseiseki Pullip. Right: Shinku Pullip and Kanaria Dal

This convention is not about toys and comics only. Visitors get to see the Singapore garrison of the 501st Legion up close:

In Star Wars Ep. IV (A New Hope), Luke complained of limited vision after donning the suit. I suppose these guys aren't having any better. I guess it is hot inside the suit and helmet; visual and audial are limited.

The crowd are all jostling in front for their photo-shoot. I told myself a shot from behind or side is just as good, at least different:

The Dark Lord is here! But the lady in front is not afraid of him and she looks blissfully excited. This won't happen in the movie.

This is the 501st Legion Booth. Those are helmets, not war trophies by the good guys. The Red Guard at the corner .. is he real or fake?? He wasn't moving while I was at the booth. The Clone Trooper in stylo-posture is the 1/7 scale vinyl from Kotobukiya.

LEGO was also at the convention, highlight being the top 10 finalist models for the LEGO Build-A-Brick Competition, based on the theme of "Icons of Singapore".

Hasbro had a big booth with Star Wars figurines on display, but there was a queue and entry is controlled. So I just took pictures of their wall outside:

Nintendo goes all out to promote their latest Wii platform. You don't see any Xbox or Playstation this time. Look at how the kid is enjoying himself with his grandpa. Wii has the ability to bind whole families together, even across two generations.

For the handheld market, Nintendo has DS Lite. The familiar Mario mascot greets visitors. But why is their helper playing also? Shouldn't she be working, erm, I mean helping the visitors with their machine? Their Tee is cool though.

This concludes my Day 1 at the convention. It was enjoyable shooting the dolls and the 501st Legion. Place was crowded, but not too bad. At least I could still get close to the dolls for shots.

This convention, I decided to make my first foray into big-headed dolls. So I scored a Audrey Hepburn "Breakfast at Tiffany" doll. I had wanted to get a Pullip for some time. At the Magma booth, I didn't know which to get and the Holly Pullip on the top shelf grabbed my attention. The doll wasn't on display and I have not seen it before, but I thought it would be a good choice as my first Pullip doll.

So let me present, my Pullip No. 1 - Holly Golightly Pullip!

Cheers!

Spotlight on Culture: Wa Nationality

2008-06-14T17:49:00.022+08:00

I started this blog intending to write about some of my hobbies and interests. However it seems that I have been showcasing other people's work and praising them. How about my own? Do I have things to show?

Turns out that I do. I own a moderate doll collection. I collect dolls and I enjoy putting them under the spotlight.

I will start with my China Minority Dolls Collection. Each doll represents a particular nationality in China.

Today, we have a lady from the Wa nationality:

On their costume:

佤族妇女多留长发，饰以银质发箍，有些地区用藤蔑或麻线编织发箍。披肩的长发上常用马尾制作的发网网住，发网上饰有银珠。女子着黑衣、筒裙（一般用红、黑、蓝篮、紫等多种颜色线手工织成布后缝制，其色泽艳丽，图案丰富，手工精美，及富民族特色）。佤族上衣十分短小，盖胸露腹，无领，对襟，短袖。裙子过膝，常以红色为底，间有黑白绿黄条纹。耳悬银质大耳环，银环一至三个不等，项带二、三个银质项圈和若干彩色珠料，再佩上两三串鸟骨或贝壳制成的项链，五光十色，十分耀眼。裸露的腰腹部缠绕若干竹圈藤圈，染成红或黑色，有的还雕饰有许多花纹。手臂戴两三个竹圈银圈，手腕佩银镯二只，小腿缠竹藤圈数围。

The women usually wear short black collarless coats that just reach the upper part of the belly, and skirts with red, blue and black stripes. They wear long hair, silver hoops on their heads, big earrings, thick necklaces and colorful strings of beads on their chests. The naked parts of their bellies and legs are decorated with rattan hoops.

Their famous hair-swinging dance:

What's the next doll to come under the spotlight? Stay tuned!

ZC Girl Kelly Cyber Killer

2008-05-17T22:35:00.010+08:00

First saw this at the OSW forum and boy, it's chio. ^^

Truth be told, I am not particular fond of the ZC Girl line of action dolls. In my view, they are just another copycat like VeryHot. Except they are worse. Look at their Catwoman. Then look at the Catwoman they are trying to emulate. The face sculpt and clothing from the ZC version look cheapo to me.

But this Kelly is different. She looks great, the outfit, the boobs, the weapons, the weapon casing and even the face sculpt, though it is not very killer-like. The face looks like the Obitsu 1/6 variety.

Not sure whether these are production photos, as I can't find them on the ZC Girl website.

One bonus is the new Eve Body on Kelly. I may blog about this next time, but now my hands are getting itchy. I want to add her to my growing collection of dolls. Hope the retailers stock it here.

Opening Fire

2008-05-03T23:47:00.008+08:00

Was surfing the Medi World forum today and chanced upon this picture. One word to describe my thoughts:

WOW!

Kudos to miskatonicnick for posting it. According to him, the custom went for several hundred dollars on the Yahoo Japan Auctions. But it was in 2006 that the post was written and it is hard to track down something so long ago, in internet time.

If anybody knows the customizer or his website, can inform me? Thanks!