Cortex release schedule

On 7/13/2019 at 1:49 PM, Shailara said:

Not sure what you mean Mandarake is better - I've actually never seen anything below 40k Yen, they usually go around 45k Yen, which is almost same price as new? XD

Anyway, I like the price of the Final Boss, but I would personally not get it. If it came with instructions, maybe... but since it doesn't come with them, it's not something I want to have to deal with XD Maybe i'll someday try the Boss Grade if there's a girl I like in Cortex.

Instructions are available on Youtube for the frame, here. Looks quite easy for how much he's hyped the difficulty, really. The only issue would be that snapping the pieces to the bottom and top of the spine would require armature pliers ($30 on aliexpress, $45-ish everywhere else). If they snapped those two pieces in place before shipping, the frame assembly would be easy-peasy. 

I'm still interested in a Cortex, especially the boss kit. Looks like fun. What I am really waiting for though is for Eiji to restock, someday~~

The cortex listing in the "Coming soon" section appears to have disappeared...

Cortex Gaia is now for sale on the website. It seems some kits were also available but they sold out very fast.

Looks like the Cortex version of Smart Dolls has been pretty much officially cancelled as a whole. The online shop is selling only the leftover shells without the frame at the moment.

Quote

The "Chaos Bundle - Cortex Shell Full Set" contains all the shell parts for an entire Smart Doll body in the skin tone of your choice. The reason why these are now outlet items is because we are not offering the Cortex body as an option for the Smart Dolls for the foreseeable future. The time, effort and cost needed to put together a Cortex body exceeded the cost of vinyl body assembly by a great margin and it didn't make sense to continue having it as an option.

Cortex may still be used for licensed products to offset the cost of the apparel.

These parts have been cut from the runner and bagged straight away. None of the parts have been checked for blemishes, dents or warping. If parts are warped then you may not be able to fit the parts together. There is no soft sponge included so surfaces will appear to have scuff marks - you will need to seek for soft sponges (grit 1500) to remove scuff marks. Scuff marks on Cocoa looks particularly bad.

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by Lurks

My only smart doll atm is a cortex kit Mirai, having built her I totally get how time consuming building them en masse must be. I didn’t even glue mine and it still took me ages lol. Disappointing this didn’t work out because with a bit of refining (arm shells tend to break) I think it could’ve really caught on.

Not surprised, labour is often the most expensive aspect of production. I do wish the "final boss" kits would still be made available as a fun, more budget-friendly, DIY doll option. I was considering a cocoa if a different head sculpt ever made the transition to cortex.

Thanks for the info, Lurks! Luckily I didn't wait for the Milk frame and bought a different coloured one for my Crystal Cortex some time ago. As I have built two cortex bodies now, I can totally agree how time consuming that is. No wonder they gave it up.

I'm a bit sad to see Cortex kits go, but I was lucky enough to get to build one myself already. I also did just buy a pre-built cortex second-hand, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on them. I do overall prefer vinyl though.

I wish there was still an option for some type of kit. It'd be a dream if vinyl kits were a thing. (I know home kits almost were, years ago, but didn't get to production.) Putting together dolls is really fun, so I wish there was still some option to do so.

I tried to look for any more recent information, but looks like any type of cortex or DIY kits are closed permanently. I really hope for something else, than vinyl. Hard shell speaks to me much more.

He really dropped the ball on Cortex. Could have been the perfect kit for those willing to put in the effort, but nope too much extra work for his employees so scrap the entire project. What was so hard about rough cutting the parts out and dumping them in a bag.

 

For those that do want a cortex kit, right now is the time to buy as he’s selling off remaining stock as chaos items including the frame, shell, blank heads, and some painted ones. I think they’re all selling for a discount also.

 

Better hurry and get on it though because he changes his mind like the bloody wind.

Edited September 27, 2020 by AliensOfGold

8 hours ago, AliensOfGold said:

What was so hard about rough cutting the parts out and dumping them in a bag.

 

Possibly scratches? Wasn’t that something Cortex was susceptible to.

I would love to get a set. But I never got a smart doll before so I can't make a purchase such a shame. 

13 minutes ago, forged_in_mess said:

I would love to get a set. But I never got a smart doll before so I can't make a purchase such a shame. 

Oh yeah I forgot about that rule. Sorry about that.

Let's hope that some unbuild sets will come on marketplace. If someone would purchase one and won't want it , then I'm happy to pay for it 😁

I managed to get two Tea Cortex girls when it was buy-one-get-one-free for the Skin Shells and the 3-pack of heads. I did buy two assembled spines which were the most expensive part of the whole order. In case a part breaks or cracks, does anyone know if we will be able to order them individually?

20 hours ago, Ai Priestess said:

I managed to get two Tea Cortex girls when it was buy-one-get-one-free for the Skin Shells and the 3-pack of heads. I did buy two assembled spines which were the most expensive part of the whole order. In case a part breaks or cracks, does anyone know if we will be able to order them individually?

Unfortunately no. Parts are not sold individually. I also don't believe for a second that Danny Choo sends a part to replace something that breaks or cracks during the assembly. 

ALSO, word of caution for everyone in general. This warning on Smartdoll product page should be taken seriously:

Do not buy this product expecting to be able to make a fully functioning body. If you do manage to make a fully functioning Cortex body from this Cortex Shell Full Set and the assembled frames then you have bragging rights.

Danny has CHANGED the cortex body. And quite recently, too. I bought a Chaos bundle - random frame pieces Set a while ago. (I needed certain frame pieces and was lucky to got all of them.) I noticed that I could make not just one but TWO almost complete sceletons from that set. So I bought a cortex shell pack (buy one, get the other free) + two spines and started happily putting my girls together. 

And I could not.

My frame parts are from time before the change, shell parts are made after it. The new cortex has two sets of screws that the old cortex version does not have. One set is on the arms near the shoulders, other is in the legs near the hips. The two versions are NOT compatible. Not without a certain amount of modding, that is.

I decided to delegate the actual modding to my brother, because I realized immediately that it demanded the skills and tools that I did not possess. He considered the situation and decided to drill the screw hole pecks away from the arm shells. He said the frame part might brake if he should try to modify it. He solved the leg problem by drilling away a corner of the pelvis joint (he looked the pictures of the new frame for reference).

This is the point where I am at the moment, so there might be some other issues that I am not even aware of yet.

 

I checked the pictures of the assembled frame you bought, and they seem to be the new type, so you should not have the need to modify anything. Best of luck in assembling!

Since I think a lot of people are getting the cortex kits right now, PSA: Don't superglue your kit together! 

What I feel is that the superglued shells are too high in tension which is why they become more prone to cracking. When mine isn't glued, if I moved the doll's pose too much the shell pops open, releasing some tension. But once superglued it can't do that. I hope that makes sense.

Plus, if yours cracks, its easier to replace if you haven't superglued it. The good thing is that he's "giving away" so many shell sets now that you will have a bunch of replacement parts down the road. 

1 hour ago, Lynn said:

Unfortunately no. Parts are not sold individually. I also don't believe for a second that Danny Choo sends a part to replace something that breaks or cracks during the assembly. 

ALSO, word of caution for everyone in general. This warning on Smartdoll product page should be taken seriously:

Do not buy this product expecting to be able to make a fully functioning body. If you do manage to make a fully functioning Cortex body from this Cortex Shell Full Set and the assembled frames then you have bragging rights.

Danny has CHANGED the cortex body. And quite recently, too. I bought a Chaos bundle - random frame pieces Set a while ago. (I needed certain frame pieces and was lucky to got all of them.) I noticed that I could make not just one but TWO almost complete sceletons from that set. So I bought a cortex shell pack (buy one, get the other free) + two spines and started happily putting my girls together. 

And I could not.

My frame parts are from time before the change, shell parts are made after it. The new cortex has two sets of screws that the old cortex version does not have. One set is on the arms near the shoulders, other is in the legs near the hips. The two versions are NOT compatible. Not without a certain amount of modding, that is.

I decided to delegate the actual modding to my brother, because I realized immediately that it demanded the skills and tools that I did not possess. He considered the situation and decided to drill the screw hole pecks away from the arm shells. He said the frame part might brake if he should try to modify it. He solved the leg problem by drilling away a corner of the pelvis joint (he looked the pictures of the new frame for reference).

This is the point where I am at the moment, so there might be some other issues that I am not even aware of yet.

 

I checked the pictures of the assembled frame you bought, and they seem to be the new type, so you should not have the need to modify anything. Best of luck in assembling!

Oh goodness I was on the edge of my seat wondering if I just basically wasted a bunch of money. Phew! 😅 I am glad that the sets I got should work but I feel bad yours had so much trouble. Do you have pictures of the mod work? I’m just curious to see. 

21 minutes ago, sumdude said:

Since I think a lot of people are getting the cortex kits right now, PSA: Don't superglue your kit together! 

What I feel is that the superglued shells are too high in tension which is why they become more prone to cracking. When mine isn't glued, if I moved the doll's pose too much the shell pops open, releasing some tension. But once superglued it can't do that. I hope that makes sense.

Plus, if yours cracks, its easier to replace if you haven't superglued it. The good thing is that he's "giving away" so many shell sets now that you will have a bunch of replacement parts down the road. 

I was going to mod one girl and then use the other to help with making clothes once they were together. Hmmm... I didn’t even think of anything about the tension issue with cracking as Danny didn’t seem to mention it in the assembly video aside from if a part didn’t seem flush or snap into place. 

58 minutes ago, Ai Priestess said:

I was going to mod one girl and then use the other to help with making clothes once they were together. Hmmm... I didn’t even think of anything about the tension issue with cracking as Danny didn’t seem to mention it in the assembly video aside from if a part didn’t seem flush or snap into place. 

Hmm I dont think Danny has ever mentioned it officially, but a few cortex owners have mentioned it.

21 hours ago, Ai Priestess said:

Do you have pictures of the mod work? I’m just curious to see. 

I have not taken any pictures as of yet, but I am going to. I needed to buy some more screws, so I'm waiting for them to arrive before I can continue.

Maybe a bit of good news for you Cortex lovers. Saw this in a Smart Doll facebook group. Either way, interesting!

 

Wow! Cortex version would be really cool! I would by that one, for staining reasons. Unless, of course, Danny makes a blue bodysuits! 

That new wig is great! I hope he releases semi-real version with that wig!

Naw I'm pretty sure he isn't releasing the blue girls in cortex, he just spent the last few months getting rid of all his cortex shells after all...

@Deyja I think it was just an old template, the cortex option is gone now.

Edited October 27, 2020 by bbotss