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DDS Ranko Kanzaki 2nd Ver.

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SakuraSylph

Okay, she's here! Twinnie is here. She had to nap at the post office for a few days until errands could be combined.

First impressions went something like this:

  • Wait, her box is smaller than Ranko 1's. Weird. But hey, the white is holograpic, that's neat.
  • Taking the nude doll out: OMG. She's good. Really really good!

This was the best possible case. I have to admit that I was nervous looking at the sealed box, and wondered whether I'd only like the accessories, based on my past history with rereleases. To wit: With Rin Tohsaka, who was my previous favorite DD that later got a re-release, Volks changed Rin T.'s faceup and my gut reaction to the v2 nude doll when I got her was "gah, too much makeup" combined with sadness. I kept Rin T v1 and let v2 move on. But Ranko v2 is a different case altogether! She's perfect. Gorgeous. Exactly what she should be; this is the way to do a rerelease.  My gut reaction to seeing Ranko v2's face for the first time was a big ol' smile and a "welcome home!" to a twinnie who looked very familiar.

Here's what the twinnies look like together in an un-retouched photograph (pardon the dimness).

Ranko & Lanko (name subject to change)

rimg%5D

Interestingly, we can see a few things from here: 1) Ranko v2's skin tone has changed a little; she has more peach in her (body included) than the old semi-white formula from 2014. 2) Ranko v2's faceup is exactly the same, including the mild blush and lipstick: Perfect! First time we've seen that for a rerelease, I think, and I'm so glad to see it. 3) Ranko v2's eyes are the same underlying color as before, but they have a more metallic sheen to them that catches the light so they look more "firey" - it's not just the photo. Instead of a different faceup, Volks went with an adjusted pair of eyes to differentiate the dolls it looks like.

Ranko v2 comes with gripping hands, just like her original did. I haven't opened up the new gothloli outfit to compare to my Ranko v1 2014 version of the same outfit, but it definitely looks like the new one has a modified fit. So that'll be interesting to examine more later.

To sum up: I love this. I can wholeheartedly recommend either release.

Edited by SakuraSylph
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SakuraSylph

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Jezrah

Sorry to derail again, but on the subject of boxes, my Melty v1 had a coffin box that was smaller than the Sabers', presumably because of her giant hat. I used to have a yellow box from Akira v1, but I no longer have it after my various moves. However,  I'm pretty sure that Arle's white box is a bit shorter than the yellow boxes, though not as short as you'd expect for an MDD. Of course,  I can't physically compare this anymore; it just feels a bit smaller to me.


32717445532_3aa446bd94_m.jpg

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cfx
1 hour ago, Jezrah said:

However,  I'm pretty sure that Arle's white box is a bit shorter than the yellow boxes, though not as short as you'd expect for an MDD. Of course,  I can't physically compare this anymore; it just feels a bit smaller to me.

I can't speak to Arle, but I put Ranko v2's white box and Makoto Kikuki's yellow boxes side by side and they are the same size in every dimension.

2 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

To wit: With Rin Tohsaka, who was my previous favorite DD that later got a re-release, Volks changed Rin T.'s faceup and my gut reaction to the v2 nude doll when I got her was "gah, too much makeup" combined with sadness. I kept Rin T v1 and let v2 move on. But Ranko v2 is a different case altogether!

Haha, this is funny to me because I really like Rin v2 while I think Rin v1 has too little makeup, from a distance her eye makeup just disappears to me like she's a blank head. :classic_laugh:

2 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

Ranko v2's faceup is exactly the same, including the mild blush and lipstick: Perfect! First time we've seen that for a rerelease, I think, and I'm so glad to see it.

I don't have dolls to compare, but I've never seen any evidence that there is any faceup change between Miku Reboot and the original. Nor between Alisa v1 and v2 or the two Sakuyas or Meltys, though as I wasn't around at the time maybe there is something. I know Shiburin was changed slightly which Volks touted before her rerelease, though from a comparison pic I found it's quite subtle.

2 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

Ranko v2's skin tone has changed a little; she has more peach in her (body included) than the old semi-white formula from 2014.

Ok that's interesting. Because of my dislike of some of the aesthetics of the f3 body, as soon as I won Ranko I ordered a previous-generation DDS body from Volks Japan for her, which was waiting here for her arrival. When I put those bodies side-by-side, I also had the impression the f3 body was this slightly pinker color. Yet when I swapped Ranko's head over to this body, everything still matches so I suspected I just imagined any difference.

I'm still not sure if that's intentional or just the slight color differences that always have seemed to exist from batch to batch of vinyl. [I have one NS S bust that is off so much in color I was convinced it was actually SW, but then when put on a SW body it doesn't match that either.]

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BeyondTime
34 minutes ago, cfx said:

Haha, this is funny to me because I really like Rin v2 while I think Rin v1 has too little makeup, from a distance her eye makeup just disappears to me like she's a blank head. :classic_laugh:

What Rin V1 seems to have is a more serious look, which imo fits the character better. I like Rin V2 for her cuteness, but I like V1 more.

 

34 minutes ago, cfx said:

I also had the impression the f3 body was this slightly pinker color. Yet when I swapped Ranko's head over to this body, everything still matches so I suspected I just imagined any difference.

Even so often I get the impression that there is just a slight pink cast to the newer SWS. My Ranko has an older S-Bust on her, so in the crucial neck / head join there is no perceptible difference.

Edit: Sorry, I should probably qualify this. V1 Ranko has stolen V2's F3 body. The little vampire girl wasted no time spilling some blood when V2 arrived.

Edited by BeyondTime

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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SakuraSylph
3 hours ago, cfx said:

Haha, this is funny to me because I really like Rin v2 while I think Rin v1 has too little makeup, from a distance her eye makeup just disappears to me like she's a blank head. :classic_laugh:

Hah, fair enough. O.G. Rin T. has a serious look about her that originally attracted me to DDs, while v2 appears more cute despite being the same underlying sculpt (I had to check closely). Even though it wasn't what I wanted for myself, Rin T v2 was not objectively bad or anything. As you know! v1 matches the Fate/SN visual novel designs, while v2 mimics the ufotable reworked designs, which I also like less than the originals.  I should've expected the latter, but you never know what the result'll be until the release comes out.  Can't blame ufotable for everything though.  Heavier makeup seems to be a Fate doll thing, or more realistically a Volks style-change over time thing. Saber Alter v2, Prisma Illya, and DDS Blue Saber all got double-stuf helpings of blush compared to their originals at a minimum.

3 hours ago, cfx said:

I don't have dolls to compare, but I've never seen any evidence that there is any faceup change between Miku Reboot and the original. Nor between Alisa v1 and v2 or the two Sakuyas or Meltys, though as I wasn't around at the time maybe there is something. I know Shiburin was changed slightly which Volks touted before her

Hmm, you may be right about Miku Reboot; I've only got the original there but haven't looked at photos of the reboot super-closely. They didn't call her v2, which lends further credence to nothing changing except the body.  For all the others, I'm almost certain that there exists some difference in each one, either overt or subtle, that would let you tell the dolls apart if you had them side by side. Rin Tohsaka's was a major change, but not all of them stand out so much. It's like Volks chooses to do it on purpose, so that existing dolls aren't 100% replicated and can still be considered "limited to XYZ copies" just like before. The update versions might be better or might be less attractive, depending on your aesthetic sense, just so long as they aren't identical.  With Ranko v2 having her eyes adjusted, plus the fit on the clothes if considering the whole picture, that was a good way to achieve differentiation without destroying anything that made this doll so great.

3 hours ago, cfx said:

Ok that's interesting. Because of my dislike of some of the aesthetics of the f3 body, as soon as I won Ranko I ordered a previous-generation DDS body from Volks Japan for her, which was waiting here for her arrival. When I put those bodies side-by-side, I also had the impression the f3 body was this slightly pinker color. Yet when I swapped Ranko's head over to this body, everything still matches so I suspected I just imagined any difference.

I'm sure you've already covered this in detail in other threads that I should go look for, but could you give a quick summary of what you didn't like about the f3 frame that was enough to inspire the not-insignificant purchase of a replacement body?

You definitely didn't imagine the difference; with the full Ranko v1 and full Ranko v2 right next to each other, the color difference is visible even from across the room (without wigs, mind) if you are looking for it. Each head matches its corresponding body, whereas v1 head vs v2 head, or v1 hand vs v2 hand, the shades are subtly different with version 1 looking paler.  Swapping the parts would be okay though since the match is close enough that it'd blend together, especially once dressed.

Edited by SakuraSylph

SakuraSylph

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BeyondTime
26 minutes ago, SakuraSylph said:

You definitely didn't imagine the difference; with the full Ranko v1 and full Ranko v2 right next to each other, the color difference is visible even from across the room (without wigs, mind) if you are looking for it.

I can see it in your photos for sure, but I'm not seeing that same difference in mine.


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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cfx
3 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

I can see it in your photos for sure, but I'm not seeing that same difference in mine.

100% wild speculation, but I suspect this might be one of those things that are brought out differently in different types of lighting.

3 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

Heavier makeup seems to be a Fate doll thing, or more realistically a Volks style-change over time thing.

Volks has definitely done that. There's a lot of older DDs that I don't care for because of the very light eye makeup that is hard to see, like Mio Akiyama as an example.

3 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

It's like Volks chooses to do it on purpose, so that existing dolls aren't 100% replicated and can still be considered "limited to XYZ copies" just like before. The update versions might be better or might be less attractive, depending on your aesthetic sense, just so long as they aren't identical.  With Ranko v2 having her eyes adjusted, plus the fit on the clothes if considering the whole picture, that was a good way to achieve differentiation without destroying anything that made this doll so great.

That may be. The color of Arle's eyes slightly changed too it seems. I really don't know whether these things are always intentional or just what happens when you make a new production of something you haven't made in years.

3 hours ago, SakuraSylph said:

I'm sure you've already covered this in detail in other threads that I should go look for, but could you give a quick summary of what you didn't like about the f3 frame that was enough to inspire the not-insignificant purchase of a replacement body?

There's a few things, but the biggest one being the new ankles that expose the ball unlike the old ones. The foot has much more of the vinyl cut away than on the old body, and if you bend the foot down such as needed for the SD16 high-heel shoes, there's a big gap in the slot in the ball that's visible. The ankles not having the vinyl covering them now makes them less bulky, which also makes all the shoes with ankle straps (one of my favorite types) fit poorly with the straps being much more loose now. The bottom ends of the shins are also cut off higher and just flat where they don't cover any of that joint either. The profile of the shin had to be changed due to this and it's now where it tapers off much quicker from the largest part where it looks more like the Smart Doll legs.

The foot isn't as different on DDS as it is on DD because DDS for whatever reason always had the vinyl cut lower. However, the feet are interchangeable on the old bodies so I tend to put DD feet on my DDS too.

Besides that, the rest is more minor to me but still... They also went back to the wide slots in the back of the knees like DD2 had, which looks worse to me. The forearms also got the flush cut at the end so none of the wrist ball gets covered like before. Related to that, and something that's going to make outfit compatibility even worse, comparing the arm length of the DDS-f3 to the old body I bought, the arms on DDS-f3 are about 1/8" shorter.

The old bodies have a slightly "swollen ankle" look because of how the vinyl covers the ball, but I find that far better looking than having the ball exposed like it is now. I probably sound crazy for even caring about this, but I really dislike how it looks now. I couldn't quickly find the thread where I originally griped about this, but there's a bit, and a picture of the hole in the ankles with high heeled shoes, here:

 

Edited by cfx

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BeyondTime
4 hours ago, cfx said:

Haha, this is funny to me because I really like Rin v2 while I think Rin v1 has too little makeup, from a distance her eye makeup just disappears to me like she's a blank head. :classic_laugh:

 

1 hour ago, SakuraSylph said:

Hah, fair enough. O.G. Rin T. has a serious look about her that originally attracted me to DDs, while v2 appears more cute despite being the same underlying sculpt (I had to check closely).

Your avatars are so similar I thought cfx had mistakenly quoted his own post, and it took me a minute to figure it out ._.

 

55 minutes ago, cfx said:

100% wild speculation, but I suspect this might be one of those things that are brought out differently in different types of lighting.

I looked at her under sunlight, and compared her hear to body parts other than the bust. If there is a difference in mine it's almost imperceptible.

 

55 minutes ago, cfx said:

Mio Akiyama as an example.

Mio is a pretty good realization of the character though. I don't think heavy makeup would work for her.

 

Edited by BeyondTime

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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cfx
7 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Your avatars are so similar I thought cfx had mistakenly quoted his own post, and it took me a minute to figure it out ._.

@onion9@@onion6@ I specifically used an anime picture rather than a doll one for that reason. XD

8 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Mio is a pretty good realization of the character though. I don't think heavy makeup would work for her.

I completely disagree. Really heavy, no, but Volks didn't even go as heavy as her design. Just a random picture:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/k-on/images/1/1d/Mio_Akiyama_new_mugshot.png/revision/latest?cb=20130713162902

Volks didn't even make it as heavy as her art or how she looks in the anime. Moreover, she was made back in that period of DDs when all the eyes were done where they just don't have any white visible. That's a doll thing, so depending on your viewpoint either it is or isn't ok compared to the character. But I think that, if you make the doll like that, especially when the doll has dark eyes, you need heavier eye makeup than they used on Mio, or it doesn't really show up at all. I said this up above, but I look at pictures of Mio and Yui, and they truly just look like dolls with unpainted heads to me.

Really, I dislike the Mio sculpt and don't think it looks at all like her anyway, but that's a separate issue from the makeup style. I'm not a K-on fan but I do like Mio and her character, just nothing else about the show, so she would be a DD I was interested in if I liked how Volks made her.

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BeyondTime
25 minutes ago, cfx said:

I dislike the Mio sculpt and don't think it looks at all like her anyway

I think it's pretty close, but it is wider than the image you posted. It kind of has to be though, because DD bodies just aren't that slender. A head that elongated would look really odd on a DDII body.

Comparing the image to her head, she has as much eyebrow, and eye liner as the image, and more blush. She doesn't have lip color except for the inside of her mouth, but K-On characters don't have a lot of that anyways.

I suspect the blush and the mouth pose is supposed to be classic Mio embarrassment without overdoing it so much that she fits no other look. 

Trying smaller eyes on her isn't a bad idea, but I am not sure how good they will look. The eyes in mine are also tilted sideways. Not sure how intentional that is, and it might just be from the hot glue curing over time.


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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cfx
3 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

I think it's pretty close, but it is wider than the image you posted. It kind of has to be though, because DD bodies just aren't that slender. A head that elongated would look really odd on a DDII body.

I think the doll is far too square-jawed, but that's a trademark of the sculptor, Dr. Amano, who also did Haruka Amami who has the same issue. (I never like his sculpts I've found.)

8 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Comparing the image to her head, she has as much eyebrow, and eye liner as the image, and more blush. She doesn't have lip color except for the inside of her mouth, but K-On characters don't have a lot of that anyways.

The eyeliner looks far thinner than that art. She shouldn't have lipstick, but how Volks didn't paint a lot of the mouths back then at all tends to bug me. I mean, lips are naturally pinker than skin even without lipsitck after all.

And we're way off topic...

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BeyondTime
16 minutes ago, cfx said:

And we're way off topic...

A quarantined mind is the devil's workshop as they say.


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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foo

I'm late here, but on the subject of the new Ranko being pinker, we talked about it before; new vinyl is always more pink. The strongest case of this was probably Tohsaka v2, when I got her she was PINK! Now she looks normal.

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BeyondTime

I think Volks did some custom vinyl hands for their Ranko promo photos. They should sell those as optional extras.


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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cfx
18 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

I think Volks did some custom vinyl hands for their Ranko promo photos. They should sell those as optional extras.

The flat/spread-out hands like this picture?

https://www.volks.co.jp/cinderella_girls/image/mdl_DDSRanko_2nd_p01.jpg

Isn't that just the large version of the "paper" hands?

https://dollfie.ec.volks.co.jp/item/4518992398587.html

Maybe the picture there doesn't quite look the same, but I have these hands and mine look exactly like what Ranko has in that picture.

I know people seem to dislike the large hands for some reason, but I find them totally superior in appearance and poses.

Edited by cfx

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BeyondTime
7 minutes ago, cfx said:

Isn't that just the large version of the "paper" hands?

Yeah I never use those, so I didn't recognize them.


The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

“Empty wallets, full hearts.” That’s probably an apt description for the effects of DD addiction

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cfx

If you don't want the large hands, I'm sure the small version will work ok for those poses; they're just not spread quite the same way due to the stubbier fingers:

https://dollfie.ec.volks.co.jp/item/4518992398495.html

So far I've only bought the large hands because I prefer them, though I know for gloves I'll need the smaller ones and aside from fit I'm usre the large ones would start to look large with the added bulk of gloves.

I got this particular pair specifically for Ranko, a while ago, as I didn't already have that style, or many semi-white hands in general yet since I didn't have a SW girl before I got Takane.

 

I am not sure the message is still up anywhere but Volks used to say something about using the large hands for photography especially with them near the face because they were more expressive, or something like that.

 

Edited by cfx

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cfx

Because it came up in another thread I was reminded of the Volks outfit Midnight Flower, which I remembered seeing on Ranko in some of @unknowdata's pictures, and I thought this works really well on her:

 

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