KOS-MOS restoration & customization 2 years in the making

I've been meaning to share my KOS-MOS, it's been a long, long time in the works but now I feel like she's done enough to post her!

I need to thank my friend @ohnoaiwa for facilitating the acquisition of this lovely lady, and exactly as I wanted her- no outfit, no wig, no eyes, no nothing.

IMG_5875 by b.masi110, on Flickr

 

I originally saw KOS-MOS as a custom, and I fell in love with her small eyes and strong features. And I didn't know it until I wiped her face, but she has teeth!

For those who do mockups, here's a clear & symmetrical shot of blank KOS-MOS:

kos_mos_mockup by b.masi110, on Flickr

 

Like so many of her vinyl sisters, this KOS-MOS has succumbed to intense staining. The majority of the staining was on her legs where her black stockings were, but also a fair amount on her arms. I had never before done any kind of work on vinyl outside out faceups, so I have to give a huuuuuuge thanks to @acnon for teaching me about Dream Rescue & coaching me through the de-staining process as well as sharing his work on his own KOS-MOS!

Without wasting any more time, let's get into it. Here's the state of the body on day one:

IMG_E5876 by b.masi110, on Flickr

IMG_5882 copy by b.masi110, on Flickr

 

Woof. Take a look at those stains. One thing Acnon and I were puzzling over was the fact that the stains on her legs are so uneven when her leggings were presumably skin tight. Regardless, it's clear that the seams left the darkest stains. The torso parts were totally fine except for a small green mystery stain on the right side of her chest. Fun! I certainly had my work cut out for me.

For starters I always kept the right & limbs separated in their own aluminum casserole pans lol. The first couple of sessions I covered the limbs with an even coating of dream rescue & then wrapped them in plastic wrap, but as I continued the process I stopped using the plastic wrap and started keeping the dream rescue on for much longer.

IMG_5934 copy by b.masi110, on Flickr

 

For the life of me I can't remember where I recorded the dates of how long I kept the dream rescue on/off, but I know I tried my best to keep a 1 to 3 ratio of on to off time. 1 week on, 3 weeks off. 1 month on, three months off. As Acnon showed me, it's important to let the vinyl have time to rest and sort of, idk, re-constitute its rigidity. Not to mention that the Dream Rescue keeps de-staining even after its been washed off.

These are all pictures from 2022:

Calf copy by b.masi110, on Flickr

side copy by b.masi110, on Flickr

 

I don't have comparison pictures from 2023, but my last round of Dream Rescue application was in August of 2023. The last year I've just had her assembled all and had her all dressed up just like my other dolls white the Dream Rescue does its thing.

 

I can't say the staining is 100% gone just yet, but without futher ado, let me introduce Vivienne!

IMG_6937 by b.masi110, on Flickr

IMG_6949 by b.masi110, on Flickr

IMG_6955 by b.masi110, on Flickr

IMG_6967 by b.masi110, on Flickr

[Glasses by Rrrringo_bjd, necklace by twistedwonderlanddolls ]

 

As you can see her legs are almost perfectly milky white as they should be! Upon closer inspection you'd definitely see some discoloration but she's a far cry from the horrifying bruised appearance she came to me with. I'll have to get in a couple more Dream Rescue sessions before Dollpa but otherwise I couldn't be happier with her!

 

Your dedication has really paid off... She's absolutely gorgeous!! 

She's so beautiful! That styling is amazing!

What a gorgeous doll, congrats on the restoration!

Wow, she turned out amazing! Great job on restoring her! >.<

Is it possible to fall in love with a girl at first sight?

...who am I kidding. I have a shelf-full of girls; it's totally possible. 

Vivienne has so much love and energy poured into her, and it shows. She is radiant. Despite being a sucker for character sculpts repurposed, I can't say that I've seen that many custom KOS-MOS. Your vision for her has paid off in full, and frankly, if her remaining stains aren't bothering you, then she's golden. Her transformation as-is is nothing short of incredible. Marvelous work! I'm glad she's going to be shown off at a Dollpa. You both deserve it.  She is a vision in that outfit; every piece feels perfectly coordinated and suited to her, and the expression of her new faceup brings out the personality in her sculpt.

Edited July 16 by PolitelyNefarious

She's gorgeous 😍

She's beautiful

23 hours ago, PolitelyNefarious said:

Is it possible to fall in love with a girl at first sight?

...who am I kidding. I have a shelf-full of girls; it's totally possible. 

Vivienne has so much love and energy poured into her, and it shows. She is radiant. Despite being a sucker for character sculpts repurposed, I can't say that I've seen that many custom KOS-MOS. Your vision for her has paid off in full, and frankly, if her remaining stains aren't bothering you, then she's golden. Her transformation as-is is nothing short of incredible. Marvelous work! I'm glad she's going to be shown off at a Dollpa. You both deserve it.  She is a vision in that outfit; every piece feels perfectly coordinated and suited to her, and the expression of her new faceup brings out the personality in her sculpt.

Thank you so much for the kind words! That really does mean a lot to me. KOS-MOS was definitely love at first sight for me lol. When I saw her for the first time (I think she was customized as Princess Zelda…?) I had no idea about the difference between standard heads & character heads, I just knew I had to have her. It took 4 years of searching, but once I got her everything just fell into place! 

Wow, such dedication and love. Thank for sharing the process (no UV light involved?).

And... omg, Vivienne is absolutely stunning. I'm in love.

8 hours ago, Testament said:

Wow, such dedication and love. Thank for sharing the process (no UV light involved?).

And... omg, Vivienne is absolutely stunning. I'm in love.

No UV light! Just sitting in a room with some ambient natural light. Also it’s worth noting that even though I sometimes kept the dream rescue on for weeks, it never dried out in any way even when it was uncovered. It was a pretty simple & easy process!

shes so beautiful! i love the way you style your dolls and vivienne is no exception 😭

your hard work definitely paid off 👏

I love a restoration project, and this was super satisfying to read. The way you've customised and styled her is just beautiful 🖤 

Vivienne is absolutely gorgeous! Love how well coordinated her outfit and accessories are. I'm so happy that the treatment had such great results and that you're going to attend Dollpa with her. You both deserve it! It was very interesting to see the whole process. Wonderful job! 👏

Edited August 3 by Ayrell