What would you do? Limited DD Or custom?

Ok I'm selling a load of things to try and save to get Rei Ayanami DD when she comes up again.

I will have hath the amount I will need to get her BUT if I made a custom Rei it would be cheaper and have Leshia to get all the pieces rather then stress when she comes up and wish I have the rest of the money to buy her.

 

What would you do or what have you done?

 

Custom Or Limited is the main question really?

( by that I mean if you wanted a character that Volks HAS made into a limited doll)

IMO, It depends how much you think she is of value to yourself. If you love her for being Rei, I would probably go for her!~ A customed will never be the same as the original.

Haha, btw, how much she cost right now? Not accustomed to the limited doll pricing now

Limited although there are some really cute customs out there, i personally find that i love my limited dolls and they also hold their value

Custom ones ^^ ...because you have your very own one ^^ ...(and i am someone who love to go outside with them, and with a limited one i am afraid to damage something (on there default faceups)

btw, how much she cost right now? Not accustomed to the limited doll pricing now

 

ATM she is average for her price, in the last 6 months I have seen 3 come up and they have been 90K yen and 85K yen and the last one was 65K yen but that was with out the limited outfit and she want is 2 day .

 

She would hold her price, but its the price I cant get to and o want her now

but I guess one will come up when I can afford her

From experience I have to say limited. I didn't want to pay $$$$ for Yuki Morikawa, and tried making a couple imitations... but it wasn't the same. With patience and luck I was able to get a stained/incomplete Yuki at a less scary price, and I've got no regrets!

On the other hand, I love my custom Yuki-ish girls, too. Like Anouc says, it's less scary to play with them or take them on trips than a really expensive limited. And you can have a more unique DD that becomes an expression of yourself.

You can always try the custom route. DD's never disappear from the market, you can be sure another Rei will appear again. And people on this forum are pretty good at helping each other out in those cases

The question at hand is really: do you love the limited Rei because of her character, or because of her head mold? If it's the former, go for custom! A custom project can be really fun and meaningful. But on the other hand, if her head mold is a big part of why you like the limited version, nothing else is really going to cut it. If I hadn't loved Nanoha's head mold, I would have been tempted to get the Azone Nanoha instead and put a custom open-eyed head on her, but as it stands I *do* love that head in addition to loving the character, so I'm really glad that I held out for the Volks limited fullset.

The question at hand is really: do you love the limited Rei because of her character, or because of her head mold? If it's the former, go for custom!

 

Its a mix really. I love her mold and I want her for the Character Rei. I have seen the first Rei they maid but in my eyes the head doesn't look like Rei. The maid version ( the one i want) I think looks much like her. I think I would need to change her eyes but that's about it really. I got Asuka full set for my fiance but after selling most of my resin collection once my mind was set that I was a vinyl girl only. So now I am scraping to save for her. I think I will need about £800 geussing how much postage will be. I would really like to get her form mandrake since they had brilliant postage and no customs charge when I got Asuka from them.

I would say go for a custom: Rei is an older model and I think shows her age a bit compared to some recent dolls. If you get a custom with a good faceup artist she can look just the way you want! Rei has so many expressions and modes, you can also pick your favorite "version" of her. I know some artists can also mimic Volks faceup very well: Hikaru did an 06 custom into Nanoha that looks just as good, maybe even a little better than the OG. I love my limited DDs but there's something so special about customs! Plus, you know, they're much cheaper XD

I would say go for a custom: Rei is an older model and I think shows her age a bit compared to some recent dolls. If you get a custom with a good faceup artist she can look just the way you want! Rei has so many expressions and modes, you can also pick your favorite "version" of her. I know some artists can also mimic Volks faceup very well: Hikaru did an 06 custom into Nanoha that looks just as good, maybe even a little better than the OG. I love my limited DDs but there's something so special about customs! Plus, you know, they're much cheaper XD

 

 

I think I am worried that I couldn't make her the way I want. I don't think there are many uk DD face-up artists and with having Asuka I deep down would like to ""complete the set"" since I would like Marie too.

Well, I think that if you love the face sculpt and it does speaks to you, you should get Rei. A customs will never be the same I did it myself and tried to copy a doll I wanted and it never worked. I did liked them anyway but it wasn't the real one.

Much of the original vs. custom boils down to a rather simple baseline factor. Do you feel like you have the skill level good enough to pull off your own custom version, or have access to the the resources that would allow you to get your perfect, but also custom, doll?

 

If all of that makes it feel like you are settling for just a cheaper doll, you will never be happy with her and in the end still wanting and possibly buying the original doll, making the entire endeavor hugely more expensive than just getting the one you want in the first place.

 

Somewhere on the forums Baldylox posted this quote:

"All Dollfies have a destiny that is their own. They will all find their parents when fate sees fit."

 

I really do find this to be true (Tamayuki found me, I didn't go looking for him) and keep this quote at the top of my page that contains all the customs I hope to eventually be able to do. If I didn't have Baldylox's quote I would panic over a list that is growing like a weed patch, and only two of them need specific sculpts that are done by Volks or aren't a standard head.

 

If you want to know my opinion, it really seems like you wouldn't be happy unless you were able to get the original doll, even if a custom could be done for less for the same quality. I plan on having almost all custom dolls, but even for me there is that tiny fraction that I know I just want the originals because anything else would just feel second rate.

 

~Sister Kyoya

It really depends the most on just what it is about this doll that makes you want her. Like Pooffiemus said, if it is just about a certain character, there are lots of ways to build a custom that reflects her, often even better than Volks does. But if you really fell in love with that particular look/sculpt/faceup, then by all means buy that doll because it can be nearly impossible to make an exact duplicate.

 

Now, personally I prefer customs because you know she's unique, plus any of the Volks dolls I can't help but look at all the tiny details and thinking "Oh, this isn't quite right, and I'd do this differently, and I'd rather she have this wig..." In that case I may as well just save a few hundred dollars and make her from scratch. Plus, for me there is a much greater sense of accomplishment and a little bit of pride from putting together something myself rather than just buying it pre-assembled, regardless of how limited or expensive it may be. Also, I don't care about resale value since I never intend to sell any.

 

But in the end it really just boils down to which would truly make you happier. If this one doll is the one for you, then you will likely regret not getting her. If the only reason you would go custom is for the sake of saveing money, I don't think that's a good enough reason to pass on a girl you really want.

I think in the end of it that a custom will be for cheapness not because I want a custom. It looks like it will be a long wait unless someone comes along and asks to but my obitsu Haruka for £800 HAHA!

For me, it would be limited/pre-painted before custom. I know I don't have the talent to make any blank face to something that I would truly like, buying is a better bet for me.

Custom.

 

It's cheaper as well as more personal.

 

Sure the character Dollfies are beautiful, but getting someone to customize your own doll is a very special experience.

I think it depends on whether you enjoy customising or not. If you go custom for price, but have really hard times with it, you may not feel attached to the doll you create. But if you enjoy it, then it can make the doll even more special: all but one of my dolls are custom, and all have been 'customised'

 

Having said that, if you see a doll you fall in love with, then it may be that you never feel like your custom is good enough and you'll be disappointed. And sometimes you just really really want to splurge on a limited that looks just right.

 

I don't know if I helped much! I'd probably go custom, unless I knew that making a custom would likely be more expensive than the limited (ie. unavailable body type that would be hard to replicate from easily available existing vinyl dolls, limited head mold that doesn't look like the standard heads, high quality costume/props) then I'd have to question how much I want the limited.

Custom for me, but i see all of the DD's as customize-able even if they are limited ones.

Because i would change their faceup, eyes and clothes no matter what.

I would hold out for the item I want. Rei does come up infrequently, but she still does show up in Mandarake listings from time to time. You sound like you're trying to talk yourself into making a rational fiscal decision, but these dolls are heart & emotional attachments. Life has enough areas you'll have to compromise in, but patience here will get you your first choice. You may have to endure some delays, but your gratification upon attaining your goal will be so much more satisfying. You can explore the custom once you have the "real" Rei, and make up your mind afterwards which will be your favorite. Remember that Rei had several clone bodies at one point, so it's convenient for you to justify having more than one

I would hold out for the item I want. Rei does come up infrequently, but she still does show up in Mandarake listings from time to time. You sound like you're trying to talk yourself into making a rational fiscal decision, but these dolls are heart & emotional attachments. Life has enough areas you'll have to compromise in, but patience here will get you your first choice. You may have to endure some delays, but your gratification upon attaining your goal will be so much more satisfying. You can explore the custom once you have the "real" Rei, and make up your mind afterwards which will be your favorite.

 

Rei in particular seems to be hard to find but not in huge demand. Plus, there are two distinct versions of her out there so choosing between those two will also be something to consider. But I agree with the above in that you should go after the Rei YOU want and not settle for something else. Customs are an option and I've seen some excellent ones but if you love the V1 or V2 Rei for who she is, wait for her.

 

 

Remember that Rei had several clone bodies at one point, so it's convenient for you to justify having more than one

 

 

I love this line of thought! Excellent way to set up for future additions!

 

 

 

Billy

I have 3 customs, primarily due to price, but I do like the final face-ups that I did on them..

That said, I have a Limited Character DD inbound, and I am quite excited to be getting her.. She's the first one that I wanted, and that I had the money set aside to buy her..

 

I guess for me, it's the type of character that matters. Two of my girls are Cat-girls, and one is a Half-Vampire.. The fourth girl will be a Demon Slayer, of a Steam-punk bent......

The question at hand is really: do you love the limited Rei because of her character, or because of her head mold? If it's the former, go for custom!

 

Its a mix really. I love her mold and I want her for the Character Rei. I have seen the first Rei they maid but in my eyes the head doesn't look like Rei. The maid version ( the one i want) I think looks much like her. I think I would need to change her eyes but that's about it really. I got Asuka full set for my fiance but after selling most of my resin collection once my mind was set that I was a vinyl girl only. So now I am scraping to save for her. I think I will need about £800 geussing how much postage will be. I would really like to get her form mandrake since they had brilliant postage and no customs charge when I got Asuka from them.

 

If you can get a good face up artist to do a custom Rei you'll be happy with then go for a custom one. If not, I'd suggest waiting for the limited one, that way, you get one you really like.

 

 

 

Remember that Rei had several clone bodies at one point, so it's convenient for you to justify having more than one

 

 

I love this line of thought! Excellent way to set up for future additions!

 

Billy

 

I couldn't agree more.