New DD Stand Review (WIP)

This post is also on my new blog!

Follow me for new DD-related posts almost daily.

 

Onward! Pictures will be added later when I'm home.

These are just initial impressions from playing with it for about an hour.

 

Also, I guess this is not a "box opening" post but still a "new arrival", I'm not sure where this thread should go...

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I received the new DD stands on Wednesday from DD Gathering and I didn't manage to have time to open it till Saturday morning. I was excited to see new designs of DD stands cause the metal and wooden ones are ridiculously heavy and gigantic that can become hard to work with when taking photos.

 

The idea of the new DD stands are to be a supportive arm for balance for the doll instead of baring the entire weight of it. It's a stand that's connected with several pieces so that it has a L-shaped angled arm so you can lower or raise it as you like. It comes with two types of "claws" at the end. One that is bigger, and another that is smaller. They are lightly adjustable depending how you want to use them to support your dolls. It is very similar to Figma stands, if you're familiar with those.

 

Personally, I didn't end up liking the stands. They are cheaper than the metal and wooden stands (5,250Y each) but feels extremely cheap for being 3,990Y even in comparison. Since the dolls are a bit heavy themselves, one wrong swift move with my hands can easily break the plastic arms. Maybe that's why they have replacement parts for sale already... and they're sold out. The replacement parts can also be added to the same base so it can hold two dolls. Though I haven't tried doing that yet, I am not sure if I should do it since the plastic seems to break easily.

 

The arms can hold a DD up though, they are screwed in tightly and can be supportive- that is after you've found the right balance with it and your doll for a few minutes. I usually put on clothes for my DDs on my lap then little touch ups and fixes on the saddle stands to make sure she looks good during photos. However on these new stands, you've going to have to remove them from the stand before you try to put them in a new pose or fix their clothes/wig or else the stand will and your doll will just fall apart. It's a little irritating when I'm trying to do a photo shoot with many different poses.

 

One of the key points that I liked about this stand is that a tripod can be attached at the bottom of it (Dollfie World stands also have this feature). I might try this in the near future and give a further feedback on this stand. As of now though, I am not impressed and probably will spend more time figuring out the stand to make the usage of it more effective.

That is too bad that the stands have so many problems. They looked really nice in the advertisements.

 

Your blog design is so lovely!

how about replacing the plastic rods with something more solid like wood or tiny aluminium pipe. not sure if its possible but looking at the pictures the hinge and hand bit look detachable

It's really unfortunate since so many people were excited about this stand. I've seen many pictures on Japanese blogs showing the whole arm break off from the base

 

Recently animex99 was able to get the screw that came out of my Obitsu stand out from the trapped plastic pieces and we were able to put it together again. The arm on the Obitsu stand is a lot thicker than the Volks one. And like the Volks stand you do need to perfectly balance your DD in order for the stand to properly hold up your girl. It was an interesting idea, but for myself I'm going to stick to solid stands from now on. Even though they are heavy and can sometimes be a pain to transport, the wood & metal base stands from Volks are reliable.

 

I would be a bit scared to try to use the Volks stand on a tripod because like you said, one swift movement could cause your DD to fall over. One good gust of wind and the same could happen to the DD on the Volks stand. Do be careful when you try out that feature! Would hate to see any of your girls injured

That is too bad that the stands have so many problems. They looked really nice in the advertisements.

 

Your blog design is so lovely!

 

Aww, thank you!

I've still been working on how the blog looks. I keep trying to change the design depending on my mood but I should really keep it to one design so I don't confuse my readers. xD

 

how about replacing the plastic rods with something more solid like wood or tiny aluminium pipe. not sure if its possible but looking at the pictures the hinge and hand bit look detachable

 

I can do that, replacing them but I'd have to find wood or aluminium that is exactly the same width around so that it will fit into the hinges and claws. I also think the idea of having a clear stand is to make it so that it's less noticeable so if I replace it with metal or wood, I might as well just get one of the old stands. Hehe.

 

It's really unfortunate since so many people were excited about this stand. I've seen many pictures on Japanese blogs showing the whole arm break off from the base

 

Recently animex99 was able to get the screw that came out of my Obitsu stand out from the trapped plastic pieces and we were able to put it together again. The arm on the Obitsu stand is a lot thicker than the Volks one. And like the Volks stand you do need to perfectly balance your DD in order for the stand to properly hold up your girl. It was an interesting idea, but for myself I'm going to stick to solid stands from now on. Even though they are heavy and can sometimes be a pain to transport, the wood & metal base stands from Volks are reliable.

 

I would be a bit scared to try to use the Volks stand on a tripod because like you said, one swift movement could cause your DD to fall over. One good gust of wind and the same could happen to the DD on the Volks stand. Do be careful when you try out that feature! Would hate to see any of your girls injured

 

Really?! There were pictures of them breaking off? I've got to see this. >___<

I have yet to do it but I can really feel the fragility of it when I use it, nightmare inducing really.

 

I've never had the Obitsu stands before but they seem sturdier. Unfortunately, they're often sold out form the vendors I usually trend. However, I realize I'm not a fan of "balancing" stands. I rather stick to my saddle stands since it doesn't bother me so much. Dresses and skirts work really well with them. I only wanted the plastic stand because it's hard to carry two girls and two stands when going to doll meets because the bases are really heavy and gigantic but it seems it'll have to do for now.

 

I'm not sure if I'll ever use the tripod feature on a "balancing" stand since it seems like a terrible idea all over. I can imagine it now:

 

Daughter: "Look at me all the way up here!"

Me: "All right, hold still so I can take a picture..."

Daughter: "Oh no, the wind is blowing! Let me hold my skirt down..."

Me: I come in to fix her skirt

Daughter: Falls over, being carried by the wind... her face falls straight onto the cement ground, scrapes her precious eyes. She bounces and rolls down San Francisco's wet and steep hills until she finally lands at a busy intersection where I find her. Her face, completely covered in dirt and scratches. Her eyes, cloudy from multiple damages. Clothes and wig.. well, are minor at this point...

 

Total. Nightmare.

well i can get plexiglass rods too. so if you knoe w size i can check for availability

In this blog entry it shows the arm completely broken off from the base and also cracking in the claw:

http://ameblo.jp/saruinseki/entry-11387153646.html

 

In this blog entry from what I understand from the picture & google translate that the tripod hole cracked and it also looks like where you attach it to the tripod that the plastic has started to shave off from screwing the screw into it (If anyone can read it please feel free to correct my guess!):

http://ameblo.jp/ruisetipi/entry-11386340196.html

 

The reasons you got the Volks Plastic Stand are the exact reasons why I got the Obitsu one so I totally get you there.

 

But after my horrible luck with the Obitsu stand [missing screws/coming apart/not as stable] I told myself I wouldn't be buying anymore plastic figma like stands for DDs ever again. They just aren't as strong as the metal ones with the wood/metal/ or heavy plastic bases. It's working now and can work for some things, but in the end I'll trust my saddle stand when I'm out and about. The Obitsu stand is strictly for home use and the occasional shoot around my apartment complex if needed~ Really can't wait to get a waist stand from Volks later down the line since Saber wobbles in the saddle one. I say that Momoko's big butt & hips stretched it out

 

The nightmare you described was exactly what went through my mind when you mentioned testing the tripod feature later... so scary

I wonder if these stands are best for helping support poses but not actually be the main doll stand itself. For instance, maybe if you're doing a kicking type pose and you have the stand help hold up the doll's leg to give her better balance.

I wonder if these stands are best for helping support poses but not actually be the main doll stand itself. For instance, maybe if you're doing a kicking type pose and you have the stand help hold up the doll's leg to give her better balance.

 

These are definitely "balancing" stands but I wouldn't trust it hold your DD alone. They're also really hard to work with because the claws are sort of funkily shaped and doesn't expand very widely :<

I wonder if these stands are best for helping support poses but not actually be the main doll stand itself. For instance, maybe if you're doing a kicking type pose and you have the stand help hold up the doll's leg to give her better balance.

 

These are definitely "balancing" stands but I wouldn't trust it hold your DD alone. They're also really hard to work with because the claws are sort of funkily shaped and doesn't expand very widely :<

 

Nice to know. We have one at the house but haven't taken it out of the box yet. I guess the key is to make sure to be careful with it!

Thanks for your informative review Nekopon What a shame the stands are not more user friendly- my girls will be sitting down for a bit longer it seems^^;

They could certainly still be used if you've got the patience for it! It's better than sitting down all day. T__T

I got around to playing with my plastic stand today, and made a quick video.

 

 

To get to the point, it's flimsy and overpriced, but feel free to watch me ramble about it

Just watched the review, very good! Summed up everything I wanted to say ~ great job!

such a cute voice. do you do requests or how to vids too?

Just watched the review, very good! Summed up everything I wanted to say ~ great job!

 

Thanks

 

such a cute voice. do you do requests or how to vids too?

 

Thanks.

 

What kind of how-to video were you looking for? o.o

I got around to playing with my plastic stand today, and made a quick video.

 

 

To get to the point, it's flimsy and overpriced, but feel free to watch me ramble about it

 

Very awesome vid! Very informative and will help many that was thinking about buying this stand .

Thanks for giving us the heads up! and I don't your rambling at all. XD

Great job on the video review archangeli! I always enjoy watching DD related videos ^O^ Makes me want to really do some of my own when I have the free time~

Great review, archangeli! It could have used a kitty cameo but otherwise it was perfect.

Thanks MotokoYamamoto & InnocentSake. I'm glad you found this helpful - save your monies~!!

 

Great review, archangeli! It could have used a kitty cameo but otherwise it was perfect.

 

Ahaha - they were sleeping in the bedroom. Here's Hinata with Charlie when I was putting the girls back in their usual spot.

Okay, this is the second picture I've seen here today of a cat looking like it really disapproves of a DD (the other in the Random Photos thread). Maybe we should start a separate topic for pictures of cats disapproving of Dollfies!

Ahaha - they were sleeping in the bedroom. Here's Hinata with Charlie when I was putting the girls back in their usual spot.

 

haha That photo is awesome! Such an expressive kitty! Too bad the kitty doesn't approve but maybe Hinata said something to him...

 

PrettyCranium, that is an awesome idea. Being cat-less, I can't contribute but it sounds like a really fun thread.

i dunno. face ups, body repairs, sewing tips. you know like making a dd youtube database for ppl that need step by step instructions on doing things. some for example might have find it handy with how to fit a saberwig without having the thing desintegrate earlier this year