Changing head molds for a doll

Has anyone here decided to change to a different head mold for a particular doll? Would you even consider doing so? Or do you think that would change the spirit of the doll too much?

 

I'm trying to find the best head mold for a character. I have had her using Rise, but I'm wondering if I should change her to the DDH-07 pre-paint version instead. Both look good with the eyes and wig, but the two heads have a different feel to them. Rise has the more realistic nose, DDH-07 has a more mature look. The problem is I like both heads, but for different reasons, so I have to decide which head fits the character more. Unfortunately, the best answer would be to combine the two... but I'm not Volks and can't design head molds.

have you tried photoshop

Well, this is somewhat related...I had originally bought the 04 option head last year to make a custom Rise Kujikawa. I had half the outfit made already and then this year the actual Rise doll was released and I was so in love I had to have her. Plus, I love her more realistic sculpt. I actually sold my 04 head.

I have a doll that has gone through 1 change

 

Cocoa-Tao, started off with an 02 head, but i jusT couldn't get the character look right

I then changed her to an 03, but when i look at her i still see to much of Yukino in the face mold

 

I am now thinking of going for the 05 head as it does seeM to have the mysterious look that i want for Cocoa

 

If i can just nail down the right head with the character she has, then she will be ready to appear here

I have a custom 03 head that fits 90% good the character, and I modded a 01 head here.

I think that customizing heads is amazing!

Well I must say that my Ob50cm Error still doesn't fit the character 100% and I think today it realy punched me in the face that Mariko-sensei sculpt that I love might be what I want for Error DX but it means a limited head and the lists of things I want go up even more T.T my poor poor empty wallet.

I did this with my Yumiko. Ddh-04 has a sweet innocent look but I really loved haruka Amami's mold bc of her open mouth expression which I draw my character doing alot. So I still keep her old head just incase I ever need a change back. I think having two options for a character isn't too crazy. Gives you options

have you tried photoshop

 

Not going to help me for an actual doll though.

 

I have a custom 03 head that fits 90% good the character, and I modded a 01 head here.

I think that customizing heads is amazing!

 

I don't trust myself to do that. I don't even trust myself to do a faceup. I really don't have much of any artistic talent. That's why I just am trying to make a DD head that already exists and with a good faceup work.

Minako changed from a 06 head to a Yukino. Originally I did this because I was pretty much forced to take the Yukino head (since my girlfriend needed the body), but while waiting for her I realized that for the character I had in mind Yukino was more suitable.

 

When she arrived I really had this bonding feeling, something I didn't have with the 06.

She was pretty and cute, yes, but something was lacking :I

 

Three of my BJDs had the same fate, they where my three first ones and after four years my taste just had changed so much that I decided to change their head molds. So far this was always a huge success for me

Only one of my dolls is based on a pre-existing character. The others I create a style/name/character for them when I decide to buy them, so there's no need to find better molds for them. The doll based on my OC... well, I had such a hard time finding a sculpt that was just right, that I sculpted him myself! And, well, I haven't given them the same amount of attention that I give my other dolls Partly because I'm afraid of damaging the clay body. Just recently I was thinking of maybe creating a DD version, or at least anime style. Since I draw that character in anime style all the time, and anime style doll might work better. Plus I tend to criticize my own work more than someone else's, plus! then I wouldn't have to worry about breakage. No idea what head sculpt I'd use though.

Y'know, this happens often enough that the people on DoA even have a word for it: "re-shelling". I guess the idea is that the doll is the "shell" the character fits into.

 

This actually has crossed my mind for Agatha on occasion. Before I nabbed her on DoA, she was actually going to be an 02, not an 03. It's hard to picture her as much else at the moment, but I know that a fair bit of that is because I'm just so used to her as she is now, so I'm hardly going to write the possibility of re-shelling her off. I actually think it'd be kind of fun to borrow some local friends' girls for a few hours and dress them up with Agatha's wig, glasses, and eyes, just to see what they'd look like. Plus who knows what Volks might come up with in the future? A better Agatha may very well crop up! But it'll have to be some pretty major love in this case, as I am fairly satisfied with how Agatha is now. (Which is just as well, because due to Volks' release structure, it's statistically more likely that any reshelling candidate would be a limited rather than a standard.)

Decided to dig up this old thread.

I've been seriously thinking about changing Erio's head mold to a 01 instead of an 06, she's adorable as an 06 but an 01 head would suit her original character design better. The 06 head is just too different from the original design. I recently came across a custom Erio as an 01 and it lit a fire in me to finally make her an 01. However, I'm still super conflicted, on one hand I really want to do it and I'm pretty sure she'd look amazing but on the other hand she's been an 06 for so long and she is my first DD so I'm reluctant to change her!

Decided to dig up this old thread.

I've been seriously thinking about changing Erio's head mold to a 01 instead of an 06, she's adorable as an 06 but an 01 head would suit her original character design better. The 06 head is just too different from the original design. I recently came across a custom Erio as an 01 and it lit a fire in me to finally make her an 01. However, I'm still super conflicted, on one hand I really want to do it and I'm pretty sure she'd look amazing but on the other hand she's been an 06 for so long and she is my first DD so I'm reluctant to change her!

 

I understand where you're coming from XD

 

I think it depends on how attached you are to the doll being as she is now vs. how you envision/want her to be. Is it that you really would rather her look like the one you saw or if you really want her to stay as she is.

 

I dunno, I'd be reluctant to change too. Hard to imagine something that was perfect for the longest time suddenly being something else, in my case. So yeah, I guess it's literally how attached are you to your original head for that character vs. the one you saw.

 

My usual way of handling that is: If I've slept on it a few times and still am waffling, it's probably something I actually don't want to do, but really like the idea of.

 

Best of luck!

Decided to dig up this old thread.

I've been seriously thinking about changing Erio's head mold to a 01 instead of an 06, she's adorable as an 06 but an 01 head would suit her original character design better. The 06 head is just too different from the original design. I recently came across a custom Erio as an 01 and it lit a fire in me to finally make her an 01. However, I'm still super conflicted, on one hand I really want to do it and I'm pretty sure she'd look amazing but on the other hand she's been an 06 for so long and she is my first DD so I'm reluctant to change her!

I saw an Erio on flickr that was a modded 01, she looked really good! As long as she's on a smaller body (MDD, Obitsu 50 maybe), I think 01 suits her very well.

 

-found it http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanillaville/8174292919/

 

I've changed my doll's face-ups a few times... it's kinda scary, but I'm usually happy with the change (if not I change it again).

i will go with the "Just have both!!" option, because you can never have enough of what you love! right?!

you could make the second one be a look-alike/cousin/sister/clone?

or how about split-personality? like in 'Change 123'

 

i think that if you can afford it, you should try it. if it works out, then Yay!! otherwise, you can always revert back. (just don't sell the original)

unless of course you actually feel guilty about trying to change her? (i don't think you should; i would compare it to humans having 'plastic surgery' - or are you also against that...)

I understand where you're coming from XD

 

I think it depends on how attached you are to the doll being as she is now vs. how you envision/want her to be. Is it that you really would rather her look like the one you saw or if you really want her to stay as she is.

 

I dunno, I'd be reluctant to change too. Hard to imagine something that was perfect for the longest time suddenly being something else, in my case. So yeah, I guess it's literally how attached are you to your original head for that character vs. the one you saw.

 

My usual way of handling that is: If I've slept on it a few times and still am waffling, it's probably something I actually don't want to do, but really like the idea of.

 

Best of luck!

 

Yeah I see what you're saying. I feel split down the middle in wanting her to stay the same and wanting to change her. But, i've slept on it a few days and I think I'm going to do it. I just have to save a bit of money Thank you!

 

I saw an Erio on flickr that was a modded 01, she looked really good! As long as she's on a smaller body (MDD, Obitsu 50 maybe), I think 01 suits her very well.

 

-found it

 

I've changed my doll's face-ups a few times... it's kinda scary, but I'm usually happy with the change (if not I change it again).

 

That's the one I saw! I love how that person made her look. But the only problem is that I would like her to be fullsized instead of an MDD. So that's why I'm also reluctant.

 

But I've also seen 01 heads that look good on regular sized bodies, I think they just need a more mature faceup.

Like Jadepixel's Momoka:

She's also similar to what I'd like Erio to eventually look like.

 

I also found this Erio

But I'm not sure what kind of head this is.

 

i will go with the "Just have both!!" option, because you can never have enough of what you love! right?!

you could make the second one be a look-alike/cousin/sister/clone?

or how about split-personality? like in 'Change 123'

 

i think that if you can afford it, you should try it. if it works out, then Yay!! otherwise, you can always revert back. (just don't sell the original)

unless of course you actually feel guilty about trying to change her? (i don't think you should; i would compare it to humans having 'plastic surgery' - or are you also against that...)

 

That's very true! She could always be a different version if it doesn't work out completely

 

I don't feel guilty about changing her I'm just reluctant because I don't really like change. lol

Okay then that decides it, I'll do it. Just have to save some money for the head and faceup then wait for Anouc to have some slots open, cause I'd really like her to do the faceup

Well, I ended up doing the head mold change with my custom girl. I had her with a Rise head for a little while. I liked the head, but the main problem was her eye holes are just so small. It's hard to find green eyes of the particular shade I wanted them, but it was even harder to find them in the smaller size.

 

I am now using the DDH-07 pre-paint head and I think she turned out much better than Rise could have. It's no longer just the eyes. The DDH-07 pre-paint has a more serious and mature look to it that fits my character.

 

If you're unsure about heads, it might be worth trying another. You might actually like the doll even more in the end.