I think Stryker is referring to a viewpoint that he encounters on other 1/6 scale forums, usually put forth by a certain demographic of male collectors who have a somewhat outdated and narrow-minded concept of what makes something a 'doll' vs. an 'action figure', and the inherent [in their opinions] value and/or gendered nature of such things. Obviously, in thinking that way, they end up perpetuating an overly simplistic view of both dolls AND action figures, imo, and I can understand why Stryker would be frustrated by repeatedly running into that kind of mindset.
Thankfully, I think that people on this forum are pretty open-minded about what an action figure -- or doll, for that matter -- can be. : )
And I completely agree, tinyumbrellas, that there are many types of dolls out there that have very complex articulation. In fact, the subject of articulated model horses often comes up here, and interestingly, one of the few I've encountered that was even remotely convincing was an OOAK horse created by someone with a background in BJD's, rather than in action figures.
I have great respect and admiration for those who work with and create BJD's, and I love the whole concept of 'art dolls'. I don't have personal experience with BJD's, but I'm always seeing such gorgeous examples online and drooling over them. But yeah, I love dolls in general, though the only higher-end doll I have in my collection is a Tonner repaint.
I know that Peaches, another forum member here, is into customizing both dolls and action figures in a wide variety of scales, though she hasn't been around much lately.
There are indeed many differences between the art doll and action figure communities, and I think those are mainly to do with the overall aesthetic preferences, materials used, and aims of customization. What I personally tend to define as a 'doll' is something that is more stylized in both face and body, and is primarily an artistic piece that has a focus on beautiful/interesting aesthetics. In comparison, at the moment, the action figure world seems, to my eyes, very much about replicating certain things precisely, such as real people, or movie characters, or achieving high levels of realism in a smaller form. Which is not to say there is no crossover between the doll world and action figure world in both respects, but that is just my very generalized observation.
Of course, we have many examples here on this forum of some incredible creators who transcend that generalization -- one has only to look at the works of ReverendSpooky, Ephiane, Ovy, AlKelAstra91, and many others to see how artistic and creative 1/6 scale action figures can be. And likewise, I've encountered some stunning dolls in all scales which have incredibly detailed sculpting, painting, wigs, etc., and achieve high levels of realism in their own right.
As someone who appreciates art and beautiful things in general, there are aspects that appeal to me about both hobbies. My observations lead me to think that the goals of doll-making vs. action figure customization do tend to differ a little, but that ultimately there is so much to be learned from each other. My personal goal since starting my various 1/6 projects has been to create custom action figures while utilizing certain techniques frequently used for art dolls, such as repainting, wigs/re-hairing, etc.
Thankfully, I think that people on this forum are pretty open-minded about what an action figure -- or doll, for that matter -- can be. : )
And I completely agree, tinyumbrellas, that there are many types of dolls out there that have very complex articulation. In fact, the subject of articulated model horses often comes up here, and interestingly, one of the few I've encountered that was even remotely convincing was an OOAK horse created by someone with a background in BJD's, rather than in action figures.
I have great respect and admiration for those who work with and create BJD's, and I love the whole concept of 'art dolls'. I don't have personal experience with BJD's, but I'm always seeing such gorgeous examples online and drooling over them. But yeah, I love dolls in general, though the only higher-end doll I have in my collection is a Tonner repaint.
I know that Peaches, another forum member here, is into customizing both dolls and action figures in a wide variety of scales, though she hasn't been around much lately. There are indeed many differences between the art doll and action figure communities, and I think those are mainly to do with the overall aesthetic preferences, materials used, and aims of customization. What I personally tend to define as a 'doll' is something that is more stylized in both face and body, and is primarily an artistic piece that has a focus on beautiful/interesting aesthetics. In comparison, at the moment, the action figure world seems, to my eyes, very much about replicating certain things precisely, such as real people, or movie characters, or achieving high levels of realism in a smaller form. Which is not to say there is no crossover between the doll world and action figure world in both respects, but that is just my very generalized observation.
Of course, we have many examples here on this forum of some incredible creators who transcend that generalization -- one has only to look at the works of ReverendSpooky, Ephiane, Ovy, AlKelAstra91, and many others to see how artistic and creative 1/6 scale action figures can be. And likewise, I've encountered some stunning dolls in all scales which have incredibly detailed sculpting, painting, wigs, etc., and achieve high levels of realism in their own right.
As someone who appreciates art and beautiful things in general, there are aspects that appeal to me about both hobbies. My observations lead me to think that the goals of doll-making vs. action figure customization do tend to differ a little, but that ultimately there is so much to be learned from each other. My personal goal since starting my various 1/6 projects has been to create custom action figures while utilizing certain techniques frequently used for art dolls, such as repainting, wigs/re-hairing, etc.
I presume you are doing a more book-based take on them? Either way, I'm super excited to see your interpretations of them all! 
