As promised, I'm posting a review of the new (or not that new) sixth-scale seamless body line by LDDoll. The company has created some 15 female bodies and three male ones -- according to the information on the side of the box. They are made to order, which means longer turnaround time and higher costs. Apart from choosing between different body types (varying in terms of height, musculature, bust size), one can choose from up to six colors for the female bodies and two for the male ones, simple or full "make up" (coloring of nipples, muscle lines), and flexible or inflexible fingers. The last options ("make up," flexible fingers) also mean an increase in price.
While I'm quite happy with many of the TBLeague (Phicen) products (and to some extent Jiaou Doll's), I liked the more slender physique I saw on some of the female and male bodies by LDDoll and wondered if they would be viable action figure body alternatives. Given the unknowns, I went for the lowest priced product I came across, a male body (labeled 32Boy on the box but this was probably a mistake and the product seems to be 30Boy), but paid for the "full make up" and flexible fingers options. It is also more convenient having fewer areas to censor or cover up in what is supposed to be a revealing review.
Val had enough of Billy's antics and conspiracy theories (on those two, see HERE), and was excited to meet the new guy, so she volunteered to be my assistant. The LDDoll box turned out to be fairly similar to what we get from TBLeague, and in a similar color scheme and design. On one side of the box there is a checklist allowing you to find out exactly what body and what options you are getting inside.
There are no plastic treys, just the body packaged in a plastic bag and some air-filled packaging, an information leaflet, a brush for applying protective powder, an extra (or alternative) neck connector, and three sausage-like male appendages that plug into the body (which will not be shown). Although intrigued, Val made sure they stayed out of sight.
Ever the good student, she made sure to review the information booklet carefully. She focused on the English side. It is part advertisement for the company, part information on the product and its functionality, exemplified for a female body.
There is a graphic showing the basic articulation on the Chinese side of the leaflet.
Here is the body out of the box. The silicon skin/flesh material feels not too different from the TPE material used by TBLeague; LDDoll's may be a little oilier, which means you do not want to have it touch paper items you don't want stained. And because, as I feared, it cannot really stand on its own (the curse of seamless ankles), it needs to lean on something. The part of the manhood that does not plug in is actually part of the body sculpt/mold.
Here is a comparison between the LDDoll 32Boy body and the TBLeague M33 body. With the "full makeup" option on the LDDoll body, you get faintly colored nipples and sprayed-on musculature to accentuate the sculpted/molded musculature already in place. The nipples are an improvement on the TBLeague body; the sprayed-on muscles I'd prefer to skip, leaving it to natural shapes and shadows (note the asymmetric six pack, which is unfortunately accentuated by the coloring).
Now that the body was provided with a head and shorts, it was properly introduced to Val, who was cautiously optimistic, although she wondered why (let's call him) Ethan needed to be supported at all times. With the head on, he stands 30 cm (11.8 in) tall.
Alas, Ethan could not stand on his own. Contrary to what has been reported about some LDDoll bodies (earlier and/or female ones), there do appear to be some appropriate inflexible bone-like sections inside, which would get in the way of most unnatural bending. While there appear to be some fairly strong ankles inside, between the silicon flesh on the underside of the feet and what is apparently not a strong continuous endoskeleton structure inside, the body cannot balance and stabilize on its own -- it jiggles and falls. He pretended it was so he could exercise.
He is pretty good at doing push ups.
And while they do not always look quite natural (although presumably more attentive and careful posing would help), the seamless wrists and flexible fingers are really pretty neat.
And he can be made to hold all sorts of things quite well, sometimes better and easier than it would be with interchangeable harder plastic fixed-sculpt hands.
The mold seam line along the side of the body and limbs is possibly fixable but very much more apparent than what we are used to from other seamless body products (TBLeague, Jiaou Doll).
Despite her reservations, Val was intrigued by Ethan.
Conscious of his limitations, he was not immediately responsive.
He did appreciate her support, and slowly warmed up to her.
And she to him.
Before long, it was a whirlwind romance.
In the end, however, she was not as impressed as she thought (or hoped) she would be. He caught her sneaking out.
And was left profoundly depressed by the experience.
But not for long, as he soon had to take quick evasive action to avoid the wrath of a jealous and irate Butcher...
All in all, I would say this figure (and presumably the rest of the line) has a great deal of potential. Even without being perfect, seamless wrists and ankles and flexible fingers are very neat. Perhaps these areas can be improved a little for appearance and accuracy. The movement of the limbs is smooth enough, though not as decisive (for the lack of a better word) as TBLeague's. They hold their position well enough, but jiggle when moved. Even if they looked and worked perfectly (which is not yet the case here), seamless wrist and hand and seamless ankles and feet would naturally have a practical limitation in that they would stand in the way of certain gloved and shod looks, being non-swappable; they might also stand in the way of certain outfits with overly tight sleeves or pant legs. But otherwise they would be quite something.
The biggest, enormous drawback here is the inability of the body to stand on its own. When it comes to action figures that is a very basic expectation, and the lack of a proper combination of a good endoskeleton and ankles undermines its great potential. I have little use for a figure that cannot stand, and for me that means that between their other limitations and hefty cost, LDDoll bodies are not a viable alternative or complement to the TBLeague and Jiaou Doll seamless bodies on the market.
As always, what do you think?
#lddoll #body #seamless #male #product #review
While I'm quite happy with many of the TBLeague (Phicen) products (and to some extent Jiaou Doll's), I liked the more slender physique I saw on some of the female and male bodies by LDDoll and wondered if they would be viable action figure body alternatives. Given the unknowns, I went for the lowest priced product I came across, a male body (labeled 32Boy on the box but this was probably a mistake and the product seems to be 30Boy), but paid for the "full make up" and flexible fingers options. It is also more convenient having fewer areas to censor or cover up in what is supposed to be a revealing review.
Val had enough of Billy's antics and conspiracy theories (on those two, see HERE), and was excited to meet the new guy, so she volunteered to be my assistant. The LDDoll box turned out to be fairly similar to what we get from TBLeague, and in a similar color scheme and design. On one side of the box there is a checklist allowing you to find out exactly what body and what options you are getting inside.
There are no plastic treys, just the body packaged in a plastic bag and some air-filled packaging, an information leaflet, a brush for applying protective powder, an extra (or alternative) neck connector, and three sausage-like male appendages that plug into the body (which will not be shown). Although intrigued, Val made sure they stayed out of sight.
Ever the good student, she made sure to review the information booklet carefully. She focused on the English side. It is part advertisement for the company, part information on the product and its functionality, exemplified for a female body.
There is a graphic showing the basic articulation on the Chinese side of the leaflet.
Here is the body out of the box. The silicon skin/flesh material feels not too different from the TPE material used by TBLeague; LDDoll's may be a little oilier, which means you do not want to have it touch paper items you don't want stained. And because, as I feared, it cannot really stand on its own (the curse of seamless ankles), it needs to lean on something. The part of the manhood that does not plug in is actually part of the body sculpt/mold.
Here is a comparison between the LDDoll 32Boy body and the TBLeague M33 body. With the "full makeup" option on the LDDoll body, you get faintly colored nipples and sprayed-on musculature to accentuate the sculpted/molded musculature already in place. The nipples are an improvement on the TBLeague body; the sprayed-on muscles I'd prefer to skip, leaving it to natural shapes and shadows (note the asymmetric six pack, which is unfortunately accentuated by the coloring).
Now that the body was provided with a head and shorts, it was properly introduced to Val, who was cautiously optimistic, although she wondered why (let's call him) Ethan needed to be supported at all times. With the head on, he stands 30 cm (11.8 in) tall.
Alas, Ethan could not stand on his own. Contrary to what has been reported about some LDDoll bodies (earlier and/or female ones), there do appear to be some appropriate inflexible bone-like sections inside, which would get in the way of most unnatural bending. While there appear to be some fairly strong ankles inside, between the silicon flesh on the underside of the feet and what is apparently not a strong continuous endoskeleton structure inside, the body cannot balance and stabilize on its own -- it jiggles and falls. He pretended it was so he could exercise.
He is pretty good at doing push ups.
And while they do not always look quite natural (although presumably more attentive and careful posing would help), the seamless wrists and flexible fingers are really pretty neat.
And he can be made to hold all sorts of things quite well, sometimes better and easier than it would be with interchangeable harder plastic fixed-sculpt hands.
The mold seam line along the side of the body and limbs is possibly fixable but very much more apparent than what we are used to from other seamless body products (TBLeague, Jiaou Doll).
Despite her reservations, Val was intrigued by Ethan.
Conscious of his limitations, he was not immediately responsive.
He did appreciate her support, and slowly warmed up to her.
And she to him.
Before long, it was a whirlwind romance.
In the end, however, she was not as impressed as she thought (or hoped) she would be. He caught her sneaking out.
And was left profoundly depressed by the experience.
But not for long, as he soon had to take quick evasive action to avoid the wrath of a jealous and irate Butcher...
All in all, I would say this figure (and presumably the rest of the line) has a great deal of potential. Even without being perfect, seamless wrists and ankles and flexible fingers are very neat. Perhaps these areas can be improved a little for appearance and accuracy. The movement of the limbs is smooth enough, though not as decisive (for the lack of a better word) as TBLeague's. They hold their position well enough, but jiggle when moved. Even if they looked and worked perfectly (which is not yet the case here), seamless wrist and hand and seamless ankles and feet would naturally have a practical limitation in that they would stand in the way of certain gloved and shod looks, being non-swappable; they might also stand in the way of certain outfits with overly tight sleeves or pant legs. But otherwise they would be quite something.
The biggest, enormous drawback here is the inability of the body to stand on its own. When it comes to action figures that is a very basic expectation, and the lack of a proper combination of a good endoskeleton and ankles undermines its great potential. I have little use for a figure that cannot stand, and for me that means that between their other limitations and hefty cost, LDDoll bodies are not a viable alternative or complement to the TBLeague and Jiaou Doll seamless bodies on the market.
As always, what do you think?
#lddoll #body #seamless #male #product #review