Now Censored: TBLeague / Phicen and other seamless bodies

French wrote:I haven't read everything, but the fact that bodies no longer have certain anatomical details, like the pubis, is not a big deal.

When I create figurines, I don't see the point in having this kind of detail. You exhibit your creations dressed and not naked.
I think that the public for sexualized figurines will buy other types of products.

What is annoying for me is that women's clothes are often tight-fitting and sometimes "transparent", to avoid this problem I buy men's clothes.

Creating a figurine of Van Diesel, Sebastian Stan or Scarlett Johanson to put them completely naked has no point.

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As I mentioned above, being censored is NOT a showstopper for me.

But .. if it "is not a big deal" then why is the Chinese government, so hell bent on stopping companies from making these figures censored and forcing their opinions on the rest of the world?

I can't see your point of "tight-fitting" or "transparent" clothes being annoying and being forced to by men's clothes.

There are far more standard outfits and apparel then sexualized items. What do you search for???

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:

French wrote:I haven't read everything, but the fact that bodies no longer have certain anatomical details, like the pubis, is not a big deal.

When I create figurines, I don't see the point in having this kind of detail. You exhibit your creations dressed and not naked.
I think that the public for sexualized figurines will buy other types of products.

What is annoying for me is that women's clothes are often tight-fitting and sometimes "transparent", to avoid this problem I buy men's clothes.

Creating a figurine of Van Diesel, Sebastian Stan or Scarlett Johanson to put them completely naked has no point.

No point to you perhaps, but clearly it was a major selling point to many, many other customers, else why bother including them? You are judging everyone by your own standards and preferences.  

NavySubGuy wrote:

French wrote:I haven't read everything, but the fact that bodies no longer have certain anatomical details, like the pubis, is not a big deal.

When I create figurines, I don't see the point in having this kind of detail. You exhibit your creations dressed and not naked.
I think that the public for sexualized figurines will buy other types of products.

What is annoying for me is that women's clothes are often tight-fitting and sometimes "transparent", to avoid this problem I buy men's clothes.

Creating a figurine of Van Diesel, Sebastian Stan or Scarlett Johanson to put them completely naked has no point.

<><><><><><><>

As I mentioned above, being censored is NOT a showstopper for me.

But .. if it "is not a big deal" then why is the Chinese government, so hell bent on stopping companies from making these figures censored and forcing their opinions on the rest of the world?

I can't see your point of "tight-fitting" or "transparent" clothes being annoying and being forced to by men's clothes.

There are far more standard outfits and apparel then sexualized items. What do you search for???

Given the responses, it's hard for me to express myself. First of all, I'm not English and I have a poor command of Sheakspeare's language.
I will write more simply.

First of all, I don't judge anyone.
I wanted to say that if we buy a body, it is generally to reproduce a character from a film or cartoon.
We will look for the most similar face and also the clothes. So the body will be covered and we will no longer see its intimate details.
For example I want to do Van Diesel in Fast and Furious, I'm going to look for clothes and we won't see if his body is anatomically finished, since it will be covered.

Otherwise, of course, if we're looking for a real body, it's ridiculous to censor. It's not nudity the problem, like with people
practicing nudism, but the look, and especially the judgment, that we bring to it.
The example with the Greek statutes where the bodies are naked and there is nothing shocking at all.
I have already seen figurines representing Zeus, there is nothing shocking in the nudity.

As for the clothes, some are transparent. I've had this problem before with figurines. We can see a little through it and it looks ugly (we can see the superposition of clothing or padding).
As for the tight fitting part, it's hard to put on the figurine. The male figures have bigger legs and bigger arms, so it's easier to put on a female character.

I hope I was clearer and that people understand what I meant. I'm not trying to make a controversy, just to explain that for many creations this is of no interest since especially once the figurine is finished we put it down and we are not going to undress it. We'll just change positions or accessories from time to time.

Yah I prefer the figures uncensored. Kinda (censored) that they censored them. Also anyone notice that Tbleague hasn't announced anything new?

"First of all, I don't judge anyone.
I wanted to say that if we buy a body, it is generally to reproduce a character from a film or cartoon.
We will look for the most similar face and also the clothes. So the body will be covered and we will no longer see its intimate details.
For example I want to do Van Diesel in Fast and Furious, I'm going to look for clothes and we won't see if his body is anatomically finished, since it will be covered."


Not everyone uses their figures the same way.

I have to add that find it somewhat bizarre that so many people are posting on this thread just to say " This doesn't affect me so I don't really care." The thread was obviously created by members who are affected and are unhappy with this.  If this is something you don't care about because it doesn't affect you, why comment at all?  It'd like you are all saying, "I have my ice-cream in the flavor I want, and that's all I care about." It's not about the collectors that were deprived of nothing because they never cared about it the first place.  It's about those who are angry at being deprived of something they've been using and wish to continue using.

To quote Sgt. Joe Friday: "Just the facts:"

1. I ordered a TBLeague M33 male body from Giantoy earlier this month (May 2024). It arrived last week.

2. The TBLeague M33 male body itself appears unchanged from earlier versions of the same body I have purchased. In the case of the male body, this includes male nipples still being present and abdominal musculature being well-defined. The pubic region appears the same as on earlier releases, i.e. smooth with a slightly defined mound area.

3. The male "private parts" were not included with the body.

4. Black nylon undershorts were included, identical to earlier releases.

5. Black nylon wrist bands and ankle socks were NOT included.

6. The hands and feet were made from a different type of plastic than previous TBLeague male bodies I have purchased. The hands and feet are a harder, shinier plastic with a distinct color difference from the body. The included hands and feet are somewhat akin to the hands included with ZYToys or MXToys (CooModel) jointed bodies.

7. Overall product packaging (outer box, plastic tray) appears unchanged.

OPINION: The lack of male "private parts" was expected. I found the change in the hand material and the removal of the wrist bands and ankle socks unexpected and disappointing.

NavySubGuy wrote:
Yahoo-Hoo       99.9%
Momo_Toys     96.7%
ACEC_UNION   99.4%
Nemo550        100%

All of these guys are fast shippers, accurate description, honest and go an extra mile to help you find a particular item.

I have never bought a seamless body from one of them, but I can confirm that they are reliable and fast. All on eBay.
I can also confirm that collectorofmany's post about Ekia Hobbies was a good lead. I ordered a few, despite the shipping costs and in-state taxes, and all were old stock as described (the shop has both).

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:Tell me...exactly how do you know exactly why other people are buying a particular body or how they are going to use it?   Not everyone uses their figures the same way.

I have to add that find it somewhat bizarre that so many people are posting on this thread just to say " This doesn't affect me so I don't really care." The thread was obviously created by members who are affected and are unhappy with this.  If this is something you don't care about because it doesn't affect you, why comment at all?  It'd like you are all saying, "I have my ice-cream in the flavor I want, and that's all I care about." It's not about the collectors that were deprived of nothing because they never cared about it the first place.  It's about those who are angry at being deprived of something they've been using and wish to continue using.

You make good points and I largely agree with you, both in terms of principle (against censorship) and in seeing the usefulness of having something and not needing it rather than needing it and not having it (e.g., we've talked about artistic nudity, and while there is no place for it in this specific online space, there is a place for it in the world). But please don't get combative just because you disagree with another member's priorities and tolerance level for ... let's call it simplification.

In a perfect world, companies would have both realistic (anatomically correct) and censored versions of their figures to satisfy everyone's tastes or needs. Unfortunately, they have only one, and have been forced to offer less rather than more realism.

davidd wrote:To quote Sgt. Joe Friday: "Just the facts:"

1. I ordered a TBLeague M33 male body from Giantoy earlier this month (May 2024). It arrived last week.

2. The TBLeague M33 male body itself appears unchanged from earlier versions of the same body I have purchased. In the case of the male body, this includes male nipples still being present and abdominal musculature being well-defined. The pubic region appears the same as on earlier releases, i.e. smooth with a slightly defined mound area.

3. The male "private parts" were not included with the body.

4. Black nylon undershorts were included, identical to earlier releases.

5. Black nylon wrist bands and ankle socks were NOT included.

6. The hands and feet were made from a different type of plastic than previous TBLeague male bodies I have purchased. The hands and feet are a harder, shinier plastic with a distinct color difference from the body. The included hands and feet are somewhat akin to the hands included with ZYToys or MXToys (CooModel) jointed bodies.

7. Overall product packaging (outer box, plastic tray) appears unchanged.

OPINION: The lack of male "private parts" was expected. I found the change in the hand material and the removal of the wrist bands and ankle socks unexpected and disappointing.

Thanks for the quick review, Dave. It matches what I have seen with the one new stock male body I received, although I didn't notice new plastic for the hands and feet. Should probably double-check. And, I agree, not surprising.

It disappointing to hear. Apart from the lack of a trigger figure, I always liked the previous male hands. Thanks for letting us all know, Dave .

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:"First of all, I don't judge anyone.
I wanted to say that if we buy a body, it is generally to reproduce a character from a film or cartoon.
We will look for the most similar face and also the clothes. So the body will be covered and we will no longer see its intimate details.
For example I want to do Van Diesel in Fast and Furious, I'm going to look for clothes and we won't see if his body is anatomically finished, since it will be covered."


Tell me...exactly how do you know exactly why other people are buying a particular body or how they are going to use it?   Not everyone uses their figures the same way.

I have to add that find it somewhat bizarre that so many people are posting on this thread just to say " This doesn't affect me so I don't really care." The thread was obviously created by members who are affected and are unhappy with this.  If this is something you don't care about because it doesn't affect you, why comment at all?  It'd like you are all saying, "I have my ice-cream in the flavor I want, and that's all I care about." It's not about the collectors that were deprived of nothing because they never cared about it the first place.  It's about those who are angry at being deprived of something they've been using and wish to continue using.

This is the last time I respond on the subject, because it's becoming a "drama".

Already, just like you, I have the right to express my opinion on the subject.

If you buy a Van Diesel figurine with an incomplete anatomy, without knowing it, you are obviously being cheated.
I won't reply anymore, because it pollutes the subject

French wrote:If you buy a Van Diesel figurine with an incomplete anatomy, without knowing it, you are obviously being cheated.

Exactly. While I abhor this kind of censorship in principle and the whole situation is very frustrating and disappointing, the biggest annoyance for me here is that the manufacturers and retailers have done their absolute best to keep the whole thing quiet, and are continuing to do so. There is still no official word on any of this from any of them, and we have to rely on secret interpersonal communiques from those in the industry for any kind of explanation. It's totally ridiculous, like something from a cheap pulp spy novel. The manufacturers may have valid reasons for keeping quiet (that under a repressive political regime, aren't necessarily just financial) but that doesn't make me or my wallet feel any better about being deceived.

In particular, TBLeague's new design and set production schedule seems to have ground to a halt because of it. The developments with their male base bodies (specifically this weird business with the hands - the removal of the genitals was entirely expected) just stand as further proof that companies seem to be floundering around as the situation becomes more bizarre by the day.

"You make good points and I largely agree with you, both in terms of principle (against censorship) and in seeing the usefulness of having something and not needing it rather than needing it and not having it (e.g., we've talked about artistic nudity, and while there is no place for it in this specific online space, there is a place for it in the world). But please don't get combative just because you disagree with another member's priorities and tolerance level for ... let's call it simplification.

In a perfect world, companies would have both realistic (anatomically correct) and censored versions of their figures to satisfy everyone's tastes or needs. Unfortunately, they have only one, and have been forced to offer less rather than more realism."

I am not attempting to be combative. I am merely pointing out the following:

A. That while anatomical detail is unimportant to some people, it is clearly important to a large enough fraction of the market that manufacturers were including it.

B. The thread was obviously created because some people would be upset, disappointed, etc that this change was not only happening, but happened without notification from the manufacturers. In view of this, coming along and saying "I don't really care because this doesn't affect me, is the same as saying "I don't really care that you can't get what you like to get because I've never needed it." This is a very self-centered view.

Apologies in advance to all of those who've expressed the view that while they don't care for anatomically detailed figured for themselves, they still disapprove of censorship.

The forum is a place for free discussion of pretty much all aspects affecting our hobby, allowing for different perspectives and opinions. But due to some (offscreen) drama, realizing just how potentially acrimonious the exchange of opinions on this could become for some, I have been advised to lock this thread. I hope this action does not create more acrimony, but allows us on focusing on what makes us happy with our hobby instead.

PS: This post (and the decision it reflects) is not a direct response to the post immediately above it (which was not seen at the time of its composition) or to any specific post, but rather to the divisive effect of the discussion over time.