Iplehouse gets more amazing, just when I thought they couldn't!

Yesterday, I picked up my Iplehouse Tokyo Story Tedros from the post office. Again, the actual doll is more beautiful in real life than in any of the pictures I've seen of him. The sculpt is gorgeous; Iplehouse is truly the leader in beautiful and realistic dolls! On top of that, the resin color is indescribably rich, even & only adds to the beauty of the doll.

I was able to take part in the Summer Event, which meant that I received some free gifts along w/my doll. In addition to the Tokyo Story Kimono set that I bought (which I have yet to try on him), they sent a blond wig which is a fine wig (as theirs tend to be), but doesn't fit with any of my dolls, so I'll probably be offering that for trade on Den of Angels. They also sent a pair of the Grey Cargo Pants, which I never would have ordered, but they actually look quite nice on Pakko, I think.

They're Super Hero body sized, but he has the Model Body, so they're a bit big in the waist for him, but that allows them to sit on his hips so yummily!

And the back view.  ;o)  Like I said, I wouldn't have ordered these, but since Pakko is a modern member of the Water Tribe (from Avatar: The Last Airbender), the grey pants with blue accents are actually very appropriate for his character (though I'm not a fan of superfluous zippers & straps, so I may be modifying that aspect of them).

I wanted to do a "Fashion Show" with some other Superhero-Sized clothing on him, but I'm afraid the rest of Ismael's wardrobe is in storage. Once I can reunite with said wardrobe, though, I'll definitely be seeing how some of these other clothes fit on him.

His blue eyes (Eyeco 12/13 mm eyes in color P056) are perfect for a member of the Water Tribe.

I took a few quick shots to compare resin color with my other kids. Here, Irena (Tan Limhwa Luna) is getting super cozy with the new sexpot on the block. Pakko obvs enjoys the attention, but he's more into Ismael.  ;o)

Since I mentioned it, I should clarify further: Ismael & Pakko 'messed around' a bit when they first met, but that attraction was fleeting & now they're quite good friends.

A couple of looks at Iplehouse's RealSkin resin (Ismael: EID Akando w/Superhero body) & Tan/Lt Brown (Pakko: EID Tedros w/Model Body).

One of my favorite things about the Tedros sculpt is his nose. That slight 'bump' gives him such character & makes his the most distinguished-looking & interesting nose I've seen on a BJD to date. Such a handsome doll!

Noctarcana Realness

The doll meetup this past Sunday had a  "Masquerade" theme. I wasn't sure what to make, but I found this fabric & knew it would look great fashioned into a tight shirt stretched over the hotness that is the Iplehouse Superhero body.

As I was working, I realised that the look has a bit of Noctarcana Circus in it, which makes sense, since I've been smitten with Akando since the Pierrot edition was released as the premiere doll of that series.

The shirt is still kind of "unfinished" in a few ways, but I like the way it looks thus far, & it served its purpose at the meet. A few passers-by even stopped to take pictures of Ismael! Yes, that is a cool feeling!

It's uncommon to see BJD's with dark eyes in general... in fact I think they're almost a rarity, but I think Ismael's gaze looks extra smoldering with dark eyes.

Boots, jeans, belt, & wig by Iplehouse. 

Shirt by me

Eyes by Eyeco (12/13mm "Ebony").

There's something very intimate about this last pic. Whenever I see closeups of faces like this, I think of them as a "lover's close up".

Volks Dolpa NYC 4 2010

When I first heard about Dolpa, I was skeptical, to say the least. The scant information I got made it sound like many other fan conventions, meaning that I expected it to mostly consist of a roomful of vendors selling dolls & doll-related goods. That could be fun, but I don't always enjoy looking at pretty things that I can't (afford to) buy, & the... interesting state of the economy lately meant that I likely wouldn't be able to do much buying.

As the event got closer & I read more about the planned events, as well as events from Dolpas past, I started to get more excited & I was looking forward to it more & more. Among other things, I was curious to meet more people who are as enchanted by these dolls as I am. As it turned out, I wasn't able to spend money at Dolpa, but there was plenty of hanging out, lots of people who were willing & eager to talk about their dolls, plenty of dolls to admire & photograph, & more than enough engaging activities to keep the weekend event fun & exciting.

In addition to the faceup workshop (which I couldn't participate in, but would love to do so next year) & the services that Volks staff offered--like the opportunity to order a doll via Volks' Full Choice System, or FCS, the 'dolly doctor', who provided service like removing hot glue from eyes & replacing & repairing broken doll pieces--& the "audience participation" games that Mr Shigeta, the President of Volks, used to engage us, it was much more than I expected. 

I truly got the sense that this business of making & selling dolls was more than an act of commerce for the Volks staff. Mr Shigeta wore a "Mad Hatter" style hat & ascot on Saturday, & I never got the vibe that he begrudged the idea of "dressing the part" to reflect the Alice in Wonderland theme of the party & the limited-edition dolls. The other Volks staff were dressed as playing cards, in keeping with the theme, but something about Mr Shigeta--a man with more than a few Winters behind him, so to speak--donning such a costume brought a real sense of fun & whimsy to the event.

I had a friend snap this pic of me on Saturday, standing next to the foamcore standee of Williams as the Mad Hatter (one of the Fashion Doll Quarterly Limited Edition Dolls for the event). At the end of the event on Sunday, the Volks staff gave away the banners, posters, tapestries, placards, & other sundry decor they had brought to decorate the event space. Naturally, I wanted to take this standee home with me. In order to make distribution of the decor more 'fair', Dolpa attendees who wanted items that only existed singly (like the 25' tall banners of the limited edition dolls) played Rock, Paper, Scissors withe Mr Shigeta. For most of the groups, people were 'eliminated' in batches as the people who threw the 'losing' option against Mr Shigeta fell away. For the competition for the Mad Hatter, though, I was very lucky to not only win him, but to win in the first round! GO ME!!! Even better is the fact that he had been autographed by Mr Shigeta & the members of the Volks staff who were in attendance. Most of it is in Japanese, which I can't read, so one day soon I'll need to post pictures of these so that hopefully someone can translate for me.  :o)

As I mentioned, there were lots of pretty dolls to admire. Here are pictures of just some of the very pretty dolls in attendance. Fortunate for Volks (&, perhaps, unfortunate for me), several of their dolls have found their way to my "want" list after this weekend.

LUCKY LUCKY FUN!

LUCKY LUCKY HAPPY!

LUCKY LUCKY WONDERFUL!

LUCKY LUCKY FANTASTIC!