A new phase

Since coming back to the hobby in May this year (wow, that really wasn’t that long ago), I’ve found myself in a new phase.

I spent the first handful of months getting reacquainted: relearning restringing, then finishing my unpainted guys (Dustin, Jack, and Theo) as quickly as I could after an 8-9 year delay. I didn’t want to leave them unfinished any longer.

I could never, ever let my SDs go… but holy hell, they take up so much space. So I set out to at least “complete” a few of my crews with the “last” 3 big guys. After that, I swore to myself (with so much pain and failure) that I wouldn’t get any more over 65cm.

Smaller dolls were a different story, though. When I left the hobby, I sold a few dolls and floating heads, including a full Withdoll Kyle (pictured above) who was my only MSD back then. I don’t know what it was, but I really missed him, and Withdoll in general. So I decided that if I was going to get kid versions of any of my characters, it would be Kaelan and Cassian. Then came Withdoll Theo, and soon after, Withdoll Aiden. I love them to pieces.

Naturally, the next thought was, “Okay… I don’t need the adult versions, but… I want the adult versions without getting another SD.” That’s when I remembered FIDs and ¼ model scale, and I think that’s where this whole phase really started.

While I was shopping around for adult Kaelan and Cassian, I found out that one of my favorite companies, Granado, had started experimenting with different scales and body types. I was in the mood to explore something different… and high maintenance, so I ordered two 50cm Fortis guys and told myself, “Okay, I’m good.”

Nope.

Then, in September, Iplehouse announced they’d be closing in Q1 2027, which hit a lot of the community hard. I’d been planning to order two FIDs in December, but after that news I didn’t want to wait, so I bit the bullet and ordered right away. Good thing I trusted my gut. Less than a month later, they had to pause orders because they’d gotten more than their team could handle, though they said they might open a second round of orders after the closure date.

Honestly, fair. Doll-making is laborious, and there are only so many hands and hours to get orders out safely and on time. Hopefully they do reopen for everyone who couldn’t jump in.

After the FIDs, I wandered into the secondhand market on IG and eBay and came across a Leekeworld Lionel head. Something about his “dumb,” scowly resting bitch face intrigued me. I didn’t care that he was an old sculpt or that his resin had yellowed. I researched which bodies he’d match, pretending his resin was brand new, and tracked down a legit Luts 65 body secondhand.

That’s how Rhys (pictured with this company faceup that I have hard time parting with for some reason) became my first true hybrid doll. He’s a bit of a lollipop, though not my only one. Once the Luts body arrived, I realized he was just as fun to pose as my Withdolls (subjective, I know).

He also blurred how I group my dolls by size. Rhys is strangely the frosted glass wall between my two size groups. Well, technically it’s Sonny, my YID, and explaining why starts with one simple fact.

I love and adore my Iples to hell. But realistically, they aren’t great posers out of the box. I’ve spent a good amount of time learning each doll’s quirks, and I’ve found ways to pose these beautiful bricks, but they’ll never move like a Fortis, Amicus, Pashapasha, or Dollshe Mystic body. That’s just the honest truth.

Sonny’s an Iple too. He was my first smaller BJD, and I remember unboxing him and thinking, “I’m not grunting when I lift his box” LOL. He’s definitely more posable than the EIDs, but even next to Rhys, Sonny could probably punch his lights out if he tried. lmao does that make sense?

Sonny is small, sure, but he’s a small brick, so I mentally group him with the usual SDs. Dustin is skinnier than Sonny, even though he’s 3-4cm taller also noticeably lighter. So for me, the line between groups isn’t really about height. Rhys is the 65cm guy who feels like part of the new crowd, and Sonny is the little guy who still belongs with the bricks.

Anyway, Rhys has become my favorite of what I’d call my own kind of unconventional. He didn’t seem like a popular sculpt back then, especially next to the all-star Mihael, and these days I catch myself looking at heads and dolls I wouldn’t have given a second thought.

Now here I am, looking at a Soul Doll Lester at my local antique doll and teddy bear shop and thinking, “Oh, I remember him. I actually liked his sculpt, but never had a reason to get him.” So I gave myself one reason, and now I’m getting him. LOL

From there I fell into Mystic Kids and… Resinsoul (I can hear the “wut” LOL). If Amir weren’t 71cm, I’d get him in a heartbeat.

But Resinsoul is the one that really got me. Their sculpts and company photos are the very definition of seeing potential and trusting the process… LOL. I remember when I first entered the hobby, people were very open about… uh… disliking how “ugly” Resinsouls were. My only thought back then was, “Wow, they could definitely use better photos.”

I still think that today, but now… I want one.

Two.
I want two.

Possibly three, because while I was writing this, my husband browsed the Resinsoul site with me and was brave enough to point at one and say, “That guy’s cool,” as if I wouldn’t take that as a reason to buy.

Looking back at how this phase started, I think a lot of it comes down to how differently I see things now. Working as a designer has changed how I problem-solve spatially compared to 8 years ago. I do both design and illustration, but 30-40 hours of my week go to systems and UX work, where I live in wireframes, components, and visual design. Another 15-20 go to brand and illustration. What I find cute, attractive, or cool has also shifted a lot over the years. Just part of getting older, I guess?

I love all my main dolls and crews, and they’ll always get equal attention. But as my collection grows, I’m looking for a different kind of challenge, or, especially in Resinsoul’s case, a chance to trust the process.