davidd’s A DOLL A DAY 2021

[davidd]

Nice lighting on Taerra.  I wonder where she's ex-ploring.
The twins are fun.  And what a neat little bedroom set. 

The plan is to eventually complete a photo-story segment featuring Tærra's ex-plorations.
The bedroom set is fun. It is from a Hasbro Maxie doll. Maxie was a US version of the European Sindy doll, from the later (1990s) years of Sindy after they had been "Barbie-fied" from their original designs. The same set was marketed in the UK as a Sindy Day Bed, and in the States as a Maxie Day Bed. This one was actually mint-in-sealed-box, but I unceremoniously opened it specifically for this photo shoot.

That is an excellent photo story.

Dads never realise how quick their kids grow up, especially if they’re not around all the time.

I like all the fan-posters behind the couch, I was trying to work out who they all are - it’s 79s/80s going by the floppy hairstyles.

Ken a has a David Cassidy poster on her wall, is she stuck in a time warp?

David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, and Bobby Sherman. Yes, definitely a small time warp. (It wasn't that long ago that they were popular... was it?)

Thanks, LeJays! This was a fun installment to put together. I tried to add a little more "depth" beyond the usual sarcastic gags.

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6 February 2021 – TBLeague "Cowgirl" Action Figure

This is the most "naked" of the seamless figures in my collection. As a result, she rarely ventures out from the bottom of a storage tub, where she quietly sleeps, wrapped in tissue and out of sight.

A secondary issue with this figure is that the costume is very delicate, with numerous tiny buckles and straps that seem likely to break under the slightest strain.

One additional issue is that this figure is challenging to photograph. I will need a camera with manual focus if I want to photograph her well. Auto-focus insists on selecting the point(s) closest to the camera, which is enough to throw the face out of focus.

[Loona]

Wow, my first thought about Cowgirl was definitely around the amount of clothes she's wearing - I'm kind of relieved it isn't only conservative me who feels she's a tad bit... underdressed I also wonder how her top would stay on IRL if she was, let's say, to lift her arms - to use that gun, for instance. That garment doesn't seem practical for when someone would like to do... well, anything other than standing upright with arms down, and not moving

I really enjoyed the photostory about Kenna and her (super cool!) daddy. I liked the discussion (poor super cool daddy, yeah, they grow up so fast... and start to make questionable decisions ), but I also wonder what will happen next - will she go to the camp regardless? Will he arrange a meeting with Dr. Neville? Also, daddy is so right about tanks! They are cool litthe things - for some unknown reason* I always admired them, even though I don't support violence, and I would not go inside one if my life depended on it (hello claustrophobia - I'm not sure staying alive and having to face years of mental aftereffects are really better than dying. I do sadly have an example that seems to prove this in my close family), one of my favourite things as a little elementary schoolgirl was a pack of top trump tank playing cards one of my classmates had. My mother tried to hunt it down for me (I will always be grateful to her for raising me in a way that flipped a finger at gender stereotypes! I think I still turned out girly enough ) but did not succeed. I was overjoyed when, already as an adult, I came across it on a local auction site - and some more years later, I found another, different pack, in a shop that sells imported second-hand goods. I'd totally play with them more often, but the husband isn't really into card games.

*I kinda think the reason is similar to why I like Star Wars walkers, robots, and any machine that seems to move of their own accord. I have always found such creatures factinating and --- cute! Yeah, also those creepy army test robots you can find on YouTube (though I highly prefer the non-humanoid ones).

[neon_jellyfish]

Been down with migraines and without internet for a few days - again (this time it was on provider's side of things, and they sure took their sweet time to fix it) - and what a galore of seemless uncanniness I found upon my return from the Land of Off(line)! Marvelous! You know, I think I'm starting to get used to them, I think it must be because of your brilliant pics and especially your great stories!

[Elfy]

Of the pop idols on Kenna's wall, Donny is the youngest and he's in his 60's. Unfortunately David Cassidy passed away a few years ago.

[davidd]

PHICEN FEBRUARY continues... barely:

7 February – Mint In Box

Loona, your rambling, and accurate, observations about the Cowgirl and her unrealistic attire which somehow seamlessly segued in to a discussion of army tanks had me in stitches! More stitches than there are in her entire wardrobe, I think!

Neon, I'm delighted to "see" you again. I was beginning to be concerned, having been somewhat following the progress of You Know What in the Czech Republic. 

Elfy, yeah, I felt sad when David Cassidy passed away. I cannot see an old school bus without the Partridge Family theme song, C'mon, Get Happy, popping in to my head!

After only a week, I must be getting bored with my own February theme. I almost forgot to post a pic today, hence this quick snapshot of... a box! There's a seamless figure inside the box. This was one of the early figures that I purchased and... I dunno. I never got around to opening the carton. Then it got shuffled to the back of the pile and I kind of forgot about it. That was over a year ago. Today I fully intended to finally open this box, but one thing led to another and... I forgot! Again! I suppose that's a pretty good indication that I should not have purchased it. What was I thinking?

As is typical, the figures that I leave in box rarely appreciate in value. In fact, this figure is still available on some retail sites for the original price. Sometimes it shows up on eBay for less than the original retail price. That contrasts with those silly little demon girls. I should have stocked up on those when they were $70 apiece, and I should have kept them mint in box. After only a few months, they are bringing close to $200 apiece on eBay.

But we buy 'em to play with, not as financial investments, right?

[Elfy]

A steam punk Red Sonja does intrigue me. Is there also a steam punk Conan?

[Lejays17]

Steampunk Red Sonja is very intriguing. You have to wonder what the producers are thinking when they come up with some of these cross-overs.

And I'm definitely agreeing with Loona about the impracticalty of the cowgirl outfit - she's going to fall out of the outfit if she moves in *any* direction

[neon_jellyfish]

Dolls really don't work as investments, maybe Minifees, but in general, it's not a reliable strategy...

Sonja looks pretty cool in promo pics, and she's a redhead!

[Loona]

Seconding neon - I've just looked Sonja up, and she looks badass! Can you name any particular reason for not wanting to open her, for losing interest in her, seemingly already around/shortly after her purchase? Can you come up with pros and cons? Sometimes they are hard to nail down, but if they are there, they can help a lot with one's relatioship to their stuff - I'm sometimes trying to do this, and have also done so in January, to decide what to do with some dolls (some of which were similarly sitting MIB in a wardrobe for years. I'm still not a MIB collector, so something like this can only happen if the doll doesn't speak to me for some reason). It resulted in opening some boxes, but also in selling some unopened boxes, and I'm happy with both. I like the ones I opened, and I like the extra shelf space the now gone boxes offered me. Also, I got some dolly budget back that I can now invest in something else that will hopefully click with me more.

I'm happy you find my rambling fascinating

[Alliecat]

I always eyeroll over these action-hero female characters who are supposed to be able to fight etc. but aren't wearing enough to protect them from a cold breeze on the way to the corner store, let alone trekking across the wilderness or the ocean in unfavourable conditions....

Auto-focus insists on selecting the point(s) closest to the camera, which is enough to throw the face out of focus.

Um yeah, I can imagine  I wonder if putting a vividly patterned card or piece of paper against her face while you auto-focus would help -- have to use the timer.  I've used my hand a few times for shots where the autofocus was needed and not hitting the right spot.
(Or, given the background you have, you could just increase the DoF and that might be enough to get the face too?)
Switching to something with manual focus and aperture control made a huge difference for me in how photos turned out and how satisfied I was with them.

I also googled Red Sonja.  Holy wow $$$.$$ !!
Another character I know nothing about other than having heard the name.  She could certainly have some adventures with your diverse dolly crew; she looks interesting.  Bummer that you couldn't find the motivation to open the box... as an openitimmediately collector, I don't have any good advice, but I hope you find some spark of enthusiasm for some of these forgotten figures.

But we buy 'em to play with, not as financial investments, right?

YES...

[davidd]

A steam punk Red Sonja does intrigue me. Is there also a steam punk Conan?

No steampunk Conan the Barbarian that I know of, although fantasy-style figures form the basis for many of the complete figures released by TBLeague.

Steampunk Red Sonja is very intriguing.  You have to wonder what the producers are thinking when they come up with some of these cross-overs.

I suspect the figure was designed when "steampunk" was still a popular fad, but released after the fad had faded. Steampunk was almost mainstream for a while (remember Monster High's Robecca Steam?) but the popularity did not seem to last long.

Dolls really don't work as investments, maybe Minifees, but in general, it's not a reliable strategy...

Sonja looks pretty cool in promo pics, and she's a redhead!

The only dolls I've owned that appreciated in value are those which I opened up and played with and modified, thus rendering them worthless.
True, Sonja is a redhead, and I do not have many redhead dolls, so maybe I should keep her.
If I keep her, she will portray a character named Cnidaria Lambent.

Seconding neon - I've just looked Sonja up, and she looks badass! Can you name any particular reason for not wanting to open her, for losing interest in her, seemingly already around/shortly after her purchase? Can you come up with pros and cons? Sometimes they are hard to nail down, but if they are there, they can help a lot with one's relatioship to their stuff - I'm sometimes trying to do this, and have also done so in January, to decide what to do with some dolls (some of which were similarly sitting MIB in a wardrobe for years. I'm still not a MIB collector, so something like this can only happen if the doll doesn't speak to me for some reason). It resulted in opening some boxes, but also in selling some unopened boxes, and I'm happy with both....

I'm happy you find my rambling fascinating

Yes, I find your rambling fascinating and thought-provoking. I wish I could speak and write and think as eloquently as do you and neon-j in a language other than the one I was born in to.

You suggest an intelligent and reasonable approach to addressing those "boxes in the closet." I have a number of other "playline" dolls that are also still boxed. The short answer with this particular doll is, I got busy. I like to have a good chunk of time to sit down with a new doll or toy so I can open it at leisure. These TBLeague figures are intricate, with a lot of small parts, so opening and assembling them is not a quick task. When the figure arrived I found myself busy, then the box got shuffled to the back of a stack, and over time I semi-forgot about it. Whenever I did think about it, it seemed like I got busy again. Eventually I began to think about possible resale value, because once these figures are out of stock, the value often increases dramatically on the secondary market. However, after two years, this figure is still not completely out of stock at retailers.

I always eyeroll over these action-hero female characters who are supposed to be able to fight etc. but aren't wearing enough to protect them from a cold breeze on the way to the corner store, let alone trekking across the wilderness or the ocean in unfavourable conditions.... 


I wonder if putting a vividly patterned card or piece of paper against her face while you auto-focus would help....

I also googled Red Sonja.  Holy wow $$$.$$ !!
Bummer that you couldn't find the motivation to open the box... as an openitimmediately collector, I don't have any good advice, but I hope you find some spark of enthusiasm for some of these forgotten figures.

Isn't that how all the sexy sailor girls and pretty pirates on the tall ships dress while scampering up and down the rigging? To paraphrase the late Will Rogers, all I know is what I see on the Internet.

There were two versions of the TBL Steampunk Red Sonja, a standard version and a deluxe version. The only difference, as far as I know, is that the deluxe version includes a big lump of plastic a resin-cast display base and costs substantially more. This is the standard version of the figure without the base. At the time I purchased this figure, over a year ago, the price was around $125, about the same as a Pullip doll. The versions I see on eBay right now are the deluxe versions, and some of the asking prices are climbing. A check through sold prices, however, reveals that the actual selling prices are much lower. The most recent standard version I have seen in the sold listings sold for around $135. I believe that included shipping, so the actual selling price was less than original retail. Subtract shipping costs and eBay and PayPal fees and the "net" would be much less than original retail. I won't be losing any money if I open the box, or at least, not much more than I would lose by selling it. Parting out the figure might be another option. I see that the asking price for the head alone is around $80 USD. 

I have tried some of those focus tricks in the past, including the finger-in-front-of-the-face!     I did not have my lights set up well for the pic of the under-dressed western figure (I was holding an iPad in one hand and a desk lamp in the other). If I would stop being so lazy and would take ten minutes to set up a lamp or two, I could probably get better images with the focus point where I want it. Additionally, my five year old iPad does not have a very good camera, and it performs even more poorly in anything less than full, bright light.

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Phicen February continues:

8 February - Bohemian Hippie Chick with the Inventory To-Date

Inventory of the Phicen February Figures pictured to date, presented by Ari Carter, bohemian hippie artist chick

TBLeague S34 body
FireGirl FG071C head

[Elfy]

It looks like TBL don't do guy dolls and as Red Sonja is pretty much the female version of Conan, then that would be why no Conan, but I now really want to see a steampunk version of him.

[Alliecat]

And another thing, all those pretty pirates in skimpy outfits would have tar all over places that shouldn’t have tar on them if they were doing much scampering in the rigging

With such enormous eyes, today’s girl looks a little fae.

[Lejays17]

I like this model, she’s very pretty. I think it’s the enormous eyes.

[neon_jellyfish]

Isn't she Sally's shell? I'm still keeping in mind my promise to send you that poster, but would it be OK to keep keeping it in mind for a little longer? Going to post office is kinda complicated right now...

If I keep her, she will portray a character named Cnidaria Lambent.

Aww! *blushes*