"Constellation" & "Tarot" dolls (more pix Mar. 5)

[Alliecat]

I got these 2 girls on a Black Friday binge on Aliex-press... posted a photo of each of them back in January but then just didn't get around to finishing their introduction, & it was too cold for pix outside anyway.
So finally here they are.


The boxes are nice... some Engrish text on them... you get a little card with them plus there was a zodiac-themed necklace for "Cancer" here.
Unfortunately both girls came with issues...  
The stands don't work; they aren't cut right so the plastic pieces can't really be stuck together.  The top piece doesn't slide down the upright.  I guess they are supposed to go under the clothes, because they have 2 rounded pieces to fit the legs.  Catherine's dress is too tight for that anyway.  The torso joint is supposed to move, but Catherine's is fused.  I tried a hair dryer, but no joy.  Her head was stuck too, but finally loosened with a tremendous 'crack'.  Other reviewers have lamented "the photo shows their heads turned but they don't move".  
And, she is slightly crosseyed.




The "Tarot" dolls have similar packaging; this is "Wheel of Fortune"; I called her Taryn.  She was listing a bit to port when she arrived, to fit her hat in the box.  





She also comes with a card, and a her-sized necklace (which I suppose could be a bracelet for very tiny people).



Her issues included staining on her FACE from her hat strings ( ), feet, and legs from her stockings.  A couple hours of sanding improved the legs but not the face, different plastic maybe?  Also her hair is very thin around her face; her scalp is a bit bare but is painted the same colour as her hair.  Hopefully these things won't show in photos....?



All the outfits of these series look fancy and detailed; I think these 2 are pretty nice.  They all have the same faces though, and it looks like, from what I can see of photos of the others, they even all have the same eyes.  Some colour variation would have been nice.



The day I took them to the beach, I only got a few pix because the light was really going.




I contacted the seller and listed all the issues & they did give a partial refund.  (They suggested heating her crossed eye with a hairdryer and it would be easy to move.  HA!  And when I push too hard & it falls off into her head, then what???  Nope!!)
When these dolls first appeared they were something like $70 USD.  I got them for about $33 CAD each on sale.  They are very pretty, and they have nice articulation.  I don't know how it compares to Obitsu because I've never had one, but they are nicely poseable.  More range of motion than stock Pullips & many of the joints are very smooth, even almost loose, except the little hand pegs don't flex (just like a lot of Pullip hands).  I think if you like them they're worth getting, if they can be had for $30.  There are a couple others I like, but I'm not sure if I'd buy more given the staining potential & quality issues.

I had a big photoshoot with Catherine out back today, but didn't want to dump all the photos at once, so, more to come

[davidd]

Their cross-eyed ekspressions are somehow rather endearing! They both look quite pretty, especially in the outdoor photos.

The pirate girl's outfit is spectacular! Combined with her glorious red hair and...

[neon_jellyfish]

Sorry to hear about the issues. Their dresses are really lovely!

[werepuppy]

They both look really nice

[fishy]

Do they have rooted hair? I bought a similar design doll and was able to remove her eyes to change with a knife by the cap of the head off...

[Alliecat]

Yes -- rooted hair. I'm NOT touching her eyes!!
She's turning out to be sort of a forest fairy/woodland goddess sort of character, so I'm trying to think of some mystical metaphysical ex-planation of why one eye looks slightly inward....

[s1dthesqu1d]

These are such interesting dolls! I love the concept. Their elbow joints remind me a lot of obitsu elbows, but something about their proportions throw me a bit off. Regardless they're super cool, the clothes look super nice, and even with the one looking a bit crosseyed, they do have nice eyes. Is their hair really soft? It looks nice in photos

[Lejays17]

They’re both lovely.

A pity about the quality issues - especially the facial staining.

[DeadlyNova]

They're cute! They remind me a bit of Hestia dolls. I really love Taryn's outfit!! It sucks they had so many issues, but with them coming from Aliex press I can't say I'm too surprised. They seem to be pretty good for what you paid, though, and the articulation seems nice! The elbows do look a bit like Obitsu, but I can't tell how the articulation compares from these photos alone.

[tasuke]

from what i can see of them, the bodies look like a cross between the old OBITSU 27 and VOLKS Dollfie 60,
but i could of course be quite mistaken...

[Alliecat]

Yes, the proportions might be a bit like Hestias?  Maybe this is what you're thinking, s1dthesqu1d: the heads being a bit larger than 'real' proportions?  Their hair is pretty soft, yes. Although Catherine's kinda feels like there's "product" in it, as they say.

So Catherine got the first photoshoot, because she seems like a forest guardian sort of character, and there's that lovely mossy patch out back.  Hoping Taryn gets her turn soon with a better combination of weather & tides than we have at the moment.  No wharves within biking distance for a boaty pic; probably get flamed on FB for "social driving" when we're all supposed to be staying home
Anyway, enuff of that...   Here's Catherine.


My few little crocuses are a lovely purple, and I got chicken wire over them in time to fend off the deer.



Chasing little patches of contrasty late light again.






With some little forest friends....





















I just held her up in the last little patch of sun.


Thanks for looking

[davidd]

You are so good at finding picturesque little pools of sunlight in the forest.

Such pretty crocuses! You are probably a month ahead of us as far as flowers go.

[Alliecat]

Thank you!
Auwe!! And I thought everywhere got spring before we did. It'll be another month+ before we see any other flowers (except for the people who have daffodils that deer haven't eaten. Sigh.)

[Alliecat]

It's picspam time!!
We seem to be on a bit of a pirate binge this week at PTFCo. 
Taryn got her introductory photoshoot in 2 sessions.  By the time I finished on the beach the other day my hands hurt -- it was so COLD!  Blaaah!
She's a very pretty model too, and the stains don't really show on her face, on most angles.  But really,  the manufacturer had to know that could happen; why didn't they ship the hat loose in the box???





Just come ashore with the treasure... where to hide it...?






She looks sweet, but this girl also appears to have a bit of an air of badassery...  "You want my treasure?  Try and take it."  



A good captain has to look for fresh water for their crew...






I don't suppose pirates have manufacturer's tags on their clothing... had to be careful to hide it in a few shots.  I should cut that off!



Scruffy mackerel-sky clouds on the way.... Time to tack for home.





Then today I finished what I wanted to do, and I feel like I should've waited for some warm low-sun lighting, but I was impatient  













Finally, a sepia one just for fun.



Thanks for looking!  

[Elfy]

Catherine did well funding a koala in a Canadian forest, unless you drove waaay further than you said.