davidd's A Doll A Day Challenge 2020

[Alliecat]

Rather atmospheric; one wonders what she's looking at.

[neon_jellyfish]

To me she looks like she's deep in thought, wondering what has the world come to and why is everyone asking her to fix it.

[werepuppy]

I can't decide if she's deep in thought, enjoying the quiet, or has spotted something she would like to investigate further...

[dargosmydaddy]

The fan makes a great backdrop.

[Lejays17]

Very contemplative shot, thinking deep thoughts with the first cuppa of the day.

[davidd]

26 September – Ex-ploring with Gwendolyn Shilling-Tuppence

Not the pic I planned to post today. But, y'know, the usual nonsense.

Snapped this with a camera I have not used in a long while. I'd forgotten that the images from this camera are higher contrast than those from my other camera, and highlights are even more likely to be overex-posed. So yeah, technical failure today.

[Elfy]

She does look like she’s definitely out in the wilds, though.

[Alliecat]

And it does convey the impression of blazing sun. ...is she hunting for skulls & bones too...?

[werepuppy]

There is a strong feeling of the year from this photo - and I wonder what she's searching for

[neon_jellyfish]

Great posing!

How sturdy is the - is it silicone? ...on these bodies? Is it hard to scratch it?

[Aichan]

Love those action shots! Is that clay or a harder tyoe rock ypu have out there?

[davidd]

...is she hunting for skulls & bones too...?

Of course! Skulls, bones, and buried treasure!

How sturdy is the - is it silicone? ...on these bodies? Is it hard to scratch it?

The body is made from silicone, so the texture is quite rubbery. The figures have stainless steel skeletons that are considerably more robust than the plastic armatures of the "seamless" figures released a few years ago. When I first read about these figures, I decided I was not interested because they needed a lot of special care, including being dusted with talcum powder on a regular basis to keep the silicone from becoming tacky or sticky. The new versions are much more like "action figures" in that they do not require as much special treatment, they are sturdier, and they hold poses well. I have not damaged one yet, but some caution is required when posing them because it is possible for the internal armature to pierce the silicone exterior with rough handling.

So far it appears that dirt and dust will easily brush off. I have read that the silicone is prone to staining, particularly from dark clothing.

Is that clay or a harder type rock you have out there?

The soil here is quite loose, sort of a sandy clay, with a lot of stones embedded in it. The soil packs down quite hard, but once broken up with a pick-axe it shovels almost like sand. Surrounding areas are a red limestone. There are also numerous dark basaltic lava rock outcroppings.

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27 September – Mattel Star Wars Darth Vader Barbie

To me, one of the most interesting features of this figure is the extremely Darth Vader-ish shadow she casts!

Other than that... there's not a lot to recommend this figure. Granted, it was designed as a "collector" figure, not a toy, so perhaps my ex-pectations were too high. There's not much "play value" in this figure. She stands in one position and looks beautifully ominous, but that's about it. Both arms are molded in a bent-elbow position, with only limited motion at the shoulder. The legs are typical hip-only joints, further constrained by the tight pencil skirt. The costume is sewn and apparently molded or glued in place. As far as I can tell, it is not possible to remove the hard black plastic corset without damaging or breaking it.

Now that I've opened the package there's almost zero resale value to this figure (which is still extremely common on eBay mint in box), so I'm not sure what I'll do with her. Keep her, I suppose. But the lack of articulation definitely limits her "play value."

And the figure doesn't include a light sabre. I mean, c'mon!

[Elfy]

I like the idea of a female Darth. She kind of reminds me of Kitiara from the Dragonlance books.

[Lejays17]

That's a bit sad that she doesn't come with a light-sabre, waht is really the point then??

And that she's not very well articulated, so you can't do a whole lot of posing with her either.

[neon_jellyfish]

Bummer about the articulation and the costume. The photo is brilliant, though! So stylishly dramatic!