A Site for Adult Eyes ... Kitbasher's Kitbasher Jimbob

I came across a 2001 Jimbob Wan's review of Get Real Girl Nakia, and I realized: some of the more recent doll enthusiasts among us many not have seen this site. So here is a link to a veteran kitbasher. Please note: he does warn that the site is NOT intended for children or sensitive adults. (And no, the "or" there is not meant to equate sensitive adults to children.) 

Can I be more specific about what I mean by sensitive? Yes, I mean viewers who find bare, realistic doll breasts offensive or comments about human anatomy unsavory. Now I do not hunt down websites showing naked, made-realistic dolls and/or action figures. But if I see a nude doll that has been ... altered to have more human details, I take no offense to it. So you have been warned. May you enjoy the site and get fun ideas.

Where to start? Oh try this review of Obitsu fashion dolls or these instruction tips or this mini essay about collecting philosophy. Lots of reading ... hope some of you have the three day Labor Day weekend.

New Monster High Bed for a Dead Tired Spectra

"If she doesn't rest in peace, Spectra Vondergeist doll (sold separately) can really become a beast!" Quote from ShopMattel online.

Odd. I wouldn't think that having a television attached to your bed was conducive to a good night's rest, but I am not a teenage ghoul. From the recent Dead Tired Monster High dolls - which includes a second Dead Tired Lagoon and a new Dead Tired Robecca, only Dead Tired Spectra Vondergeist gets a bed. And not just any bed, but a "Floating Bed" which does not float. I suppose the floating is in reference to Spectra's ghostly nature? Anyway, the bed has wrought iron styling that I think could be borrowed for non-ghoul dolls. (I'd see about removing the chains though. And maybe some repainting ... )

I saw this bed at a Philadelphia Walmart. My photo shows that the item is available in a store and what it looks like packaged. You cannot see much promise from the box view, but online you can see the bed de-boxed and in greater detail at the MattelShop website or in this Google search for Monster High beds. This bed has potential so I am adding it to my Wish List. Someday ....

Curious about the other Dead Tired Monster High fashion dolls? Visit this Wiki about them. It is a cute slumber party theme line.

Men from Kenya's World Found - Yay, Jay!

Scoop prize goes to Jay of the blog, Just Jay, for being the first to post about the male dolls, TJ and Dwayne. And Jay has photos of the Fashion Madness guys. I won't spoil the surprise for you. Let your fingers do the clicking and tap your way to the latest playscale guys. Jay's photos were fun and helpful for me. I have a better sense of the guy dolls now.

Enough said on my part. Except that on Kenya's website, the catalog shows the dolls I assume are available. So you might be able to order them online - yay! - to avoid the bad in-face "customer service" we encounter at stores. Grr ....

Oh and there is a Kenya blog, too. For serious fans.

Alert for Disney Little Mermaid Fans - Walmart Exclusive Gift Set

I almost decided not to feature this set because after 5 failed telephone attempts to get a price from 4 local Walmart stores, I feel pi**ed at Walmart. I placed the calls, asked for the product, told the individuals answering the phone that the item is NOT on their website, and waited for 10-20 minutes each call only to realize that no one would return to the phone until I hung up. Three of the workers tried to help, but they were in other departments or happened to find the phone off the hook. Puff.

Little Mermaid fan? Do you know one? Well, you might be interested in this Walmart Exclusive Little Mermaid Lagoon Gift Set. The set includes a humanized Ariel, human Eric. a yellow fish, a cooked but talking lobster, and a musical boat that SHOULD NOT be placed in water.

Two aspects stand out for me about this set:

1. that the boat should not be placed in water

2. that the red lobster looks alive

Shouldn't the boat be able to float on water? But then, it is a musical boat. It plays tunes from the movie ... according to the box description. Why does the boat play music? To set the atmosphere, I suppose. Wouldn't it be more fun if the boat could float? Shrug the first.

The lobster next. Okay, Disney is full of animals as friendly, happy, cheerful chatterers. And Ariel as a [once/former?] mermaid has lots of sea creature friends. Including fish and lobsters. That lobster though is red. I mean red lobster = cooked. Cooked = dead = not a friendly, happy, cheerful chatterer. I can suspend disbelief about Ariel changing from mermaid to human for love. (I can not imagine a love that self- destructive: possibly a shortcoming on my part.) But why is the dead red lobster all smiley-faced animated?

Then again, I did not see this movie - surprised? - so maybe there were extenuating circumstances. I dislike the original Hans Christian Andersen mermaid story so I assumed I would like the Disney version even less. (The treacly Disney version does not depress as the Andersen story does. Whew. But the goo factor leaves me cantankerous.)

As for this gift set, I wish those interested MUCH luck in finding them. I am going to send a tweet about Walmart customer service and send a Facebook post about my difficulties. Waste my time ... I'll show them.

Adventure Girl Headshots Wanted for Flickr Group

Guess who is moderating a Flickr Group? Me! Studio 126 created a Flickr Group focused on Adventure Girl dolls ...  Get Real Girls, Lanard I-Girls, CyGirls,  or Modern G. I. Jane figures and invited me to moderate. These girls/women don't get a lot of coverage, so I accepted. If you have photos with headshots of those dolls/action figures, contact me or him to join the Group. Please note: only headshots are wanted.

Thanks for reading. Hope to see more photos soon.

New Monster High Guy - Swim Class Holt Hyde

There is a new guy in the Monster High Swim Class line. Yes, Holt Hyde joins the Swim Class members. Blue-skinned Holt originally wore a red jacket a la Michael Jackson and black-purple striped boot cut jeans; for the Swim Class, he wears an orange flame-themed tank and long shorts.

So for Monster High fans seeking a new MH male figure, there is a 2nd Holt Hyde. Enjoy!

New So in Style Grace and Trichelle Big and Little Sister Sets

Last time, the So in Style sister sets were of Grace and Courtney playing tennis and of Kara and Kianna skating. This time we have Grace and Courtney having Hair Fun and Trichelle and Janessa adopt a pet. (Not what I would call parallel activities, but to each her own.)

So anything new about them? Aside from the much-desired articulation (yes, yes!)? Well, I think Trichelle looks a few shades darker than she was. And her eyes don't look the same to me ... perhaps because they are centered instead of to the side?

I like the poser bodies although I wish the little sisters were more articulated.

Anyone buying these dolls? I am not sure if I want these sets. (The clothes color seems garish.)

Re-Visiting Ryan Whitaker of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Sergeant Ryan Whitaker is a minor character from a 2001 American animated movie called Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The movie follows Doctor Aki Ross and her allies as they battle alien invaders in the year 2065. No, I have not seen the movie. Or played the video game. I bought this action figure because he was a new-to-me African American playscale figure.

(Ahem. Yes, he is a keeper because he's cute. Facepalm. Yikes, I am shallow. Still, how often do we – my fellow doll and action figure enthusiasts – find African American characters? Well, he is an African American character or he could pass as such. I do not know what his character was in the movie/video game, Final Fantasy. His good looks just are an extra bonus.)

What can I tell you about Ryan Whitaker, the action figure? First, he is a ToyFare Exclusive by Palisades Toys. So he is a limited edition item. He is 11 3/4" tall - yes, just that little bit shorter than Ken. I had considered replacing his body with that of another action figure. But his articulation makes up for that height loss - he not only bends at his elbows and his knees, but his upper thigh, upper arm, and lower arm can twist. He has a pivotal waist AND he can twist his upper torso. His arms and legs can pose akimbo - out from his body. 

His handsome face has nice details like five-o'clock shadow and slight stubbling of his partially shaved head. (The eyes are a little beady, but that is standard with many action figures. Shrug. Must be hard to get eyes just so in basic factory painting.)  And his head can tilt to either side although tilting down/forward is NOT an option. 

What would I change? Well, he's got multiple color and texture face-body parts. His head is a matte plastic while his arms and legs are another color and type of slightly shiny plastic. His torso is an even shinier material. But the greatest sorrow for me is that he lacks ankles and feet. His boot foot is his body foot. Sigh. When I wrestled one of his boots off, I noticed this problem. Sigh again. Why do action figure manufacturers do that to their figures? I know ... because they are NOT dolls.

Right, she scowls. (She being me.)

Oh, but pictures, you say. Here they go.

Any suggestions for ankle-feet repair welcome. He's still adorable, this Ryan Whitaker action figure. I just wish he had ankles and feet.

(Aside another collector also bought this figure on sale. You can read his post.)

Janay Photos on Pinterest

Debbie Behan Garrett of Black Doll Collecting wrote a post about Integrity Toys' playline Janay doll. Reading that post reminded me that I had found "new" photos of Integrity Toys' playline Janay and friends that I had pinned to my Pinterest Integrity Janay and Friends board. 

(The source for those photos, Armando Sanchez, is the founder of the Dolls of All Colors website. If anyone reading this post knows Armando Sanchez, please let me know. I sent an e-mail query through the Dolls of All Colors site that did not get a response.)

If you are on Pinterest and would like to share links of Janay or other playscale fashion dolls or action figures, let me know.

Who's That Guy? Mystery Man Doll Seen in a Frankford Avenue Window

I was walking down Frankford Avenue when I saw this playscale doll family in a store window. I was in a rush so I did not stop in to check the box. I do not recognize the manufacturer. Does anyone recognize this doll series? The male doll has a different face mold that looks like a cross of the old straight leg Ken dolls and the modern Prince Antonio doll. With very wonky eye screening. As if the person who painted the male face fell asleep for a second then woke up before the doll's head rolled completely past ...

Monster High Dance Class Five - Only at Target

They've got rhythm. Just not all together. Or maybe, not to the same tune. I am talking about Target's Exclusive Monster High Dance Class 5-Pack which includes these dolls performing different dance styles:

Rochelle Goyle, rock
Gil Webber, free style (?)
Lagoona Blue, ballet
Robecca Steam, the Robot
Operetta, swing dance


Here is how the set looks with the five dolls showing in a window box - front and back. The back of the box has the cartoon illustrations of the dolls. I would have preferred one or more photographs of the dolls posed for their dance styles.

Interesting. I understand that the Monster High dolls are "about" individuality, but I would have gathered a group under one dance style like tango for a class. Not that I mean to favor any one dance style. Uniting different dance types in a single box seems odd: if they are in a group, shouldn't they be doing the same dance style? If only for a one shot issue.

Something else I find interesting is that Robecca Steam's solo Dance Class doll does tap dancing, but in this five pack, she does the Robot.

Artists Teresa and Angel Launch AbilitiesLIVE Website!

Regular PhillyCollector readers may recall reading about Teresa, blogger of EverydayPeople. Well, Teresa has launched the doll selling website of her dreams, AbilitiesLIVE. You can shop there for deboxed fashion dolls and fashion doll clothes, both by miscellaneous doll manufacturers AND as created by Teresa. You can also find lovely jewelry for humans there; those pieces are crafted by Artist Angel.

Among the dolls for sale, I see an Aaron Carter, a few Leas, some budget (Lucky Fashion Corners) fashion dolls, Arwen, etc. Prices for the dolls start around $4.00 for that articulated, but once broken Arwen - which price includes postage - to $78.00 for a Singapore Airlines Barbie. That Singapore Barbie though is a hard to find doll as Teresa explains in the description.

Artist Angel has dangling earrings, pendants, and necklaces. Those are for people though so while I thought they looked attractive, I did not focus on them. However for the jewelry wearers among my fellow DAF enthusiasts, check them out.

I'm glad to be among the first to mention this website. Glad to learn of someone having and getting a dream launched. Yay, Teresa! Yay, Angel. Wish you both the best of luck.