Collector Confession: My Scene of Body Snatching

I don't really collect Mattel My Scene fashion dolls.

I harvest their bodies for other fashion dolls. I actively body snatch.

My first body snatching exercise happened when I was about seven. I had a standard Barbie, but I lost her head. Don't recall how the head was lost. I also had a Maddie Mod doll. Maddie was the local crazy lady. She had what I even then considered an inferior body. Problem? Solution. I popped Maddie's head off her flimsy original body and onto the Barbie body. Maddie survived.

Zoom forward a few decades and behold the adult doll collecting Dana. This time though, the body snatching isn't for replacing missing heads. No. The body snatching happens to appease my aesthetic sense. The My Scene heads are annoyingly large; the Flavas' heads are too big for their bodies. What if I popped a Flavas head on a My Scene body? Ah, the peanut butter and chocolate collusion moment. Vision pleased by improved proportions. Ah, the world's a better, brighter place.

What's the next step in body snatching? Improving articulation - pose ability - in fashion dolls and action figures by snatching action figure bodies to house doll and/or action figure heads I prefer. Baby, look at them now. Really moving and grooving, third millennium style.

Mad Maddie is still around. She's lost her right foot, her right forefinger, and her left little finger. Wonder if it's time for her to snatch another body? Perhaps ... only this time, there are other heads before hers.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 12" Figure by ToyBiz

I saw the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" movie this morning. I loved it. Eye candy in the forms of Hugh Jackman (expected) and Daniel Henney (whoa, new cutie). Lots of action. Motorcycle chase. Buildings exploding. Choreographed fights. Bad guys mostly died except one needed for future stories. There was even a discernible plot. The other theater-goers were relatively quiet. My $8.50 was earned. I left happy and excited. I could almost see it again.

Seems that Toy Biz has or will have a 12" Wolverine action figure sculpted to look like Hugh Jackman. Now while that sounds promising, it isn't as great news as you would think. Here's a link to the figure available through Amazon.com.

The head photographed looks like the actor; I am not sure about the body. It could have molded on clothes. Grrr ... boo, hiss. I looooaaattthhheeee molded on clothes. It's the doll collector in me, but I want my figures to be able to change clothes. I want them for civilian action. Sigh. Very impatient sigh. Well ... guess I'll wait and see if/when the 12" ToyBiz Wolverine figures reach Philly, if the face is attractive enough and if the head can be transferred to a Hot Toys body.

Then again, I'm not 100% sold on the ToyBiz head. ToyBiz did some 12" Lord of the Rings figures. I bought the Gandalf one - he was the best of the figures. Beady eyes on the lot of them. (Aside: no woman should ever be rendered in 12" doll form by ToyBiz. Their Arwen and Galadriel give Dusty a run for fugliest doll. Shudder. Blech!)

I have a 12" Van Helsing figure, but that figure doesn't get Hugh Jackman's eyes right. I think of him as my Neil "Song Sung Blue" Diamond Van Helsing.

Toys R Us has New Playmates Star Trek Figures

The Wyncote Toys R Us has the 12" Star Trek figures by Playmates. This line includes Kirk, Spock, Old Spock, and McCoy at $30. These figures seem to be modeled on the new Star Trek cast from the upcoming movie except for Old Spock who resembles Leonard Nimoy. If I found the McCoy for much less - say $10, I might get that one. The others don't interest me.

If Playmates should create a diorama for these 12" figures ... now that would be fun. Probably expensive, but still fun.

Smartees Review

I have deboxed the Smartees dolls. Here are some photos and comments.

Overall Reaction

Plus: I like this series. The career-focus makes these fashion dolls slightly different. Think, fashion dolls = glamour. Most Smartees dolls have straight hair, kept off the face. Their makeup is subtle. Glamourous, the Smartees are NOT. But there is something appealing about them although they are worlds apart from Integrity's Fashion Royalty dolls or R&D's Susie doll. The Smartees are clean pretty. Each doll has a storybook that includes a glossary of career jargon, a resume abstract, and school diplomas for the doll's profession.

Minus: cheap clothes, dolls cannot stand alone, inexpensive playline quality


Vinyl/Plastic Doll

* Same face/head mold used for all dolls

* Complexions range from very pale to light brown

* Face paint varies enough to distinguish one doll from another

* Articulated arms, click bend knees, twist waists

* Tiny feet - most shoes don't stay on the feet if the doll has on stockings


Photos

Amanda the Architect (red suit), Ashley the Attorney (red-black houndstooth) back row
Taylor the Teacher (pink sweater), Emily the Entrepreneur (navy suit), and Jessica the Journalist (taupe trenchcoat) are in this first photo.




Caitlin the Chef (white toque), Destiny the Doctor (mint scrubs) back row
Nicole the Nurse (pastel scrubs) and Vicky the Veterinarian (white lab coat) front row

At Ross - It's a Brand New Save ....

The Wyncote Ross has the High School Musical 3 "In the Spotlight" set with Tiara Gold and Sharpay Evans for $6.99. The Walmart price is either $19.99 or $29.99.

Another Ross saving is the High School Musical 3 Senior Year Gabriella bedroom set for $12.99. Toys R Us and Walmart both still have that doll-playset at $29.98.

Other Ross savings include:

HSM 3 Graduation single dolls, Gabriella, Troy, and Sharpay for $5.99 each

HSM 3 Gabriella and Troy Tree House Moment set for $9.99

HSM 2 Gabriella and Troy Together at Last set for $9.99

HSM 2 School Spirit Gabriella or Troy for 5.99 each

And the pièce de résistance ... Rebelde doll sets. I saw one Miguel and Mia and one Giovanni and Lupita; $6.99 each two-doll set.

So fellow collectors, if you find yourself in a location with a Ross store and a Toys R Us or a Walmart or a Target, you could save money by checking the Ross store first.

Confronting the Top Shelf - Deboxing Shelf Unit A

The top shelf of the shelving unit I will be calling Unit A holds 9 NRFB Smartees dolls, 1 NRFB Mattel Batgirl on Batcycle, and 1 MIB Aoshima/Skynet Ladies Mission Street Princess.

1. The Ladies Mission figure will keep her box. It's got photos of other dolls in the series, and the cardboard isn't cheesy. I like this doll so she's a keeper. For now, I'll leave her on that top shelf.

2. The Mattel Batgirl ... I don't care for her face. I'll set the head aside in the Heads box I have. Those I will probably give away. The outfit seems too gaudy for her to fight criminals at night so I'm saving that for a future doll/action figure costume shop. I can use her Poser body for another figure. (Yes, yeah, yay!)

The Batcycle, I'm keeping to customize. It's customized somewhere online. (Need to find that link. Possibly Brad Gorby's website? The box can be broken down and discarded. It's thinner cardboard with a clear plastic front.

3. The Smartees figures. Okay here's where the procrastination bug bites. The boxes aren't sturdy, but they have photographs of the series. They're protecting the dolls from dust. Sigh. Plus there is the question of what to do with the accessories included - keep them with the dolls or in a separate, themed box? Have to decide on that. Hmmm ...

Now for the Smartees dolls themselves. I am inclined to keep all of them. Sure they have those tiny bound feet, and they have the same face/head mold with different facial screening. Since they have different professions, they would probably not all be in the same photo or photostory.

So that's the situation with the top shelf of Shelf Unit A. Nothing to be sold from there and only one head to donate.

Cheetah Girls Dolls

When I first saw the PlayAlong Cheetah Girls dolls, they were just new dolls. I recognized Raven-Symoné, but none of the other Cheetah Girls were familiar to me. I was not familiar with the teen book series or the Disney movies based on the group. (Like the situation of the High School Musical dolls ... I just saw dolls.) For those interested in the background(s) of the characters, there is a Wikipedia article elaborating on the novel series and offering links to related sites.

I like the dolls, but I'm not fond of their clothes. Below, the Cheetah Girls dolls:

Aqua




Chanel




Dorinda




Galleria