What does the box say?

It seems like that the Fan Bingbing Barbie doll will be available in Europe.

I don't really know her. I only heard about her just these past few days.

Masks

...protect.

For that clean feeling

Wash until the suds are no longer green or you no longer have the patience to keep washing. Which ever comes first.

Things get messy

Some mess can be cleaned up. Just try not to clean the mess that is supposed to be there.

Palate Cleanser

Yes, their hair underwent the same process which is not the tried and tested robotic task of rerooting.

Turn Out

The requisite before and after photo for comparison.

 

Color Lab

One day, I got tired of the few blonde dolls I have, I bought a Sharpie.

The End of the Marvel Universe

Last year, toy company Hasbro announced that they will discontinue the 3.75-inch Marvel Universe (MU) action figure toy line. They have also announced that it will be replaced by a different line which will have a different theme every year. This year the theme team is the Avengers. X-men fans will have to wait until 2015 before they can add new items to their collection.

The bad news, if you're building a team like the X-men, the wait is just too long. Also, I doubt that they can release all the members of a team in one year. Completing a team may be impossible. Why start building a team if it is impossible to complete it anyways?

The good news, a lot of MU collectors decided to stop collecting MU's and collect other Marvel merchandise. (Hasbro has been pushing the silly idea that the 6-inch figures Marvel Legends as the toys for adult collectors and the 3.75-inch as the toys for kids.) When people stop collecting, they let go of their existing collection. When a lot of people let go of their collection, prices go down. I personally got a number of good deals recently because of this.

But still, one might think that due to the unavailability of certain key characters, the team one is trying to build is still incomplete. Good thing, I'm not like other collectors. I can customize other figures to create new characters. Currently, I'm trying to figure out how to make a small wheelchair for Professor X. I'm also working on a Polaris action figure. Sorry no WIP pics.

As for those who can't customize and still dreams of completing their favorite team, I'd like to sing to them a Demi Lovato song, "Let it go".

Haayiii!

The Most Popular Girls in School inspired me to make my own stop-motion animation. This is my female voice. I sound sexy, right? Just like a drag queen on drugs!

Baaayiiii! Gotta look for more inspiring stuff...

Most Popular

They are so popular, everybody in the doll community must have heard about them (of course, you have), so this entry will not be about introductions. (Who needs introductions when you're THAT popular, right?) This entry is to just bookmark them in my blog, because they are just ummm...indescribably deserving, like totes!

I just love their story, how it is not props-driven or fashion-centered and of course, the sense of humor! Gotta have that. I wish I could be that creative, right? Riiiiigghhhttt...

Oh, Max!

I just love your sense of humor. You make me laugh.

Snapshots from 2 Broke Girls Season 2 Episode 17.

Doll Cinemagraph

 

Doll Cinemagraph Testing

Congratulations K...

Madame Chicbaun (MC):  Kira, everybody was pleasantly surprised with your make-over. They haven't seen a beauty quite like you.  Your performance, though, was very amateurish.  Your legs were all over the place and you looked like you just recovered after falling. Everyone did say you were pleasant to work with and they love working with you. So make sure to deliver next time.

Kira: I promise, Madame Chicbaun. Thank you for not giving up on me.

MC: Congratulations Kayla. You played with the skirt and made your legs look like they go on forever.  Your photo will be used for the Target ad campaign.

Kayla: Thank you, madame.

MC: That will be all. You're dismissed.

Kira versus Kayla

A new model is out to get Kayla out of the top spot. Meet Kira.

Miserable

 

 

Kayla and a Liv clone channeling Fantine.

It's a new year. It's the 80's.

(Before anything else, I'd like to greet everyone a happy new year. It's still new, right? I know I have been away and may still be away most of the time from blogging but only because of the right reasons: real life challenges.) 

The 50's, 60's and 70's have been over-revived. It's the 80's turn. I know a lot of people would rather forget the fashion trends from the that decade. Being an 80's kid, I can only cringe while recalling some of the looks. But I take this revival as a way of learning from the mistakes from the past. It's like asking, "If you are to do the 80's fashion all over again, how can you make it right?" It can be challenging so I look forward to how people will tackle it.

(Personally, I like the color scheme of the 80's. Go rainbow! I'm so gay, I know. I got myself an orange denim pants and the multicolored stripe shirt used as background in Kenzie's photo below. )

With the new TV series, "The Carrie Diaries", the younger generation (who didn't lived in the 80's) may be interested in the decade like what the TV series "Mad Men" did with people and the 60's look. Will be seeing more of the 80's in our dolls? We'll see.

Girl Power

Someone came to my blog by searching for female Marvel Universe action figures but the only post I have was about Storm, since she was the only one I have back then. (I had a Black Widow but she was not from the Marvel Universe toy line.) So I decided to post this photo of my female figures. I hope to get more.

3.75-inch Action Figure Size Comparison

Being new to the 3.75-inch scale, I have to experiment buying a number of figures. I wasn't able to find size comparison for figures in this scale so I decided to make my own.

(L to R)

Mattel Avatar Jake Sully
Playmates Star Trek Spock (Galaxy Collection)
Mattel DC Universe Infinite Heroes The Flash
Jakks Pacific UFC Shogun Rua
Hasbro Marvel Universe Mystique
Hasbro GI Joe Roadblock
Hasbro Marvel Universe Iron Fist
Hasbro Marvel Universe Wonder Man


The Hasbro toys clearly isn't 3.75-inch. I don't get why they don't just call it 4-inch (where 4 inches = 6 feet or 1:18 scale). It is easier to type and is more accurate.

Trekkie Time

Local toy stores are having a hard time getting rid of the 3.75inch Star Trek figures (Galaxy Collection) for years now. Every year, they decrease the price until they cost less than a dollar (US) now, hoping they can stop spending for the storage of these toys. We all know that any business space is better used for something that sells.

I used to watch the TV series and the last movie but I'm no Star Trek fan so I never considered buying these figures. It's only now that I'm liking the 3.75inch figures that made me consider buying them for parts I can use (in custom projects) like hands and holster.

I never really gave them a closer look. And when I did I saw that they came with a lot of props like a chairs  (in red and blue) and some computer dashboard thingamajig. I'm sold. Any furniture that can work with 3.75inch figures can work well with LPS Blythes.

The dashboard thingamajig, I can use with sci-fi scenes for my Marvel action dolls but for now fantard mini Pullip is enjoying the set..

Madelman Action Figure

I recently got a two pack modern Madelman action figure on sale.  These are 6.5-inch action figures produced by a loooong defunct Spanish company called Popular de Juguetes (PDJ). These figures are  a lot lot lot less popular  compared to the vintage Madelman. That is why the PDJ version are usually sold cheap.

I have been curious about the action figure initially because I thought it would be in the same scale as my Heidi Ott (HO) dolls. Although I already knew that they are taller, I was still curious as their props and clothes might still work with the HO's dolls. I left my HO dolls in the province so they were not included in the comparison photo.

From left to right: modern Madelman, Breyer doll, Britney Spears doll and Aaron Carter doll

The Madelman figures were in military attire, which I don't usually want on my dolls. The thing that made me buy are actually the two pairs of boots. HO shoes are expensive!!! Getting two pairs for US$4+ dollars is a good deal. I'm hoping they will fit the HO dolls. In the mean time I tried them on other dolls that more or less have the same foot size as the HO's like Licca and Skipper. I did have to slit the back part of the boots to allow the feet to slide in.

I have found out that some action figure props can be used in smaller dolls. More about that in the next entry.

How to keep your doll busy

 

 

Make it (the doll) work.

Hopefully, it will create something like this:

 

Marvel Universe Scarlet Witch Custom

It's sad that a number of collectors were fooled to believe that the recent Scarlet Witch is a rare figure, making them pay more for the item. Locally, somebody payed at around US$24 (poor guy) when internationally a lot of sellers let it go for US$14 or less. (I checked eBay selling history.) How did that happen? Simple, by controlling the distribution!

Here's how. Make the item scarce in a most areas, ideally where a lot of collectors reside (group A). Make that same item available where there are ample number of collectors who are willing to resell (group B). Create some good publicity about the item via blogs or video reviews to pique everybody's interest. Group B will hoard the items thinking that they can make a profit from group A. And the manufacturer wins because their item will sell out to group B whether or not group B will be successful in reselling them.

Magneto (center) with son Quicksilver(L) and daughter Scarlet Witch (R)

Unlike Mattel, Hasbro didn't have to resort to labeling/branding something as "collectible", "limited edition" or "for the adult collector" because branding means additional cost without adding value to the product. They are making their products sell faster (because selling slow makes the seller lose money) just by distributing cunningly. Don't you just love marketing strategies? I'm learning a lot each day.

Happy Family, a Sylvanian Clone (Review)

I have been buying a number of Sylvanian Families (by Epoch) accessories for my LPS Blythes and Marvel Universe action figures but like most popular toy brands, they are quite expensive for my taste. I'm glad that there is an alternative, the Happy Family. This is a review for the Happy Family extension house. It is similar (but not exactly the same) to the Beechwood extension house and the Summer House. The latter is priced at around US$80 while I got the Happy Family house at around US$16. Now that makes me happy!

The Package

The package was successful in attracting this buyer. The box has a clear window that displays the contents. It also shows photos having the Sylvanian Families vibe all over the box. The language used is Chinese-English (as opposed to British-English and American-English).

 

One thing peculiar is the logo on the box. The original one is covered by a sticker. I doubt it's a misprint. I bet it has a story but I'm not in the mood to speculate.

Ooops...

I thought I could be back to blogging normally today after being away for a vacation but no! The laptop gave up on me.

I'm testing this app that is supposed to allow me to blog via my phone. I hate typing on my phone so that means no blog entries until the laptop is replaced.

Hopefully next week... :)

posted from Bloggeroid

Forgotten Files: Liz

I remember hunting for a reasonably priced Elizabeth Taylor doll online for a number of months. I waited patiently for a good deal. When I finally got her, I rebodied and redressed her and that was that. She went in storage. That was in December 2010. That was almost two years of being forgotten.

I was never inspired to make a dress for her, until recently. I'm happy with what I came up with. I call this fashion "Feels Like Heaven." I observed in Liz's style is that she liked to accentuate her narrow waist and décolletage. I made sure those details are present in my simple dress.

November 1 is when our nation we commemorate the dead and now, I commemorate my Liz doll with this entry. After this, she once again will rest in peace.

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Still not online. This is another scheduled automatic post.

The Visitor

Some people celebrate the bleeding that marks two of the most significant changes in a woman's life--the transition from puberty to adulthood and the bleeding from consummating the marriage.

At sixteen, Susie haven't started having her "monthly visitor". She is both terrified and excited--terrified because something might be wrong with her and excited as this will mark a new stage of her life. She is curious as to how bleeding would feel. She wonders if it would be painful.

As she doesn't feel like a full grown woman yet, she allows herself to play with stuff toys. Before going to sleep, it is her habit to talk to her Care Bear and pray for her monthly visitor to appear while she sleeps.  She thought it would be painless that way.

Little does she know that a visitor will appear that night. Although the visitor is not want Susie prays for, her wish to bleed will be granted.

________________________

I cannot be online until next week, or maybe much later. This is a scheduled automatic post.

Strange Reunion

Stay Dead

__________________________

Hi everyone.

I can only go back online sometime next month. I do have a couple of Halloween related entries scheduled to be published automatically here, just to keep my presence felt even while I'm gone.

Dark Side

We were told that when we die, we would come to the light; that's how you know that we are in the dark side.

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I cannot go online right now so I prepared this scheduled automatic post. You can say I'm busy with my dark side. Kidding.

Magic

I have not been blogging since I am busy looking for my daughter. I only went online because someone told me that there was news about my daughter. I'm glad that she is alive but I don't know where she is. I'm more determined to find her now.

While I was looking for her, I chance upon a small room. I thought Puypuy could be inside so I took a peep. I was surprised with what I saw. It was magic!