Sunday, April 23, 2017

Small Scale Articulation

I purchased an articulated Blythe doll body (the dark skin version).

My apologies to all of you Blythe lovers out there, but I do not know much about Blythe. I think that Takara manufactures this body, but I'm not sure. There are no markings on the body. I tried to do some research to find out more, but I got bored and my eyes started to glaze over after just a little while.  I don't know if this is an Azone or Pure Neemo or what, I just know that I wanted this articulated body. I don't want the huge Blythe head. Another one of my dolls will use this body. 

When removing this doll from the box, I was very glad to see that the skin tone is pretty much exactly what I expected from the photos on the advertisements. I was especially pleased after recent purchases where the figure that I received was not as dark as advertised.

I was also glad to see that the dark skin tone would match several of the dolls in my collection. The body feels very sturdy and is heavier than other dolls this size. She is a little bit taller than Juku Couture dolls, and about the same height as Wee Three Friends dolls.

Because of the immobility of the neck connector, any head that I put on this body will be able to move side to side, but not up and down. She has good mobility in her arms and shoulders. Her range of motion is somewhat limited at the elbows. Her upper arms swivel. Her hands rotate. There are several sets of hands that can be purchased for this doll, but I'm not interested in the various hand gestures. It would be nice to have a relaxed set of hands, though.

Her waist twists from side to side. Her legs will part slightly. Her legs rotate at the upper thigh. The range of motion at her knees is somewhat limited. Because of her ankle articulation, she can wear flat shoes, or shoes with a slight heel. She can kneel. She can also sit flat on the floor. She looks good posing in a seated position, and she can cross her lower legs.

This doll is small in stature, so I definitely wanted to give her a head with a youthful appearance. I have an extra Juku Couture Kana head, but the head has a tiny hole for the neck connector and would not fit without permanent modification. The neck connector for the Blythe body is Barbie sized.

The closest skin tone match to the Blythe body is probably my tan Momoko doll.  Momoko already has an articulated body and she's adorable on that body, so I was not about to rebody her. If I'm ever in possession of another tan Momoko head though, I'll probably put that head on this body.

I purchased this body hoping that it would be a good match for my Barbie Crazy for Coral Petite Fashionistas doll. My petite doll was not thrilled about that idea. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give up what height she does have in favor of articulation.

She's a decent skin tone match. My petite doll started to warm up to the idea.

It's a done deal. My petite doll is now more petite than ever! Her head looks slightly oversized on this body, though.

But she is thrilled with her ability to strike different poses!

Even though she is now the same height as the tweens and young teens in my collection, she is quick to remind them that she is actually a little older than they are.

She still likes hanging out with her old friends.

 The teen guys all still think she's cute.

My overall impression is that this is a good quality doll at a reasonable price. The joints are not very attractive, though. It's particularly noticeable and not aesthetically pleasing to me when I rotate her arms or legs, and the parts above and below the point of articulation do not appear to line up properly. I will find this doll something to wear that covers her body more.

I am very happy with this purchase, and look forward to posing her for many years to come.

Here is my video review of this body.

20 comments:

  1. This is an Azone Pure Neemo body in size Small. While they make other sizes (XS, S, M and L), the Small is the only one I have every seen in the Dark color. I do have all of the other sizes in Natural or Pale though! You can get extra hand sets to go with these, so you don't have to have the splayed hands, although I think they are very cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the info, Phyllis! If you ever see the dark color in the other sizes, please let me know!

      Delete
    2. This looks like a different brown one.

      https://www.google.com/search?q=azone+pure+neemo+xs&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOq8HsxuPTAhWE4SYKHeS_AjwQsAQILA&biw=1536&bih=760#imgrc=LjLDq7Eas5ruGM:

      Delete
  2. That is a nice body. If the color were a bit darker, it would be perfect for Carmelia's older daughter, Carmen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Vanessa! The material for this doll feels kind of porous, so I wonder how well it would take dye? I'm too chicken to try it, though.

      Delete
  3. Petite Barbie is a good fit for the Blythe body. I have two of these bodies that I used to articulate my two Blythe dolls. I like the sturdiness of the body but as you mentioned, "the parts above and below the point of articulation do not appear to line up properly."

    Great review and video.

    dbg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Debbie! I do like Petite Barbie on this body, but I wish that the body was taller. It would be nice if the manufacturer would make the dark body in the Medium and Large sizes. I think I recall one of your blog posts about Blythe. I'll have to go refresh my memory.

      Delete
    2. Those sizes you mentioned would be nice in addition to true AA complexions for all sizes.

      dbg

      Delete
    3. Yes, more complexions would be nice! I did see online where someone dyed one of these bodies using Dylon dye, and the doll took the color quite nicely (except for a few exposed joints). Maybe I'll try it one of these days. Maybe...

      Delete
    4. I saw either a dyed or painted one on Flickr, so I will have to check it out. One thing about these bodies is that they are made to come completely apart, so you could paint or dye them apart and and maybe avoid some of the seam problems. Certainly worth looking into!

      Delete
    5. Thanks Phyllis! I'm going to put that on the list of projects to try in the future.

      Delete
  4. Great review! Oh, I am so excited to know these exist! IMO it's a bonus that this body is even shorter than Petite Barbie. It suits Crazy for Coral well. Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kukolka! I'm so glad that you found this information useful.

      Delete
  5. I like the way Barbie Crazy for Coral Petite Fashionistas doll looked at the Azone body at first. Assessing it. Good fit. Glad to see her posing-happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks D7ana! Yeah, Barbie wasn't too sure about that switch at all. Now she's happy with the change. She does wish that she could be just a little taller, but she's okay with the way things are.

      Delete
  6. Hpe this helps!

    http://www.blythe-doll-fashions.com/2012/11/09/black-blythe-is-beautiful/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are some cute spray painted Blythes! Thanks for the info!

      Delete
  7. Are you sure the body is not a copy? I think that Azone only make white and pink... With articulated neck connectors...

    I bought a couple of bodies like this on Aliexpress. One tan and one dark. The dark one was only dark enough to fit the skin tone of a black haired Skooter doll head (I guess that Skooter was tan).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments Amaruq! I'm not at all sure that this body is not a copy. I don't know much about Blythe or Blythe bodies. It would've been nice for this one to have an articulated neck connector.

      Delete