Quest for Brown Bodies

In my search for action figures with brown bodies, the following two figures caught my attention.

The female figure is a Tianyimei action figure, and the male is a Wamami action figure. Both were advertised as brown, and the photos in the advertisements looked brown to me. So I purchased both.

The Tianyimei figure is nowhere near as dark as she looked in the photos that I saw, but she is darker than some other action figures that have been advertised as "brown". Below, she's pictured with a Jiaou doll brown on the left, and a Phicen brown on the right. She is darker than both.

Her skin tone is close to both the Triad Hispanic figure, and the knock-off Takara body.

My Hot Toys Sheva Alomar head is the closest match to this body. I like Sheva on her current body though, so I will not be making that switch.

Mixis Opal's head is a little bit darker than this body, but comes somewhat close. I like Opal on her current body, and will not be making a switch.

Sheva and Opal are the only two dolls or action figures in my collection that are anywhere near the skin tone of this figure, so she remains headless for now.

She came with an extra set of hands, an extra set of feet, and 4 extra pegs. 

She is a small female figure. She will not have a problem wearing most Barbie or Sparkle Girlz clothes.

She has great flexibility, she's easy to pose, and she holds her poses very well. Her torso is covered with a somewhat soft rubbery material.

Here is my video comparison and review of the Tianyimei figure.

The Wamami figure is also not as dark as he appeared in photo advertisements. By the way, the head was an unexpected surprise. I purchased the body and hands only, so I appreciate the bonus head.

When I saw the photo advertisements for this figure, I had hoped that he would be a close match for Hip Hoodie Ken. As soon as I opened the box, I saw that he was way too pale, so then I hoped that he would match Fashionistas Ken. He is darker than Fashionistas Ken.

He has about the same skin tone as the TTL brown body that came out years ago (pictured below on the left).

This was a very inexpensive action figure body. He's not a bad buy for the money. He is fully articulated and holds his poses well for the most part. He does have one wobbly foot, so it's harder for him to balance on his feet. It appears that the manufacturer wanted to make it look like the figure has double jointed knees, but he does not. 

He's somewhat short compared to other action figures. He is shorter than Ken, and his body is about the same height as GI Joe (although he's taller than GI Joe with his head). Becky (pictured below) is relieved that he is taller than she is.

Here's my video comparison and review of the Wamami figure.

Jakks Jiaou Combo

My Jakks Pacific G.i.r.l. Force Body Art Lola has been in my collection for a number of years. Having obtained her prior to blogging and prior to documenting my dolls through photography, I'd never taken a photo of her box until now. Well, I have now reached the point where I need to throw away many of my doll boxes. So, since I have now taken photos of the front and back of the box, this box is going in the trash.

These Jakks dolls were the precursors to today's seamless bodies. They have rubber skin over a metal armature. There's detailing in the torso area. Lola has ribs, and a squishy tummy. Her fingers are independent of one another. She wears the molded on thong panties shown below. She has realistic proportions.

My problem with Lola is that she doesn't have much in the way of articulation. Her arms and legs bend by two clicks. Lola is unable to sit down. Below, Lola is posed with her arms and legs bent as far as they will go. Her wire armature also allows her to bend at the neck and torso.

Recently I saw the image below online, showing that the Jiaou Dolls seamless figures now come in 7 different colors. I stared at this photo and others, wondering if any of those colors would work for my dolls and action figures. At the time, I hadn't seen any in-hand photos of the "Brown" or "Black" bodies. So, I took the plunge and ordered the "Brown".

My doll arrived in quite an attractive box.

Then I opened the box, and I saw that the "Brown" body is not the least bit brown. I've seen some in-hand photos of the "Black" body now also, and it is not the least bit black. In my opinion, they should have called these colors "7 Shades of White".

The doll comes with 4 extra sets of hands, 3 extra neck connectors, a doll stand, and a bikini. This doll has a combination plastic and stainless steel skeleton. From what I can tell, the joints are stainless steel, and the rest is plastic. These are less expensive than the Phicen action figures with the full metal skeletons. Upon removing the figure from the box, I noticed that it weighs less than my Phicen dolls. It also has a pleasant fragrance (like a light perfume). The "skin" is even softer than the skin of the Phicen dolls.

I can easily maneuver this doll into various poses, and it holds the poses very well and looks quite natural. The fingernails on all of the hands are painted (the toenails are not). There is some shading on the body. There is genital detailing. 

At first glance, I thought that this body would be a good match for my Phicen "Jinx" doll, but this body is a little too light. Other than Jinx, Lola is the doll that most closely matched the color of this doll. so Lola wins the new body. Lola's head and the Jiaou body differ enough in color that it bothers me, but it doesn't bother me enough to want to try purchasing another head and hoping that it will match this body better. Maybe once I see others online with this color and the heads that they've been able to match with this body, I'll feel more comfortable with taking that step.

In the meantime, I had issues with Lola's head (other than the color difference). Lola's head sat way too far down on the Jiaou neck. Not a good look. Lola's neck hole is somewhat deep within her head.

So I tried to think of ways to make this head fit better on the body, and I tried various things that did not work.

Then I remembered a technique used by someone on one of the message boards that I frequent. I switched out the neck connector on the Jiaou doll to the cone shaped connector, cut a piece of oxygen tubing, and placed one end on the neck connector. I cut the tubing to the appropriate size to fit inside Lola's head. I used double sided tape on the oxygen tubing at the place where the tubing is held in place by the neck hole.

Now Lola's head rests at the top of the Jiaou neck where it should, and she has full mobility.

Here is Lola with my Phicen ladies. She is thinner than the others. Lola's head looks slightly oversized on this body.

And here they are from the back. I really had to stretch Lola's bikini in order to get it to cover as much as it's covering.

Unlike my Phicens with stainless steel skeletons, the Jiaou body is able to stand on it's own. Her feet adjust to both flat and heeled shoes.

The Jiaou doll's posability is comparable to the SS Phicen dolls.

As for Lola's old Jakks Pacific body, Daniela will hold onto it unless and until another head becomes available.

I've damaged the Jiaou body already. I was handling her too roughly when I was trying various ways to attach Lola's head. The Jiaou doll's softer skin appears to be more susceptible to damage. There's now a worn spot on the Jiaou doll's rear. I'll have to find some shorts or something for her to wear.

Overall, I'm impressed with the Jiaou doll's posability. It's a good cheaper alternative to the Phicen stainless steel dolls. However, cheaper cost typically means lower quality and I'm concerned, especially since there's already damage to the doll's skin. I don't plan on buying any more of these (unless they come out with colors that are TRULY "Brown" or "Black".

Edited to add: apparently, others who have purchased the Jiaou doll have experienced the same issues with the skin blistering and peeling with minimal handling. Buyer be aware.

Phicen Stainless Steel Skeleton Seamless Figures

It's been years since Phicen released their first seamless action figures with stainless steel skeletons to rave reviews, and since then I've been patiently waiting for them to release one in brown. I mean after all, in their first 2 releases, they included brown dolls (and called them "Hindu"). Last year, I thought that I was about to get my wish when Phicen released their Eartha Kitt Catwoman figure, but alas, that one had the old easily breakable plastic skeleton, so I did not waste my money on that (but I do want her head).

For years, I've been watching my doll collecting friends with their new and improved Phicens, viewing their wonderful photos, seeing them rave about the posability of these figures, and wishing to join in on the fun. So, I got tired of waiting. I decided that I would get a stainless steel skeletoned body for my Phicen "Jinx" figure, since I've been afraid to pose her with her brittle plastic skeleton. The hunt was on for the right body.

The first body that I tried was a S02A Mid Bust Suntan body (the figure on the left in the photo below). I was disappointed to see that it was not a close enough skin tone match for my Jinx.

But other than that, WOW! I was truly impressed, and joined others in raving about this body! It is beautiful, sturdy, and poses so easily! Her silicon "skin" is just as soft as the Jinx figure's skin. When faced with the decision of whether or not to return this body and try to find something else, the choice was easy. I was going to keep this body! I would try to find another head for her.

A wonderful and very generous friend of mine who's also a collector purchased the PLLB2014-S08 Large Bust Tan figure for me (the figure on the right in the photo below). My friend touched my heart with his generosity, and this doll will always hold a special place in my collection, and I cherish this gift so much! However, she also is not a close enough skin tone match to my Jinx.

That's okay, because I love her just as she is! Compared to the Suntan body, she has more shading, and she also has genital detailing. She has the distinction of being my first ever doll or action figure to have a butt hole. Yes, Phicen has truly taken realism to a new level.

I purchased a knock-off Sucker Punch Babydoll head. It's nearly a perfect skin tone match for the suntan body, and I'm extremely pleased. But the head rested low on the Phicen neck, and her neck looked a little short for my taste.

The head came with the neck adapter shown below.

I added some double-sided tape to the neck adapter so that the head would sit up a little higher on the neck.

And now, Babydoll's head rests all the way at the top of the Phicen neck.

She is a beautiful doll! Both of my stainless Phicen ladies are gorgeous! And so is Jinx, who is still hoping to get a stainless steel seamless body one day.

When posing these figures, their bodies move so smoothly and effortlessly, and they hold their poses very well. And they look very natural. I would have to say that they look more natural in their poses than any other dolls or action figures that I've seen. They are not perfect, but they do look very natural.

These stainless bodies of mine can not stand on their own. Their feet do adjust to shoes with various sized heels, and I have not been able to get them to stand in any shoes. The newer batch of Phicens have detachable feet and can stand on their own.

And here are all of my Phicen ladies together. My two older broken plastic skeleton figures with the rubbery skin have joined the party. Please Phicen (or someone) make some seamless figures with stainless steel skeletons in darker skin tones! I know you can do it.

Overall, I love love LOVE these figures! These dolls with the stainless steel skeletons are a game changer, in my opinion. These figures do have soft skin, which has it's drawbacks. The skin can rip and become worn. But aesthetically, these dolls are superior to other articulated dolls and action figures on the market.

Phicen vs. Phicen

I recently purchased another Phicen brown body figure.  I have previously discussed my older Phicen figure and demonstrated some of her poseability, so in this post I'm going to mainly discuss the differences between the older and the newer figure.

 Here is a close-up of the newer figure.  This is the small bust version.  She has a different headsculpt that I don't much care for (but I didn't really care much for the old one, either).  The large bust version has a different headsculpt (I did not purchase the large bust version and the photo at that link is not mine).  I do like the hair on both versions of the newer Phicens.  I will re-paint her eyes one of these days.

Here's a side-by-side comparison with the older Phicen on the left and the newer one on the right.  Overall, the newer figure looks better to me.  The old one kind of looks like a girl in a rubber suit.  The newer one looks a bit more natural.  The skin color is slightly different.  There have been refinements that I can see at the shoulders, arms, waist, and knees. There's not as much bunching of the rubber skin under the armpits on the newer figure, and it is not as much of a dust and lint magnet as the older figure.  The new one came with this bikini, which I like because the old one came naked.

 The new one looks slightly slimmer.  But don't worry, she still has her booty.  As you can see, the rubber still bunches up in certain poses.

 Here they are from the side.  The shoulders, arms, and elbows look better on the new one.  The hands and feet are exactly the same.

 And here they are seated.  My older Phicen will never sit like she used to because I broke her hip.  You may recall my previous warning that you must be careful with these, because with the rubber skin you can't see the joints, and it's fairly easy to break the figure.  Yep, that's what happened.  And it's impossible to fix unless I somehow destroy the rubber skin to get to the hip joint.  So I'm afraid to move the new one much.  I'll pose her next to my other doll at high risk for breakage and call it a day.

I'm truly thrilled that this company has come out with these dolls in a brown skin tone, and I'm glad that I have these.  But I will probably not buy another one unless they come with a skeleton that is less breakable.  What fun is it to have a poseable figure if you're afraid to pose it.