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.

In The Minority

My collection consists mostly of Black dolls. In a previous post, I highlighted my Hispanic/Latino dolls. In this post, I highlight my non-Black and non-Hispanic/Latino dolls.

40th Anniversary Ken	Babydoll knock-off on Phicen S02A	Mattel Becky
Talking Presidents William J. Clinton	Liv Daniela	Dollar Store Guy
Fun To Dress Barbie 1988 on DML Amy	Mattel Harry Potter on Obitsu	Happy Family Grandma
Takara Jenny R&B Calendar Girl	Justin Bieber	Mattel Kevin
Phicen PLLB2014-S08 Large Bust Tan	Flavas Liam	Dragon Linh
Momoko	My Scene Kennedy	High School Musical Sharpay
Sideshow Mandy	Star Trek Barbie	Star Trek Ken
Mattel Todd	Ken	Hairspray Tracy Turnblad

 Here is a group photo.

And here is the complete Star Trek set.

Having these dolls out reminded me of something that I've been meaning to do for a while.

I got Liv Daniela from the thrift store last year with one purpose in mind: to give one of my dolls an articulated body. Now Sharpay is posing much better!

Justin Bieber approves of Sharpay's transformation. I think that these two are going to be singing a lot of duets together.

Madam LaVinia

I finally have my curvy articulated doll. Madam LaVinia Barbie is the first collector doll to use the curvy body.

"Embodying the unbridled style of the Harlem Renaissance, the second member in the Harlem Theatre™ Collection presides over one of the hottest nightclubs of the 1920s. This music maven features a new posable curvy body and many lavish details!"

 I have actually had her since late last year, and kept her in the box. I've been wanting to take her out of the box, but a bigger part of me did not want to take her out of the box because she is so beautifully displayed there and is such a collectible.

I couldn't bring myself to take her out of the box. So what's a collector to do? I looked for one nude on eBay, but was never able to locate one for a price that I was willing to pay. So, I purchased a second doll to debox.

Here she is out of the box. She has beautiful clothing and accessories. She looks regal. She is able to stand in her shoes without her stand. It was difficult to balance her walking stick.

Here she is up close. Her earrings and turban are removable.

She has exquisite details on her jewelry and the accents on her clothing. Her fur is wonderful, and the chiffon sash around her hips is really soft. 

Here she is with her clothing removed. She had a thread connecting her turban to her head that was easily removed. Her earrings and ring were easily removed (her ring is like the old school Barbies where the ring pokes through a hole in the hand). She had double sided tape on her chest to hold her dress in place, and she has it on her legs to hold her stockings in place. I have decided to leave her stockings on for now. Her hair was stiff, but I brushed it out and she has a cute short curly cut. 

In addition to traditional articulation, LaVinia has articulation at the elbows, wrists, and knees. Her elbows rotate, but her knees do not. Her legs rotate slightly at the hips.

She cannot wear standard Barbie clothes. In these photos, she is wearing action figure undies, and her own stockings and shoes.

Here she is in a seated position. I could not get her to cross her legs on this low couch.

She can share shoes with other curvy Barbies. In the photo below, Emoji Fun Barbie wears one of Madam LaVinia's shoes and one of her own shoes, and she is able to balance. I could not get Emoji Fun's shoe on Madam LaVinia's foot over her stocking.

Madam LaVinia has a slightly different body than the other curvy Barbies. Below, she is joined by Dolled Up Denim and Emoji Fun. They can both wear Barbie bras. Madam LaVinia has a fuller bust and a smaller waist. She does not have molded panties, while the other two do.

All of my curvy ladies can share clothes. They can all also wear action figure clothing. I have packed Madam LaVinia's original clothing and accessories away for now. I'm sure she'll have an opportunity to wear her outfit at a lavish gala to be held sometime in the distant future.

Overall, I love this doll! I feel like I've waited a long time for her. She feels pretty sturdy, and I can pose her easily. Hopefully the curvy ladies will be getting more clothing and shoe options (I'm particularly interested in the shoes, because I can find plenty of clothing for them in the action figure world). These curvy ladies look normal sized to me, so I'd still love to see some truly plus sized 1/6 scale dolls with articulation.

Barbie Fashionistas Crazy For Coral Petite

Last year I picked up a Barbie Fashionistas Doll 24 Crazy For Coral Petite doll.

Here's a look at her outside of her packaging. She has very limited articulation. She can stand on her own in her shoes.

Here's a close-up. She has a very cute and youthful appearance.

With limited articulation comes limited posing, but she's doing the best that she can.

Since she has such a youthful appearance, I've decided that she will be a teen here. And here she is with some of her new teen friends.

Here she is with a couple of her new male teen friends.

I like her. One of these days, I will find a suitable donor body with articulation for her.