Recasts in Strange Places

Apparently the term "recast" isn't limited to dolls and bootleg toys. 

A year or so ago I dived (hey, a pun!) into the world of mermaiding. It got me in shape and soon I began to research upgrades to my fabric tail. I soon learned there are people making molds of existing artists flukes and selling recast, literally recast, silicone mermaid tails. 

Many of these were made with substandard materials that could literally kill you- by poisoning or drowning. 

A mermaid tail of the silicone variety costs a minimum of $800 worth of materials to make. Factor in sculpting time, artist wage, etc and you're looking at upwards of $1300 for a tail depending on upgrades. 

In this hobby, recast is even more tempting than dolls, but it literally directly hurts these small one or two woman/man studios and could potentially kill you. 

Fast forward a bit, I'm hunting for a storm trooper armor kit for next year. Apparently recast armor is actually a thing! They literally buy a suit from a small company. No, Lucas Arts and Disney are not making 501st grade armor, so scrap that big companies don't get hurt bullshit. After they've made molds from the armor they then sell inferior copies. 

These copies are again made of substandard materials. They crack, the don't hold up to sanding and painting, they aren't tough enough for trooping in. They lack detail, which often means the difference in getting a 501st acceptance. 

These are not just boot leg copies, like a MLP fake. A cheap version of storm trooper armor isn't going to kill you, but it's not going to hold up. It's substandard and you won't get in. 

Storm trooper armor is made by small companies often with few employees. Each piece is hand sculpted before cast and processed through vacuforming. These aren't made in big factories in assembly lines.  In fact, you just receive an unfinished kit and have to sand and assemble it yourself!

This truly makes me question the materials recast dolls are made of. My recast always yellowed faster, always ended up with cracks and breaks and weak spots. We know that early recasts were made with inferior and possibly more toxic than usual materials. But overtime they did seem to improve. This doesn't take away from the impact they have on the individual artists and small companies. 

The more aware of recasting I've become the more I see it everywhere and the greater the impact it really seems to have. No, dolls aren't going to kill you unless this a modern version of the Puppet Master, but it's very clear how much artists depend on your business in these niche hobbies to survive. 

Not much point to this post, but just something I noticed. 

The Dangerous Decline of the Secondhand Market- What that means for the future of the hobby.

There has been a decided decrease in the purchasing power of the average BJD hobbyist thanks to the decline of the secondhand market. We can no longer purchase a doll knowing we cannot recoup most of our costs and turn around and reinvest the money from that doll back into the market.

The large majority of doll collectors, I'd wager, do not have the financial freedom to just purchase full cost dolls willy-nilly. Sure there are some people, perhaps those with large incomes and/or no dependents to care for who can buy several full-price mid or high range dolls a month, but they're uncommon. I'm not qualifying this or saying those with more purchasing power are better or worse than someone with less.  It's simply a fact. It's a fact that most of the doll collectors I know depend on their ability to sell a doll to buy a new doll. I know only 3 doll collectors on a personal basis that do NOT have to sell to buy. They may choose to do so, but they're not required to do it. The point is they're honestly a minority. This piece is concerned with the purchasing power of the average doll collector and what the reduction of that power is doing to the market and thus the future of the hobby.

There is this sense of haggling and deal making in this hobby that has gone beyond respectable. People are wanting top of the line dolls for Walmart prices- and they're wanting them now. No one wants to pay $450 for a minifee, so they begin to search secondhand. They hope that they can snag a good deal- maybe $350 with no long wait time….. then they begin to search for one for $250 because it's not mint in it's box… because another human touched it…. because how dare the original owner hope to get $400 for that minifee?

Pokémon Syndrome: Acquisition Disorder, Recasts, and the Doll Hobby

All Teh Dolls.

All instances of you* in this piece refer to general “you”, not anyone specific. Also, there is nothing wrong with buying or selling. Even buying or selling a lot. This is not meant as a critique or criticism of anyone or anything in particular, but rather a cautionary tale to explore your own motivations for doing so.

“Gamers have a term for this madness.  It’s “acquisition disorder.”  It’s when you have to have the new shiny.”- Click for Source

The problem with collecting hobbies is what I call Pokemon syndrome: Gotta catch ‘em all! Meaning that the compulsion to buy and buy and buy often overrides need and good sense. For some people, it gets dangerous. They obsessively buy everything they can pertaining themselves to their hobbies, shop out of their budgets, don’t live within their means, and can even rack up massive amounts of debt. (Have you seen the Star Wars documentary on Netflix where they talk about their obsession with buying and collecting? Watch that shit. Then come back here.) It’s not quite the same as a shopping addiction, which is a whole entire other issue that can be aggravated by Pokémon Syndrome, but it’s a very, very real thing. If you have a shopping addiction, like any other addiction, and you feel it’s a problem or becoming a problem, then please seek help.

Buying becomes a panacea. You’re feeling stuck, uninspired, sad, or whatever, and shopping takes over. You buy a new doll because you’re bored with the old ones or simply “not feeling” it anymore. A new outfit brings the spark back: the excitement of shopping, of comparing, of imagining, then the excitement and joyful, satisfying anxiety of waiting and checking tracking, and then the climax of arrival. You open the item, gush, glee, take a few pictures, post on social and media- and then the high is gone. So you move on to the next quest.

Identifying a Recast: Aileen Doll

Legit Violet

As many of my readers know, I mostly own recast Aileen Doll dragons. I recently purchased my first legit dragon, and thought I would share some things that I found.

Company: Aileen Doll

Website: http://aileendoll.com/

Sculpts Available Recast: Ashes, Rot, Sleeping/Dreaming Ashes, egg






 
Stringing: Recast AD generally have their legs strung backwards (unless the current owner has switched them).

Backwards legs.

Identifying a recast: La Legende De Temps

About LLT: Is a one woman sculpting business, ran by a Chinese lady named Julia.

Website: http://lltdoll.weebly.com/

The following sculpts from LLT are available recast: Little Edria and Roderich; Roderich comes by default on the SD17 body. 

If you purchase these heads second hand, you should be aware of what comes with the legit heads in order to establish legitimacy.

Identification card:

This little card contains the number of the sculpt, the name of the sculpt, the assigned gender of the sculpt, the date/birthday the sculpt was made, and should have this picture on the back.

Mine also has the artist's signature and a handwritten sentiment. I have blocked out these in order to limit potential forgeries.

CYA- It's that important.

CYA- Cover. Your. Ass.

I recently had a negative experience regarding recasts as legit. The poor gal thought, with good reason imo, that an item I sold was in fact recast. They were not, but I ran into trouble proving this. In order to spare you the headache in the future, learn from my mistake.

Amaranth's Rules for Trades and Sales

Buyers:

1. Always ask for proof of ownership, even if it's someone you know or have traded with before.
2. Always ask for more pictures, even if you're happy with what you see. Don't be afraid to ask them to take a photo with the item next to a paper with your choice of text. 
3. Always ask for proof of legitimacy EVEN IF IT'S SOMEONE YOU KNOW. That's fine and dandy, but how do you do that and what should you ask for?
1. If they are the first owner, ask for receipts from the company. Screenshot the purchase screen. Most companies keep records of sales for several years. Fairyland still has the record of the first purchase I made from them 4 years ago.
2. If they purchased it second hand or traded, where did they do this trade? DoA? Facebook (and thus, which FB group)? Flickr? Ebay?
3. Ask for the username of the previous owner before them, if any.
4. Research to know what comes with the dolls direct from the company. 
1. Does the company send certificates? What do those certificates usually say? 
2. Does the company use headplates, and if so, what do those look like?

Identifying a Recast: Migidoll

***Disclaimer: I do not own recasts of this company, but I would appreciate any useful tips from anyone who currently owns one. Pictures for identification/comparison purposes are welcomed as well. If you have a recast MD boy, you can message me on anon on tumblr, via email, or here in the comments. If you choose to help me, you can be left anon or credited. Your choice!***

I don't own a recast Migidoll, but I thought this might be helpful since I own legits.

Website: http://www.migidoll.com/info.html

Sculpts available recast: Cho, Miho, Ryu

If you're buying one of the sculpts available as recast secondhand, here are some things to ask about or watch for.

Packaging:

Legit Migidoll come in plastic tube thingies, like this. On the outside of the tube you'll find a printed label with the company's logo, the name of the sculpt, and the resin color. These might be handwritten.

Should you get a recast as your first doll?

Probably the last post for a bit. My baby is due in a couple weeks so I might not have the time or energy to put into any useful posts for the next month or two.

There's a few things you will want to consider before deciding on a recast as your first. My answer has always been no, even when I was a pro-recast supporter. Here are a few things I thought of when I was into recasts and a few thoughts after I left that part of the hobby. This is just my opinion, it's not gospel, and I'm not billing it as anything other than my opinion and experience. Your mileage may very of course. Yes I'd like to sway you towards buying legit instead, but I'm also objective enough to see the good points of recasts.

I'll probably update this as I come up with more ideas or change opinions on things. XD

Reasons you might want a recast for your first:

Reason #1: I just want a cheap doll to test out the hobby.

There are some absolutely adorable, cheap (sometimes cheaper than recast) dolls out there to buy, and I'm not even talking about Resinsoul or Bobobie. You may need to do a little research or check out the following list of dolls under $300.

Note

With more drama on the horizon, let me just restate a few things:

• I do not recast or bootleg dolls or any other product.
• I do not send dolls to recasters.
• I do not distribute bootleg dolls.
• I have no ties to recasters. I don't talk to them, I don't know what dolls they're getting. I don't know how they get them or when they get them. 
• The purpose of this blog is not to provide a venue for bootleg sales, but rather to provide information on bootlegs and how to tell the difference between bootleg and legitimate dolls.
• I do not benefit financially from running this blog, especially concerning bootleg products.
• I do not tell people how to contact recasters.
• I do not contact recasters on behalf of others.
• I do not buy recast dolls on behalf of others.

No matter what your stance, remember bullying is never the answer.

Peace,
Amaranth

Video Tutorial: Restringing a Minifee

I have finally started working on video tutorials, so here's my latest, totally crappy restringing tutorial: a video guide to restringing a minifee.

 And in case embedding doesn't work you can find it here.

On Steampunk and Hamilton, my Steampowered Pseudodragon

So far my little Lord Hamilton (Gizmo, as Mr. Amaranth calls him) is coming along quite nicely. I wasn't sure I could pull this mod off, but he's really looking great so far. I'm really proud of myself.

Note: There are watermarks on the images because if people are going to use them/steal them, I want those who view them to know where they can come to get real, accurate info regarding the stuff in the pictures. 

 

Working on my dining room/project table that we never actually dine on. This is my mess.
I am not proud of this mess. XD

List of stuff still to do:

*Dye him a base color

*blush and seal

*paint additional details

*Complete clock-wings

*Finish the goggle/monocle

*Make the top hat

*Order a dragon eye for the right eye

*Is that actually all that's left to do?!! @___@

Stuff that's finished:

Steampunk Dragon Mod Project- Hamilton, a WIP

I've been working on a steampunk dragon mod using the Aileen Doll Ashes recast I received from S/L last month.So far, I've drilled the guidelines for what will eventually become his epoxy weld lines with bolts and such and opened his eyes. One eye was damaged after the lid shattered, due to a weak cast. I'll be covering it with a monocle when I find the right parts.

I drilled out the hole for the clockwork, windup key thingy tonight. I need to make it just a touch wider so that I can line the hole with epoxy and prevent the key from digging into the resin. It can be removed, and it can turn a full 360 degrees. I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

Once I get all weld lines and epoxy additives done, I'll dye the doll a coppery color. Then, I'll blush him and paint him. When that's all done all add the rest of his gears and such and other epoxy add-ons.

(I apologize for the large water marks on the photos, but I'd like people to know where they can find this info, and with one blog already using my stuff without crediting me, I kinda have to do this. Sorry.)

Recast DC Alberta Identifiers

Here is a comparison post between recast and legit DC Albertas. I hope this comparison is useful and helps ease some worries.

Recast Albertas have a different stringing system. S/L drilled these two big holes here so they didn't have to go through the pain in the ass process of using the tiny holes in the legit body. These two big holes are clear indicators of recast status.

Aileen Doll Ashes Recast Identifiers [revised]

New information about recent Ashes dragons at the end of this post. (As of Jan 2014).

Restringing Aileen Doll Ashes

Here is a tutorial for restringing an Aileen Doll Ashes. This guy is a recast, just to let you know so you don't share this where it's not welcome.

As usual, my disclaimer: Don't ask me where or how to buy. I don't distribute.

To start, I should note that I didn't do this right…when the tutorial says to put the wings on first, DON'T. Instead, do the arms first then the wings. My dragon's wing snapped because I put it on first.

Second note: You will use one piece of elastic to string both arms and the wings. I tried to take clear pictures of this, so if you need more explanation go ahead and comment here.

I haven't been checking emails due to anxiety (I hate dealing with email), so if you have emailed me, I'll get to it eventually, I promise!

Another bjd dyeing tutorial- this time with LOTS of pictures

[Note blogger was being stupid and I can't seem to get rid of some of the weird linking. T___T]

Minion needed to be pink. I bought two boxes of RIT Petal Pink for this project.

Time needed: 1-3 hours
(Depends on your water to dye ratio, the size of your pot and amount of pieces you're going to fit in there, and how vibrant you want your color.)

Okay, so see this post here for materials and stuff. I tried to take much better pics this time.

Warnings:

• This is pretty much permanent. I don't recommend this unless you're a fairly seasoned modder or have an easily replaceable doll just in case something goes wrong.
• Someone asked me why their dye turned their doll a bizarre gray color- I don't have an answer for that, but I do think it either had to do with the metal in their pot or that the dye was old.
• Some areas aren't going to take the dye evenly, and some will end up darker and lighter than others. How noticeable this is depends on how saturated your color is. You can usually hide this via blushing, but I think it adds character.
• Wear and tear is going to happen, and the dye, just like paint, will wear away over time. You'll have to do touch ups on occasion if this bothers you.

On Scammers, and why it's not your crusade

Here's the thing- for as long as there have been replica dolls there have been a few assholes selling them as legitimate dolls.

Recasters often provide fake paperwork and fake headplates. Scammers may have used these to sell recasts as legit.

Why this isn't your crusade: A scammer can use a legitimate set of papers or plates to sell a recast as legitimate. Are you going to tell a company to stop producing these things? In my opinion, the reason FL is one of the top recast companies is because they have no papers, no plates, no logos on the dolls.

Some recasters are now offering boxes. Scammers will use these to sell recasts as legits…because scammers are scammers and that's why they will do.

Restringing a Pipos Cheshire Cat with poses

My little helper here is Grimalkin. He needed to have his blushing touched up, and I thought a tutorial may be useful. Here goes!

First, you will need a length of elastic about 20in long folded in half and tied in a knot. Your mileage may vary, and you may need shorter elastic to get him tighter.

They are very top heavy, and benefit from sueding the head/neck area.

Doll Chateau Alberta/ Mnf Chloe Hybrid - old recast I no longer own

So I took some pics for a lovely gal on the Haven, and my Rose stole herself a body…a DC Alberta body. In the process, one of Alberta's feet hooks broke, so I'm restringing the body to fit the neck piece, mnf hands, and mnf heeled feet.

My eventual plan is to get another pair of white skin minifee legs and replace the DC legs with the mnf legs. This will make her a little shorter and increase her posing ability. I will update when I get around to doing that.

First, I have to mod the neck wider to fit the neck ball. I get out my handy dremel tool and get to work.

1. I place the ball on the neck to see how much I need to remove.

2. I wear proper face protection, and start to remove resin, testing the ball now and then.

Restring a @%%#!!! DC Alberta

You should know I literally cried during this, and once threw a leg across the room. I strongly recommend a glass of wine (for you peeps 21 or older) and a helper. I could find little no information, even on DoA about this process, so I hope this post helps. This is just how I did it, and there's a tiny pair of holes I didn't use and have no idea what the hell they're for. At one point, three times in a row, the ankle hook slipped off the foot and shot up into the shin. Boy was I PO-d… anyway, onto the tutorial! Oh, and this Alberta is recast, so don't link or share this where recasts aren't welcome yadda yadda. If you want this done with a legit Alberta come November, let me know.

You will need:

Wire (my usual restringing cord was too thick)

Possibly a dremel or exacto knife (if you want/need to widen or reshape string channels)

Possibly extra 1/4/MSD elastic (If you are stringing a recast, cutting the string L/S gives you in half should be long enough. I will get better measurements…)