davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2023

Such a diligent crew...

That first shot is amazing - they look so REAL!

Both these shots look very real and animated. That's some prime posing and not a chopstick or fork in sight!

CatDragonStorm wrote:Both these shots look very real and animated. That's some prime posing and not a chopstick or fork in sight!

Smart Dolls don't need chopsticks! Although actually, the come with really neat telescoping stands that fit in to a socket in their lower backs, which definitely makes posing them easier in some situations. I'm usually too lazy to bother with the stands, but the girls generally cooperate pretty well.

The newest Smart Dolls have an improved internal armature with tighter joints that pivot on a ratchet system, allowing both a greater range of movement and a better holding of poses. I have read on Instagram that some "super collectors" with "most favored status" have been able to acquire the new armatures and upgrade their older dolls, but the new armatures are not available to mere mortals and other peons through the Smart Doll online store.

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25 April – A Doll A Day 2023:


I purchased this 1/6-scale head sculpt several years ago after seeing it featured in photos by one of my Flickr contacts. I have never been able to get this head to look as attractive as it did in his photos, so it ended up as a "laboratory specimen," a head in a jar.

25 April - A Doll A Day 2023

I must admit I have strong curiosity over the smart dolls skeleton. Although for the price I don't see myself owning one, guess I will remain a mere mortal for now. Jar head lady is cool and a good prop, I would be curious to see the photo that made you feel you had to have it.

CatDragonStorm wrote:I must admit I have strong curiosity over the smart dolls skeleton.

I found this, which is old. But you can see what the original skeleton is like.
https://dannychoo.com/archive/en/posts/the-smart-doll-body

Alliecat, that was certainly a very interesting read, although I must say I have never heard that particular body part referred to as headlights before:lol:
How do they feel to pose? Can you feel the skeleton underneath?

I am also a Smart Doll peon with no opportunity so far to buy a bodies.

TrueFan wrote:I am also a Smart Doll peon with no opportunity so far to buy a bodies.

Yes we are the peons, enlighten us with smartie knowledge

Playing "Catch Up" again -- it's been an exhausting week, culminating with a leaking water heater.

How 'bout we take a look at the current diorama situation here at Ye Olde Dolly Dungeon:

26 April - A Doll A Day 2023:

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27 April - A Doll A Day 2023:

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28 April - A Doll A Day 2023:

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29 April - A Doll A Day 2023:

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30 April - A Doll A Day 2023:

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1 May - A Doll A Day 2023:

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Certainly must be discouraging to see so many archived projects.
Try let poor Nohea out of the box to do some hula!

happy may/lei day!

Alliecat wrote:
Try let poor Nohea out of the box to do some hula!

I'd worry that she'd step on a rusty nail or staple and need a tetanus shot.

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Back in December 2017 I began constructing a steampunk or dieselpunk industrial background out of styrofoam packing material, spray paint, and random bits of wire. This is what it looked like then:



I find it hard to believe I started this project nearly six years ago now.

The basic structure still exists, and I've used various iterations of it in occasional photographs, but, as happens all too often, the setting was neglected, and ended up becoming a dumping ground for all manner of rubbish. This is how it looked earlier today:




I have other plans for the shelf space this diorama takes up, so I decided to move the steampunk set to a different location. In the process of moving it, I figured I may as well clean it up a little bit to see if I could salvage it. To my surprise, it cleaned up rather nicely. Even more surprising, after six years, the battery-operated built-in lighting still works... without replacing the batteries!

It's still a work in progress, and needs considerable touch-up to be fully functional, but so far it's not looking half bad:




Here's another version, gussied up with Instagram filters:

davidd wrote:
I'd worry that she'd step on a rusty nail or staple and need a tetanus shot.

Well that one at least would be a useful shot *cough*
She would definitely need somewhere else to dance besides the Storage Shed of Doom.

Must have been good to see some success with one of your dioramas. Hope it made you feel like working on it a little more. The "steampunk dumping ground" could still be a setting for some sort of dystopian tale.

The lighting looks amazing! I'm pretty impressed with your craftsmanship, I like the gussied up version, it looks like it came straight out of a history book!

CatDragonStorm wrote:The lighting looks amazing!  

Thanks! Battery operated holiday lights built in to the foam sides, and an inexpensive desk lamp for fill lighting. Total cost of the lighting set-up: about $8 USD new.

Alliecat wrote:

davidd wrote:
I'd worry that she'd step on a rusty nail or staple and need a tetanus shot.

Well that one at least would be a useful shot *cough*

 

Some older friends who were Vaccine Zealots and who got every booster both came down with COVID last month. Apparently one of them got pretty sick. Thank goodness he'd had the vaccine and boosters, or who knows what might have happened!


(What I really need is a pounding-my-own-head-with-a-hammer-because-I-can't-stand-the-stupidity-anymore emoji.)

3 May - A Doll A Day 2023:

Another forgotten diorama project:


I had nearly forgotten about this simple doll-size "room box." It was constructed a couple of years ago as a kitchen, but the size ended up being too compact for kitchen use. It also served a few times as a generic office type space in a few photo-story installments.

After that, it was relegated to its roots... as a box.

Currently two 1/6-scale motor scooters and a 1/6-scale piano are stashed away in this box. The piano player, a generic male action figure, was in here, too. And to my surprise, Solo in the Spotlight Barbie was in this box. I never would have found any of these items if I had been looking for them. I had forgotten I'd put them in this box, and I'd forgotten about this diorama until I was moving some things around in the storage shed and uncovered it.

While I like the gift wrap wallpaper, this box has proven too small for practical use with dolls or action figures. I shall likely salvage the wood trim and send the cardboard box to recycling. Its practicality for storage purposes is impaired by the lack of a lid, so there are better places for Barbie, Piano Man, and the motorbikes.

Wow, two scooters and a piano?! You could do lots of fun photos with those, I'm sure!
The gift wrap does make nice wallpaper. Is it a suitable size for a Pinky room instead?

Alliecat wrote:Is it a suitable size for a Pinky room instead?  

I suppose it could have been converted in to a Pinky size room, but the another problem with this design is that it is too dark for photography, and the only lighting option is direct front lighting. I think I shall end up discarding this one after salvaging the wood trim.

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4 May - A Doll A Day 2023:


I constructed this set for use in my Bratz photostory that sort of went on permanent hiatus... six years ago. It even has a window seat! I don't even know what all is piled in here, so unpacking this stuff will be a treasure hunt!

If the Bratz story continues, the storyline as originally intended is likely to be different, so I won't be needing this setting. I shall probably deconstruct and discard it, as it is a discouraging reminder of a creative failure.

I totes forgot about today being May the Fourth (Be With You).

Well, perhaps you'll find some fun treasures you'd forgotten about. Looks like someone stuck in a box down in front there, for starters.

Alliecat wrote:Looks like someone stuck in a box down in front there, for starters.

I keep finding those New Bratz Selfie-Snaps Yasmins! I think I have three of them in unopened boxes. What was I thinking?

Okay... I think they were really cheap on Amazon for a while, and I liked the hats they came with. That's what I recall, anyway.

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5 May - A Doll A Day 2023:


My "general purpose" doll and action figure backdrop has become a general purpose dumping ground.

I’d like a time traveller to tell me how things work out. Bonus if they bring jelly babies. Major electrical outage… Missed the entire thing.

Alliecat wrote:I’d like a time traveller to tell me how things work out. Bonus if they bring jelly babies. Major electrical outage… Missed the entire thing.

If I knew how things were going to work out, I'd probably have given up already.

I watched a couple of recap reels, caught most of the highlights.

I am so tired of the news media and their focus on a small handful of anti-monarchy protestors, completely ignoring that there were tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of excited, optimistic well-wishers gathered in the rain to catch a glimpse of the royal procession.

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7 May - A Doll A Day 2023:

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The never-quite-finished kitchen diorama could stand a bit of tidying.

ha, poor Yasmin