im p new to this so i apologize in advance but where can i find nice looking dolls that are durable and inexpensive? (also is resin or vinyl better?)
Vinyl is nice if you want a moddable doll that can have parts shrunk via acitone and is lightweight. But the plastic skeleton can break and will need repair by buying new parts. Dollfie are popular. There are also obitsu, Azone 50/angel philia use the obitsu skeleton so they can change parts. Obitsu can also wear dollfie dream heads/hands and body parts but they need to be cut or shrunken. Cons: stains. You MUST be aware that your doll can stain. Prevent this with a body sleeve/wash the clothes, avoid dark colors. Use dark colors only for quick photos and remove. Soft vinyl stains faster. See the dollfie dream forum for tips and advice. All vinyl with the obitsu skeleton matches if its NS. Dd matches ns to OB ns. Bodies for all are usually $200 new but dollfie are more, see second hand sales.
An obitsu trick is to zip tie the shoulder slots and secure with super glue and stock up on parabox ankle parts.
Abs is cheaper, see hujoo/blythe/ obitsu 11,22,24 ect/azone pure neeno
Resin is heavy. Be careful of falls and breaks . Its expensive, dont break it. Parts aren't cheap IF the company will sell them. Every company has different resin colors so good luck matching. More realistic faces if you dont like the anime look, can be cheaper depending on the company. Moddable via sanding ect. Durable to a point. Need elastic and S hooks, cleaning, maintenance ect. May stain but it's easy to remove. $$$$ There is no "cheap" bjd. If you want decent posing, pay the extra. Second hand market is a gamble but I've gotten expensive heads for a fraction of the cost.
Avoid the pro artists/recast debates, both are restarted. Remember they are $300-3k plastic toys made by asians and aren't real.
Recasts are sold on Aliexpress for a fraction of the cost, made of the same resin and ship out in a month vs, 8 months to a year. S/l or China bjd is popular, avoid luodoll. Would a recast be a good starter? Maybe. Still not cheap like plastic abs or vinyl dolls but decent for a complete newbie to completely destroy. I see a good deal of people who start with recast, move to legit later In life. It's a time hobby
Watch the FB groups for sales and damaged dolls. Invest in good faceup materials or commission an artist. Dont use sharpie like an autist. Seal your doll with MSC or some cheap hobby spray, never draw on a blank doll
Dont make dolls your life. It's a literal money pit. The nicest ones are wearing their friends clothes/models or the owner is an artist of some sort. Most nice sets cost $200+. Ebay simple sets are $10-20. You usually pay for a nude doll, remember that
