8 Responses to “Dominik Engel Arrives”

1. Half-Imagined » Blog Archive » Friends? says:
   August 24th, 2007 at 1:46 pm

   […] FAQ « Dominik Engel Arrives […]

2. Ayren says:
   October 22nd, 2007 at 3:35 am

   Hi ya,
   First time comment, so hellooo *waves*, I've only just discovered BJDs (thanks to you actually) been doing some research the past few weeks.
   You say you can lock his double joints, I haven't heard mention of this anywhere else could you please tell me a bit about it.

   Kara said: Hi, Ayren! Well, I'll try my best to explain, but I'm horrible at this type of thing so let me apologize up front in case I end up confusing you more. The knee and elbow joints kind of sit inside the arms and legs. When you bend the arms and legs they become visible (see this pic as reference). Now, the elbow and knee, which I guess you could call the ball-joints can be pulled from their housing and made to lock the legs or arms in a bent position. Back to that reference picture, there is a lip on the elbow joint (hard to see at this angle) that can be slipped out over the upper forearm thereby holding it that position.

   This isn't the case with every doll. In fact, my Dollshe has different joints. But that's how the Unidoll body works.

3. Ayren says:
   October 23rd, 2007 at 7:49 am

   Hi Kara,
   Thanks for taking the time to get back to me on that, I wouldn't say I'm more confused but without having one in your hands to study I can see why it would be difficult to understand.
   I guess this pic of a double jointed knee showing a kind of internal sleeve is what your saying you pull out, right?

   Kara said: Yeah, exactly, it's hard to explain it if you don't know what they already look like…which is kind of ironic. The link you gave me didn't work (if you want, try giving it to me again), however, your description sounds right to me.

4. Ayren says:
   October 23rd, 2007 at 8:31 am

   That ull teach me not to try and use html (I've never been good at it here's just the plane link:

   http://www.rakurakutei.com/theloft/images/aboout_berman3.jpg

   It's one big image, the knee bit is a little ways down the page.
   I'm mostly interested as I'm a digital artist specialising in 3D modelling and the form and structure of bjd's is just fascinating to me. The ways the creators find of getting round problems, making the dolls more flexible yet maintaining their beauty

   Kara said: Ah, yes! I too find it interesting how different BJD artists put together the bodies in an attempt to make them more posable. I know in the case of Dom (the Unidoll), some flexibility was sacrificed in him so that he would have a complete and unmarred torso (minus the chest joint). I'm sure that was done purely for aesthetic reasons.

   As for the pictures you sent me, the "after" pics in that series shows you exactly how my Dollshe Hound (Ethyn) is put together—same body. The knee joints on my Unidoll Jace (Dominik) are more like the ones in the "after" pictures. However, on the Dollshe body, the knee is actually part of the joint where as on the Unidoll body, the knee is part of the calf and the knee joint (which you can see exposed here) is sheathed inside the upper calf and lower thigh. Now, to get him to sit on his calves (i.e. with his thighs and calves touching) that entire knee joint has to be pulled out of its sockets so that the upper and lower leg can bend all the way. Wow, not sure if that made sense. I could never write instruction manuals, that's for sure. Part of the problem is I can't find pictures to explain and I'm feeling too lazy at the moment to undress Dom and take picture of him. haha

   Continuing on… Do you see the elbow in this picture? Now compare it to the elbow here. In the first picture, part of the elbow joint is still down inside the forearm. As shown in the second picture, I pulled the elbow out of its sheath and the forearm is now sitting on top of it. There is a raised ridge on the edge of the elbow joint that prevents the forearm from slipping back down the joint.

5. Ayren says:
   October 23rd, 2007 at 9:45 am

   Ah yes I think I gotcha now, looks like a bit of a strange way of doing things to me, pulling the whole joint out to stop it from slipping.

   Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me and sorry for bugging you with questions, but just one more

   Do you prefer Dominik's uninterrupted torso, or the added flexibility of a chest joint like Ethyn's?

   Kara said: I don't mind answering questions about BJDs at all! My husband's eyes glaze over whenever I try to talk about them.

   Actually, although I think Dom's torso is beautiful and I love to admire it (heehee), I prefer to have a chest joint as it allows for more natural posing. Dollshe bodies, like Ethyn's, have a natural slump to them because of the chest joint. They look great lounging about. Dom looks great when standing, but it's hard to get him to sit so that it looks like he's relaxing—his impeccable posture can make him look a bit stiff. In terms of what doll has the largest range of posebility though, I've heard it's the Dollmore Model Doll. The male models even have an extra point of rotation in their upper arms.

6. Ayren says:
   October 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 am

   Thanks for that I'll take a look!

7. Ayren says:
   October 31st, 2007 at 4:46 am

   Hiya,
   Learned a whole lot in the last week, think I've trumped you on the possibility front though.
   Check this out
   "http://www.iplehouse.net/shop/step1.php?number=592"
   The "Full operation Ryoma", (he really is fully operational *wink*).

   There's an entire thread dedicated to him on Den of Angels
   "http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119519&page=7&highlight=Nobility+Doll+boy+body"
   with some owner photos on page 7.

   Kara said: Oh, I remember seeing this guy before! How could I forget? "Press papilla. Good feel." And, a spinning penis…it scares me. haha!

8. Ayren says:
   October 31st, 2007 at 9:25 am

   Yeah a bit overly graphic I think!

   Those "Model Dolls" though are really impressive, it's interesting that they have an upper torso joint but not a lower one which you would initially think would limit their possibility, but if you think about it you don't really bend in that way anyway so…
   It's a shame their faces are so blank though, a bit morose (like real models )

   btw have you seen this beautiful boy:
   http://www.limhwa.com/mano.htm
   talk about character, that face WOW

   I feel like I'm hijacking your blog now. hehe

   Kara said: heehee Don't worry about it! I love chatting about BJDs.

   How funny that you brought up Mano. I actually bought him during the first ordering period and received him the last week of September. He is a gorgeous guy but, when I finally saw him in person, he just didn't speak to me like he did when I first saw the pictures that you linked to above. So, I decided to sell him. He's currently on layaway, although he's almost paid off so he should be on his way to his new home soon. Here are some pictures I took of him if you're curious though (1, 2, 3). I'm going to use the money I'm getting from his sale to buy another doll that I'm super excited about.

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