Awhile back I bought this 2D doll Pakhar head, but doing so made me realize I really dislike "2.5D" or semi-anime heads with nostrils. 😖 I tried to sell him first, but when nobody seemed interested I decided to attempt my first big subtractive mod!
I was hoping not to have to do any additive work, but the nose seems too far up and too stubby after being sanded down. I wanted to try a faceup anyways though, just to see if that might save it... I don't think it will, but I'm going to keep at it for a few more layers anyways. 😆
Review: 2D Doll 1/6-scale new body (normal yellow)
Above: Not a very graceful-looking pose, but a memorable one that shows off the poseability of the 2D Doll 1/6-scale body!
Summary: 9/10 would recommend.
Pros: Good poseability; two-piece torso; option hands are available; hefty, solid quality resin; reasonable wait time. If you’re looking for variety, this is also the shortest Yo-SD-scale body I know of.
Cons: No easy hand-changing mechanism; back of elbows have that sculpted nub which I find rather ugly; more expensive than other Chinese-made 1/6-scale bodies.
Note: I want to add that my 2D body came strung with extremely thick 3.5mm elastic (I usually use this thickness for MSD’s!), and with an over-sized S-hook in the head which I had to switch out for a smaller one in order to fit the kindergarten Kun-kun head pictured above. It was also strung so tightly that there was barely any give when I pulled on the S-hook. I wanted to keep it as it was for this review, but I couldn’t bear the tight stringing and ended up restringing the body the very same day, with slightly thinner elastic (about 2.5-3mm, which is still thicker than I usually use for Yo-SD’s). 2D Doll have mentioned on their Weibo that they are looking into this issue after receiving complaints, so this will hopefully change in future.
More detailed comments and photos:
Wait time: It took about 2 months to arrive, even though I ordered in February 2020, during the Covid-19 situation (to take advantage of a sale). Not bad at all. It came securely packed in an unbranded box (probably because I didn’t order a full doll?)
Sculpting: This is a child-like body with somewhat cartoon-y shaping. For ease of comparison, the body is pictured below beside the fairly well-known Volks body (also one of my favourites). Without the head, there is a height difference of almost a centimetre. There aren’t many other good bodies which are both in the same scale as Yo-SD and are significantly shorter, so this pleases me greatly.
Below: back view. Note the elbow joints which have a floating nub on the back. Visually, I find this type of elbow extremely unappealing... but I’m willing to put up with it in this case because the body checks all my other boxes -- and at least those armoured nubs are not on the knee caps (shudder).
The other sculpting point that irks me slightly is the swollen-looking ankles, with ball joints larger than the base of the calf - but I suppose they help promote sturdy posing. I should mention that the soles of the feet are not flat but are cutely sculpted with an arch.
Posing: As shown right at the top, this body crouches solidly and with little effort, which is no mean feat. The double joints in the elbows work perfectly and are not difficult to engage, so the doll can touch the back of its head and its face with ease. Wrist and ankle mobility is quite good.
The thighs are on the tubby side and are in all one piece with just a basic slot at the top. As a result, thigh mobility is slightly limited, though not as much as one might think. The doll can only sit with its legs spread, compare below:
Below: Kneeling is possible, both upright and on the doll’s haunches (”seiza” position), but again, the legs have to be spread. The double joints in the knees engage quite smoothly.
Below: The spread-eagled “suwarikko” pose is one of my favourites. This body can do it, but not as smoothly as Volks, Pettimal or Miyadoll. It can also sit with both legs bent to one side!
Below: Body can also stand with one leg in front of the other, or slightly raised.
Resin: The resin is heavy and feels very solid. I don’t see any traces of seams, discoloration or dust. It is totally opaque with a very slight plasticky look to it. I have no complaints, resin-wise.
Hybridizing notes: The body is a good match size-wise for my Mia Soo Smile head and kindergarten Kun-kun, which are both on the slightly smaller side of this size range. A silicone “KIPS” disc is needed for maximum head mobility. The neck is on the long side and could stand to be shaved down about 3-5mm (which I intend to do subsequently). I have since discovered that 2D Doll sells a “short-necked” version of their 1/6-scale body, probably intended specifically for hybrids, whilst the original version which I purchased has the standard longer neck (I surmise that the 2D Doll heads have a deeper neck socket than average). Be sure to purchase this version for your hybrid, if you wish to save time and effort. Edit: The standard body is about 235mm at the highest point of the neck.
Below: Colour-wise, 2D Doll normal yellow is an excellent match for slightly yellowed Volks fair - I’d rate it a 95% match. It is less peachy/ more yellow-toned than Mia’s new normal - about an 85% match. I will likely order a short-necked normal pink body to compare, and will update this review if so.
Option hands: A small range of option hands is available. Closed hands are usually some of my favourites, as far as hand poses go, but these ones are strangely bland and look like they were made out of plasticine. The standard open hands are quite chubby and cute, though, with detailed nails and finger joint creases on the underside. The main problem as far as the hands go is the lack of an easy-change mechanism. Combined with the super-tight stringing, I needed the aid of hemostats to be able to change hand parts.
Overall: You know how you can kinda tell, just by looking, that some bodies draw inspiration rather heavily from other well-known or market-leading bodies? This body doesn’t give me that feeling. I feel like it was sculpted from scratch, with a specific vision in mind. The end result is more individual than most 1/6-scale bodies now on the market, whilst also being functional and charming. And of course, there is that irresistible height difference, which was the main reason I originally purchased this body.
Purchasing tip: 2D Doll often has sales where bodies are up to 15% off. I’ve also noticed that a couple of multi-brand Taobao retailers list in-stock dolls at discounted prices, so you may want to take a look if you’re in a hurry.
