Reroot progress

Started rerooting Fashionistas Nikki yesterday. Her head still felt a bit sticky, but I decided it's probably from the Formula 911. It's great for removing dirt etc that the washing-up liquid won't touch, but it seems to leave a slightly greasy surface, plus it smells rather strongly of citrus (I think). It makes me wonder whether it contains lemon oil or something, and how that affects the vinyl in the long run. (I should point out I've never had any problems so far and that it seems carefully tested and developed, I'm just wondering.)

Nikki yesterday... 

...and today (with the first row of plugs tied down over her face to keep it out of the way).

This is my second try with the reroot tool and I'm learning as I go. I'm using nylon, about 30-40 hairs/plug (15-20 folded), which I hope is enough. If I pull on them they will come out fairly easily, but I'm planning on covering the inside with glue later. If I used maybe 40-50/plug I could probably rely on tension alone, but I'm worried of splitting the vinyl or something and besides I'm not really a fan of the ridiculous amounts of hair most playline dolls seem to have. Last time I used thicker plugs (becuase I couldn't get the head off) and the hair ended up a bit too thick in places. 

Also, re: my latest rebody fail, I discovered there actually are articulated Bratz bodies, and they seem to be about the same height as the unarticulated ones (depending on what shoe-feet they're wearing, I guess). Here's one compared to Monster High: http://heyitsmuff.blogspot.se/2012/08/from-fairy-to-human-teen.htmlI'll have to try and find one and see if they match OHC Briana Joy better. (Yes, that means I'll have to start carrying a doll head with me every time I expect to come close to a toy store.) 

Nikki vs glue

I found a Fashionistas Nikki at the thrift store the other day. She had both the torso joint and the knees that swivel, and as I didn't have a Nikki yet I didn't hesitate a second. (Unfortunately she  doesn't match OHC Briana Joy either, and even if she did she'd still be too tall.) 

She had an ugly dress but was in good condition, and I couldn't help wondering why someone gave her away. Well, when I came home I found out why: seeping glue! Half of her head was completely hard, the earring was stuck at an odd angle, and the hair was completely sticky, like a kid would notice it (or a concerned parent). Seriously, Mattel!

After washing her hair several times, only making things worse, I decided to just cut it. My reroot list might be long, but it's mostly for lack of materials. Black nylon is one of the few hairs I do have, so I'm going to try that on Nikki, and maybe use the reroot tool again since that was a lot quicker that needle and thread.

Now, I've only tried removing all hair from one modern Barbie head before, and that resulted in lots of torn plugs due to all the glue. When I "de-haired" an older, pre-Glue Mania head that I couldn't remove from the body, I discovered it's easier to prevent torn holes if you pull the hairs from the outside, just a few strands at a time. (You just need to remember not to cut the hair as short as you can but leave a bit to grab with your tweezers.) That way you can control what exactly you're pulling on and avoid ripping the holes. Unfortunately, that doesn't work if every plug is stuck together in a big lump of glue, and that lump is stuck to the inside of the head. (Again: Seriously, Mattel??)

This time I was very careful, clipping the hair close to the scalp with a nail clipper, and repeatedly soaking the head in almost-boiling water so it was all soft when I worked on it. And it worked! Maybe it's because she didn't have much of a part and not a lot of plugs close together, but I got everything out with only a couple of tears. Hooray!  

There's one tear in the hairline and another a bit further up, plus one you can't see from this angle, but that's all. Go me!

While I was at it I used my thinnest knife blade to carefully slice off the barbs on the earrings posts inside her head, until I could pull them out without ripping the ear holes. They look like they might glow in the dark, but so far they've been a disappointment on that front. 

Nikki's earrings sans barbs (well, mostly)

The whole head still feels a bit greasy, so I'll try to get rid of that before rerooting. I have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol but I've been hesitating to use it since I'm not sure I know how to handle it properly. I live in an apartment and the communal back yard doesn't feel like the place to work with chemicals, so when something calls for "a well-ventilated area" I just stand by the open window, and I'm not sure that's OSHA approved... Oh well, at least she's rid of the glue. 

ETA: Based on the earrings and the hairstyle, I'm pretty sure it's this Nikki doll: 

(As seen here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-W3899-Barbie-Fashionistas-Nikki/dp/B005VDU55G )

I think i've seen those in stores actually. Good to know they're fully articulated (since Mattel likes to make that a surprise nowadays).

Rebody fail: OHC Briana Joy on Simba Super Model

Well, back to the drawing board!

L: Only Hearts Club Briana Joy on Simba Super Model Sarah's body, R: Barbie and the Rockers' DeeDee rebodied on Super Model Bel.

As I mentioned, I just bought another Simba Super Model - a Sarah this time, the only one of the four dolls I didn't have before. I was hoping she would be a close enough match to rebody Only Hearts Club Briana Joy on, but it turns out she's too pale after all. The hues don't match very well either -  Briana looks almost green in comparison. Plus her head looks way too small.

Hmmm.

(More comparisons and photos of naked dolls below)

Briana and Sarah, pre-Frankendollying. You can already tell it's not going to work. 

I was really hoping this would work out since I've been meaning to rebody my OHC dolls forever (or since I got them, at least). They have soft stuffed cloth bodies with some kind of wire skeleton, making some posing possible, except their arms wind up looking like bananas. (Also, the fabric used is my Least Favorite Fabric Ever. Seriously. I don't even know what it's called, I just know I've hated it since I was a kid. It's what they used for the seats on the school bus, maybe that's why?) 

Their hands and feet are vinyl (I think?),  except the first wave which only have cloth feet. The soccer player Briana I bought turned out to be the old version, and so I decided she would be the first to receive a new body. 

Unfortunately there aren't that many options for articulated bodies in the 8"-9" (or 21cm) range, particularly not for AA dolls. Volks Mini have the right proportions, but only come in pale pink and paler pink (and also are possibly discontinued? It's a bit unclear, but their international online shop hasn't had them in stock in forever). 

I've seen people use Juku Couture bodies (like here), but they're a bit hard to come by and it doesn't look like Kana would match Briana either, plus their necks look really skinny. Here's Briana rebodied on a Bratz body, which unfortunately doesn't solve the articulation problem. ETA: Somehow I never realized there are articulated Bratz! They don't seem to be any taller than the unartiulated ones, so if I find one with a matching skin tone that could be an option. (Of course they seem to be discontinued now...) 

Using a full-size Barbie body (like this Taylor Angelique on a Model Muse) would provide more options, but with a head that small and obviously designed to resemble a child, it just doesn't look right. I wanted to keep the doll as close to kid size as possible, and the Super Model body seemed like an acceptable compromise at 25cm. 

Well, at least the neck has the right dimensions, and the articulation works fine: she can look up and down and tilt her head without problem. Getting the head off the original body wasn't too hard either (thanks to Roxanne's guide on what to expect). Still, I have to admit it - it just doesn't look very good. Sigh.

Clothes can camouflage/distract a bit... 

...but that's still a very long and missmatched neck.

Here's a couple of comparison pics I took: 

L-R: Briana's original body, Briana on Super Model, MH Clawdeen (whose neck is too thin and uncompatible)

L: Briana on Super Model, R: Fashionista Barbie. (As usual, the mismatch shows up differently depending on the light.) 

L: DeeDee on Super Model Bel's body, which sadly doesn't match either.

I think she'll stay on this body for now until I find something better. Her original soccer outfit still fits, just a bit tight (although the socks with built-in shin guards looked a bit silly protecting only the lower half of her shins). 

At least Sarah came with a new outfit (modeled below by DeeDee from Barbie and the Rockers, rebodied on Simba Super Model Bel's body) and most importantly with a new pair of shoes! They do fit over the socks, although it's a tight fit. Liv can wear them too (without socks). I wish they had made them white with a pink or blue star instead, though.  

Sarah's shoes + socks

Actually, the soccer shoes that Briana came with was one of the reasons I got her:

OHC Briana's shoes

Seams are a bit wonky as usual, but nothing too bad. The color scheme is almost identical to Dreamhouse Summer's jacket. 

So I heard the 80s were back 

Random sewing and wig buying

And now for something completely different: 

After I put that headband that came with the mini BabyBorn clothes on Lottie, I realized she needed a white dress to go with it. Super simple model, made from a cheap white t-shirt. I quite like how it came out, although I still need to close it in the back. 

Currently looking at shoes for her (she came with gumboots/wellies). The accessory packs get a bit expensive with shipping, but there is a set with a little robot (to go with Robot Girl Lottie) that comes with two pairs of shoes that I think are supposed to fit the dolls too, but I haven't been able to unambiguously confirm it.

ETA re Lottie shoes: 

The robot set comes with the robot wearing a pair of pink shoes, but the promo pics shows it wearing the second green pair as well. This reviewer apparently managed to change the robot's shoes: http://pleasegivepeasachance.blogspot.se/2013/11/lottie-dolls-review-and-giveaway.html 

This reviewer on the other hand says she couldn't get the first pair off the robot's feet, although she mentions the second pair fits Lottie: https://rebeccahains.wordpress.com/tag/lottie/