Friday, January 17, 2014

Jun Planning Batman Taeyang Doll

Here's number two of my promised posts! ;)  This time around, we'll be taking a look at the Batman Taeyang doll from Jun Planning, a San Diego Comic Con exclusive from 2012.

Later on in the post, I will be sharing pictures of the doll undressed to show his articulation.  He is not anatomically correct, but if you would rather not see undressed male fashion dolls, please skip this post

When I purchased my Pullip Dorothy at Tuesday Morning, the store also had Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion Taeyangs (interestingly enough, those three are still at the store).  It got me thinking about Taeyangs and how much I would love to find one.  I was a bit tempted to try the Cowardly Lion, but I knew that if I got him, I would want to figure out a way to take off his facial hair and make him more "normal" looking.  I wasn't sure I was up for such a challenge.  (I must admit that part of me is still tempted to get him and make him into a custom Beast from Beauty and the Beast...but then I'd need to find a Pullip to play Belle). ;)  

This whole line of thinking got me started on a bunch of online research about the various Taeyang dolls.  One thing I discovered, much to my disappointment, was that many of them looked too feminine for my taste.  I decided I wanted to wait for the right Taeyang doll for the right price.

It was only a few days later that I stumbled across some pictures of the Batman Taeyang doll produced for San Diego Comic Con in 2012.  He had much more masculine features than many of the other Taeyangs, and he had short hair (another plus).  I instantly started searching eBay for Batman Taeyangs, and after about a month of searching, I finally came across one for a fairly reasonable price.

I'd like to take just a moment and apologize that I do not have any extra-large picture in this post.  For some reason, Blogger decided to pixelate my pictures when I did them extra large.  The weird thing is, when I published the post and clicked on the pictures to make them larger, the resolution was beautiful, even on the ones that looked pixelated.  It drove me crazy to have icky-looking pictures, so I changed all of them to the standard "large" size.  If you need a closer look at anything, click on the picture to see more detail.  In the meantime, if any of you have had this happen and know what causes it, I'd love to hear your suggestions.  I've only had it happen once before, and as far as I know, I haven't changed any settings or anything on my camera.  All of my pictures for my J-Doll review were fine, even when I expanded them to the extra-large size, so I'm not sure what's going on. I hope I figure it out soon, though. :{

Even though Batman was an eBay purchase, he had never been removed from the box, so felt like buying a brand new doll. :)

He was based on Christian Bale's portrayal in "The Dark Knight Rises".

San Diego Comic Con's logo is on the box.

The back of the box.

As always, the majority of it is in Japanese.

The box opened at one side with a tuck-in flap.

The cardboard opened all the way around the front.

Here he is!

A closer look at his handsome face.

One side of the box had his collectible card and some accessories attached to it...

...while the other side had his stand and cape.

The instructions in his box appear to be identical to my Pullip instructions.

The inner cardboard lining came out easily.

He was held in place by tape circles, plastic, and twist ties (almost identical packaging to the J-Doll I purchased).  It was not difficult to get him out. 

His cape...

...mask...

...and collector's card were wrapped in protective plastic covering.

The cardboard lining, now empty.

Sigh...it's so frustrating to have a less-than-perfectly-clear picture here, but I wanted to make it large enough for you to be able to easily see everything. :{  This picture shows everything he comes with, which includes his body suit, a padded tank top and stretch shorts (underneath...more info to come), a belt, arm accessories, gloves, boots, a cape, a mask, a stand, and his collector's card.

The cape is long and thick and made of that almost sticky-feeling pretend leather material. 

It attaches to his bat suit with little hooks.

His mask has Velcro closure at the chin and at the back of the head.

Here he is with his full outfit. :)

A closer look at his mask.  I found this rather difficult to get on him, especially since I was trying to be super careful of his eyelashes.

I also had a difficult time getting the Velcro to close all the way in the back, but again, I was really nervous about messing up his eyes, so I didn't try very hard.  His eye mechanism really stuck out in the back and interfered with the closure.

Side view in his mask.

Another view of the fearless defender of Gotham City.

"Here I come to save the daaayyy..."  Oh wait, that was Mighty Mouse. ;)

His gloves are very detailed.

A look at the "leather" pieces on his mesh-like bodysuit.

His belt, legs, and boots.

Here's a view of the suit from the back.  The belt has Velcro closure in the back and is completely separate from the outfit.

A closer look at some of the detail:

His boots are hard plastic and have a wide space in the back to allow for easy removal. 

Undoing the Velcro at the chin of his mask...

And now we can get a better look at his face.  Just like Pippa, he can move his eyes to the side...

...straight ahead...

...and to the other side.

I was rather surprised to discover that he had very deep green eyes.  In the online pictures I'd found, he looked like he had brown ones.

Also like Pippa, he can wink with one eye...

...close both eyes...

...wink with the other...

...or just keep both open.

I took off his body suit to continue my review photos and had to laugh at these hilarious underclothes.  Taeyang dolls are pretty lean and lanky, so apparently the doll's producers decided he needed to bulk up a bit for his superhero role. ;)

The leather-like tank top has a big cushioned area in the tummy...

...and the stretch shorts are padded as well.

It almost looks like a bathing suit full of water! ;)

Batman's arms, legs, and body were completely covered with clear plastic, as you can see here...

...and in this picture, too.  I'm assuming this was to protect the body from staining.

However, even with this precaution in place, my doll still had several light stains on his body:

He also had a rather large crack in one thigh. :(

And while I was posing him, I gave him a little stress point on one shoulder. :(

Taeyang from the front...

...and the back.  I really don't like all of the screw holes in his back.  They almost look like bullet holes. :(

Taeyang dolls are very flexible.  Their numerous joints make for all sorts of posing possibilities, as seen in the following photos.

As great as his posability looks in photos, I found my Taeyang to be very fragile.  Many of his joints would make a horrible squeaking noise when I moved them, making me afraid that I would break him if I wasn't careful enough.

His hands are made of a softer plastic material and can be super hard to move without breaking (sadly, more on that later on in the post). :{

This was actually not my first Taeyang doll.  About a month after Pippa arrived, I caved in and purchased a Captain Hook Taeyang (this would have been in early 2013...February or so).  However, due to a bad foot that wouldn't stay in his leg, some really long hair, and an odd paint job, Hook did not stay with us. When I bought him, I did a photo shoot, intending to do a review.  It was during this photo session that I noticed his problems and had to return him.  Because I had these archived pictures, though, I decided I would use them to supplement my Batman pictures, especially since I was worried about breaking my newest doll.

I found the many joints on these dolls fascinating.  For instance, Taeyang's neck doesn't just turn, it can rotate (with some effort) back and forth in the joint, allowing for more poses for the head.

The shoulder is a completely separate piece from the rest of the arm.

The elbow is made up of several parts and can bend out...

...bend down...

...and also bend in towards the body.

The arms can hold all sorts of interesting poses.

Here's a better look at Hook Taeyang's hands:

Hook in a kneeling pose.

The knees are incredibly flexible.

The feet are made up of the same softer plastic as the hands...

...and can flex back and forth.  I found this was more difficult with my Batman Taeyang, however.

I have to say, I think it worked out for the best that Hook had some issues for which I needed to return him.  I am much happier with Batman's facial paint and hair.  


Pippa was very excited to meet the handsome new visitor.

I think she was quite smitten and curious to see the face behind the mask, but at first she was a bit cautious about the whole situation, too.

You see,  Pippa had grown rather attached to Captain Hook Taeyang and was crushed when he had to go back to the store.  And of course, we can't forget the Dorothy Pullip doll I bought last fall and decided to pass on.  She and Pippa had become rather good friends before Dorothy found a new home.  So I think this time around, Pippa was a bit wary of getting close to another doll.  Batman's been with us for a while now, though, so I think she's starting to realize that this guy is here to stay. ;)

I knew from the beginning that I didn't want Batman Taeyang to remain "Batman", so I wanted to find him some more typical clothing.  I remembered that the Taeyang dolls could wear current Ken clothing (the current Kens are skinnier than the older Kens and closer to Taeyang body size).  The next time I was in Tuesday Morning, I saw this great set for just $4.99, so I thought I'd try it for Taeyang.


I think it's got nice coloring for him.  How about you?

Pippa certainly seemed impressed.


I decided that I wanted my Taeyang to have a different name, and after some deliberation, settled on Alexander.  Pippa and Alexander has a nice ring to it, I think. :)  

I was super thrilled with the two of them.  And then, "tragedy" struck. :{

One night, I was trying to pose Alexander and accidentally broke off his hand! :(  The ball joint in the wrist has to be turned a certain way for the hand to be able to move without breaking, and I didn't have it at quite the right spot.

As you can see, the part of the ball joint that holds the hand in place snapped right off inside the hand cavity. :(  The only way to "fix" it will be to superglue his hand and not have it move anymore.

Thankfully, Jen, my blogging friend from Dolls and Nachos, had a spare Taeyang body she wasn't using, so eventually, Alexander will have a new body.

The coloring is different, but I think if I keep him in his long pants and long sleeves it shouldn't be too horribly noticeable.  The swap won't happen anytime soon, though.  I'm terrified of removing his wig and taking his head apart (the required steps for switching his body over to the new one).  For now, I think I'll just content myself with super gluing his hand on and keeping him stiff in one wrist.

Thankfully, his "handicap" has not changed Pippa's affection for him. ;)

A few more photos:

So, it's time to share my overall thoughts on this doll.  I'm super happy to find a friend for Pippa.  I like Alexander's coloring and thinks he looks great on the shelf with her.  I have to say, though, I was a bit disappointed with his quality.  His hand broke so easily, and as I mentioned in the post, his joints were so stiff and squeaky, I was afraid to move them too much.  Having a super articulated doll that you're afraid to pose is definitely a letdown.  After my experience with this Taeyang and my Captain Hook Taeyang, I can definitely say I would not feel comfortable paying full price for these dolls.  They are also NOT for children (the box does say ages fifteen and up), and because of their fragility, they are not even going to be the best doll for every collector.  I don't regret purchasing him, but I am sad about his hand.  I would love to see Jun Planning work on making joints that were a little sturdier.

As far as his clothing, it was incredibly detailed.  I would have liked the mask to close a little better in the back, but that was really my only complaint.  

I'm not sure exactly how to do his score.  Even with all of his problems, I still really enjoy having him in my collection.  Still, as far as this particular doll goes, I'd have to give him a 3 out of 5 simply because of the fragility of his joints.  A doll that normally retails for over $100, in my opinion, should not be so easy to break.

Would I recommend a Taeyang doll?  I would to some.  The detail on these dolls really is amazing, and they have a unique look that appeals to many collectors.  I know there are a lot of people out there who enjoy customizing them, and I've heard they are a lot better on Obitsu bodies.  So if you're a collector interested in a unique doll or a crafty, artistic type that enjoys working on custom doll projects, I would recommend adding a Taeyang to your collection.  However, I would definitely suggest buying one at Tuesday Morning or finding a nicely priced one on eBay rather than paying the full amount for a new doll.


Hope you enjoyed the review!  What did you think of Batman Taeyang?

P.S.  Because I'm not a huge Batman fan, I decided to list Alexander's complete Batman outfit on eBay.  It ends tomorrow (Saturday, January 18th), so if you're in the USA and interested in a Batman outfit, be sure to check it out soon. :) 

25 comments:

Juliet XD said...

Very coll :) That articulation looks fantastic, sucks that his wrist, um, was mutilated :/ Looking forward to seeing more of him and Pippa! Am I supposed to be saying is like Pipe-a or Pip-a?
As always-
<3,
Juliet

Panthera said...

Thank you for your review!

I've been reading your blog for a while, and was really intrigued when you talked about Taeyang. I've kinda fallen more and more for Pullip dolls lately, especially Taeyang, and had been considering getting one of the cheaper ones. I really like Tin man, Scarecrow and Taeyang Sol (something about the darker colouring really appeals to me).

But, I really want a doll I can pose a lot, for pics, and the fragility of the joints really feel like a hindrance.

I might just give up on the idea of owning one. Being in Norway I can't easily exchange, and my total lack of coordination and precision makes me seriously doubt my abilities to switch bodies on one.

I would have been gutted if something like a hand break happened to me! So sorry! :o(

P.S the suit you got him really suits him! hihi :o)

Tam said...

HAND-icap. Ha. I think they look great together. Shame about the hand.I wonder if the company would offer you another doll.

Anonymous said...

He's so cute! I love Batman so this seems like s super cool doll :) I haven't looked on your blog in quite a while and I am so happy to be looking at it regularly again :) I have completely redone my blog and I would LOVE it if you would take a look! aimeesprincesscorner.blogspot.com/

Thanks!
- Aimee :)

Jen said...

Wow, he is a really nice-looking Taeyang! Your research paid off. :D I agree that a lot of Taeyang face-ups are really out there - I can only handle Howl because he's meant to be prissy and glamoured-up! (I do think Taeyang's looks are a reflection of what's popular in anime and J-pop - androgyny is much more a thing than it is in American TV and music!)

It's such a pity that Taeyang bodies are so awful. Pullip bodies, while fragile, are still better to deal with - at least the joints are visible. It's a bit easier to handle the $100+ price tags when taking into account the level of detail in the clothing (at least as compared to AG), but having to shell out another $30 for an Obitsu gets frustrating!

All that said...I'm really impressed with the looks of Alexander! If I didn't already have a Pullip wishlist a mile long, I'd be tempted to track down a Batman of my own - he looks like the perfect base for a Flynn Rider!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Juliet. :) Yeah, I was really disappointed about his wrist. There's nothing like breaking a doll you've only had for a couple of weeks. :'(

Pippa is pronounced "Pip-a", at least in this house. :)

Panthera, thanks for stopping by. :) I do think it's a shame that the Taeyang bodies are so fragile, especially since they can be posed in so many different ways. I can understand your hesitation. I wish there was an easier way for you to get ahold of one in Norway. :(

I'm glad his suit "suits" him. ;)

Tam, I didn't even think about the pun when I used it. ;)

I doubt the company would offer me a new doll since I bought it secondhand, especially now that I resold the outfit. :} I suppose it might be worth looking into, though.

Hi Aimee! Thanks for stopping by. I'll try to pop in and check out your blog's new look. :)

Thanks, Jen. I was really pleased with his face-up myself. :)

Hubby has gotten into anime a bit, and after watching some with him, I can understand why so many of the Taeyangs look the way they do. I just like male dolls that are a little more masculine. ;) I do agree that a Taeyang is perfect to portray Howl, though. :)

I'm disappointed by the Taeyang bodies too. I didn't even realize why his hand broke until Hubby explained the function of the wrist to me (he's much better at that sort of thing). It was so sad and frustrating to have him break so easily. :(

Oh my goodness, he WOULD make a good base for a custom Flynn! Don't tempt me, though...I'm already having difficulties keeping that Cowardly Lion Taeyang at the store! ;) It would be so fun to make him into a custom Beast doll, especially since he would work really well as an interpretation of the Beast from the Broadway musical. :) But making a Beast and Flynn/Eugene doll would mean customizing a Rapunzel and Belle, too, and I'm really quite happy sticking with one Pullip and one Taeyang. ;)

Barb the Evil Genius said...

I wonder if the overall body fragility issues with Jun Planning dolls are what has sent so many of them to Tuesday Morning. I definitely agree that dolls like this and the J-Dolls are not worth over $100 with that many issues.

Presto said...

I bought a Taeyang Willy Wonka on sale at Amazon.com and noticed that he was similarly squeaky and fragile-feeling. Does your Alexander have a wiggly, loose-feeling shoulder joint? I can't figure out if my doll was like that to begin with or if I somehow did that while trying to free him from the full-body plastic bodysuit he came in.

I don't have any regular Pullips, but I haven't noticed the Type 3 Pullip bodies on my two J-Dolls feeling quite so... flimsy and cheap, if you know what I mean.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the links, Anonymous. You found some really fun ones. :)

Barb, that could definitely be the case. I know there are a lot of people out there who still pay full price for them, though. It will be interesting to see how the Jun Planning lines do as they continue.

Presto, I'm sorry to hear about your Willy Wonka's shoulder. My Alexander's shoulders were fine, but Jen's Taeyang body she sent me has the same issue (which she fully disclosed to me ahead of time). It may be a rather common issue.

In some ways the Type 3 bodies do seem a little sturdier. However, I just really prefer the more flexible wrists and heads of the Type 4s. :)

Presto said...

Thanks for the reply! I wouldn't be too surprised if it was a common issue, in light of how the rest of the body is. ^^; Thankfully, it doesn't seem to affect Will's posing ability much (if at all)! :D

I know that a lot of collectors buy Obitsu bodies to re-body their Pullip and Blythe dolls, I wonder if it's a quality issue that's behind that?

Ampy said...

*drools*
woooow...
he's just so gorgeous...

sorry about your doll joints broken :(((
one thing about pullip/taeyang bodies is that they're too sensitive,you're actually pretty lucky; myfroggystuff(ya know,the one who does arts and crafts for dolls) broke pullip MEIKO just by trying to debox her..I suggest you use an obitsu body.

anyways,I bought 3 barbies,they have a rather tragic background stories,all of them were from a dumpsite and they looked pretty much unplayed because of their flaws...luckily I stumbled up on your craigslist doll makeover post and followed every instruction on it and they started looking brand new !! :D
I just wanted to say "thank you" for posting that post!

P.S. how do you remove marker stains from barbies without using magic eraser or that oxy acne cream?
my dolls still have marker stains on their legs and faces...

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

You're welcome, Presto. :) I'm glad that Will can still pose okay in spite of his shoulder "injury". ;)

I wouldn't be surprised if the Obitsu body swaps are because of the quality. I think there are more options for posability and such with an Obitsu, too.

Hi Ampy! Poor My Froggy Stuff. I didn't realize that happened to her Meiko. :(

I may try an Obitsu body sometime in the future, but like I said in the post, I'm a little nervous about taking Alexander apart at this point. :}

I'm so glad my Barbie post helped you! :) There's nothing like taking an old, unwanted doll and making it as good as new again. :) Lol, I'm always imagining tragic backstories for thrift store Barbies and other similar dolls, too. ;)

I haven't found any other way to take marker off aside from the Oxy cream. I do know that the Oxy cream can take a really long time, but even after you take it off, it still continues working. I tried getting some marker off of a doll about two months ago. I left the cream on for about a week and it didn't seem to make much difference. The other day, though, I noticed that her marker spots are a lot lighter. They're still not gone, but they're definitely better than they were. :}

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Ampy said...

Beastbelle
thank you for replying at my comment! I actually showed my "new" dolls to my classmate,and she was shocked that they were just restored. the following day though,she brought a doll that has really tangled hair with her and told me she wanted me to fix it and give it curls.I fixed the doll and gave it to her the next day and she was REALLY happy about it and even offered to pay me :P

anyways,I looked up jun planning,and it turns out that she made a few disney dolls that have pullip bodies too!

here's one with ariel:
http://www.hlj.com/product/jnpa-705/Dol

Alice:
http://www.hlj.com/product/JNPA-706/Dol

and also another type of japanese disney dolls are these RANA dolls.They have molded on Hair.They made these princesses

Belle:
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05885/Dol

Jasmine:
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05886/Dol

Ariel:
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05883/Dol

Aurora:
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05882/Dol

Cinderella:
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05881/Dol

SNow White
http://www.hlj.com/product/RAN05884/Dol

Im pretty sure there are more princesses that arent listed in this website.these dolls are really rare.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for all of the links, Ampy. I have to admit, I'm not a fan of some of their faces, but it is interesting to see all of the princesses. :) I wonder if they'll ever do Pullip versions of Beauty and the Beast or Tangled dolls? That would be AMAZING!! :D

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

P.S. I'm so glad the Barbie post helped you. How fun that you're able to share what you learned with others and even get some financial reimbursement! :)

Presto said...

Btw! You may have already discovered this but I thought I'd pass on an observation I had while inspecting Will. If you look closely at the wrist joint, you'll notice a faint seam that runs up from the hand to the arm. It seems like you can only bend the wrist joint perpendicular to this seam.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Presto. Yes, I did discover that...unfortunately, AFTER I had broken him. :} Unfortunately, close observation of this kind is not always my strong suit. ;)

Robotica said...

I just ordered Willy Wonka from Amazon. I'm so glad to see that Taeyangs can wear Ken clothes. I might swap his body with my Liv Jake doll. They have great bodies for the cost.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Robotica! Thanks for stopping by. :)

The Willy Wonka Taeyang was one of the ones I was considering before I found this guy. ;)

If you end up doing the swap with the LIV Jake, I'd love to hear about it. I love his articulation, but I wasn't sure how easy it would be to do the swap...

Anonymous said...

You got a pullip at Tuesday morning??? They sale pullips I didn't know that. How did they even get them? btw just started reading your blog and i love it.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

So glad you're enjoying the blog, Anonymous. :)

I'm not sure where Tuesday Morning gets their Pullip dolls, but they do get them in every once in a while. :)

Right now, my local Tuesday Morning has Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow Taeyang dolls. This is only the second time they've had them in stock.

My suggestion? Keep you eyes peeled and keep checking back. :) You never know when they'll turn up. And paying $30-$40 is definitely better than paying the over $100 you normally would pay. ;)

Anonymous said...

I'll keep my eye out. The only pullip I have is Hatsune Miku and I really want to get her some friends lol. I live in california and the only tuesday morning I know of is eh with their doll selections and they mostly ever have barbies the couple times I went. But next time I go I'll ask if they ever sell pullips or J-dolls.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Sounds like a good idea, Anonymous. I hope you find one! :)

Cro said...

Hi! I know you posted this a long time ago but just giving it a shot... is there any chance you'd be willing to sell the feet joints (with or without the feet) of your broken Taeyang Batman body? I have Taeyang batman too but unfortunately I broke both his feet joints!! Let me know if this is possible, I'd really appreciate it!