Friday, September 5, 2014

Jun Planning J-Doll Robson Street Review

Now that the kiddos are back in school, I really hope to get on top of the scads of draft posts I have sitting around, just waiting to be published. ;)  Here is the first of many.

While going through my draft posts to figure out which I should use for this week, I realized that I never got this post published, even though I talked about doing at the beginning of the year!  I've been wanting to share my second J-Doll with you guys for a while.  Thanks for being so patient. :)

Back in January, I did a review of the J-Doll I found at Tuesday Morning, the "Magnificent Mile" doll (now renamed Millie).  While I really loved Millie's eyes and facial detail, I didn't care for her articulation as much.  Shortly after I found her, I started doing research on J-Dolls and which ones had the Type 4 body articulation I preferred.  One of them was the "Robson Street" doll, which happened to be a great price on Amazon.com at the time.  I used some of my Christmas money and purchased her. :)  I decided to call her Robyn. :)

Here she is in her box.


Side of the box.

Back of the box.

Box details:

The other side of the box.

Instructions in Japanese.

Thankfully, there are also English translations. ;)

The inner part of the box slides easily out of the outer box.

The box insert.

Robyn and her accessories in the packaging:

She's held in place with an assortment of twist ties, plastic ties, and tape. 

Her shoes had protective plastic around them.

Check out those pigtails! ;)

That's better! ;)

Robyn's pretty face.

Her accessories include this leather-look purse...

...which opens and closes with Velcro.

She also has this denim jumper, which fits over her pink dress she came in.

It also has Velcro closure.

Then she has these rainbow-colored leg warmers.

Her last accessory is this bright pink visor (that looks like a beanie in these pics).

Here she is with all of her extras. :)

And here she is, back to the basics.

The denim jumper actually looks really cute over the puffy pink dress.  It's a bit of an odd style, but it works. ;)

I love her leg warmers and Converse-style shoes.

Her shoes are really hard to get off because of her posable ankles.  I was really afraid I was going to break her the first time I took them off.  In the future, I'll probably just leave them on as much as possible.

A few fun pics of Robyn:

It's always interesting to me how much a doll's face can change with or without bangs:
Here is Robyn with her bangs down...

...and here she is with them swept to one side.  I like having more of her eyebrows showing. 

What do you think?

Robyn is very posable:
Her hands look really large to me, but I think that's just because I'm used to seeing them on a Pullip with a super over-sized head. ;)

Here are Robyn and Millie together. :)  I thought it would be fun to compare the two of them in this post.

One of the things that really disappointed me about Millie was the fact that her head only turned from side to side and had no further articulation:
Straight ahead

Left side 

Right side

I was thrilled to discover that Robyn's head had much better articulation:
Straight ahead

Left tilt

Right tilt

Down (just slightly)

Up

Left side

Right side

While I prefer Robyn's Type 4 Pullip body with its better articulation (especially at the wrists and head), I adore both dolls and am thrilled to have them in my collection. :)

Robyn strikes me as more of a tomboyish type, while Millie is all prim and proper.  Still, I think they have the makings of a great friendship. ;)


So, what are my thoughts on the J-Dolls?  I'm so glad you asked! ;)  I thought I'd share about both dolls, even though I already reviewed Millie.  When I did her review, I hadn't yet incorporated my new rating system.  There are also some variances on the points I would give to Robyn and the points I would give to Millie.  Here's what I determined:

Pleasing Qualities:
    Millie (Magnificent Mile):  4 out of 5
    Robyn (Robson Street):  4.5 out of 5
      The J-doll line has officially become one of my new favorites.  I love their delicate faces and deep, detailed eyes.  Their hair is soft and comes in beautiful styles.  Their unique articulation and photogenic qualities make them a dream to photograph.  I would definitely recommend them to other doll lovers and collectors.  I'm docking a point for Millie because I personally did not care for her wardrobe at all.  This is merely a matter of preference.  Other than that, she is a lovely doll.  Robyn gets docked half a point for her shoes, which are darling but almost impossible to remove without feeling like I'm going to pull off her feet.

Posability:
    Millie:  4 out of 5
    Robyn:  5 out of 5
     I love dolls with extra posability, and these two do not disappoint.  I'm docking a point from Millie because I was disappointed in her rather clunky wrists and the limited mobility of her head.  Design-wise, I prefer Robyn's freer articulation.

Playability:
    Millie:  N/A
    Robyn:  N/A
      I didn't give these dolls a score in the "playability" category because they aren't really meant for play.  The box clearly states they are for ages fifteen and up.  I will say that they are delicate enough that I would not feel comfortable having my girls play with them yet (especially if the dolls belong to me).  I might let my ten-year-old hold one. ;)  

Price:
    Millie:  5 out of 5
    Robyn:  5 out of 5
      When I purchased these dolls back in January, I got them for $30 each, which is an excellent price, especially considering what they're going for now!  They originally retailed for around $50 each (according to my Tuesday Morning tag), and the dolls are no longer being made, so technically even $40 or $50 would be considered a good price (although out of my own personal price range). ;)

You can find Magnificent Mile on Amazon.com HERE and Robson Street on Amazon.com HERE.  Just to warn you, they've gone up in price quite a bit since I purchased them.  You can also sometimes find them on eBay for a good price.  Also, a few J-Dolls were recently spotted at my local Tuesday Morning, so you might check there first (they're only $19.99 there). :)   You might have to search for a bit, but they can be found. ;)

There are many other beautiful J-Dolls to choose from.  One thing I would definitely recommend is doing a little research before you purchase to help you decide which J-Doll is just right for you.  The site "Pullips and Junk" has some great information on the J-Dolls.  There's a basic overview HERE, which explains which dolls have the Type 3 body and which have the Type 4.  (That way, if you prefer one type over the other, you can make sure the doll you get has that body style.)  There is also a helpful visual guide to all of the J-Dolls that have been released HERE.
  
Another thing I found to be incredibly helpful was searching Flickr for pictures of J-Dolls in other people's collections.  Seeing all of the beautiful J-Doll photos there helped me decide which ones appealed to me the most. :)  You can either do a generic "j doll" search, or you can look up the ones you like by their specific names (after looking them up on Pullips and Junk). :)

Happy researching!  More bloggy fun to come soon!

22 comments:

Farrah Lily said...

Great review! I actually have one of these on my Amazon wish list as well and it's good to know that there are actually different body types articulation-wise. The eyes are so pretty and I especially love Millie's combo of darker hair and light eyes...Robins face does look a little cuter with the side swept bangs! I especially like how their mouths are sculpted and painted. Pretty. Great photos of the examples of how you can pose them! I love how there is a pretty good selection of different dolls offered in this particular line as well..it's hard to chose just one!

Barb the Evil Genius said...

Magnificent Mile and Robson Street are two of the dolls that can be found at a reasonable price, so they're good ones to start with.

I bought some Momoko boots for my J-Dolls, and took my doll's leg off at the knee trying to get off a boot! Fortunately, it popped back into place. Do those high top sneakers have a slit in back?

There is a Flickr group just for J-Dolls. Full disclosure: I am a contributing member. :) Many of the posters don't say which doll is which, though.

tofanpw said...

Wow, your review made me want to buy one, but most j-doll has pale skin, unnatural hair & eye colors or impractical fashion(either the style or restrictions it will put on the pose-ability). Is the hair quality good? Robyn's looked really dry.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Farrah! I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I'd never even heard of these dolls until I discovered Millie at Tuesday Morning last year, but I fell in love with her pretty, detailed face right away.

I definitely wanted to show the differences in body types. Since I have such a preference for Type 4 over Type 3, I was sure there would be others who would feel the same way (or the exact opposite). It's always nice making an informed purchase. ;)

I love taking photos of these dolls! They're so photogenic! :) And yes, I agree that it's hard to choose just one. ;)

Hi Barb! Thanks for stopping by. :)

I think I'd be hesitant to try boots with these dolls for that very reason! I'm nervous enough with Robin's shoes. :}

Thanks so much for the link to the J-Doll Flickr group. I love finding Flickr groups on dolls and toys I enjoy. :) There are some beautiful photos that I haven't seen yet in this group! :)

Hi tofanpw! Doing research on a J-Doll before purchasing can help you figure out if there's a doll with an outfit/hair/eye color that appeals to you. I would highly suggest checking out some of the links I left in the post, and checking out the Flickr link that Barb left in the comment above yours.

I haven't done a whole lot with Robin and Millie's hair yet. I think Millie's is really nice and feels soft to the touch. Robin's is more textured and wavy, and yes, perhaps a bit dry. I don't know that I'd style it much just because of the waves. The hair seems to be about the same quality as Pullip hair (which makes sense since they're made by the same company).

If I had to choose one to recommend out of the two on hair alone, I would recommend Millie.

I hope this helps!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Whoops! Just realized I forgot to answer your question about Robin's shoes, Barb. No, they do not have slits in the back.

I found some of your pics on the Flickr page, by the way. Very adorable! ;)

Barb the Evil Genius said...

Thank you, Beastsbelle!

The Momoko boots do have slits all the way down the back, but one of the pairs is stiff plastic, so it's still difficult to get them on and off.

Meritre said...

Both girls look lovely! :) Robyn's hairstyle looks really nice!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

You're welcome, Barb. :) Thanks for the info about the boots.

Thanks, Meritre!

BlackKitty said...

Oh, Beastsbelle, you had to put salt on my wound with this post :)
I just compiled a "drool folder" of all j-dolls last week, in the order they were released, to differentiate between the body types. I really want more of them and it drives me crazy that I have to wait for a combination of circumstances that would make that happen. At least they are available where you live. They are wonderful. It's funny that you said they have soft hair. I never heard anyone describe j-doll hair like that. Mine feels almost like toothbrush hair - not the thickness, just the texture and springiness. It looks nice in photos though and holds "poses" by itself.

Mahogany1960 said...

Hi beastbelle! This doll is so pretty! I like her dress. But, I love red with white polka dots. So...hehe. I like Millie a lot. But I don't not like Millie's original outfit. (I saw your other j doll review, so I know what Millie's outfit looks like..)

Anyway, (and I know I get off topic a lot. That's just part of my personality! Hehe. I hope I'm not driving you crazy! ;)) I wanted to know if you had any name suggestions for a MAG #47? My mom helped me order a MAG #47 off of ebay. (I bought her with my own money, I just needed help from my mom.)I was thinking maybe Rachel or Naomi. She is going to be Samantha's best friend. (Besides her sisters, of course. (Olivia and Zelia))
I also like the names Erin and Gwen.
That's all. I just wanna say again, I really like Robyn's hair and eyes. But the hair looks like it has a bit of styling product in it. Does it? I just imagine her hair feels crunchy.
-Mahogany1960

Anonymous said...

Great review--she's a really pretty doll.

Anonymous said...

They sound like Tess and Maggie, Maggie being Robyn and Tess being Millie lol

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

So sorry, BlackKitty! I wish they were available where you live. I've been blessed to find the ones I have, and I'm amazed to see how much more expensive many of them are since last January or so when I bought Robyn. :{ There are a three others on my own "drool list" that I would love to find sometime, but they're all pretty spendy, so I'm not holding my breath (and I'm very thankful for the two I have). ;)

I don't know if I just have a unique doll, but Millie's hair really is nice and soft to the touch. :)

Hi Mahogany1960. :) I quite agree with you on Millie's original outfit...it was pretty crazy! ;)

Congrats on your MyAG #47! She's one of my very favorites. I think any of the names you suggested would fit her nicely. I've often thought if I got a #47, I would name her an East Indian name from one of my favorite Bollywood movies. ;) I haven't decided on a specific name yet. Have you gotten her in the mail yet? I've found I have the easiest time naming a doll when she's right in front of me. Sometimes, the name I picked out ahead of time doesn't fit her once I see her, or another name will pop into my head entirely. ;) I hope you find the perfect name for her! :)

Robyn's hair is a bit dry, but it's actually not crunchy. They managed to get the wave in the hair without a lot of product, which is really nice. :)

Thanks, Cindybin! :) I'm super happy with her.

Lol, they do sound a bit like Tess and Maggie, don't they, Anonymous? I don't think Robyn's quite as snarky, though. ;)

Mahogany1960 said...

No, I haven't gotten her yet, but I am so excited!! She is supposed to come on Tuesday at the earliest, and Thursday at the latest.
I really hope she comes Tuesday, but she might come during my ballet class! Which means I won't get to open her right away!! :O Hehe. All I know about her personality is that she will be a total bookworm, but loves to be outside, and she loves photography.
I was also thinking of the name Marie. I think it sounds pretty! :)

And that's awesome about Robyn's hair. Most of my dolls with hair like that, are like super crunchy, like my Ever after high cerise hood, her bangs are super stiff, i try to soften them out sometimes, but it doesn't really work...

And I agree with annoymous, they do sound like Tess and Maggie! :)
-Mahogany1960, with Samantha, Zelia, and Olivia.

Mahogany1960 said...

I found the perfect name!!!
Madison.
Maddie for short.
She’s coming from Wisconsin. And I went to see how far Wisconsin is from my state, and I saw “Madison” and I was all: :O :D
It’s so perfect!
Now when I look at her photo, all I see is the name Madison! So excited!!!
-Mahogany1960

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Madison/Maddie sounds like a great choice! What a creative way to come up with her name, too. :)

Phyllis said...

After seeing your post, I decided to take a look at the J Dolls on Amazon. I have 2 Momoko dolls and they looked comparable to them except for price. I purchased 3 of them for even less than what I paid for 1 Momoko! 2 of the dolls I purchased have the Type 4 body and 1 has the Type 3. While the Type for body is slightly more poseable, it is also more delicate. The type 3 body can handle a lot more, well handling! I do love their beautiful faces and there amazing outfits. The 2 Type 4 bodies are going in my display case while the Type 3 body will reside in my little doll town.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for sharing, Phyllis! :) I'm glad you decided to try some of the J-dolls. I really love them. :)

It's interesting how different body types can appeal to different collectors. Type 3 has a lot going for it too, and although I personally like Type 4 better, I can understand how the Type 3 body would interest you more. :)

Enjoy your new girls! :)

Jen said...

There has been a new wave of J-Dolls (along with Little Pullips and Ai Dolls) hitting Tuesday Morning stores here in the 'Nati, and I fell in love with Old Arbat's outfit. I always feel weird buying a doll just to get her clothes, but I figured I'd spend more than $20 to get an equally detailed outfit from Etsy or similar! So my Pullip Kaela has a new back-to-school outfit. (Old Arbat herself is beautiful, but Type 3-bodied. Her hand fell off before I even had her out of the box!)

(In other news, I'm alive, but personal issues are eating my Internet energy and I'm mostly lurking! Hope things are going well for you and yours!)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Jen, it's so good to hear from you. I've been wondering how you were doing. Nice to know you're still alive. ;) Sorry things have been rough.

Congrats on finding Old Arbat! :) I had to look her up to see which one she was. ;) I can see why you liked her outfit...it's adorable! Too bad about her hand, though. :(

Thanks for stopping by!

Nicole said...

I love Robyn! But the prices on amazon are crazy and there are no Tuesday mornings in my area! (Millie's cute too!)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Oh, I know! I can't believe how much the prices have gone up on these since I first purchased these dolls (back in January). It probably has not helped that the line has been discontinued. :{