FAQ

The term “Ball Jointed Doll” or “BJD” describes the way a doll is held together. Unlike playline dolls like Barbie, which have mechanical joints and an articulating frame on the inside, BJDs are held together with a piece of sturdy elastic that moves through hollowed channels on the inside of the doll.

Traditional BJDs are cast in Polyurethane Resin, but some newer variations are emerging that are made of PVC, Vinyl, or 3D printed Resin. Be aware that many in the hobby do not consider these “true” BJDs.

These dolls are more of an art form than a toy, and are typically not suitable for children.

BJDs are typically listed by their scale in relation to a person, so a 1/4 doll is one fourth the size of a human being. However, you’ll sometimes see other words used to describe doll scales that are less straightforward, like SD, MSD, and YoSD. These terms come from the Company Volks, which played a pivotal role in popularizing the modern BJD.

SD: “Super Dollfie.” These dolls are 1/3 scale, so roughly between 50-75 cm (or 20-30 inches).

MSD: “Mini Super Dollfie.” These dolls are 1/4 scale, so roughly between 35-45 cm (or 13-18 inches)

YoSD: “Young Super Dollfie.” These dolls are 1/6 scale, or roughly 25-35 cm (or 10-14 inches).

Tinies: These are generally very small, and are usually around 1/12 scale, but the size can vary a lot. Dolls in this category are almost always labeled with their exact size, and they usually fall within the range of 6-15 cm.

Slim: Some (though not all) artists choose to refer to their smaller dolls as “Slim” if they have more mature proportions or are more realistic instead of stylized. This can make it easier to find clothes that are a more appropriate fit for the scale.

Uncle: Sometimes, dollmakers will apply a different descriptor to dolls that exceed the standard range of an SD doll. “Uncles,” or “Big Uncles,” typically describe male dolls that are between 75-90 cm, and often (but don’t always) feature extremely bulky, muscular bodies.

The biggest difference is their affordability! 3D printers are much easier and cheaper to operate than casting equipment, so dolls can be offered at a much lower price. They can be made on demand within a few hours, so the shipping times are often much faster when compared to the lengthy preorder period for a large-scale casted doll.

However, 3D printer resin is more fragile than casted resin, so you’ll have to be careful with your new friends! 

A lot of work goes in to making a doll like this. Think of them more like works of art rather than toys. Sculpting a doll base, engineering the joints, prototyping and fine-tuning, printing, prepping, casting, sanding, stringing, and applying the finishing touches to every doll is all a lot of work. When you also take into consideration the costs associated with packaging, marketing, and shipping parts to and from a casting company, I’m sure you can see how it all starts to add up.

Although 3D printed dolls are easier to produce and more affordable than their casted cousins, they are still a lot work! The price also has to take into consideration the sculpting and development of the doll, the cost of materials, marketing, and packaging, and the effort of running and maintaining the 3D printing machines. 

A “garage kit doll” is a doll that is sent to you immediately after printing. It will need to be sanded and assembled by you, and will come with all the necessary parts to do this. The parts will feature marks from the supports used to hold them up in the printer, potential scratches and scuffs, vague layer lines, and a slightly glossy sheen. All of this is standard for a 3D printed doll prior to sanding and can be sanded away fairly easily.

Buying a garage kit can be a great way of cutting down on the cost of a doll, and the reduced workload on my end means I can ship your order out way sooner.

Due to me having arthritis, there may be times when garage kits are the only option for buying one of my dolls. If getting a garage kit absolutely isn’t possible for you, and fully assembled dolls are not currently available, you can shoot me a message to the email at the top of the page. I may or may not be able to make an exception for a single order. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

Check out my guide How to Sand a BJD Garage Kit!

Check out my guide How to String a BJD!

Before you get started, seal your doll with a matte flat sealant, such as Mr. Super Clear Flat, Testor’s Dullcote, or Citadel Munitorum Varnish.

For paint: Watercolors, watercolor pencils, gouache, acrylic

For blushing: Chalk pastels, pan pastels

Sparkle: Mica powder

Shine: Acrylic gloss, like Tamiya Color Clear

Glue: Low-temp hot glue, water-based glue like Elmer’s craft glue

NEVER use anything with oils in it. Avoid oil pastels, oil paints, and human makeup. If you can’t find any information on whether a specific material is safe to use or not, it’s best to avoid using it. There’s likely something else that will have the same intended effect without risking harm to your doll.

Store your doll away from direct sunlight, as the UV rays could discolor the resin over time! Be careful of anything that could scratch the resin, and always make sure clothes and wigs (especially dark ones) are THOROUGHLY washed before they go on your doll! It’s also a good idea to put on an extra fabric (NOT silicone) wig cap under the wig and special undergarments under dark pieces of clothing to protect the resin from dye that could leech off those materials.

If you notice your doll start to get shiny, it’s probably because they need to be cleaned after years of being handled or left out on display. You can use standard dish soap to clean most of the pieces, and alcohol or brush cleaner could be used to strip an old faceup. You could also rely on pure acetone (not fingernail polish, as that often has oils and other additives), but use this sparingly and only when nothing else works to get the old sealant off. Always be sure to UNSTRING your doll before washing their parts!

I use both the Elegoo Mars 3 and the Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra. They are Resin 3D printers, which work quite differently from filament printers. They are good, reliable machines, but they lack a lot of the extra features of higher-priced printers.

I prototype with Elegoo ABS-Like resin due to its low cost and minimal shrinkage.

All orders are printed using Resione’s TH-BJD resin.

Some small parts (those printed in semi-transparent colors) may be printed using a mix of Elegoo and Resione resins, but they maintain many of the same qualities as the Resione alone.

As of right now, I color my resin using Monocure 3D CMYK dyes.

I do all my sculpting in Nomad Sculpt. It is available on the Apple App Store (but I think it’s coming to desktop soon).

Keep up with the new articles I’ll be posting to the site! Over time I will accumulate tons of resources for beginner sculptors and hobbyists alike, so stay tuned!

Standard Mature = 1/4 scale

Standard Immature = 1/6 scale

Tiny Versions = 1/12 scale and smaller

For updates on my dolls, follow me on social media or check the official trello for updates! I’ll make announcements on the website as new sculpts become available.

Do keep in mind that I am one person managing all of this (designing dolls, printing orders, writing articles, maintaining the site, organizing photoshoots, and customizing the dolls for promotional purposes, IN ADDITION to writing content for my other website).

This hobby is fun for me, and I want to keep it that way. I set no deadlines for myself and I follow my whims. Revealing a prototype is NOT a promise that they will be finished or ever available for sale.

All dolls are made to order, so I need time to make the dolls before they can be shipped out.

Garage Kits will ship 1-3 weeks after an order is placed.

Sanded Dolls will ship 3-5 weeks after an order is placed.

Preorders will vary, so refer to the individual product page for shipping information.

Reach out to me via the email at the top of the page with details about your doll! Include the COA number, doll color, and the extent of the damage. Be sure to tell me which specific part is broken, including whether it is the left or right side. (The DOLL’S left or right)

If your doll is in a standard color, you can just tell me the specs and I will ship you a new part, free of charge.

If your doll is NOT in a standard color, I would be willing to try to color match the replacement part. You will need to mail your doll back to me for this, and you will need to cover shipping for it (both there AND back). Understand that the replacement part may not be a perfect match.

While I am not officially open for commission, if your request is fairly simple, I may honor it. This will include things like new horn shapes, modified limbs, new ear shapes, new tails, skin details like scarring, symbols, and birthmarks, and different facial expressions. Prices for these parts will be much higher than ordering a standard part, and will vary depending on complexity.

VERY CLEARLY STATE whether you intend for this order to remain exclusive to you, or if you are okay with me distributing the part after the piece is made. Exclusivity comes at a higher price.

I reserve the right to refuse a custom order for any reason. With that said, go ahead and email me! You don’t have anything to lose by asking.