I purchased the doll through Rosemary Dolls. I decided to use their site because they're fast to post the latest dolls coming out, their data seems to be accurate, the options available in the purchase form lines up well with the options actually available from the manufacturers, the image galleries work well and the prices are competitive. The process working with them was great. They answered several questions and responded quickly and clearly. The only really custom thing I asked for was with the freckles. I sent a few pictures I found online for reference and Rosemary passed those along to Starpery.
I received the doll in excellent shape. The box was fairly roughed up, but the packaging was really good. They use spray foam to fill the void between the box and the doll (in a top and bottom layer). The only downside to this method of packing is that it does not work great when re-using the box for regular storage, since the fill foam is not as durable as foam cut to shape. I already had a storage case from a previous doll, which she fit nicely into, so this wasn't an issue for me.
Heads:
I selected the Zoey head because she looks like a slightly older (more mature) version of Hedy to me. And Rozanne, because I think she is one of the best sculpts in the industry. Both are the soft silicone option with implanted eye brows/lashes. Both heads have freckles, with more being on the Rozanne head. It's hard to imagine the details being much better on the harder silicone version. Although, that being said, they are also not really soft and still harder than the body silicone. Considering they market these heads as being oral sex capable is a joke. I can put a finger in the mouth, but even that is tight and hard enough to not be comfortable. I never really intend on using the heads this way, but I was disappointed that they're not very kissable either.
Body:
I selected all the soft silicone options, articulated fingers, hard standing feet and double geared skeleton. The feel of this doll took a long time to get used to, since the only doll I had previously was TPE. The initial touch of the silicone feels way better, but the stiffness when squeezed is much harder. I did expect this going in yet you never really know how much different it is until you actually feel it yourself. The stiffness actually did make it feel better in some ways though. With the added foam core in some areas where it should be stiffer, it does really feel nice to get that variation. The soft gel breasts on top of the stiff foam core ribs is excellent. You can tell the gel butt is softer than the silicone around it, but they did not get this area nearly soft enough IMO. I understand the risks of deformation, but I'd rather have the responsibility of being more careful for a more pleasurable experience.
Feet:
I very rarely stand the doll, because I want the joints to last as long as possible. But I also want the fragile areas to last longer. The hard feet are done very well. You can see and feel the difference where it transitions, but they still feel nice (vs bolts sticking out) and work nicely where shoes. The lack of bolts also greatly increases the longevity of socks and hosiery.
Hands:
The articulated fingers have joints that move nicely and have a nice look. When most of the doll has foam making it stiffer, the hands are one area where the raw silicone stands out as being much softer. It's soft enough that it does not feel natural. In an area with so many joints, thin/sharp metal, and such thin material it truly needs a harder material. The material started cracking and breaking in the first week. It's a huge design flaw. This doll also has ball jointed wrists, which does work really well for pose-ability. The problem is that their ball joints are very poorly engineered. The ball is not encapsulated into the joint socket enough, which causes them to pop out. You're suddenly left with hands just hanging there. I've had to cut the wrists open and do surgery on these joints 4 times. I hammer the ball back into the socket and crimp the edges of the socket with vice grips to increase it's hold. This gets the job done temporarily. I avoid touching the hands as much as possible now, and if the joints come loose again I'll be very tempted to permanently bond the joint into a fixed position.
Love holes:
The LHP is excellent. The shape of the labia and anus are great. The hole diameter is the problem. The silicone material is too stiff for a hole that is less than a centimeter in diameter. The material stretches enough that I can get into them, but not without some effort and some discomfort over a period of time. Both holes started cracking and splitting pretty early on. Initially I tried to repair them with silicone glue, but it's such a high stress area that it did not stand a chance. For a while I just let the cracks be there, but those uneven surfaces are not comfortable either. Eventually I used a very sharp exacto knife and used the cracks as my guide for where to cut some material away. I did my best to blend the cuts to make it look natural. Overall, the look is obviously not as good as it was originally, but fairly close, and the holes are way more functional and resilient (no more cracking in several months).
Skeleton:
The joints initially had a good even stiffness and pose-ability, but it did not take long for some of the joints to degrade. The left hip and right shoulder are now quite loose (not completely limp yet). Fortunately the rest of the joints are holding up fairly well. So she can't hold nearly as many positions, and standing is completely out of the question, but in some ways it's nice to have that flexibility since she actually moves at little on her own.
Overall:
The design realism of this doll is top notch and, even with the issues I've encountered, I've been happy with the purchase overall. When she has a good wig on and is dressed up, it really does fool my brain that it looks like a real woman. With my previous TPE doll I was constantly squinting my eyes to avoid seeing the lack of detail, and I really don't feel the need to do that with her. The silicone material is also WAY easier to maintain. It may be more difficult for repairs and customization, but regular cleaning and up keep is much easier. Given the ease of regular maintenance and visual realism, I do prefer this doll over my previous TPE doll even though I liked the actual feel of that doll much more. I am curious how the next generation of this doll compares, since I know the skeleton, silicone softness, foam core softness, ROS heads are all areas that have improved since I made this purchase.
Pictures:
For goodness sake, stop talking and show me the pictures already!!!
I have a few photo sets I've taken in the last year and will share them in following posts here. I just felt like I needed to have some sort of review up, to post the pictures to.Factory shots:
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