WM branching out into silicone dolls

[Kazuya]

I have just seen this video up on Twitter by cloud climax. I don’t know a lot about WM but didn’t think they did silicone? It looks to me like a response to other manufacturers upping their game.
https://twitter.com/cloud_climax/status ... 81825?s=21

[PDutus]

Hi.

Take a look at this thread:

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 5&t=134532

More and more of the brands that to date have concentrated on TPE are branching out into silicone. It is to be hoped that the opportunity is taken to upgrade the skeletons!! But I somehow doubt it...

[Kazuya]

Hi.

Take a look at this thread:

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 5&t=134532

More and more of the brands that to date have concentrated on TPE are branching out into silicone. It is to be hoped that the opportunity is taken to upgrade the skeletons!! But I somehow doubt it...

Just seen your comments about the skeleton on that thread. What is the problem with their existing skeleton out of interest?

[PDutus]

Hi.

Take a look at this thread:

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 5&t=134532

More and more of the brands that to date have concentrated on TPE are branching out into silicone. It is to be hoped that the opportunity is taken to upgrade the skeletons!! But I somehow doubt it...

Just seen your comments about the skeleton on that thread. What is the problem with their existing skeleton out of interest?

It's the same problem that most, if not all, TPE dolls seem to have: joints that get loose too quickly, some faster than others, not to mention inconsistent joint tightness to start with. And wire fingers that break too easily.

People bang on about issues like Love Hole Placement (LHP), but just as important is the quality of what you can't see: the skeleton.

[nicvncnt]

Hi.

Take a look at this thread:

https://www.dollforum.com/forum/viewtop ... 5&t=134532

More and more of the brands that to date have concentrated on TPE are branching out into silicone. It is to be hoped that the opportunity is taken to upgrade the skeletons!! But I somehow doubt it...

Just seen your comments about the skeleton on that thread. What is the problem with their existing skeleton out of interest?

It's the same problem that most, if not all, TPE dolls seem to have: joints that get loose too quickly, some faster than others, not to mention inconsistent joint tightness to start with. And wire fingers that break too easily.

People bang on about issues like Love Hole Placement (LHP), but just as important is the quality of what you can't see: the skeleton.

Based on my own experience, I take the view that the skeleton design is perfectly all right - the issues you mention are due to poor workmanship and patchy quality control. If every WM skeleton was put together as well as it should be, there would be no problem.

[PDutus]

Based on my own experience, I take the view that the skeleton design is perfectly all right - the issues you mention are due to poor workmanship and patchy quality control. If every WM skeleton was put together as well as it should be, there would be no problem.

I disagree. Quality control and poor workmanship is only part of the problem with TPE doll skeletons. The design needs to be improved so that the joints retain their desired tightness for far longer than they do at the moment. And also it would be great if you could tighten the joints with no or little surgical intervention.

The high temperature required for the TPE pour will always present the manufacturers with a challenge with regard to the skeleton, which is not the case with silicone, so there is no reason why WM could not produce a better overall skeleton for their silicone dolls - other than cost.

[nicvncnt]

Based on my own experience, I take the view that the skeleton design is perfectly all right - the issues you mention are due to poor workmanship and patchy quality control. If every WM skeleton was put together as well as it should be, there would be no problem.

I disagree. Quality control and poor workmanship is only part of the problem with TPE doll skeletons. The design needs to be improved so that the joints retain their desired tightness for far longer than they do at the moment. And also it would be great if you could tighten the joints with no or little surgical intervention.

The high temperature required for the TPE pour will always present the manufacturers with a challenge with regard to the skeleton, which is not the case with silicone, so there is no reason why WM could not produce a better overall skeleton for their silicone dolls - other than cost.

OK, well you certainly have a lot more dolls than me, so I'll happily defer to your greater experience for now.

[PDutus]

I have to say that I was expecting my WM to be better. My main point of comparison is my Sino, which of course is silicone. It is just so much better than my WM or JYs.

Skeleton quality and design is something I obsess about

[Kazuya]

I have to say that I was expecting my WM to be better. My main point of comparison is my Sino, which of course is silicone. It is just so much better than my WM or JYs.

Skeleton quality and design is something I obsess about

Interesting to know as Sino is on my shortlist for my next doll along with Gynoid, IL doll (just love the 156a sculpt) and Starpery. Saw WM’s silicone efforts and they are now on my radar and hopefully they will produce the 172b in silicone and sort out the skeleton problems too.

[Strangelove80]

I have long thought (been here for years under another name) that part of the durability problem with doll skeletons is that many doll manufacturers are basically artists and not engineers. Assuming the parts of a skeleton are strong enough to handle the required loads, there are two major problems in ASSEMBLING a skeleton - consistent assembly, and durable joints that do not tighten or loosen over time. Consistent assembly requires two things - experienced technicians and standard procedures. Standard procedures require the use of a torque wrench to make sure each joint is tightened to the designer's standard, not too loose and not too tight. Durable joints that do not further tighten or loosen over time is the holy grail of doll owners since the dolls must be sealed in manufacture and it takes a skilled artisan to repair a doll without noticeable "scars" from the required cutting to access the joints. The real problem with bolted joints is that they were not designed to move - in most cases in industry, a bolted joint is fixed, the bolts holding the parts together and fixed in position. These joints don't come loose because the parts don't move in relation to each other. In a doll's joints, the parts must move and that causes the joints to change position. As the parts rub against each other, any real drag will often cause the joint to loosen or sometimes tighten, occasionally to the point that a joint locks and cannot be moved without breaking the skeleton's parts themselves. Industry has an answer for that - special hardware to allow a joint to be tightened as much as needed for a certain level of resistance while still allowing it to move without damage. Additional parts can be used to apply a constant spring pressure on a joint to maintain the required stiffness over the life of the doll if desired. The "special hardware" can be found in any aviation hardware supply shop, and it is not that expensive per part - the added cost for a doll (even the new XYcolo with a half dozen joints in the spine) would be only a few dollars. Using this stuff and durable silicone or other molding material could produce a doll that literally could last a lifetime, giving many years of trouble-free service. Many years ago, I suggested this to two major US doll manufacturers, but as far as I know they never took it up. Maybe someone else will.....