Island Doll ( Islanddoll ) Amy MSD Ball Jointed Doll (BJD) Box Opening

Jul 27, 2011 by Angela

This is a first look at Ellen, my Island Doll Amy I bought from Luxour Academy by Princess Tapi. I ordered my Island Doll Amy on February 7, 2011 during Luxour Academy’s Free Shipping Event. Note that as of the time of this posting, they’re still having a FREE SHIPPING in NORTH AMERICA event on for Island Dolls if you are interested in scooping up one (or two ^___^) of these lovelies. She arrived to me on April 20, 2011, which was a total of 72 days (my order fell shortly after the New Year’s Holiday, so there was some manufacturer backlog).

I ordered her in Normal skintone and I specially requested the ‘Amy 1′ older-style of smokey eyes rather than the ‘Amy 2′ lighter style. I also ordered the WaWa Doll Pattern Book Volume 1 (because I like to sew, and sewing for tiny dolls is a special kind of torture that really makes you good at it…), and I also ordered the 4 Piece Harajuku Chic Dress Set by Alternate Collection for my new beauty (what can I say? I really liked the original Amy product photo!)

the outer box as it arrived from Luxour Academy.

The inner box was well-packed with the Wa Wa doll pattern book and the Alternate Collection – 4 Pc Harajuku Chic Dress Set in separate baggies.

All the little Alternate Collection clothes were in individual baggies. I was pleasantly surprised at the nice quality for the reasonable price I paid! I was particularly pleased to note the quality of the silky-smooth stockings: they had elastic at the top with tiny, *adjustable* garters attached to a pair of panties with a cute ruffled skirt. Very sweet!

The Wa Wa Doll pattern book was actually a folder, rather than an actual book of patterns. I’ve only had a brief look to sort out the different pattern pieces, but I’m really excited to get started on these projects. They are imaginative and varied, with lots of different dress styles. Unfortunately, the sheaf of pattern pages was not grouped according to pattern or pattern project picture. However, each page of pattern pieces and pattern instructions was clearly marked, so they were easy to sort.

Wrapped view of Island doll inner box in shipping box

Unwrapped Island Doll MSD box

This crush damage is a concern…

One short side of the box is completely detached along two of the three edges. It is also crushed along the top edge. The box itself is a relatively thick, dense, seemingly high-quality boxboard.

You can see that I’ve opened the Alternate Collection Harajuku Chic Dress Set. The skirt is really lovely and full.

Holding my breath, I lifted the lid.

The nested box has also had crush damage…

Lifting the layer of bubble wrap from the top…

ALL MY FEARS ARE RELIEVED! Amy is securely wrapped, snug in her sleeping bag, with no signs of damage or even knocking around. The box protected my lovely doll admirably, performing its protective job perfectly.

You can see her lovely purple glass eyes, her laminated collector card with her measurements, and she even has a plastic identification card with her identification number embossed into the surface and her date of manufacture.

You can see how securely her face and head were wrapped. I even got a double-layer face protector.

Pulling her out of her sleeping bag, all of her limbs are securely wrapped. This protected her beautifully sculpted fingers and prevented any rub damage.

She is also extremely well-balanced! This is her standing, right out of the box, with bubble wrap on her feet, with no additional support! WOW!

And here she is unwrapped, standing without a wig or eyes.

I ordered her in a normal skintone. I was a bit concerned about the quality of the ‘environmental resin’ when others brought it up at a recent meet. It was mentioned that the tan of a particular company using it looked a bit like an old steak… not the effect I was going for! However, her skin is lovely and has a luminous effect that reminds me a bit of polished alabaster. It catches the light and absorbs it, softening the effect through her face. To me, the effect is a bit like idealized, real skin.

I should note that her right eyelash became a bit detached when I attempted to stick her eyes in the first time. These things sometimes happen when you are working on small scale items. I don’t consider it damage or a manufacturing defect. I simply noted where it was attached, gently pulled it off with tweezers and gently pulled the remaining adhesive off the eyelash with the tweezers. I left the eye in for positioning, skimmed a thin layer of elmer’s white glue to the eyelash, and gently set it in back in place with the tweezers and a blunt-ended, small sculpting tool (I couldn’t find my ball-ended paper embossing tool, which I would have preferred). The eyelash didn’t sit at exactly the right angle with the other eyelash, so I removed the eye and gently pressed the eyelash into place until it matched properly. This gentle pressing also helped the glue to adhere better. I (not patiently) waited for the glue to completely dry and then installed the eyeballs with the blue-tack squares Island Doll included with her eyes. Better than new! Note the keyword here is GENTLE.

Top photo of Ellen in her Alternate Collection – 4 Pc Harajuku Chic Dress Set with an Auburn 6-7″ Kate wig by LaSioux.