I was initially shopping around for vendors when I found that Aotume made dolls with custom faces. You'd provide a reference or two, and they'd bring them to life! I already had a Starpery doll, but it didn't feel quite right to me. Hedy was beautiful, and there were no defects or anything, but she sat in the flight case more often than not.
But before anything, I had questions! How lasting was the makeup? Could they bring the designs I had in mind to life with a certain degree of accuracy? Alice, my customer service rep, was amazing. She had detailed answers to everything, and she responded in such a timely manner. When I reached out in late December, I asked if my ideas would work. She reached out to the manufacturer (Aotume) and got back to me saying they were confident. And so, I took the plunge.
I submitted my order on 12/31, and around that time, Aotume was taking a final round of orders before the Lunar New Year holiday, guaranteeing they'd complete the manufacturing process before they'd take their break at the end of January.
On 1/6, I asked if I could add a third head to my order. Alice sent a quick query to Aotume, who said they could make it work. After a quick payment, they accommodated my last-second request.
On 1/9, the makeup simulations for the two custom faces came in, one of them being the third head I added only three days prior! (The face without a simulation was selected from a list of faces they've created before, so no custom head charge or makeup simulation were needed. Also sorry for the direct links instead of embeds.)
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
I had a little bit of feedback regarding Miyuki's (2nd pic) eyes. For those looking for custom faces from Aotume, keep in mind that they have certain molds for the head shape and facial structure. Purchasing a custom face doesn't mean they'll create a brand new mold just for your character. Just a small disclaimer, but don't worry, they strive for a great degree of accuracy, and it really showed!
On 1/24, the doll body and all three heads were ready, and Alice sent me the pre-shipment photos for confirmation. Samples:
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
https://photos.myrobotdoll.com/synofoto ... T4H5EAW%22
I confirmed the order right away, and only six days later (I live in the US), my order arrived at my door. Everything was packaged with great care. Within the flight case, the heads, hands, and feet were carefully wrapped. Everything, including the body, was sandwiched between two foam blocks spanning the length of the flight case, and happily for me, there was no damage anywhere.
Now, if you've been browsing this forum for any length of time, you may have found a few people mention doll weight. Here are some numbers for the 155C:
Height: 155 cm or 5'1"
Weight: 26.2 kg or 57.7 lbs
C-cup
Silicone
It's not like carrying a 50 pound bag of rice, either. It's 50+ pounds of weight distributed across 61 inches of a human-shaped body. If you're not used to handling heavy dolls, even lifting the doll from the flight case can be a surprise workout. Luckily for me, this was my second doll, and she was lighter than Starpery Hedy.
Some tips for your first day/week/month with your doll.
Tips for bathing:
Preposition her (without her head) in a comfortable sitting position before carrying her into the tub. Attach her head afterwards.
Lay soft towels on the floor in advance for afterwards.
Silicone dolls can handle hotter baths. Be careful with TPE, though.
Use a sponge to gently dab anti-bacterial soap onto her skin to prevent rubbing off any makeup. No loofahs or anything coarse!
Be careful not to get any water onto her neck or above, since there'll be a slight gap where her head is attached to her neck. You don't want her metal skeleton to start rusting!
Dab her skin with microfiber towels to dry her. Avoid scrubbing.
Tips for dressing:
Shirt: remove her head and have her sit upright in bed. Lift her arms straight up to slide her shirt on. Reattach head afterwards.
Pants/underwear: I just slide these on with her lying down face-up, but having her stand up may also work.
Prewash any clothes you buy for her. Stick to light colors and higher quality material so that the dye doesn't stain her skin.
Miscellaneous tips/notes:
Brush her hair gently with a widely-spaced comb. Start from the tips and work your way to her scalp. Hold her hair above wherever you're combing to prevent pulling hair from the wig/scalp.
155C (as of today) is the largest model Aotume offers, and she was TIGHT. I'm not large, but the deed was impossible without lube. Pre-purcha...