When BB silicone kits first came out they were under intense criticism because they were made in China and thus many were concerned about how good the silicone quality might be. There are cheaper softening agents that can be used in platinum silicones and therefore if such is used their endurance may or may not be as good over time. Keep in mind Ashton Drake has been selling manufactured silicone dolls for many years now in the $200-250 range. Those were all tin based though. I have said from the get go that if you get at $449 or less (on sale) silicone from BB and it does not last as long as a $900 plus partial silicone from a caster can you really complain? On the other hand, if you take a gamble and get one on sale for $250 or less like many of us have done then you know you are taking a little less of a calculated risk. Same for the buyers. Many will NEVER pay $1000-5,000 for a silicone doll but would buy a $600-800 BB silicone. If it is the only way they can enjoy one they have to assume the risk that they are taking buying a more affordable version. It may or many not last just as long. The reality is we have no idea. However, BB has been selling silicone kits over a year now and I have not heard anything of any of them painted and sold breaking down so far.
The issues I have heard on forums/groups is about some kits being overly oily and some not taking paint well. I also know from the one kit I painted (I have mentioned I have 3 others to get to) that they do leech oil once painted and sealed for a bit and take time to stop doing that but with good matting and regular matte powdering it seemed to settle down in about 2 weeks.
My take on it is that I think it is fine as long as one has realistic expectations and hopefully we will all be pleasantly surprised in the end. Certainly they are not counterfeits which is very good!
Hehe…Sorry,… Most Australians refer to Australia a Aussie or Aus… I am originally from South Carolina but was over here for 10 years with my folks in the 1970… I went back to the US when I was 17 and was there for 30 years but re-met an Aussie fella I knew when we were kids… he had had a crush on me then but I was not interested in boys in that way at the time… they were mostly competition for me in tennis and running and other sports… I was a bit of a tomboy to say the least. I looked at guys as friends only till I was about 15 and even then I would not go steady. Anyway, he never married - I did but made a big mistake with my first choice. when that was finally over I vowed never to marry again… then in comes Mr. Aussie from my past and well the rest is history… I married him in 2006 and have been in Australia ever since. SOOOO I call Australia - OZ instead of Aussie or Aus because I am like Dorothy from the wizard of Oz in a foreign country (Which technically is my second home anyway… I have spent nearly 30 years in total here and am 64 so sort of an American Aussie…
Thanks so much for your response… very appreciated… ox At regular price without a sale they would cost us around $650 - $700 each with the conversion rate and postage so it is something to consider before buying if you are outside of the country I guess. When they do the really good sales at $179 or something in that range we are looking at around $295 + postage so still over $300 for the kits but like you said… they are authentic and IF they end up being durable in the long haul would definitely be worth considering…
I think we in the USA often forget that the exchange rate is higher other places. I have to say I am not sure how you all get on with reborning and make anything at it paying higher prices for supplies than we do! It is hard enough here to break even I can’t imagine paying more!
It is ‘fun’ - NOT…hehe! Seriously though, it never affected me as I charge a flat fee over cost and I was blessed with some very long time loyal collectors who have bought from me over the last 14 1/2 years before I retired…I have reborn over 975 dolls in the years I have been reborning and I can say that I was very very blessed with my repeat customers… also had several wealthy ladies who were avid collectors who loved my dolls and would order one each month so that makes things easier as far as having continuous orders.) I have never been in reborning to get rich but I did make reasonable money and with the flat fee I always knew what I was going to make… Another nice thing was that after a while I asked several of the ladies that were my best customers to buy their own kits, eyes, lashes and mohair and ‘coming home’ outfit and have it sent to me to do the dolls they wanted.my only rules were that the kits were authentic kits and the mohair was a certain brand as I am picky about what mohair I like to root as I believe you can ruin a beautifully painted doll with cheap mohair. This was great because I was not out of pocket for any thing other than my paints, stuffing, paperwork, blanket, small thank you gift and postage (All that of course was figured into my reborning fee other than the gift.) The bad thing about customs was you have to paint a lot of kits that don’t actually appeal to you AND you have to paint them to the customers specs which can kill any inspiration you may have because you can not paint the kit the way you think the kit ‘cries out’ to be painted… All that to say that the cost of kits etc never affected my bottom line no matter what they cost because of the way I charged. On another note and referring back to the topic here, got side tracked, sorry I wanted to do silicones but never quite got round to doing it so was curious about if the partial silies sell well or if people are more interested in the full body ones these days… I have had both myself and love both…Do the partials sell as well as full body ones… (to artist as well as customers???)
Some people actually prefer partials. I do for the snuggle factor. FB silis are wonderful for appearances sake of realism but I find them heavy and enjoy holding them less. I am also a stickler about sheen and no matter how well a silicone is matted, it will get shiny spots with handling. I hate that about them all. It drives me bonkers!
Gosh I have no idea how many reborns I have made over my 20 years! I know it is a lot! At one point I was doing 2 or 3 a month when I was not working. In the last couple years I have slowed down a lot focusing on doing show babies only and then selling the left overs after a show. I don’t get customs like I used to because so many have had to quit or slow way down on their collecting.
I am watching your youtube channel anjsmiles. I subscribe to your channel and enjoy your teaching. I am learning everything related to silicone. Especially how to insert wire armature, it looks very scary and difficult to do but I feel better now after listening to you talk about your first time doing the procedure. Thank you for time and effort. I will post my first silicone baby soon.
Here is my first “Felicity”, and I said my first because I am preparing the 2nd one for painting. She waited for A year at least in the same bag she came from BB until I was able to paint her. (The paint (Silc pig), wasn’t curing on the kit as it was supposed to), I bought a heat gun and force cure for 3 minutes each piece, every layer. To concluded, I will add here, I buy the kits from BB because I am learning, and the prices are the best around for an authentic partial silicone, just my honest opinion.
I wanted to do silicones but never quite got round to doing it so was curious about if the partial silies sell well or if people are more interested in the full body ones these days… I have had both myself and love both…Do the partials sell as well as full body ones… (to artist as well as customers???)
