I purchased a Kiwi gorilla doll this week from a reborn artist on etsy. From what I’m seeing on this site, it looks like the head and limbs came as the factory pre-painted and pre-rooted kit, which I was not made aware of when I bought it. I can live with it, but I do have a few questions about the pre-painted and pre-rooted kit.
Are they painted with Genesis heat set paints? That is what the listing said, but I’m hesitant to believe everything the seller says now that I know that the kit is actually factory painted and rooted. If they are painted with air dry paints, how gentle will I need to be with him vs heat set paints?
Is the rooted hair sealed? I am not a reborn artist, but to my understanding the hair is generally sealed on the inside of the limbs and head with some type of glue, but I have found conflicting info on the forum about whether or not the factory ones are sealed. Some people have said they are, but some have said they aren’t. I have an Ashton Drake “Little Umi” doll with rooted arms and legs, which is not sealed, and the hair does pull out easily. I’m worried about the durability of the hair of the factory Kiwi. I suppose it would be possible, in theory, for me to take the doll apart and seal the hair myself, but since I’ve never worked on a doll before, I’m a little worried about taking him apart for fear of not being able to put him back together! I also don’t know what kindof glue to use or how to apply it. I can’t afford to pay a reborn artist to do this for me – the doll’s cost itself was pushing my budget pretty badly, as money is tight – but I’m concerned about his hair coming out easily if its not sealed.
Thanks in advance for any help! Bear with me, this is my first reborn (although it sounds like some people don’t consider the factory painted/rooted versions reborns? I didn’t even know that any reborn kits were available painted and rooted from a factory, this is all news to me!)
Do you have a picture of him? I believe that at one time blank Kiwi kits were available but were discontinued so it’s possible that the one you purchased isn’t factory painted/rooted.
If it was pre painted and rooted from BB then yes the hair is sealed on the inside and im pretty sure it is heat set paints that are used…i have one of their gorilla babies…forgot which one as its been in a closet for a while now…lol but mine has the hair sealed on the inside…on my gorilla baby the mohair is rather long and tangled but im gonna try and trim it and make it smooth. Some hair does come out a bit but its not too bad.
I think i have the sleeping gorilla baby…Pearl. it says on the BB prepainted kit listing that the hair is uncombed and uncut so you probably will need to trim it before you attempt to comb it out if it hasnt already been done.
I had a Pearl, her hair was sealed but minimally. With brushing a lot of it pulled out.
Taking the head off is fairly easy, all you need to do is cut a tie wrap and replace it afterwards.
I have the prepainted chimps & gorillas-- their hair is pretty secure. My five and two year olds drag them around without any problems with paint or hair coming off. They haven’t brushed them though, so I’m not sure about that.
The hair comes very long though, so they’ll definitely need a haircut!
When I ordered I had to assemble the body & limbs. If yours is like that, it would be easy enough to pour in some extra glue. Has anyone used silicone caulk from the hardware store? Just make sure it’s completely dry before assembling
I should have specified, he’s already assembled. It appears as though the seller has several of the BB pre-painted animal kits that they assembled onto a body to sell. Some of them say they’re from pre-painted, but some don’t – the Kiwi I bought didn’t specify, but I’m 100% confident that he is indeed the pre-painted & rooted version. He looks exactly like it, same painting and with long, untrimmed hair. At least, he does in the seller’s photos. I don’t have him yet, he hasn’t been shipped, so I’ll maybe have a better idea once I actually get my hands on him. I’d rather not post one of the seller’s photos since they belong to the seller, but I can grab a photo once he arrives and post it!
I’ve been considering trimming his hair, at least on his head, because it looks like it’ll be VERY long from the photos, but I’ll admit I’m nervous! I’ve never worked on a doll before and I’m a bit afraid of making a irreversible mistake. I get very attached to my babies! It looks like he’ll desperately need his hair combed at the very least, which I’m sure I can handle. I guess if his hair ends up being too long and I make a mistake trimming it, I could always put a hat on him. I’ve seen hats on this kit and they’re adorable! His little face is just too sweet.
I’ve made several of these using the pre-painted and rooted kits and, while they don’t look like what you would expect from someone who started with an unpainted kit, they are adorable still. Falling in love with Pearl is what made me fall down the rabbit hole into reborning! The hair is pluggy but it’s a gorilla baby and it’s not terrible! I trimmed all mine…a lot! Just trim it carefully and use some detangling spray or diluted conditioner to make the hair more manageable. Even if it looks like someone who didn’t know how to cut hair did it, it’s still going to look fine as gorilla hair. If it sticks out all over the place it’s got more personality! Hope you love your new furry baby!
Thanks for the advice! I’ll try trimming, it sounds a little scary but maybe it won’t be once I actually get to doing it. Gorilla babies do have some crazy hair so I guess it wouldn’t be as bad as it could be if I made a mistake. I’m a very crafty person, but dolls are something I’ve never worked on. I can probably figure it out, though, from all of the crafty projects I’ve done in the past. I have trimmed hair a little bit on a Furreal chimpanzee, using a shaving razor so the edges wouldn’t be ‘flat’ looking. That went fine, so maybe I’m worried for nothing!
Can anybody tell me, by the way, what size clothes these little babies wear? I have some “preemie/up to 7lbs” onesies that I bought for my Ashton Drake orangutan dolls, but they were too big. I’m kindof hoping they might fit this new baby, because they’re too cute not to use for something!
My Pearl wore a small newborn or the largest preemie size. It depended on the brand.
Some newborn clothes are tiny and some are huge. I once managed to put a ‘newborn’ onesie on a doll the size of a one year old. It was a bit tight, but it fit.
He’s here!!
I was able to trim the hair on his head and limbs without any trouble He’s such a cutie! I combed his hair into a bonobo hair pattern because his markings are very bonobo-like. A lot of hair did come out when I combed it, but I think that was only because it was so tangled. It seems pretty sturdy otherwise, which is a relief!
It feels like he has no weight in his body, only his head and limbs, and his head is SUPER heavy and needs to be supported at all times. I don’t personally mind it, its good practice for when my brother starts having kids soon, but I’m not sure if its “supposed” to be that way? I’ve seen some unboxings on Youtube where people had similar weighted heads and they said they were weighted too much, but I don’t personally know. I’m pretty sure his body is “supposed” to have weight too, though, from what I’ve read. But he’s adorable either way and to a newbie like me, these seem like minor complaints. I’m just happy to finally have this baby!
Glad you have him and so happy with him here is a pic of the one I put together his name is George however he is the Pearl gorilla prepainted and rooted kit.
I did add a small amount of weight in his limbs , body and head just because I prefer him to be weighted I also added a bit of blush color to his face .
What a sweet little baby! Georgie is adorable and looks so peaceful in that photo!
One last question (hopefully the last, at least!), are these pre-rooted kits rooted with mohair or synthetic? Just from gently cuddling him a few times today, I’ve had to comb his hair three times and he’s losing more and more each time. I’ve never seen hair that mats so quickly and easily. Is there anything that I can do to either help it stop matting, or comb it without so much coming out? He won’t have any hair left by the end of next week at this rate, poor little guy! I know that mohair care usually leans towards conditioner, but if this is synthetic, I’m not sure if the care is the same?
I am sure it is mohair not the best variety however it has the look and feel of mohair I would suggest trying some of the leave in conditioner .
I don’t handle mine any more than I have to it cuts down on the hair needing combed or brushed so much and I trimmed him pretty close when I did his hair so that helps as well.
And thank you for the nice compliment my daughter thinks she will get him from me she asks every time she comes over good luck with that she can visit lol
Thanks for your advice! I trimmed it shorter and combed it with leave in conditioner, so I’m hoping for the best. I think he’s going to mostly be a hat baby because this kit is just SO cute with a baby hat, so its his arms and legs that I’m most concerned with. Upon closer inspection, the hair isn’t coming OUT when the mats are combed, its breaking OFF instead like with human hair, which means the issue should be fixed if I use conditioner in the future when I comb him, right? I wonder now if Ashton Drake uses mohair or synthetic… This little guy’s hair is behaving similarly to one of my Ashton Drake orangutans’ hair.
Awww, rofl! My mother is very impressed with this little man, but nobody wants to steal him yet… We’ll see how that goes!
I’ve made several of these pre-painted kits (although I usually add some painted touches of my own and give them lashes, glossing, etc) and I’ve always cut the hair pretty short. It looks realistic and makes it much easier to care for. If you use some leave in conditioner on it you may have fewer tangles. I try to just use my fingers to smooth the hair out a little and avoid combing or brushing. Of course, I like my baby primates to have sort of wild hair too!
What sweet little babies!! Thankyou guys, I’ve trimmed his hair much shorter and have more leave in conditioner on hand. Hopefully that solves the issue!
He’s such a cutie! I combed his hair into a bonobo hair pattern because his markings are very bonobo-like. A lot of hair did come out when I combed it, but I think that was only because it was so tangled. It seems pretty sturdy otherwise, which is a relief!
my daughter thinks she will get him from me she asks every time she comes over good luck with that she can visit lol
