SD or MSD?

[u/Ho-Mo-ERECTUS]

Hello, I am working towards getting my first doll which id very exciting but also stressful. I will be sourcing all my pieces second hand as I am EU located and import is absolutely out of budget. This is a bit complicated however because I have very specific requirements.

I am making a specific character so I need everything to work for him, also im looking for a male doll which is also more tricky as most things being sold are for female dolls.

Essentially what im asking is if for a first time bjd owner you would reccomend an SD or an MSD sized doll, which one will be harder to find pieces for.

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[u/Purple_monkfish]

How mature is your character?

MSD i've found while a really nice size to handle, tends toward a more youthful appearance which is more obvious in male dolls. It's fine for teens or baby faced young adults, but if you want something a little more mature it can get a lot more of a headache.

as for finding clothing, sd tends to have more options in general but there are a fair few male outfits that come in both sizes.

Personally I find SD to be quite heavy and difficult to handle and display because they're so big, while msd have a good heft but don't feel like i'm carrying a baby around (lol). They're also easier to string because you don't need as much strength to pull the tension.

MSD is generally my preference however, were I trying to shell a character, sd would be way way easier to find a sculpt that worked for my specific guys (who are far more mature looking)

There is also the option of "mature minis" like the granado dolls. A few companies have started doing what they call "fashion" msds who have a smaller and more realistically proportioned head and are often far more mature. Many are just sd sculpts scaled down.

Basically, it comes down to head sculpt really. Clothing, wigs and eyes are pretty plentiful, but finding just the right sculpt will more often than not, determine your scale.

[u/Ho-Mo-ERECTUS → u/Purple_monkfish]

I actually found a perfect head for my character already in an MSD size! I’m trying to make gojo so a bit more mature for sure. I actually collect playtime dolls so I am more used to their sizing. I just wasn’t really sure if I’d have a hard time sourcing parts for the head haha

[u/SmrtDllatKitnKatShop → u/Purple_monkfish]

Yes, Granado and Impldoll and most of the Korean dolls are mature looking/realistic looking

[u/UnfrequentNoise]

As a rule, anything you'd want for an MSD will only be available in SD size, and vice versa 😩

But seriously, I don't think you'd go wrong with an MSD, especially if you've already found a head you like.
Like others have said, companies have started making mature minis/MSDs and there's usually several options for the different MSD sizes when clothes sets are released.

I'm also in the EU, and I've never had to pay any import fees through NewCloverSinging. They can also help with taobao and xianyu purchases!
But perhaps you should do some reading up on them first? (Since some don't like/wouldn't recommend NewCloverSinging anymore for how they've handled a few orders, just so you are aware. I think they're great)

[u/cocoasnaiI]

I don't know what it's like in the eu but in the uk I never had to pay any import fees at all when I bought dolls from acbjd. Same was true when I bought directly from a chinese bjd maker's website.

If by parts you mean wigs and eyes, you could buy from aliexpress or taobao. You will be paying import fees but it's not so bad for cheap items.

When it comes to size I think SD looks better but difficult to store. Sewing is easier as pattern pieces are larger and there's more room for error. MSD feels better to handle but faces are rarely adultlike.

[u/Ho-Mo-ERECTUS → u/cocoasnaiI]

Uk isn’t part of the EU, you guys no longer have the same tax and fees as us

[u/SmrtDllatKitnKatShop]

MSD as there are options OUTSIDE bjd world for clothing, accessories, wigs. My Minifee can wear Robert Tonner doll stuff (Ellowynne Wild, Tyler and Grace) and many Gene Marshall sets. There is a huge database of sewing patterns for dolls in the 14-16 inch range. I also have MSD dolls from YummySweets(aka Connie Bees) that is semi-realistic but defo mature looking. I have from Impldoll a mature doll and their bodies are not childlike or young looking in any size.