Free Second Head…. Benefit or Curse?

When I got my first doll back in 2019 a free second head was offered by some manufacturers, though not all. Elina’s was one that didn’t nor would they supply just the head as an add on to the doll purchase. The reason for having a second head was often described thus, “When Evangeline leaves work on Friday and spends the weekend with her parents, you can invite Angelique around for the weekend.” The problem occurs when Angelique wants a body of her own, as I discovered earlier this year.

Elina arrived at 10.15 on May 22nd 2019, it wasn’t long before her face showed signs of wear, too much snuggling, smooching and snogging took their toll, to her I’m sure my beard must have felt the same as I would feel getting smoochy with a wire brush. In April 2020 a member of UKLDF was selling a pristine approximately one year old OR (Oriental Rose) 26 “Rose” head in natural skin tone for a good price. The deal was done and she was on her way. When she eventually arrived during a lull in the Covid restrictions and was placed on Elina’s body I was amazed. The skin tone, from two different manufacturers, was virtually identical.

Over the next four years, the OR head was wrapped and placed in a box and lived in a cupboard, during this time I was seeking out a body for her. My requirements were quite simple, an adult (20+) body sculpt, measurements that were close to Elina, 12” shoulders, 30.5” bust, 23” waist and 31” hips, height 155-160cm weight 30kgs max. If I bought another Elina, I would get a new head for Elina, plus a body for the OR head. What I wouldn’t get is an evo skeleton, shrugging shoulders, hinged neck and wrists with articulated fingers. I did find one that had almost the same measurements and weight as Elina and was in stock at a doll warehouse here in the UK about one hundred miles from me. I made an appointment and went there to see her taking the OR head and my camera with me. The body sculpt was not 100 per cent of what I wanted, but was close at around 85-90, and was something I could live with quite happily. However the skin tone didn’t quite match, also she didn’t have hinged wrists or articulated fingers.

The search continued. Eventually I came to the conclusion that maybe I should order one from Oriental Rose (JinSan), that way it would match, right? I found a retailer in the UK that supplied OR dolls and placed my order. Eventually she arrived, I will discuss the doll later, here I’m only concerned with the head. I ordered two heads, both WM185’s (“Justine”) for Elina, this may have been a mistake.

In due course the big day arrived and she was delivered, a couple of days later I got around to opening the box and releasing her. I inserted one of the ‘click-lock’ head attachments and placed the OR26 (Rose) head in place. I also found her something to wear! This is what I saw.


As can be seen in the above comparison photograph the Natural skin tone is completely different. I could accept this if the OR head had spent the last six years on a shelf being exposed to the dust and dirt in the air landing on it. However as that is not the case you realise that the free second head is only a cost saving benefit when it’s the same as the dolls. If you bought a Kimber you could, and many did, buy a WM light tan head and it would almost match, it was close enough not to be noticed. If, as I believe JinSan have changed the skin tones then all those sales of heads will disappear. I wonder if I purchased a WM185 head for Elina in 2020 instead of the OR26 would that have matched her body, or had the change already taken place? If so, how often does it happen? I have only found the following piece of information from one source so cannot state it as fact; Irontech skin tones now match JinSan skin tones. Would that be the old ones or the new ones and who changed?

For the eagle-eyed I do know that the OR26 head is without eye lashes. I purchased some upper and lower eyelids with lashes attached from Allie Industries a few years ago, sadly when I went to get another set they had, a few days earlier, ceased trading. I have only the one set and three heads needing them!

The unboxing and review of the body will be coming shortly.

With the two heads I was given two ‘click-lock’ head attachments and one with the swivel joint I will be reviewing these with the body.

Regards,

S.

That OR head looks awful compared to the WM.
I love that photo of Elina reclining on the table with the roses. Very artistic.
I buy spare eyelashes from Amazon. There are plenty of different kinds of false eyelashes there.

Hiya Esjayell,

I don't think Mr Flibble likes the free second head - he likes all his ladies to have a body. I think maybe if you really love a head, just get the same head twice, or you can ask for different makeup/eyes.

You know, no one has ever sold a Piper Doll with a free second head 🤗

King Henry VIII: "Off with her head!"
Miss K: "Sorry naughty boy, my head doesn't come off, now I'm going to spank you!" 😆

Of course, I'd never have been one of Henry VIII's wives, he was a very unpleasant man. I love Mr Flibble ❤️.

Lots of love from Miss K,

XOXO

“What I wouldn’t get is an evo skeleton, shrugging shoulders, hinged neck and wrists with articulated fingers”

I’m wondering why you wouldn’t go for these things? Especially the articulated fingers?

If I bought another Elina from the factory she came from I would get a new head for Elina, plus a body for the OR head. What I wouldn’t get is an evo skeleton, shrugging shoulders, hinged neck and wrists with articulated fingers. Do you now understand what I was getting at? Elina was a 'Direct From Factory Purchase.' The last time I checked their web site they had not upgraded their skeletons, and I believe they have now either ceased trading or have changed their name as the original site is now defunct.

Think of her as being like a standard Kimber (where you cannot purchase a second head), every other manufacturer has upgraded except them. In other words Elina was a preconfigured doll, like Kimber or purchasing from Lucid. I'm not knocking Kimber or Lucid, I'm using them for illustration only.

S.

Ah, I see what you’re saying now. I thought you were saying that it was a conscious choice not to go for those things. It was just the way I read what you’d written.