I am just not good at re-bodying dolls. My patience gets the best of me because I would rather do a Samantha Stephens "bewitching" nose twitch and have the end result magically appear. Often my haste makes a mess that I have to attempt to clean up later. One day I will learn.
When I removed Adéle's head for her body transplant using Rock Star Kenya's body, even though I tried to remove it gently, a huge piece of the neck chipped off. After completing the transplant, I was left with Kenya's head and Adéle's old body. I wanted to combine the two, even though the arms of the body are stained in addition to the chunk missing from the anterior neck.
So I broke off additional pieces of the neck to even the edges without the use of a file (e.g. my husband's assistance). "She'll have a short neck (I thought), but at least she'll have a body."
The images below illustrate the end result and why Rock Star Kenya no longer needs her guitar.
I think Kenya looks lovely from head to toe and her shorter-than-normal neck is barely noticeable.
dbg
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When I removed Adéle's head for her body transplant using Rock Star Kenya's body, even though I tried to remove it gently, a huge piece of the neck chipped off. After completing the transplant, I was left with Kenya's head and Adéle's old body. I wanted to combine the two, even though the arms of the body are stained in addition to the chunk missing from the anterior neck.
So I broke off additional pieces of the neck to even the edges without the use of a file (e.g. my husband's assistance). "She'll have a short neck (I thought), but at least she'll have a body."
The images below illustrate the end result and why Rock Star Kenya no longer needs her guitar.
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| Adéle's original body with chipped neck caused by brittle vinyl and the "gentle" force used to remove the head. |
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| Rock Star Kenya was determined to use Adéle's body. |
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| Mission accomplished; Kenya's original clothing including her sunglasses and guitar have been stored in a snack-size Ziploc bag. |
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| Kenya's stained body is elegantly covered with Adéle's black robe. She wears the silver earrings from the Tim Gunn Barbie fashion and Adéle's shoes, as shown below. |
I think Kenya looks lovely from head to toe and her shorter-than-normal neck is barely noticeable.
***
If you are patient and can find Kenya dolls deeply discounted, their articulated bodies make decent donors, but the waist is not articulated. I would not recommend paying full price for the dolls to use as donors, but if you are looking to add a Fashion Madness Kenya to your collection and have not been able to find one at Family Dollar or CVS, and also do not mind paying $20.99 plus shipping, check out the new Kenya Online Store. (TJ, Dwayne, Denise, and Keysha are not available in the store... I wonder if they ever will be available off- or online.)dbg
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Kenya has a larger than average head so maybe a shorter neck will balance that out. She looks fabulous in Adele's gown.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks pretty balanced from where I stand.
DeleteI agree that Adele's gown agrees with Kenya. Thanks, Paulette!
dbg
The transplant looks good. I wonder if polymer clay could have been used to fix the neck.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion and compliment, MDW. I thought about using polymer clay to repair and lengthen the neck, but impatience got in the way. Her head stays on without falling off, so I will probably leave well enough alone.
DeleteClay is always an option.
dbg
Kenya looks great in Adele's outfit.
ReplyDeleteThanks, GG!
Deletedbg
That's a good fit! Something about her big hair fits well with the dramatic gown.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Muff. The big hair and robe work well together.
Deletedbg
She looks great. How were you able to attach the head to the broken neck?
ReplyDeleteHi Roxanne,
DeleteAt first the head would not fit the neck because the area of the hole was too small. I used the edge of a scissors blade to scrape off a thin layer of the inner vinyl of Kenya's neck hole to enlarge it without making it too much larger than the neck circumference. The fit is still quite snug but this prevents the head from falling off.
dbg