Bad Surprises … Good Surprises

A lot of collectors have reported that the Integrity Toys (IT) Convention doll, Inner Spark Natalia Fatale, was produced with the wrong skin tone body.  Her head color doesn't match her body color.  The body is much lighter tan and actually works with many tan dolls including Colette, Paparazzi Bait/Soul Deep Adele, etc.  This got me very excited because I've been waiting for a body donor for Force of Nature Agnes Von Weiss.

I didn't want to pay $140 + shipping for a body donor, so I started watching for good deals on e-bay and the boards as I have several tan dolls I would like to upgrade.  I thought it would be smart to purchase some extra Latino bodies when IT made them available at the end of 2015 and ordered three.  I figured if they were light, I could use them instead of purchasing multiple Inner Spark dolls, and if they weren't, I could rebody the heads from Inner Spark Natalia and sell them secondary market.  Win/Win?

I recently purchased an Inner Spark for $110 shipped (good deal, right) and waited patiently for my bodies to arrive.  They came last week.

Here is a photo of Inner Spark Natalia in her box.

And a closeup.

Do you notice anything odd?  That's right!  Her body is not the light tan color I expected.  Did someone switch it?  That's not possible because she is still thread-sewn into the liner with tape over the thread, direct-from-factory.  So, apparently IT produced some Inner Spark Natalia dolls on the correct skin tone body and some not.  Frustrating!

Here are the accessories.  The jewelry and shoes are awesome (I wish there had been a nicer bracelet though):

She is an attractive doll in her own right.  Here she is fully dressed out of the box.  Although the fabric of the dress is a little stiff and out of scale, it looks great on and photographs quite well.

And another closeup.   What can I say, I am sucker for a good widow's peak.

So, I didn't need one of the replacement bodies for Inner Spark Natalia after all.  She may even be staying for while.

When I took out the replacement bodies I purchased, I realized they were not even the same color as Inner Spark Natalia.  So, I took my last three Natalia dolls out and realized they were two different colors, and neither skin tone was similar to the replacement body.  Apparently there is no consistent Latino color skin tone.

Prestige and Inner Spark are the same, whereas Elusive Creature is more tan.  The replacement body (sitting down) is more reddish than either.

I contacted some doll friends and they were having the same problem with these replacement bodies.  They didn't seem to match anything in our collections.  I started pulling out all of my latino skin tone dolls.  You cannot imagine my surprise (and excitement) when I found that the new bodies were very close to the original Natalia Fatale skin tone!  Here is one of my very favorite dolls, Cosmetic Takeover, with the upgrade!

So, these new, more reddish, bodies will probably work with all Natalia Fatale dolls pre-2007.  That may include Seashore Rebel, Behind Velvet Ropes, Queen of the Hive, Capricious, Black as Night, and Femme Du Monde.  (As I no longer own any of these dolls, I cannot confirm this.  However, I know my Cosmetic Takeover was on a Capricious body before the transfer.)  One bad surprise, one very good surprise!

On The Other Hand ...

I adore The W Club and have been a member since the very first year it started!  It's entertaining, interesting to read, a great place to see beautiful pictures, and it's where I go for gossip with very passionate collectors.  The W Club is dedicated to Integrity Toys dolls and is well organized and easy to navigate.  Many collectors participate in the discussions and post photos.  Members get to preview upcoming collections and are offered special editions of dolls.  It's easily the best $50 spent each year as a collector, and you get a $20 coupon to use on any doll purchase.

I recently deboxed Fine Print Elyse Jolie for a photo shoot in response to a discussion thread.  (She was one of my Top 10 of 2015.)   A question was raised: "What Are The Top 5 Daywear Looks?"

Here she is NRFB.  I just can't get enough of that camel hair coat!

And a closeup!

How about out of the box?  (Look at those extra hands that look like BROWN leather gloves!!!  ADORE!)

Another closeup.

I am also a member of the Barbie Collector Club and have been for many years.  With the Barbie Collector Club, members get a $20 coupon every quarter.  Last year, I only used one coupon.  On Barbie's birthday, I ordered Boucle Beauty Silkstone; in celebration, Barbie Collector was offering an additional 20% off your purchase.  Boucle Beauty was originally $100.  She was on sale for $79.99.  With the additional discount and application of my $20 coupon, I got her for for less than $53 shipped.

I am quite surprised that I like the doll as much as I do.  She has odd hair - quite gray.  Her eye painting is terrible.  I guess the factory workers in China are very dissatisfied with work.  Not only has quality gone downhill with IT, but the Silkstones are suffering as well!

I purchased this doll with the express intent of using the ensemble with Fine Print Elyse Jolie.

Many collectors have released this doll's hair, but that hairstyle just totally rocks my world!   I love the severity of it.  I don't have another doll like her.  But I think she needs a hat, don't you?

I do love the simple blouse with the bow!

I may complain loud and clear when I'm unhappy, but I hope that my celebration of beautiful dolls is just as clearly projected.  Fine Print Elyse is divine!  Every little detail all the way to the redress value is totally amazing.  Had I any idea she looked this fantastic wearing something else, she would've been higher on my "Best of 2015" list.