There is no other BJD in my collection quite like my latest doll Aleah. An odd quirky little waif, she was sent to me by the French artist who created her, Nefer Kane. The doll is the first resin BJD by the artist. When I first saw photos of Aleah’s prototype and of the resin casts, she appeared frail and unsubstantial.
Once she arrived and I held Aleah in my hands, I quickly realized that while fragile in appearance, the doll was actually quite sturdy in construction. Nefer’s dolls are being cast by the same factory which casts dolls by artist Kaye Wiggs. Both dolls are made of resin that is a little shiny and somewhat translucent. Aleah is cast in a white resin which appears slightly rose-tinted. Her twig-like fingers are thin enough to appear almost transparent. Despite their delicate appearance, the fingers do not feel like they will easily snap when handled.
At the request of other doll collectors who were curious about Aleah’s size, my first chore was to take a few size comparison photos of her next to other dolls. I lined her up with a variety of tiny dolls first, and then I placed her next to a few dolls in the 1/6 size range. Aleah appeared thin and whispy next to the 1/6 dolls although she was closer in height to them. Aesthetically I thought that she went best with my smaller Fidelia firefly doll and my dolls by Dream High Studio.
Aleah’s body is very fun to pose. She holds her poses very well and a tilt of her head takes her expression from pouty to hopeful. The stringing is perfect on my doll, not too tight but not at all floppy. Aleah has her thighs strung to stationary hip ball joints. Her legs are thin, and they slide around on this joint allowing a fair amount of maneuverability for the legs. Her double-jointed knee joints are not awkward with edges protruding when they are bent. She is not very stable standing alone on her tiny tabi-toed feet. Aleah’s head cap is located more to the back of her head and it fits very well, so bald photos of her do not easily show the seam.
It is easier to install Aleah’s eyes with her head removed as the ring that hold the head on is very hard to work around. Wigs are difficult to keep on her head as her cranium is shallow and her ears are big. I could fit a 4/5 size wig on her, but it was too big in the back. It was also hard to keep it from slipping. At some point I will sew a custom fur wig for Aleah and see if that will suit her. Truthfully though, I love her bald and naked too, as much of her charm is in how she was sculpted; her lithe body, the four-fingered alien hands and her little round head with those large droopy ears. I faced-up her head, and sprayed her body with Mr. Super Clear flat lacquer as I plan to body blush her as well. Even if I do put clothing Aleah, I will likely make them skimpy and show off as much of her sculpt as possible.
Aleah’s price is on the high side for a doll of this size. European BJDs tend to be more expensive than Asian and most American dolls. For Nefer’s porcelain doll collectors, the price is a good deal, especially since a porcelain doll costs more and as resin is a much sturdier materiel it will allow for much more handling. Recently Nefer made the decision to reward her future doll customers with a gift; a resin “critter” figurine that will be included with future doll purchases. The body of her next doll, Humpty Dumpty will be re-used for more dolls, and customers who have already purchased a full doll may buy a faceplate-only of any future sculpts incorporating the same body if they wish.
While Aleah may appear unusual among BJDs, I find her unique look and and build very appealing. As I have a fondness for fantasy dolls,I am happy to add her to my collection of little sprites and fairies.
Nefer Kane’s dolls are currently sold by the artist through her blog CircusKane.
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