MaskCatDoll is a new doll company from China. The company opened at the end of 2013, and is run by the Doll artist Banyo. The first doll to be released was 21cm tall Special line Aruna. The first 1/3 size girls, Ruolan and Xilv, arrived in March 2014. They were followed by Nerine in May and Melodie this month. MaskCat also created elf-eared versions of Xilv and Ruolan. These heads were given as gifts during the company’s recent 1/3 girl sale event. They will be released separately later. A few weeks ago, BJDcollectasy received Nerine with additional heads Ruolan and elf version Xilv.
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I was very surprised when opening the box that contained my doll Nerine. MaskCatDoll shipped her in a lovely carrying case! The case is hard, cloth-covered and very sturdy. It includes a metal handle, corners and two latches. The interior is lined and has a company logo mounted on the inside lid. Nestled inside was Nerine with a Ruolan and elf Xilv head along with many extras: fist hands, heel feet, heel legs and feet, glass eyes, and a wig. According to the company, the case is standard, and a smaller case is generally used for head purchases. All of the other parts (excluding the two heads) are also standard for a basic doll. The full doll was swathed in a padded cotton wrap.
My Nerine and all the additional resin parts are cast in normal skin resin. The seam sanding is perfect. The doll is smooth and has a matte surface. 57cm tall Nerine and her sister-heads are lovely sculpts with large eyes, meticulously sculpted details and plains to the face that were begging to be blushed. Though the heads have sculptural similarities, each has its own personality. Ruolan has a slightly tilted eyes and an open mouth, which I hadn’t noticed in her photos. Xilv appears to me to be a bit pensive which is echoed in her slightly down-pointing elf ears. For the review, I decided to blush the head attached to the body, the Nerine head.
I really liked the yellow wig included with her, so I decided to color Nerine in fair coloring with light eyebrows. Once I had her finished, I dressed her for her photo shoot. For fun, I swapped one hand for a fist hand. Although Nerine is pretty tightly strung, I didn’t have much trouble changing the hand with the help of a pair of pliers. The outfit I selected for Nerine is a pretty white set from Angell Studio made for 1/3 size girls. Nerine was able to not only fit in the slip-on dress, but also in a matching pair of white 1/3 shoes. Obviously I would not have any difficulty clothes shopping for her!
The MaskCat girl body holds poses very well. The elbows and knees are double jointed. The upper thighs have a swivel joint that moves when posed but do not accidentally swivel out of place as easily as most thigh-jointed dolls I own. The thingh point above the knee juts out a bit past the joint. The upper torso tilts and holds it’s pose. The MaskCat girl body is very naturally sculpted with soft modeling and with smaller breasts. The dolls look like teenage girls, but could be made to look a little older with the right face-up.
The price for a basic MaskCat girl is similar to those of many other companies, but they are a bargain when one considers the extra items that are added. The hard case that will protect the doll both in shipping and when traveling is a definite plus. The sculpts are really beautiful, and I am looking forward to coloring the other two heads I have. I may even have to consider the company’s small dolls in the future. I look forward to seeing more from MaskCat and wish the artist good fortune with the business. I’m honestly smitten by these dolls!
