RedrobotX Interviews Roysdolls!

Being a doll owner is often a very private way of life. I've found that most of our customers like to keep this kinky side of their life a secret from their friends and family. While we totally respect all our customers privacy when they come to 3DXDolls, often we get someone that is more than willing to share their love of dolls with the rest of the world.

I came across Roysdoll over on his X handle https://x.com/RoysDolls.  Not only has he picked up a few dolls from us in the past, but he has found a way to make a side business using them! Today we're going to peek inside his creative mind and see what brought him into the doll world.

Lets being!

First up, thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at 3DXDolls! Please feel free to  tell us anything about yourself that you feel comfortable sharing. 

I'm a former IT worker / graphic designer by trade but nowadays a mechanic  and a photographer with a great deal of interest in digital arts, especially in 3d art.  I can't draw and my 3d art is mostly garbage so I rather shoot photos instead and  every now and then create images with AI.  I'm interested in seeing where it is going in future. I’d  like to work with my hands. I build things that might  improve my photography such as stands for dolls or lighting setups. I like to do everything myself and learn various skills in order to challenge myself in a creative way. 

What was it like for you picking your first doll? How much research did you initially do before making a purchase? 

I did a lot of research on dolls. It all started back in 2013 I guess, that's when I saw  the pictures of Realdoll2 taken by Stacy Leigh. Back then I found Realdolls too  expensive so I waited for the prices to drop and did research on dolls in general and  compared dolls from different manufacturing companies. In 2017 I found the  WM170H model from wmdolls that had the height and measurement I was looking  for. And before I made the purchase, I read about the maintenance and care, studied  how they can be posed, what limitations they had in range of motion and what kinds  of options there were available for a custom doll. What was very important for me  was the doll's physical size and measurements so it could be dressed in the way I  wanted for my photos. 

Have you seen improvements in general doll construction over the years? If so, where would you like to see more?

The articulated fingers are in my opinion a major improvement to former wired ones because they allows better natural hand poses in photos. New TPE don't have that strong odor anymore and the new gel breasts allows better cleavage when wearing a bra. The new ROS option on certain heads is also a great improvement, anything that could help adjusting facial expression is a nice touch! I would love to have a head that make it possible to adjust eyelids and eye directions in addition to ROS. I would love to see more +170cm models with muscle tones and breast shapes like my WM#16 (Hazel) has and ass shape like my WM174G has. The new EVO skeleton in my opinion is so much better than the previous one that my first doll WM170H has. I wish there was a better solution for the neck area to make better poses and avoid goose necks, maybe add an extra joint?

What was it like for you the first couple of weeks owning a doll? Did it meet your expectations? 

I used to live in a rental apartment that was on the seventh floor when my first doll  got delivered to me. I had to carry the whole box up the stairs because it didn't fit in  the elevator. When I finally got to open the box, I washed the doll and powdered it  before I took my first photos. That later  turned out to be shit. I expected the doll to be heavy which wasn't really a problem for me but the TPE smell was horrible. The limbs were stiff to move at first. 
The first couple of weeks went by trying to get rid of the TPE smell in my apartment  and learn how to dress the doll and style the wigs every time I wanted to try a  different look. I felt there was still a lot to learn about owning a doll even though I  did a lot of research. It was a whole learning curve how to carry it to another room  without hitting the feet or hands into the door frame. I didn't expect that all this would be so time consuming.  I realized that I needed to make time for preparations and  shoots. 

Was the TPE smell apparent on the newer doll models you picked up? First time purchasers may want to know in case they need extra care.

I found the smell to be mild compared to my first doll. I haven't even done the mineral oil treatment on my new dolls because I don't see it necessary. Once I took the dolls out of the box I washed them using mild soap, rinsed and finally powdered them.

What were some initial hurdles you faced those first few weeks?

 I had to think how to hide it from certain people every time they came to visit me and also think about who I should let know that I have one for my photography  experiments. The doll itself is nothing more than an object to me that I use for my  photography projects, which is pretty much self-explanatory to me, but some people I know like to think otherwise since they have no clue about what I'm doing. They like  to think that I like having tea with my doll alone, lol. 

How did you feel about your purchase? 

I was happy with the purchase and so excited because it was something new and  different from the other photography subjects one sees daily. When I got my first doll, I finally had a chance to experiment with different lighting setups with multiple off camera flashes. And my skills in photography improved a great deal. 

I asked this because sometimes there is the case of buyer’s remorse so to speak. Someone sees a doll in the shop, but once they have them in person, they realize the amount of care and attention they are going to have to give it to make sure it lasts. 

That's why you should always do your research before ”pulling the trigger” when purchasing a doll online. I get lot of questions on my OF about dolls and where to purchase the ones I have and almost everyone that I have spoken with haven't done enough research or have the space for storing them in case they need to be put away from unwanted eyes. So I can only imagine the regret when someone new to dolls unboxes one and later decides to get rid off it.

What made you want to get into doll photography and make it public? 

I wanted to shoot something different and prove to others that dolls can be used as  models and not something to have a cup of tea with. To be honest, I don't see  myself doing any photoshoots of random women in lingerie because I have a  girlfriend. My photos were mostly taking up space in my harddrive with no use so I  decided to create my IG and X accounts to showcase my photos. I had ideas I wanted  to share weekly and that's how it started eventually. 

Check back on Saturday for Part 2 of our conversation with Roysdolls. In the meantime check out this awesome video roll he put together of his dolls!