Guides
A kit is the starting point of the craft: an unfinished sculpt, straight from the mould, before any paint or hair. What is in the box varies far more than beginners expect — and what is missing is usually the expensive part.
A standard kit contains the bare components: head, limbs and — depending on construction — a torso or a cloth body, plus the connectors that join them. What it typically does not include is everything else: paint, mediums, brushes, rooting needles and hair, weighting materials, eyes, and clothing.
Kits vary in how far they take you. Some include a cloth body and ties; others are parts only. Before buying, check the component list line by line rather than assuming — a “complete” kit that omits the body is not a saving.
The economics are the reason most people start down this road, and they are less favourable than they look. A kit is cheaper than a finished doll, but only because it excludes the labour — which is the majority of the value. By the time you have bought supplies, made mistakes and replaced materials, a first attempt often costs more than buying finished.
The honest arguments for a kit are learning the craft, controlling the finish completely, and working without depending on an artist’s waiting list. Cost is not usually one of them. If your goal is simply a lifelike doll in hand, see the reborn dolls guide instead.
Vinyl kits dominate for beginners. They are cheaper, forgiving of mistakes, easy to strip and repaint, and they take paint predictably. Their limit is realism: vinyl cannot reproduce the weight or the give of skin.
Silicone kits are the professional material — and considerably harder to work with. Platinum-cure silicone must be handled cleanly, painted with materials designed for it, and it punishes contamination permanently. Start on vinyl; move to silicone when a ruined piece represents an annoyance rather than a crisis. See platinum silicone dolls for what good silicone actually is.
Beyond the kit itself, a workable setup includes:
The non-kit spend frequently exceeds the kit price. Budget for it before you start.
The sculpt decides how hard a kit is, not the price. Beginner-friendly kits tend to have fewer separate parts, less fiddly detailing around the eyes and mouth, and a size that is comfortable to hold while you work — usually 18″–22″.
Advanced kits introduce open mouths, complex eyelid structures, partial limbs and fine finger detail, all of which punish hesitation. If you have not painted translucent layers before, an ambitious sculpt does not make you learn faster — it just makes the first result worse.
Kits are also bought at volume by resellers, workshops and suppliers who finish them for sale — and this is where our own production sits. Sculpts are manufactured from tooling we own, meaning the same sculpt can be supplied consistently across repeated orders rather than disappearing when a mould wears out.
Volume supply is quoted EXW or FOB, with the choice of unfinished parts or finished dolls from the same line. Only HF-series models have a minimum order quantity; other series have no minimum order quantity. If you are sourcing kits to finish and resell, see wholesale & OEM/ODM; if you are buying for personal work, a single kit is a stock item rather than a production order.
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FAQ
The unfinished sculpt: head, limbs and usually a torso or cloth body with connectors. Paint, medium, brushes, rooting needles, hair, weighting materials, eyes and clothing are normally sold separately, so check the component list before buying.
Rarely for a first attempt. The kit is cheaper than a finished doll because the labour is excluded — and labour is most of the value. Once supplies and a few mistakes are counted, buying finished often costs less. The real reason to use a kit is to learn the craft or control the finish yourself.
Paints and mediums formulated for the material, brushes and sponges, a matte sealant, rooting needles with mohair or synthetic fibre, glass beads or pellets for weighting, soft filling, eyes where required, and a heat source for setting each paint layer.
Silicone is the more realistic material but far harder to work with — it punishes contamination permanently and needs specialist paint. Vinyl is cheaper, forgiving, easy to strip and repaint, and the right place for anyone starting out.
Directly from a manufacturer with its own tooling, which is how sculpts stay available across repeat orders. Only HF-series models have a minimum order quantity; other series have no minimum order quantity. Dolls are supplied unfinished or finished from the same line, EXW or FOB.
The finishing is genuinely skilled — layered painting, rooting strand by strand, and correct weighting all take practice. Difficulty depends mostly on the sculpt: simpler kits at 18–22 inches are far more forgiving than those with open mouths and fine detail.
Next step
Tell us the size, the material and the price band you are working to. We will tell you what we would run — and what we would not.
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