Forever Bloom: Swashbuckling Nobleman...

Ahoy maties!

So some of you out there will have already seen my flickr page showing pictures of the arrival of my latest new addition, but here is a few highlights :D

At the beginning of the year, I was introduced to Iplehouse.com by another member of the Makie.me forums, as a place to find interesting clothing for my Makies. Whilst there I fell in love with their BJD's *Sigh*

I have been looking around for a long time for a realistic style of BJD that I could purchase, however have never found the right sculpt... Until now.

Leonard caught my eye instantly. He is very handsome and a pirate / nobleman to boot. I had to have the full package. The issue was his size. Being an EID, Leonard is 70cm+ so is the largest doll I would ever buy. Not to mention he was going to be expensive!

Money aside (I managed to squeeze my savings just enough to buy him xD), would I have the room to house such a doll?... Well I would have to make the room as I soon after found myself clicking 'confirm purchase'...

One nerve wrecking moment down, many more to go as Leonard would take several months to make and then travel home to me... Which this week he finally did *o*

He is an EID male with model body, light brown skin, a company face up without the beard (I so wish I could have bought an extra head to have that too as he is gorgeous with both *melts*), mobility joints and the fullset Carved Heritage limited outfit and weapons.

I decided to also get his extra hands to enable him to hold his weaponry. I haven't yet had chance to look at these yet as I have been more preoccupied with Leo himself lol.

Wow that's big!

This is my spot!

Stu wasn't so impressed when I took over the bottom of the bed whilst she was trying to sleep there lol.

There was a lot of bubble wrap...

"Alright... Time to welcome the new guy"

"Umm... This is much bigger than my tube..."

I couldn't resist but place LB in the box to show the size difference before I even took Leonard out of the box.

She helped me open up the weapons box... There was quite a lot of bubble wrap there too.

LB - "Do they eat that stuff too?"

I doubt it Lovey, but they certainly seem to like using it a lot xD

"This is almost as big as me!"

Leonards full set came with weapons designed just for him, I purchased all three... Rapier, Short-sward and Matchlock, all brushed black and silver :)

His outfit came folded neatly and compact in it's own special box...

Along with Leonard's set, I also ordered a some other pieces.

Even the Makies got a little gift in the parcel... The BID size clothes are the perfect size for Makies, maybe a tiny bit loose in places, but it's not noticeable. LB was particularly impressed by the polkadot dress and hat.

Rosa-Bella - "The party dress is my favourite."

Ok Ro, I'll make a note of that for later ;)

Leonard's wait came to an end and it was finally time to release him...

"More bubble wrap?"

"Come on..."

"Open up!"

Seeing Leonard's face peaking out from his face shield was amazing. It didn't seem real until that point that he was actually here. The face up is stunning.

"Hi there"

"Nice trip?"

His certificate of authenticity matches his pirate persona really well. It's like a little bit of art itself :)

(I've edited the photo a little to hide my details)

I was a little nervous removing him from his foam enclosure as I was worried that I would bend his joints the wrong way, not having owned a BJD like him before. But after a little coaxing he was finally free :)

I love his tattoo. I don't think I'd have been able to colour it as well as this had I not opted for the brushing. I think I'm going to have to think up something interesting for a backstory to this eventually. Hmmm...

I thought it would be interesting to do another scale shot now that Leonard was free from his box. LB is about the same size as Leonard's arm which is kind of amazing really.

There have been a few incidents where there has been some overzealous sanding on the light brown dolls from Iplehouse over the past month, so I was a little worried about Leo turning out that way as well. I found only one small patch below his mobility joint on his left leg, which to be honest doesn't really show on photos thankfully so I'm not too bothered by it.

His hands are quite delicate and fairly detailed, especially with the brushing. I love that they included cuticles when they painted them :D

Playing with poses

When I ordered Leonard they didn't have the wig I wanted in stock so I opted for the same wig in charcoal grey. It rather suits his skin tone actually and I find him rather dashing in it.

I do have a couple of other wigs for him, but I haven't tried them yet.

After playing with poses, I worked on putting his full set costume on. It was a task unto itself as there is a lot of pieces and many things to tie and fasten.

And with the inclusion of his weaponry, Leonard is complete...

Deciding he was suitably comfortable, LB took the opportunity to introduce herself properly having changed into her new outfit.

"Hello again"

"Wasn't your hair white?"

LB seemed quite pleased with herself when he agreed to pose with her for some photos.

Leonard - "I am nothing, if not a gentleman."

That you are Leonard.

Leonard - "That said, I do hope you do not intend to use me for babysitting duties..."

Me? Never! *snicker*

Rosa-Bella - "Who's he to call me a baby?! I'm older than him!!"

Sorry Ro, but comparatively speaking with your size difference, you guys do look more like children than Leo does. Also... He has weapons... Stay on his good side dear.

Anyway... Leonard and LB looked rather sweet together...