After a couple of weeks now I've come to really enjoy photographing Naomi. She's so expressive, and the articulation of her skeleton is such that it really allows a sense of body language to develop.
One thing I've noticed is that the translucency of the platinum formula silicone adds quite a bit of realism to her face, in comparison to
Mina, with the previous generation of Ying / Sakura face.
But the problems with the softer silicone and feet are definitely true. My girl's feet were damaged in shipping to XS Dolls, and while the PQC made note of the visual damage, what I didn't realize is that the metal plates for both feet were bent upwards. Fortunately this hasn't had a significant effect on her photographic qualities, and she can still stand with assistance. I did notice small holes in her heels already, and there seems to be a metal protrusion there which, while not sharp, has been enough to cut through the silicone.
The finger bones have been generally quite good so far, though her right ring finger bone has detached from her palm plate, surprisingly, leaving it somewhat wonky. But they add a huge element of realism to the doll and her poses. The palm plates remain overly sharp and inflexible, making palm punctures and cuts entirely too possible in my opinion. I understand the value of stainless steel from an advertising perspective, but there should really be some other material here, whether wire or more flexible plastic or both.
Oddly the XS Gift Set seems to have been snatched by customs, but George has kindly promised to send a new Gift Set.
All in all, despite some of the technical shortcomings of the doll ( imho ), Naomi is a genuine joy to work with, and as sculpture is on par with anything available. Every time I photograph I find some new and intriguing aspect of her personality, with beauty always waiting to be discovered.
So special thanks to John at DS Dolls and especially to George at XS! It's no easy task to order something like this from half-way round the world and have it shipped safely to your front door, but George has done an admirable job, especially in light of the chaotic season in which I ordered.