My Hedy 171C is here!

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:48 pm

PDutus wrote:Congratulations on Lana's arrival - she looks stunning The weight reduction is significant, especially as the silicone bodies without it appear to be quite a bit heavier than than the TPE ones.

Impressive shot of her free standing on your scales

Thank you PDutus!

Yeah, even with phone camera photos she looks awesome!
Yes, the weight reduction is most impressive, considering her height; I am 5 foot 9 inches and she is only an inch shorter standing barefoot!

I even impressed myself getting her to free stand! I need to get caps for her foot screws, and some decent shoes...not high heels, though!

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:07 pm

PS. I can source Permatex 81703 here in Australia so will you let me know if it does the job please?
Would a coating of the fingertips with it be a decent strengthener for those fingers do you think?[/quote]

Will do! I have begun the repairs this morning, and will allow 24 hours to fully cure per manufacturer instructions.

Permatex is easier to work with, being more liquid than the sticky gel type silicone caulk or adhesives. It is designed to flow into small crevices.

However, for the same reason, I don't think it would add much strength to the fingertips, which are quite soft.

Also, upon closer inspection, it appears part of the issue is that some of the finger "bones" are not properly centered inside the finger. Some bone tips are closer to the inside of the finger.

The big problem is that the bone tips are bare metal, and need to be coated with soft plastic or hard silicone. I'll have to do something like this, plus make an incision in the finger to position the bone closer to the center.

Stay Tuned!

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:02 am

Hello All,

I just want to say that in spite of the issues I've experienced, I don't want to hate on the manufacturer.

I have previously stated the cuts/tears could have happened while they were trimming the seam line. A small poke with a razor knife would be enough, and such a cut could go unnoticed for a while. For now, I will consider this an unfortunate but understandable error.

However, I still maintain that the finger pokes are a design and manufacturing flaw. The finger "bone" tips need caps and the bones need to be properly centered within the fingers.

On a lighter note, her feet are really, really tiny! Tried a size 4 1/2 shoe and it was too big! Doesn't Starpery realize European/Caucasian women have bigger feet than Asians?

SkyWalker206 · Post by **SkyWalker206** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 11:06 pm

I gave my SP 169c a overall score of 70 points

1. privates' paint works peeled off quickly and poor color
2. over weighted --- 110 lbs
3. good looking face and shape plus tan lines

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Tue Jul 13, 2021 10:51 am

SkyWalker206 wrote:I gave my SP 169c a overall score of 70 points

1. privates' paint works peeled off quickly and poor color
2. over weighted --- 110 lbs
3. good looking face and shape plus tan lines

Yeah, my score would be about the same.

My girl's skin paint wore off her ass pretty quickly...can't imagine why!

Seriously, they need to improve this feature. I do give Starpery Tech kudos for weight reduction...so my 171C actually weighs 30-odd lbs less than yours! However, the underlying foam core is quite firm.

SkyWalker206 · Post by **SkyWalker206** » Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:44 am

sirdave62 wrote: I do give Starpery Tech kudos for weight reduction...so my 171C actually weighs 30-odd lbs less than yours! However, the underlying foam core is quite firm.

yeah, really.. this is a trade-off.

Pan_of_Qld · Post by **Pan_of_Qld** » Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:23 pm

How's that Permatex going Sir Dave?

My silicone doll arrived and I have finger and foot issues like several others.
I'll post soon with photos but I will need to fix up a heel and a few fingers.
My doll is 100lb and 45kg or thereabouts.
The fingers and feet have to handle a lot of weight there when she's being moved around.
Trapping the fingers under the torso would be so easy and they are like jelly with strong wire 'bones'.
Obviously not quite there yet but a year ago you couldn't get them.
It feels like we're the early users of a new Windows operating system release.

It's important to let Starpery know what's going on and hope they listen (they seem to, albeit in an overworked, overrun way).
First impressions are that my doll is amazing overall and I'm very happy with her right now.
Just hands and feet to sort out. No way is she leaving!
I just need some adhesive and a cure for those finger wires.

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:47 am

Pan_of_Qld wrote:How's that Permatex going Sir Dave?

Hello Pan,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Also got and responded to your PM.

Permatex, as advertised, is more "flowable" than silicone caulks and adhesives; it seems to work well for these type repairs, even if there's a small gap, as long as no sharp-edged cut or tear edges remain. I would still probably fill such gaps, if any, with additional Permatex after the initial repair has cured. On the plus side, it seems to be a bit softer and more resilient than most caulks after curing.

Just remember, Permatex sets in an hour or so, and needs 24 hours to fully cure.

Agreed about the hands and feet. A design flaw IMHO.

justintime · Post by **justintime** » Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:16 pm

Hello, I am glade the Permatex is working.
For fingers and bottom of feet I would use sil-poxy.
Harder still easy to work with.

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:03 pm

justintime wrote:Hello, I am glade the Permatex is working.
For fingers and bottom of feet I would use sil-poxy.
Harder still easy to work with.

Thanks for the excellent suggestion! The silicone on the fingers and toes is really too soft.

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Tue Aug 10, 2021 11:14 am

Hello Everyone,

I'm very sorry to say the Starpery Tech 171C just isn't working out for me, but let me state for the record:

I do not find fault with my vendor at all, nor the manufacturer for the most part. Starpery did an excellent job with overall body design, beautiful faces and weight reduction, but needs to improve the articulated fingers and increase foot size on the taller models.

For me, her height combined with long limbs, relative weight and some very tight joints make her too cumbersome to easily handle. She is within an inch of my height standing barefooted, and her legs are actually longer than mine! Also, some areas in my home have limited space.

Most importantly, her love holes were too restrictive for me. The silicone used is quite soft, but is not porous like TPE and does not compress. My vendor thinks TPE may be better for me in this regard.

My vendor had actually recommended a shorter, lighter model. I should have heeded his advice. Jeff and BCD were very understanding about my dissatisfaction; I assured him that I blamed my lack of experience and "bit off more than I could chew". We have settled on a WM 156C as a better option for me. I will be posting on that, of course!

Finally, Jeff graciously offered to, and will be taking, the 171C off my hands! At least she's going to a good home!

Again, thanks to everyone at TDF for your advice and support!

deliladoll · Post by **deliladoll** » Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:24 pm

Sorry to hear, but somehow it's easing my pain for an unfulfilled wish.
Hope you have much better experience with your new choice.

Enchanted · Post by **Enchanted** » Tue Aug 10, 2021 12:29 pm

Actually this was heavy to read all... sorry you had to let go the doll, a doll you liked very much if isnt the most of all when you started to purchase.

Powdering the doll as you mentioned, I can advise everyone, you will find everything and can take action there where needed immediately.

I hope you have more luck with your WM 156C and thx for your review, honest reviews like this we dont read much... I appreciate those reviews a lot.

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Tue Aug 10, 2021 6:19 pm

deliladoll wrote:Sorry to hear, but somehow it's easing my pain for an unfulfilled wish.
Hope you have much better experience with your new choice.

Thank you, deliladoll! Hope you are doing well. I'll consider this a learning experience, and thank you all for your support.

I recall we had discussed weight concerns, the 171C weight is not bad considering her height, which is actually about 177 cm. I think the foam core is a bit too firm, though.

Looking forward to WM 156C, seems promising. I'm going with petite, tanned blonde look this time!

sirdave62 · Post by **sirdave62** » Tue Aug 10, 2021 6:34 pm

Enchanted wrote:Actually this was heavy to read all... sorry you had to let go the doll, a doll you liked very much if isnt the most of all when you started to purchase.

Powdering the doll as you mentioned, I can advise everyone, you will find everything and can take action there where needed immediately.

I hope you have more luck with your WM 156C and thx for your review, honest reviews like this we dont read much... I appreciate those reviews a lot.

Hello Enchanted,

No worries, a lesson well learned. WM 156C seems promising, and I will be posting updates of course!

You are all welcome for my honest review. We can't get enough of those, especially considering how things are in the doll industry. Honest, frank reviews can help persuade doll makers to step up their game, as well as make needed improvements or corrections. I've seen some of the history on various doll issues here at the forum.