Hello! I’d like to share my thoughts on the DreamStar silicone doll body with you all!
My background in the hobby is largely strung BJD, SmartDoll, Angelphilia, and DD prior, so this is where I’ll be coming from with a lot of my comparisons. With a heavy emphasis on how it’s compatible with SmartDoll/Angelphilia heads/clothes - who have similar scale/bustiness options!
Keep in mind a lot of my opinions are going to be about owning a silicone body they’re meant to inform others who are considering their first body of this type also - and some of the issues at hand are not related to this specific body, probably they’re common to all silicone dolls! As AP and other dolls become more and more expensive, I know we’re all looking for other options so I wanted to keep my doll folks informed.
Pros
Lack of visible joints, to me was one of its biggest selling points. It is nice to not see a joint at the wrist, ankle, knee, etc.
Pretty, definitely a beautiful body (minus the hands imo). Fully dressed and sitting on my shelf she’s really pretty - but it was a fight to get there!
Lots of options to pick from - I picked S16, which was a big bust option, but there are a myriad of choices
Surprise “functional” gentials, which they call optional “intimate area details” - could be a pro or con depending on your expectations. I was expecting just detailed parts.. but there are in fact holes there, two of them!
Cons
Standing - With tiny little feet, which are wobbly by nature, she does not stand well on her own. Expect to keep this doll artfully posed on a stand.
Ugly hands. It’s definitely a bit of a fight to get the hands to look natural and not strange in poses.
Difficult to dress - the nature of silicone is it grabs, including the clothes you’re trying to put on it. Even with added powder, was especially difficult to get tights on her where I otherwise would have had no problem on a vinyl/resin doll. I personally love dress up time with dolls, and dress up with her was.. a challenge comparatively.
Fragile - silicone dolls are just inherently more fragile (not to dropping, but to pulling/cracking, etc) which you probably already know if you’re here but I would be remiss not to include it. I can imagine accidentally pulling her fingers off with one wrong tug of a dress sleeve, for example.
Potential to grease things up - another known issue with silicone, not a particular issue with this body, but keep in mind they can get oil on your things/clothes, etc. Not to mention they can get dusty fast.
Cannot take legs/arms/hands/feet off - This is part of expectations with a doll that doesn’t have joints of course, but it does make it more difficult to dress by a lot - the silicone being squishy only barely helps this issue because the friction offsets that benefit really.
Blushing - the default body blushing is a little heavy handed in some spots (behind the legs, undercarriage) and lacking in dimensionality (one color only)
Wiggly worms of fingers!
Angelphilia & Smart Doll Compatibility Thoughts
The following comparison will be between the S16 DreamStar Body, an Angelphilia with a H3 chest, and a SmartDoll with the XL chest - for closest clothing/sizing comparisons.
| Comparison | Angelphilia H3 Chest | Smart Doll XL Chest |
|---|---|---|
| Height / Saddle Stand | Shorter than my shortest AP, uses my stands at the shortest level and just barely touches the ground with shoes on. | Definitely shorter. |
| Bust | Can share a bra if stretchy/has adjustability. | Less compatible, but possible with enough adjustability. |
| Waist | Much bigger midsection. | More similar, but still bigger. |
| Feet | Smaller | Much smaller |
| Head | Only looks acceptable in my opinion with Ellie/anime AP head, other heads looked too small. The neck is too short in my opinion for the size of the head hole on the AP, and the adapter was not adequate so I had to add a spacer and my own washer to add the head. As a result, the head doesn't pose great. | Same thoughts as AP. |
My hopes would be that she would be more easily able to share clothes, but because the busts are compatible, but the waists are not - her dresses are definitely open in the back/need extension or need to be stretchy by design, so keep this in mind when sharing closets.
Even the clothes that do fit, are difficult to put on, see above Cons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, would I recommend this body to:
Someone new to the hobby who wanted their first body? - Absolutely not.
Someone who has a lot of other dolls and really loves the look of it? - Honestly, no I still wouldn’t recommend it! I think I’ll choose visible joints over the fragility/difficulty of dressing in the future~
I still support if you still want one after all that! Sometimes it’s worth the fight for you <3