They arrived from UPS in the evening, so I ended up opening them under low-light conditions. When I pulled them out of the box I was really dismayed to see a color mismatch between their heads and bodies. It was apparent on Houston (the darker-skinned girl) in the dim light of my sewing room. I went to bed thinking I'd be calling up the Tonner Doll Company today to ask for a refund or exchange on them. I've never had a problem with a Tonner doll before EVER, so I was quite surprised.
I swear I'm not going crazy. LOL.
With "Golden Swirl" Astor, there was a slight skintone mismatch under every type of lighting. I could still see the slight mismatch inside my house in the afternoon, and in bright sunlight outdoors as well. With Houston you can only see the mismatch under dim lighting. I've never had a skintone mismatch on a Tonner doll before. I do love their faces, so right now I'm still deciding whether I'm going to return Astor. I've decided to keep Houston and the two clothing sets I got with them. Photographing dolls is fun for me, and Houston photographs just fine, so I'll keep her.
The good news is their clothing is wonderful and a nice quality, their face screenings are lovely, and their hair is a great quality. Really, if it weren't for this skintone problem, they'd be perfect.
More later.
By the way, I did try to call the company today (Friday) twice to ask about Astor, but they didn't answer the phone. (Maybe they leave early on Fridays? I called the number they'd put on my receipt for returns.) I was going to ask them if ALL the Astors were like this, or if I just got a bad one. I'll try to call again on Monday. In the meantime I won't be deboxing Astor. I'll debox Houston, though, and take more pictures of her for later.
You can find Part 2 of my review here.
Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear of Golden Swirl Astor's mismatched skintones.
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling of despair when your doll doesn't appear quite right. I purchased a doll earlier this year and while taking photos, noticed that one of her nostrils was deformed. I was so distressed I got in touch with the company and sent photos, but they couldn't see what I was talking about and offered to send a replacement. They probably thought I was crazy. I didn't want a new doll, just wanted them to acknowledge it. I gave up, as I looked at other photographs of the same doll and I could see that it was probably the doll's face mold with the problem. My doll wasn't the only one.
I checked back with Toy Box Philosopher's review of the City Girls and you can see the colour difference between Golden Swirl Astor's head and neck, ever so slightly. In outdoor light I can see the difference with Color Block Astor's head and body (being different materials), but it's not too obvious. I hope it was just a bad one or that it's the colour of dress that emphasises the difference (the yellowness). I anxiously await my Golden Swirl!
I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures of Houston.
I deboxed Houston last night and redressed her. She's really quite a charming doll, although I wish her neck had more movement. I quite like her. I'd buy more City Girls if I thought I'd get better matching with the skin tones.
ReplyDeleteI'll be really interested to see your pictures of Golden Swirl Astor!
Thanks for your comments.
I also have Golden Swirl Astor too, but she is not mismatched on mine. After reading this blog I went and looked at mine more carefully. I have had older dolls that mismatch over time, interesting on a new one.
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