Hujoo Freya issues sort of solved, now with photos

[Taxel]

I've wanted a Freya since they were first announced, and for Christmas I finally got enough money to order one. The only bad things I've heard about them was their long pegs need a bit of sanding so its easier to get the head on and off. My girl arrived today, and I am completely and utterly disappointed. She's my first BJD and I was so excited to get her, but I can't believe anyone would release a doll with so many issues.

Getting her head cap off was of course a nightmare, and in the process I totally ruined my nails. Not a huge deal and I didn't really care at the time, but now after everything else it sucks really really badly. That weird eye holding thing is totally awful and if I had any money at all to buy eye putty to use instead I'd do it in a heartbeat. After getting her eyes in I finally went and sanded down her long pegs a little bit. But when I tried to put her back together, I realized the tiny pegs at the bottom DO NOT line up with the holes. So her head literally cannot close. I can't even find anyone talking about this issue, much less any sort of fix. And her 16mm *Hujoo* eyes leave pretty decent gaps on the sides. The icing on the cake! :/

I'm so upset and disappointed, I'm honestly considering putting her up for sale right now (and I've never done that before, it always takes me months to be sure). Does anyone know how to fix this without having to spend more money? I literally have $0. I don't have an xacto, I'm 95% sure the sandpaper is the entirely wrong type, and I don't have any sort of BJD supplies.

[chiyoyama]

try to get the two head pieces close together, and lift it off of the neck piece, than try to close it. I had a closing issue with mine and that solved it for me hope this helps!!!

[kenaiqueen]

I had to shave mine down with my exacto and they are still not perfect, but the wigs cover them up, so I really don't mind. If you don't have an exacto, can you get a sharp knife or maybe a box cutter to work on them?

[Taxel]

I tried lifting it, but that didn't really change anything. But I somehow managed to get her head together anyways. There's still a very noticeable gap, but no matter how hard I squeeze her head won't budge. The plan was to keep her naked and wigless so this is a huge pain.

Work on which pegs? The bottom ones? I've got very shaky hands so I'd never trust myself taking any sort of knife to a doll, especially to such a tiny area. I thought about sanding them off entirely, since the rest of the pegs fit together fine with no gap, but I can't afford to experiment on her.

[Lamia of the Dark]

When I got a Freya, I had the exact same issues. I kept her for a while to see if I could bond with her after all, but I have never raged so hard about a doll's imperfections right out of the box like that before... I ended up selling her less than 2 weeks after I got her.

(I did get her head to close by completely removing the top peg.)

[Taxel]

Same here. I've never been so angry and had so many issues upon opening a doll, and I collect playline dolls mostly so I'm used to minor and more-than-minor issues. I even once opened a Liv and her leg ripped right off, but even that didn't make me rage as hard as my Freya has.

After getting her head back together I took some photos and I've been hanging out with her since, but I'm still having bonding issues. I'm really hoping it works out because I do love her body and face, and her eyes are absolutely stunning. Now that I've got her head back together I don't feel the need to sell her right this second because I can't stand the sight of her, so that's helped a lot. A friend of mine'll soon be helping me with her design, and then probably painting her for me, which should hopefully help even more. I really don't want to give up on her, but damn I am never buying another Freya unless they fix every single head cap issue (which I doubt will happen). I was planning on buying another and had everything all picked out, so thank goodness I didn't have the money for her yet.

Edit: Decided to post a few photos, since I can't get enough of her eyes.

IMG_0027a by AsaziAsazi, on Flickr

IMG_0039a by AsaziAsazi, on Flickr

[Stormlight]

Does she have the right size eyes? Perhaps try 18mm instead of 16mm? It would help with the gapping, although you'd get larger pupils. Also, I don't think the cloud eyes come in anything other than 16mm. They're really pretty, though.

[Taxel]

Junkyspot says they wear 16mm eyes, so that's what I ordered (though I could swear the first release said 18mm). And like you said the cloud eyes don't come in 18mm. I also don't have any more money.

[Lon]

I made a post warning people on the Freya Flickr group. This was the thread that broke the camel's back, so to speak XD; People should know about this and decide rather than be disapointed later. They say 16mm fits best in the eyeholder but up to 18mm can fit. Do you use Facebook? Maybe you should make a post about it there to let people know too.

Who makes the cloud eyes?

How artistic are you? If the size drives you crazy again, could you paint your own?
Plastic DIY half-round set
http://www.dollfieworld.com/1583-diy-se ... 01130.html

I also have made custom animetic-types with Blythe chips and polymerclay.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/l0n/830042 ... hotostream

It would cost money but not PILES of money like new ready-made eyes would.

[Trethowan]

I was thinking about cutting the pegs off and doing a ghetto-magnetic head using Apoxie to hold the magnets. I love my Freya but yeah, they shouldn't have released a doll with a dysfunctional head-cap.