I'm so glad that
Ayla started a review of the SE 2016 minis! I have all of the mini Samantha versions in categories of glass eyed, painted eyed with pie wedge bangs, with the revised bangs, the BF mini, so I'll give my take on this new doll.
First of all, this SE mini is identical to the BF Samantha mini in all regards, individual variations not withstanding. My criticism of the BF revisions still stand and can be read on that mini's review. No sense belaboring the points.
The SE 2016 minis come in larger boxes with a clear plastic front, that do make it difficult to extricate the dolls without damaging the box or doll. However, yes, I succeeded with some difficulty. It can be done. For those who want to keep the box for resale purposes, that may be of note. With most of the front clear plastic, one can also see most of the doll if you want to display the doll in the box, something not doable with the old boxes where there was only that little bit for the dolls' faces to show. But other than resale and display purposes, the box is not useful, IMO, unlike the better made, sturdier, older boxes that can be used handily for storage of little things and furniture building. This new box is flimsy.
These new minis come already in their stands which are made of hard plastic "casts" that go around the legs of the dolls. My mini Sam does not have any marks on her legs, probably because of the thick stockings she's wearing. The Josefina and other dolls who have stands encasing their bare legs all have scratches and/or dents. The same goes for all the other minis I placed in the older version of these stands that encase the legs on the mini shelves. Every single one with bare legs show marks. Some of the ones with stockings covering their legs do not, though even some of those show markings.
Since I am looking at the stockings right now to check on her legs, I can tell you that the stockings are thick and good quality. Not going to run easily. Very nice. No panties for the doll which is fine, as it would have added thickness to the doll, not needed at this scale. Big disappointment with the shoes. The 18 inch version of the Special dress has burgundy shoes; the mini has the same old standard black rubber Mary Janes that one can find manywhere. I would have loved for this doll to have matched the 18 inch doll as much as possible and the shoes would have been very nice. Nope.
This dress is a favorite of mine among the BF Samantha outfits. Love the dress. So I was delighted that AG picked this dress for the SE minis. The fabric looks to me to be the same one used for "big" Sam but the print is small enough that it remains in decent scale for the mini. Care was taken to sew tucks on to the bodice to give it a similar effect as the bigg dress, and the lace was abbreviated, again to give the same effect. It would have been wonderful had AG just made the tinier dress all to scale, but they did not, but did take trouble to give it details for a similar effect. I'm pleased with the dress and will love having it for a number of my minis.
My SE mini Samantha has okay hair. Easy to style in place. Not the best among minis for hair volume and length. THis can vary from doll to doll, I have found, when buying multiples of the same mini. I am seeing this right now with mini Lea. I'm hoping that the second SE mini Sam I've ordered has better hair. It's purely a chance thing, especially with these SE dolls since you cannot get a good look at the hair as you could with the older minis, loose in their boxes.
Gorgeous doll. I got one with no flaws in facial painting. Her vinyl is a bit duskier, more buff than some light vinyled minis I have, but definitely lighter than mini Lea. Her face shape is closer to the Josefina mold minis than it is to the older Mini Samanthas, and mini Maryellen. Her eyes are also closer together than I like, but this is the same situation with the BF mini Samanthas.
Yes, she is a bit taller than most of my cloth bodied mini Samanthas, and definitely taller than nearly all of my glass eyed minis, but the early glass eyed ones were made smaller. She and mini Isabelle and mini 25th Anniversary Samantha are the same size. She is a bit shorter than mini Lea and mini Josefina, and I suspect that's due to the classic face shape.
These minis are priced at $28 including a stand. Frankly, given the prices of Mattel dolls in the Barbie line, and what OG is charging for the mini Lori dolls, this is too much. The $19 price tag is more in line. Because I collect the minis, I am willing to pay the price even when I don't think the doll is intrinsically worth it, and I do not. FOr the price, I give the doll a B to C, which is a bit of an upgrade from what I gave the first BF mini Sama. For the price AG is asking, the doll really should have gotten a better quality box, more a keepsake quality, the shoes should have been burgundy, not to mention the already belabored (on my BF mini Sam review) issues of the new mini line. That the stands cause markings and dents is really a fail on part of AG as they want this line to be a collectible one.
However, it is wonderful to get a mini of the AG doll, and in one of the pretty new dresses. That AG is offering that opportunity, is great, IMO. But what they have done is average, in outcome, IMO. I think the inflated price was done to leave room for discounts, which have already happened less than 3 months after the dolls were released. Quite the disincentive for us collectors to buy right away when AG pulls this sort of thing.
