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Post by Laura Isabella on Aug 29, 2014 19:06:48 GMT -5
Samantha™ Mini Doll & Book Item# BKF87 The 6.5" (16.5 cm) Samantha mini doll has brown painted eyes and glossy brown curls. Her smooth vinyl limbs are posable. She arrives in a tiny version of Samantha’s authentic 1904 outfit featuring a pink dress with lacy trim and a burgundy velvet sash. Includes a mini abridged version of the book Manners and Mischief.The new Beforever Smantha Mini Doll comes with many changes. A new box design, but also new Meet outfit, a new face mold, new hair and bangs, new eyes and perhaps most surprising, an all vinyl body. Overall, I have come to appreciate most of the changes. Her dress is adorable and her velvet sash just perfect. I did not notice the switch to an all vinyl body after just a few minutes of play. I actually felt she looked well proportioned overall. I particularly appreciate the attention to the eyes, which are far less "spooked" looking than earlier mini dolls. This is truly a reimagined mini doll, and for who she is right now (rather than in comparison to previous models), she is quite beautiful. Her hair is shiny and full, but do note that it required some taming at first. Also, I noticed that several of the Samantha Mini dolls in the store had extremely thin and wispy bangs that looked okay at a glance but might be so sparse as to not hold up well to vigorous play. More pictures and details can be found on my blog here.Overall I give the new BF Samantha Mini an A-.
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Post by American Girl Rescue on Sept 7, 2014 17:36:56 GMT -5
Samantha™ Mini Doll & Book - released 8/28/14 Item# BKF87 $25 The 6.5" (16.5 cm) Samantha mini doll has brown painted eyes and glossy brown curls. Her smooth vinyl limbs are posable. She arrives in a tiny version of Samantha’s authentic 1904 outfit featuring a pink dress with lacy trim and a burgundy velvet sash. Includes a mini abridged version of the book Manners and Mischief. (mini-Samantha v2 - mini-Samantha BeForever) New Samantha is very bright and beautiful! The pink dress is lovely. It's very well made. (mini-Samantha v2 - mini-Samantha BeForever) BeForever mini-Sam has much brighter face coloring, combined with the pink dress and darker hair, really makes her colorful! (mini-Samantha v2 - mini-Samantha BeForever) BeForever mini-Samantha's hair is a little bit darker and about the same length as retired mini-Samantha. Her red, velvet ribbon sash ties in the back and needs to be untied to get the dress off. (mini-Samantha v2 - mini-Samantha BeForever) BeForever mini-Samantha has a vinyl torso (as do all of the new mini dolls) so no more long, unsightly body tag! Her tights are white. (mini-Samantha v2 - mini-Samantha BeForever) My new mini-Samantha is about 1/2 inch taller than my Version 2 mini-Samantha. Since there is no body tag, the new mini-dolls have "American Girl, Made in China" in the torso mold. Also her item number & some other code stenciled on her bum as well. These are all hidden underneath her tights/bloomers. (sorry for the fuzzy photo. I also took a photo of mini-Julie's rump ID as well as mini-Addy's, so check their reviews for possibly a better photo)Her mini-abridged book is paperback and only 2 1/2" tall by 1 5/8" wide. Still cute, but small. As with the other new mini-dolls, BeForever mini-Samantha's outfit fits all of the other, retired mini-dolls too! Overall I give BeForever mini-Samantha a Grade A!
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Post by Jamirae on Sept 8, 2014 7:53:31 GMT -5
The changes to the mini's face molds took me aback as I've been used to the painted eyed minis and any changes to them over time has been subtle. Though I can differentiate the different time periods and changes, it's not something one notices casually. This change with Beforever, you can't really miss.
I'm trying to look at this doll without comparing her with the older versions. She is a pretty doll in her own right. The bangs, though are thinner and more scraggily than the 18 inch version are not going to difficult to maintain. She has lovely distinct eyes and AG did do some detail work to give those eyes and her expression some depth. The coloring is lovely and the outfit is spot on. I did not find the change to a vinyl body to be an issue, though I do get a pang that my dollies are not going to get the soft bodies in their AG dolls.
I wish that the change had made the classic mold minis have rounder faces. This doll definitely is more oval faced and has more of a receded chin than the 18 inch dolls. A main purpose of the minis is to look as much like their 18 inch counterparts, and this does hit you right away that the face mold is not the same round shape The simplicity, symmetry and roundness of the classic face mold is a hall mark of these AG dolls, and whoever designed these minis did not stick to this. That is my main complaint about these minis.
Now to compare them to the older versions: The face shape as I mentioned is oval rather than round, like the glass eyed minis which is what these remind me of except for the eyes being painted on, in terms of looks. Mini Sam's bangs are straight and skimply. I think the older minis had bang problems anyways, but AG should have gone a bit fuller with this doll's. I don't get how with them being affiliated with Mattel, they can't get these bangs right as they do have a lot cheaper dolls out there that do just that. Also, the "root holes" around the face are terribly prominent, something I dislike. The older dolls' were more discrete. I suspect there is less hair as well, but it looks good, and looks like Samantha, other than those bangs.
The new minis are taller and their arms are noticeably longer.
Though a pretty doll in her own right, with past prototypes to use, and that this is supposed to be a mini version of a doll, and they want $25 for her, I don't give this a high grade at all. I give it a C-. Body not the same, face shape not as like the new doll, bangs skimpy, root holes too prominent. It hurts that I could not get this doll for $15 as I usually do with the minis. Had she been an improvement, I 'd have bought a second set from AG, but I'll wait it out and hope to get the second set of dolls at discount at other venues in time.
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