Doll Restoration: Summer (2014)

Hey y'all. Meet Summer.

Summer is part of the Barbie Fashionistas line. Here's how she'd look in the store.

This Summer, however, has been through quite a lot. I found her torso on the ground while passing a park by my house. Her arms were still attached, but her legs and head had been twisted off.

Little t told me he'd seen her inside the park a day earlier, and she was whole, but nude. He wanted to pick her up but he thought she belonged to a kid living nearby, so he left her there.

We went back to the park and, after hunting around for a little bit, found both her legs and her head, and brought her home in pieces.

Both of Summer's knees had been snapped off at the hip, and the knees twisted in circles and pulled. The plastic at the knee joint had suffered pretty intensive damage. The right hip-joint knob was still attached to the torso, so I was able to just snap her right leg back on. For the knees, I boiled a pot of water, bent the legs at the knee, and dipped only the knee area for about ten seconds at a time, then pressed the socket in towards the thigh until the plastic gradually receded. Her knees are still in bad shape and one leg juts out further than the other, so she has some trouble balancing.

Her torso casing suffered minor damage and is partially split at the hip only on the left side. Because the left hip-joint knob was missing, I had to use a short drywall screw to re-attach her left leg. It moves front to back and has limited outward movement, but a bit more effort is required to get it in action.

Pardon me for blasting your eyeballs with plastic boobs, but I wanted to show the damage. I could sand down the divots or possibly use the boiling water treatment to coax the divots closer to their original place, but I chose to leave them since they're more cosmetic damage than structural.

Summer's been restored with minimal effort, and is now the new friend of little t.

There's very little that I can do to help people who have suffered attacks like this, but I can fix plastic. Or at least I can try.

Have you ever restored a broken doll? What has your experience been like?

Review: Barbie Glam Breakfast Set

Howdy y'all, and a good mornin' to ya!

Not too long back I spotted these nifty Barbie scene sets, and I just knew I had to check one of 'em out. So, after picking up my "Die-ner", I figured I'd grab one of these to go with it.

Here's a picture of the box, so y'all know just what I'm going on about. Now I am not usually in the market for Barbie stuff, but the detail that drew me in was the promise that all items would stay in place on the table. Guess what? It's true! Sorta.

Here you can see the table set for a delicious breakfast. Two plates, some syrup, flatware, and folded napkins. Most items have a circular peg on the bottom, and the table has nine matching spots to fit those pegs. They fit well enough that the table can be held upside down and nothing falls!

Here's the table set with tea for two. I was planning on re-painting the teapot, as it's far too pink for my tastes, but then I realized it fits perfectly with Draculaura's preferred aesthetic, so.. now she has her own handbag-slash-teapot.

Here's the lady herself enjoying breakfast. Barbie flatware has come a long way since my own childhood; you can see the ring fits well and the fork rests naturally in her hand.

The price was right -- a complete doll scene (in this case, breakfast) for less than $10? I'm sold. However, if you want to set the table for two, you can't fit all the pieces. The set is ideal for a doll having breakfast in bed, not sharing brunch or teatime with a friend.

The good news is, the incredibly tiny table can be broken down, its legs removed so that it can be a serving tray. This discovery was a huge relief to me. The legs pop on and off easily, are made of sturdy plastic, and are keyed to each side so re-assembly is a literal snap. There are small circular pegs on the bottom of the table which could either be leftovers from the molding process or an implication that the tabletop can snap on to a larger scenery set.

After one day of play, the silver paint decorating the tabletop is scratched and rubbed off around the table's edges, indicating the table will need a re-paint in the near future. Otherwise all pieces are sturdy and well-painted.

I'll be honest -- until I found I could break down the table, I was not very pleased with this set. I liked the pieces but I felt the set's largest item was a design failure. Knowing now that it can be broken down into a serving tray changes that outlook for the better!

I plan to get the microwave set as well, though I'm not sure if I'll keep that very very pink microwave. You can pick up the Glam Breakfast Set for yourself here, or, if you'd prefer, the Glam Microwave or Glam Vacuum sets.

Thanks for reading, and here's hoping you and your dolls enjoy their breakfast. I've got another review coming up for New Scaremester Clawdeen. Have a fangtastic day!