I know there are a million opinions and tons of information out there about Factory Blythe and TBL* Blythe.
Some call both Factory and TBL dolls clones. Some feel that Factory are truly factory seconds and not fakes. TBL are supposedly straight up fakes/clones*.
I have what are know as Factory dolls before and everything was interchangeable with Takara released Blythes. I recently bought a doll that I feel is a TBL.
My observations:
Bigger eye chip sockets
Nose abnormalities
Larger eye holes
Better hair quality
Softer faceplate plastic
Poorer body
The eye chips did not fit Takara released Blythe! I tried RBL (Nicki Lad) and RBL+ (Mandy Cotton Candy). This was a huge disappointment. Fortunately, I learned before buying any additional ones from Etsy that are possible TBLs leftovers after someone's custom projects.
I could not pin point the nose. It was not a RBL and definitely not a SBL. It was somewhere between FBL and RBL+, but even then there were details that were wrong. I only snapped pics with RBL before starting to carve.
I have in the past had to carve out eye holes to allow additional space for decorative eyelids. I didn't with this doll. I see more of her eye mech at the bottom than normal.
The hair quality is really pretty amazing. The scalps is thick with really soft saran/nylon/whatever [I am unsure of the difference]. The rooting job, the part line in particular, is different from Takara releases. It isn't due to the declining quality of Takara releases, or the odd new bang/fringe style. The part line goes farther back on the head and isn't quite as neatly finished at the end.
I am not good at carving. I am easily frustrated. I could not believe how easy the plastic carved. It was like plastic butter. At times I thought I over carved it was so easy.
The body is awful. It is hot in my region. I thought the heat made the leg plastic soft, but it never firmed up. The hips are loose and seem to fan out at the top unlike other models of Blythe. Also, the body and face do not match.
I wish now I would have taken more photographs, but I was anxious to start my project. Here is some progress photos:
Final
I had planned to root a mohair scalp in natural white/blonde; however, I lost interest. Her scalp looks decent with the face up and I might add other colors into it eventually. I think she is missing an element on her face. I will probably add a beauty mark around her left eye (my right).
*Taobao Blythe, coined by Dr. Blythenstein after the site purchased from, I think.
*Clone can be interchangeable for fake.
