#mga make it mini

[alldollsarevalid]

Got a couple of the new make it mini happy hour capsules. It doesn't seem like my local target is going to carry them so I ordered them from target.com.

I got the beer steins in this one.

Still not sure if I'm going to use the resin. I have never opened the resin in any of my make it mini capsules. I just like the minis.

I feel like it would be harder to get around using the resin for these though.

I've got a small uv light for gel nails coming so I might use that and set the resin for these

[my-plastic-life]

Happy Valentine's Day from Japan! It's already Feb. 14 over there, so enjoy this adorable doll digging into her goodies!

That lava cake looks delicious!

Mmm, chocolate-covered strawberries:

[asterkurayami]

Make it Mini Halloween 2024 Spooky Cake

Bug Punch

Dirt Cups

Sandworm

[battlecrazed-axe-mage]

My take on the miniverse sriracha wings! I wasn't happy with the black tray included, so I used the blue tray from the nacho kit, plus ordered some celery off etsy for another element of color and interest. I'm really happy with the color palette, and this way I get to use more of the wings! Bonus accidental frozen moment in that little sauce drip; it wasn't my intention, but when curing it the side popped and leaked a bit. But I love how it turned out! What a wonderful happy accident

[oceanicpride]

MGA Entertainment Recalls Miniverse Make It Mini Sets with Unused Liquid Resins Due to Risk of Skin, Eye and Respiratory Irritation and Sensitization; Violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act

[xx-obliviousfantasy-xx]

I just found out that MGA was fucking selling like...mass produced toys with UNCURED LIQUID RESIN...TO KIDS... WITHOUT ANY ACTUAL WARNING ASIDE FROM "Not edible" and "Not suitable for kids under 8"

WRONG. NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN

That's irresponsible as hell

I'm livid

I'm mad

And then, you know, all their fucking toys got recalled because KIDS WERE GETTING BURNED BC THEY WERE USING IT WITHOUT GLOVES AND GETTING ASTHMA AND SHIT BECAUSE THEY WERE CURING IT WITHOUT A MASK IN A NON AIRED SPACE

IM LIVID

Fuck MGA holy shit.

Like that's actually insane and evil. Like there's eviler out there but this is FUCKED.

And irresponsible

And I'm not gonna lie the parents are just a bit irresponsible for buying this for kids and not looking into what resin is

But at the same time who the FUCK is thinking "Lemme look this up because what if this is an unsafe substance in a kids toy?" FUCKING NO ONE

I'm so pissed. They actually harmed so many children and people with their fucking negligence.

I've only ever occasionally seen adults building these mini things on Tik Tok and I thought it was just creative things these guys built or little kits they were getting from Etsy but it's a whole brand. AND EVEN THEY SEEMED TO BE NOT TAKING THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS and I said something sometimes if someone else hadn't already. But I thought "Surely there's no way someone is using resin without knowing the risks." Thinking this was just a fuckin art community thing. But NO.

I'm ranting. I'm sorry. I'm just actually like...so dumbfounded.

They need to get sued so fucking hard. How long have they been selling this shit?!?!

[tiffyfoundsomething]

MGA's Miniverse is expanding rapidly (which is very MGA of them). In addition to the Lifestyle and Cafe/Diner balls, there is the kitchen and two new play packs: Ice Cream Social and Pizza Party.

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/45QLNva

They're on preorder for about $20. There are about 4 items to complete in the Ice Cream Social pack, but they share components and there are only two bottles of resin between them all and I think you get two pizzas, so I'm honestly not sure this is a better value than getting individual balls. The bonus? is a cardboard box.

The multi-pack is still a decent value vs individual balls, though, at $30 for 5 complete sets. This is a great option if you want to try out lots of different types of the food kits without having to risk dupes.

Link here: https://amzn.to/467dKhK

@cosmomoore found this on MGA's website and I'm very excited by it:

Except for the price, of course... Oof.

That hasn't hit Amazon, yet, so no affiliate link there.

I can't really tell how many food kits you're getting to make a comparison of value vs the balls, but you do get a really cute display and storage case and look at those little crates!

I have to admit, though, that I don't understand the black and white furniture thing they're doing with miniverse.

You could probably DIY something similar with a bead storage box.

[ohmydolly]

So I got one of those Miniverse food balls.

Not sure if mine came out right, it looks a bit like a yogurt soup. Maybe I put too much resin.

[littlewalken]

If you want to make things with the MGA miniverse, like the Harry Potter potions, but aren't keen on using resin try using an acrylic paint varnish for the liquid parts. It starts white or cloudy and dries clear like white glue. Altho it takes longer to dry it doesn't need a UV light or the sun and can be thinned and cleaned up with water.

[sleepytoycollection]

Barbie Dream Besties "Brooklyn": A review

Barbie Dream Besties is a newly released doll line by Mattel, and is a spin off of their main Barbie line. Looks wise, they seem to be a spiritual successor to My Scene, Ever After high, and the more recent Barbie Extra/Barbie Extra Minis. Also trying desperately to compete with LOL and Rainbow High.

They are $20 USD each retail.

I was interested in these for three reasons: 1) I liked Ever After High and My Scene. 2) They have much more quality outfits than I tend to see from modern Barbie. 3) @queenofsquids enjoyment of them made me hopeful I'd like them too.

So do I? Let's find out.

I choose the character Brooklyn as I like her face up the best.

Her packaging is the standard plastic clam shell that seems to be all over the doll aisle anymore. I can't say I love it. I miss the cardboard boxes, so much easier to open and so much less plastic.

This box isn't super great aesthetically either. There's a lot going on in the service of nothing.

Which is a shame, because I do really like the actual character art on the box. It's super cute and matches the dolls really well. It would pop even better if the rest of the box was a smidge simpler. Sometimes less is more.

The back of the box.

We get more of this delightful artwork, showing of the full set of characters available at the moment.

We also get a short character bio for Brooklyn. She wants to be a choreographer, loves making dance routines, video editing, and creative writing. Despite her favorite color being listed as pink, she has no pink in her outfit and only one pink accessory.

Here is the box without the cover. This is what I meant when I said the box design was doing a lot for nothing. Over packaging isn't just a problem with Mattel dolls of course, MGA is arguably worse, but it's still frustrating.

Brooklyn herself is very pretty though. I tried very hard to pick one without a wonky face, but the way she's posed makes it very hard to tell.

I think one of her eyes is slightly bigger than the other. It's not enough to bother me at least. That said, so many of these were VERY wonky at the store. I would not buy these online unless you can see the specific doll you're getting. The QC is all over the place.

Here are all the accessories she comes with.

I do appreciate that all her accessories tie into her interests and character. That said, these are hit and miss.

The purse is nice, and does open.

The dog is okay, but I don't really care for these types of doll pets. It looks more like an in-universe toy than what's supposed to be an animal.

I initially liked that the phone and case were separate, until I tried to put the phone in the case and it didn't fit. It will not go in there. If I force it in, it just pops right back out.

It's a shame because I liked the 80's Barbie logo case, but without the phone in it, it looks weird when the doll is holding it.

At least the phone fits into the ring light stand.

May I also say some of these accessories feel really flimsy? The phone and Ipad are VERY thin plastic.

The boom box in hollow and unpainted.

I wish instead of having seven mid accessories we could've had two or three really good ones. Or nixed all of them and given her a stand. The doll herself is nice enough to deserve a stand I think.

Let's look at Brooklyn. She's pretty darn cute. She stands at the standard 11", and has saran hair with tinsel.

Her outfit isn't my favorite though. Mattel stop giving your dolls ugly fur sleeved varsity jackets challenge. This could've been so cute as just a regular varsity jacket.

Despite being ugly, the jacket is made pretty well. Though a button was already falling off mine. That poor QC strikes again.

Though I suppose it's moot as I doubt I'll ever put this jacket back on her ever again.

Now that she's free of that ugly thing, you can see how nice the rest of her outfit is. I didn't realize how much I missed dolls getting to wear neutrals until I saw her plain denim skirt and white tank top.

It's simple, but she's dressed like a real person. Plus, I can easily pair these pieces with a lot of other outfits. Doll wardrobes need pieces like this for mixing and matching.

Body wise she's a bit smaller than Barbie, and her feet are a little bit larger. This body reminds me a lot of the current bodies for the Disney Princess line now that Mattel has it back, though those have larger feet. If I can find the one I have, I'll do a body comparison to those later.

Her sculpt in three views. The Ever After High comparisons are very apt, though the screening itself is more reminiscent of My Scene mixed with a little bit of G3 Monster High.

For comparison, here's an actual EAH doll next to her. Brooklyn's head is just a smidge larger, but balanced out better with larger eyes, thicker brows, and bigger lips.

After this, I got Brooklyn redressed with just a few changes...

I replaced her jacket with this vintage Barbie and the Rockers one, added a necklace, and hey! Now she gets to wear her favorite color.

Final thoughts?

It's a good doll, but the quality control issues, on top of the same BS Mattel throws on all of it's dolls anymore, is dragging it down.

The fact you have to look through every single one of the shelf to make sure you're not getting a crappy one is exhausting. Plus, kids don't do that. They're going to get home with their new doll and then realize as they open it something's wrong. Kids don't deserve that.

The accessories are mostly cheap and not special enough to justify their existence. The purse, phone with case, and ring light would've been enough if they were made a bit better.

The outfit is well made, and a huge improvement over what I see in the main Barbie line, even if I don't like all the design choices, but again, that's if you get one without QC issues.

The doll herself is super cute though, and screw it, I like the tinsel. Fight me.

Overall I really love this doll, I just wish picking one out wasn't a hassle. Hell, I even bought a second one already.

I got inspired enough I wanted to repaint one, so I purposely bought this wonky Renee because she had the worst face up out of everyone at the store.

So I think there's definitely potential here. If this line continues, I hope they can improve the way G3 Monster High has improved from it's first wave.

I hope this can be the start of Mattel revitalizing it's Barbie line as well. It needs it. See ya next time.

[alldollsarevalid]

I got the hot dogs in the make it mini capsule 😊

[my-plastic-life]

Easter is almost upon us! Has anyone else dyed Easter eggs this year? I absolutely love these adorable Miniverse spring capsules! The baskets are definitely my favorite. And what a cool idea to dye the eggs! I only wish they were all different - every picture and video I've seen show the same eggs, so they all have the same six designs. Fortunately, they'd be easy enough to replicate. Enjoy this short vide of me helping Kenleigh get her eggs ready!

[asterkurayami]

I wanted to test sunlight curing for these UV resins to take advantage of the summer sun. You can tell how runny or viscous the resin is by how far they travelled down the toothpicks in the minute it took to get out the door. After 15 minutes, the tiny globs are no longer wet to the touch or tacky. I will now attempt to make a full kit and see if the sun will still do the job now that it's past peak UV which was 10.4.

[battlecrazed-axe-mage]

Wait, so those little mini resin foods I love so much are called miniverse? Do you think you could tell me more? I've always vaguely wanted to get into making like, the lil resin or clay fake foods because honestly I've always found them absolutely adorable, but I thought it'd be a lot harder than buying some kits, it looks like you're doing? This is so exciting :D !

Yeah! I've always loved those videos of people making very very small foods, so when I found out there's kits for them easily available I was so happy! They're sold under the name "MGA's miniverse make it mini" or something like that, and they're typically $7-10 per kit, blind bagged (although most have a pinhole marking to denote what's inside, there's guides for it). They're sold in most major stores where they keep the other blind bags. Here's an example of how they come, apologies for the potato quality photos (they're from a night where I was demonstrating to friends the before and after):

(although I did some small edits and additions--the original kit comes with white chocolate chips instead, and the "mint leaf" is actually a basil leaf from a pasta kit I did previously)

The chocolate sauce is actually a teeny bottle of UV resin! I put everything together to get:

Ta da! Tiny mint chip ice cream that won't melt! (And I had plenty of the oreo halves left over for another day! Typically you get more of the sprinkle-on-top bits than you need)

They're super simple and fun, and I've been really enjoying them! Right now they're releasing a ton of new kits: new waves of their normal food and homewares lines, and also a beverages line and a Halloween one! I think everything's meant to be on shelves by around mid August, but you can sometimes catch them early online. If you decide to give it a try, I suggest also getting a cheap UV flashlight, I got this one and it works like a dream!

(also, the requisite warnings about working with resin, wear a mask and latex gloves, it can cause skin or respiratory irritation, etc etc)

[sablesdolls]

a mini guide to mini dolls

i'm making this because i love smaller dolls (between 4-7" tall) and i wish there were more options that aren't toddlers/children😔 if anyone knows of a doll line i've missed, please let me know!!

MGA Dream Ella Extra Iconic Mini doll

articulation including elbows and knees

more realistic adult proportions

brushable hair

6" tall

available on Amazon (but discontinued I think)

only 3 doll models were made

Barbie Extra Mini doll

articulation including elbows and knees

big, rounded head compared to body

brushable hair

5.5" tall

available at retailers

Magic Mixies Pixlings doll

articulation of arms and legs but only elbows, not knees

big, rounded head

molded-on clothing and supernatural features like wings, ears, horns, fins, etc.

6-6.5" tall

available at retailers

My Little Pony Equestria Girls Mini dolls

articulation including elbows and knees

Big head, but balanced out with big feet

Molded-on plastic hair, clothes, shoes, and horse ears

4.5-5" tall

discontinued, have to buy second-hand and can be expensive

Disney Store 5.5" Mini dolls

only basic articulation: head, legs, arms.

Proportions are realistic, close to a 12" doll like Barbie or MH

Brushable hair (although male dolls have molded hair)

5.5" tall

discontinued, obscure, and can be expensive second-hand

Winner's Stable playset dolls

articulation of knees but not elbows

budget dolls (not the best quality)

brushable hair

5" tall

discontinued but affordable second-hand

Breyer Freedom Series 1:12 scale dolls

I'm pretty sure they're articulated to the elbows and knees?

proportions similar to Barbie or MH

brushable hair

hands in reins-holding pose lol

6" tall

available but overpriced imo

Kuu Kuu Harajuku Mini doll

only basic articulation at arms and legs

oversized head and feet

molded-on hair

4-4.5" tall

discontinued but available second-hand, not too expensive

Capsule Chix

LOTS of articulation, including even hands and feet

All joints pop easily on and off

fairly realistic proportions

body has molded-on details to look like a robot

some have molded-on clothes, all have molded plastic hair

4.5-5" tall

available at retailers or second-hand, although a bit overpriced imo

Enchantimals 6" dolls

only basic arm and leg articulation

brushable hair

huge head with slim body

molded-on animal features like ears or horns

6" tall

pretty easy to find on Amazon or second-hand, affordable

Sonic Prime Action Figures

according to the box, 13 points of articulation

(obviously) molded to look like the Sonic the Hedgehog characters

lots of molded and painted details

5" tall

available at retailers, usually around $15 each

I'm including these even though they're action figures because if someone wanted to swap the heads, I think the bodies would be a fun and unique choice for a custom doll

there are actually lots of interesting articulated action figures that have customization potential!