Radiant and SBL technical comparo at Puchi Collective

Radiant and SBL technical comparo

Takara’s first Radiant molded doll, Darling Diva, will be popping into mailboxes in the next upcoming weeks. She’s a very expensive dollie and not too many people will want to open her up in the name of science. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a blank radiant head, so, without further ado, here’s my technical observations on the new mold. enjoy!

At first glance, it may not look like much has changed with the radiant mold (shown on the left in these photos). She has the same eye mechanism with slightly translucent eyes, and same thick lashes as SBL.
Looking more closely though, she has an expression that is a little more “innocent,” and gives off a vibe more like her EBL and BL ancestors. Look closely at the distance between her nostrils, a big change from the pointier nose of the SBL. Her lips are wider with a sharper crease in between her lips, more closely resembling a kenner’s bare lips. Her eyes are noticably wider, allowing more light to hit her eyeballs and giving her a more interested expression.
One of the more subtle but impactful changes is in the chin. look very closely at the silhouette of the underside of her chin, it has a little indentation under it that matches the kenner chin almost exactly. Her ear is also slightly different. The SBL in this photo has a large “crack” in between her faceplate, yet the radiant blythe does not. You’ll see why in a moment.
Radiant Blythe features a new system of opening and closing her head, including clips in front of her ears. Her faceplates snap together and hold without screws (although they do have screws like older blythes).
Here you see the hole for the new third screw, right above her spring loop.
You can also see that she doesn’t have that gutter running around her head like the SBLs. Her scalp attachment system is all brand new, too. (at this moment, I can’t comment to the “amount of glue” holding her together, as the head I am showing here did not have a scalp) Two screws (one behind her forehead and one on the back faceplate) secure her scalp in place.

So you can see that there are many changes in the new mold. I’m trying to reserve judgement and stick with technical differences so you can establish your own opinions on the new RBL blythe, but I for one, am optimistic about this change. Keep your eye out for an RBL head opening tutorial in the near future (it’s the shortest head-opening tut yet!)

Be sure to check out out Radiant Head-Opening tutorial

by Melissa September 24th, 2006 in Blythe

41 Responses to “Radiant and SBL technical comparo”

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1blairSep 24th, 2006 at 10:47 am

Exciting! I just saw the larger pics on Flickr. I’m finally getting why people are calling her more “Kennery.” I must say she still is nothing even close to the original, but she’s got it at certain angles.

Her face is pinker? I like the pinkier skin. Will they all be that way? So many questions.
2MelissaSep 24th, 2006 at 10:54 am

not sure. this head i had looked like it was used for makeup practice or a mold test and probably is not the true color of the production dolls. You can see it doesn’t match the back half of her head at all. The SBL in the pictures is also a lighter skinned girl (probably a blank ashlette, I don’t know, i got her blank too).
3eurotrashSep 24th, 2006 at 11:11 am

Yes, yes, and yes! i’m feeling her vibe, esp with the blank plate. the chin thing i love..i always loved the little kenner chin dimple…and her lips look so much like my Win’s which were nude before I got her….
4HelenaSep 24th, 2006 at 12:13 pm

I start to like radience now. Earlier I was unsure, but I think it is all diva’s fault with fat lips.
5Cassy/sweetpeachSep 24th, 2006 at 12:15 pm

I think she is such an improvement…her expression is completely different from the SBL’s. she’s beautiful.
6yatabazahSep 24th, 2006 at 12:26 pm

I LOVE her.
I’m back to buying Neo-Blythes again, I see it coming.
7HelenaSep 24th, 2006 at 12:40 pm

Ok, I can’t stop babbling, I am very happy to see that CWC/Takara actually can make a change for the BETTER. They usually make changes for the worser, at least in the past. I am so excited! My wallet is so NOT excited.
8hwarSep 24th, 2006 at 12:47 pm

it’s so fantastic to see these pictures. i can’t wait to actually be excited about new releases again!
9emptynestSep 24th, 2006 at 1:19 pm

I loved the new face mold from the moment I first saw it (even with the crappy promo pics)! It will be interesting to see how close to the Kenner mold it actually is once customizers try their hand at Kenner lookalikes. Either way, a most welcome and exciting change!
10BritmodetteSep 24th, 2006 at 1:36 pm

Wonderfull!!! it’s very same to Kenner!!! the opening system is great for customizations!
11TiffanySep 24th, 2006 at 1:47 pm

Yay! Thanks for the comparison pics! The eyes are so wide and wonderful! Can’t wait to see the first release after the Anniversary doll!
12LynneSep 24th, 2006 at 2:05 pm

Thanks for the pix and the concise info about the differences! I will be excited to see more Dollies with this mold (especially River!)
13HeidiSep 24th, 2006 at 2:16 pm

Thank you so much for the preview! How interesting, this may be the first type of girl that I will actually dare to open the head Do you still have to saw it open? I love the new eye shape, it is much sweeter, as is the tiny chin.
14gcrepe (Gabriela)Sep 24th, 2006 at 2:33 pm

Melissa—

Your comparison charts and information are THE BEST! RBL mold does have that subtle “innocent” look. I’m sure the new Neo’s will prove to be lovely little ladies!
15SherriSep 24th, 2006 at 2:43 pm

Very exciting…Thanks for the sneak peak pics! You’re the best! I can’t wait for the first regular released Radiance girl.
16MissSSep 24th, 2006 at 3:13 pm

THANK YOU for braving!
17ghislaineSep 24th, 2006 at 4:12 pm

oh i’m so excited abou the new radiance mold! thanks so much for sharing this info melissa!! looking forward to your RBL opening tutorial…
18moSep 24th, 2006 at 7:35 pm

thank so much for such professional publication. I really wish to read the technical obervation report among RBL and Kenner. See if my wish could come true.
19Kelly (kittenfantastico76/Simple Curiosity)Sep 24th, 2006 at 7:41 pm

I’m so ultimately excited! I can’t wait to see the “out of box” images of Darling Diva - thank you all SO much for this write up!
20PoopychunSep 25th, 2006 at 12:15 am

this is extremely exciting, I’m almost scared I would be tempted O_O!
21SuzySep 25th, 2006 at 2:54 am

If it’s easy to customize, I’m all for it. Thanks for the write-up.
22Miss GretchenSep 25th, 2006 at 8:14 am

Thanks much Melissa. Very thorough as always. Only a few Superiors stole my heart, so I look forward to seeing Gentle River in the Radiance.
23luckylolaSep 25th, 2006 at 10:09 am

Wow!! What a difference between the 2 molds. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the new mold, but I’m kind of excited now for the new RBL face. Thanks Melissa for the great comparison shots.
24greendotSep 25th, 2006 at 11:25 am

Thank you for posting those great comparison photos! It will be very interesting to see the new regular releases with this mold! I can’t wait!
25dolly*hexSep 26th, 2006 at 11:57 pm

I really love the new mould and can see why this was the choice for Gentle River. It really is the closet they’ve come to capturing the Kenner look. Thanks -as always- for the head shot comparisons.
26ShedragonSep 28th, 2006 at 1:39 am

Looks very promising
Will Gentle River be the first with this mold? Or Darlig Diva? I’m so out of the loop these days…
27BlurrydollSep 28th, 2006 at 4:56 am

I really like the looks of this new mold, but I have to say I’m even more intrigued by the new facening system, very nice, I can’t wait to take one out for a customizing test drive. ^___^
28GingerSep 29th, 2006 at 8:19 am

Thanks for your kindness!
29tinywitchSep 29th, 2006 at 10:07 am

great! i always long for a mould that is close to kenner. i’m really tired of SBL… esp its swollen face…
30ZoedollOct 5th, 2006 at 1:28 pm

I’m not really in to Kenners, but I actually think the new mold looks a lot cuter than the SBL! OK, I am saving up for the new girls now XD thankyou for posting this!
31Tiny HausOct 8th, 2006 at 2:13 pm

Thank you so much guys!!! I can’t wait to see a RBL in person!
32tortieNov 1st, 2006 at 7:21 am

Just got the Darling Diva. Yes, she is lovely. Great hair & accerssories came with her. My concern is on the eye socket. When looking from above her head, I notice a slightly larger gap in between her eye ball & the socket of her right eye as compared to her left eye. Wonder if this is a factory flaw or a face plate eye socket defect. Is her eye socket opened bigger on the right side? This is obvious when you look at her slightly sideway. I dont know if I should ask for a refund or just treat it as a surpirse. Any RBL/DD owner notice the same?
33mnspkngfrnchNov 15th, 2006 at 7:24 am

I’ve noticed the same thing about my Last Kiss, and I think you can see this in some owner photos of Last Kiss as well. Probably it is the mold - done by purpose or not, I don’t know…

Personally I find this feature charming, not a flaw or a defect! ^___^
34Mold RemoverMar 26th, 2007 at 3:14 pm

Is this a wordpress blog? or some other software?
35MelissaMar 26th, 2007 at 3:46 pm

wordpress with a custom theme.
36성지은Apr 8th, 2007 at 12:17 am

뭐라하는지..
37RowenaMay 11th, 2007 at 4:00 am

There’s hardly any difference!! LOL XD
38koreaOct 5th, 2007 at 10:58 pm

와… 이거 네오보르이스 너무너무 이뻐요 ^^
39gloriaJan 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 am

can you replace blythe’s body for an obitsu flexible body?