He Looked Smaller on the Internet

See this suave guy? This is a Dollshe Grant Phillipe , painted up by SDink (it's her photo, Dollshe uses it with permission as their promo for Phillipe.) He's quite the hottie, and I have seen his cousin David Kuncci in person and thought he had the most gorgeous hands I had ever seen. But these guys are not cheap--the base price exceeds Iplehouse, and I have pretty much decided that is A Bridge Too Far for a price point for a doll, as I have just as much fun with my Granados and Impldolls. But then..there was a sale. So I ordered Phillipe for what I would pay for a garden-variety Soom, and then sort of forgot about him, because in the past Dollshe has taken up to a year to deliver. People ALWAYS get their stuff, but Mr. Dollshe is a perfectionist, and since I've read that his mom helps string the dolls when things get backed up, I assumed it is a very small family business... and things would arrive when they would arrive. Possibly in the fall, when I wasn't incessantly mowing.

So Saturday, August first (which was a weird day all around) the substitute mail carrier comes at 2 PM with a box nearly as large as she is up my 15 steps, and sets it down with a "next time you order a couch, please do not send it USPS" expression on her face, and I sign for it, and drag it in. It is heavy, and it is my Grant Phillipe, in exactly the time frame Dollshe says they ship. Here is the box:

This is when I think "What have I done?" I did notice that the shipping seemed high when I filled out the order form, but I know EMS has just raised their prices so I assumed that was it. Welp, there is stuff on the dining room table so I lug him into the kitchen, and open the shipper:

OK the inner box is almost a reasonable size, and so pretty! But...it's a slider! Dollshe, why?

I do manage to get it open and look inside. This is a big guy. There are little pockets of things on the sides, too--a credit-card like Certificate of Authenticity, and a pair of plastic pieces that I have to look at for a minute before I realize they are hand subs--you swap them for the hands so those beautiful fingers don't get caught in sleeves. That is handy:

Now looking at this guy, I see another clothing problem--he's a big man everywhere, and I am not sure how I am going to slide pants on him--partly because the penis and friends is sort of a promontory on it's own--the leg cuts leave that area isolated--in fact it looks a bit like a weak point if he had a fall. But some more fishing in the box came up with, I kid you not, a sports protector, presumably to keep the pants from catching on his bits:

Now I have to see if I can actually lift this guy up out of his box. I was able to get him out of the foam, and set him right down back on the box. Now it looks like there is a dead guy on my kitchen table:

It's a dead guy with great feet, though! Let's see how well he stands:

He stands pretty well, though his ankles need sueding as he wants to slip forward--it's just a lot of weight up high on those legs. His arms have silicon disks, which I wonder was the inspiration for Granado putting them in the newer bodies. I'll be honest, I'm not really a fan--I'd rather do my own removable sueding.

I do love the metal protective rings in the neck and the head, though! Those are awesome. Here is the neck:

It's quite easy to get his head on and off--he's not strung super tight, and not floppy either. And speaking of his head...he has the derpiest, cutest little head (the faceup is mine of course, that is obviously not a factory faceup):

It's partly because he has a big neck, he hasn't got his headcap on, and because he just has a little goofy head.:D If you put a big wig on he looks fine, though--

Those are 12mm Glib acrylics, btw--he has the same problem the Iplehouse dolls do, where the eye needs a large white and a small iris. I have a couple of eyes coming from Eyeco but I am not sure they will fit either, so I may end up having another day of cranking out sculpey eyeballs for everyone. As for size, he is big, but after all my worrying he's about the same size as Kip, the Impldoll Plaice. Here he is with Aldwood, a Granado Davon (and Aldwood's worst Wig Ever, which is like the 3rd wig I have made for him. My next one will be much better):

You can get a better idea of relative sizes by looking at them in the mirror. Aldwood is 68 cm.

Anyway, I really like him. He's such a goofy, pleasant sculpt. He is not suave here--he is an amiable giant.

I'm hoping to get some clothes on him by next week, something like this:

I sort of wish I had a little dog for him too :D