REVIEW: Bandai Style Doll Sailor Moon MARS & JUPITER

 

I've been wanting these since they came out and waited patiently for the US Bandai store to get them in. They never came that I saw. I've almost bought them a few times before, but I ended up spotting these from a seller in my state and jumped at the chance to finally own two of my three faves. 

Articulation is very basic. They have click knees and bendy arms. There is a torso joint. So they're not for the articulation picky, but they still are the prettiest Sailor Moon dolls I own. 

SO GORGEOUS. 

Cute shoes. 

The hair is soft and I love how it's cut. 

Outfits are very nicely done. 

Were they expensive? Yeah. The people that whine about Mattel's prices would really not be able to justify what these cost me, especially as I paid more than retail. And they're not very tall. 

Do I have any regrets? Absolutely none. I really want Mercury now and then Venus and Moon. 

Perfection. 

Ah, right in the childhood. I love them so.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

VINTAGE REVIEW: 1991 Barbie Benetton Shopping MARINA

 

So I've been buying vintage Barbies and fashions recently, as they're mostly affordable and very nostalgic. I made a want list that I'm working from and this was one of the two most wanted on that list. 

I don't know how for so many years, I thought of the Benetton Shopping line as Barbie and Ken. I should have known there would be more. Maybe I did know and just ignored them because they're so hard to find? The original line came out in 1990 and consisted of Barbie, Ken, Christie, Kira and Teresa. Teresa is much harder to find than the others and up until now, I'm pretty sure she was my most expensive Barbie. I've had her for years and adore her. 

 So this is the second Benetton line, called Shopping on the box. I think it was Europe only, never sold in the US. The box is definitely international, as Kira is called Marina here. 

As you can see, the line is the Barbie and Ken I remember, plus Marina, Christie and Teresa. 

That Teresa is my most wanted vintage Barbie right now, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford one. She's super expensive! I'd love Christie, too, but she's not cheap either. 

I was going to leave Marina's hat tied to her head, but the strap was crumbling and I had to cut the hat off to get all the bits out of her poor hair. 

So now I have no pics with the hat, because it won't stay on her head. Sigh. Oh, well. 

I think this is the best outfit of the entire Benetton series. Some of them are on the goofy side, but this one is nice. Excellent materials. Really puts what we get on playline now to shame. 

She is right up there with Dana and Miko as a favorite with this mold. Gorgeous. 

I am sad they don't come with fabric bags like the first line did. 

One of the things that makes this Marina so pretty is her two-toned eye color. She's got purple and brown. Teresa has green and blue and they're equally beautiful. 

Her hair is awesome! Still really soft and I love the crimping only on the lower part. 

Without the jacket. 

Here she is with Kira from the first Benetton line. I just got her a couple days ago. 

I'll think of them as sisters. 

Kira's skirt is seriously amazing, too. The materials! I grew up in this era and the materials were nice on what I had, but these seem even better. 

One last pic. 

I'm trying to pick up a doll, an outfit, or a doll and an outfit a week, if not more, so I'll be back with more Barbie soon. 

Here's Kira in her box if anyone cares. Not in the best shape, but I rescued her and fixed her hair.

And here's the 1988 Mexican Barbie to add to my Spanish mold collection. She's lovely but my out of the box pics didn't come out to my liking. I'll probably do a big photo shoot with all the Spanish mold dolls once I have all the ones I'm after. 

I did a brief foray into late 90s Dolls of the World, so those will be next, but I'm bidding on another 80s girl and hoping to win! 

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

WARNING!

I'm not sure if anyone else sells on ebay, but if you are a seller, go to your block list and add egb_351 to your list. 

She does not appear to be actively buying and has zero feedback, but it's a good precaution to take. 

This asshole bought a doll from me, then had the audacity to ask to return it because she "just didn't like it." Like I'm a big box store that does returns on a whim. I attempted communication, as eBay says to, asking if something was wrong with the doll that wasn't covered by my item description and mentioned that I didn't do returns based on changed minds because it wasn't fair to me as a seller. Anyone who understands eBay knows you don't do this. I heard nothing back, so I denied the refund. 

Cut to a bit later and eBay notifies me there's a payment dispute from this same asshole. She used her credit card company to claim she didn't recognize the transaction, but this is set up so I can't contact the company to give any sort of proof. You'd think eBay could have provided enough info for them to not side with her, but no, the stupid credit card gave this bitch her money back. I don't understand how. There's proof the item was delivered. There's proof she tried to return it and failed with no details about how this wasn't an authorized purchase, only that she "just didn't like it." 

So yeah, block her. And anyone doing private sales, do not deal with anyone named Mikayla E. from Frederick, MD. I can provide full details on her if you think your potential buyer might be her. 

I hate when liars and thieves get away with their bullshit, so hopefully karma finds her threefold.