Opening an RBL Evolution Blythe for the first time
Plus, I share my tips on how to open an RBL Evolution Blythe Doll!
Last week, I finally got the courage to open my Lavendula Babe’s head to change out her eye chips to the ones I bought off of Aliexpress that I’ve been saving just for Lavender. So far, I’ve only changed Winter’s eye chips but I didn’t have to open her to change out her eye chips. Winter is an ADG, which I heard is a difficult doll to open. I heard the process is similar to that of an SBL Blythe doll. I have opened an SBL Blythe doll before but she had been opened before so reopening her wasn’t too difficult (you can watch me open her up in this video) because reopening dolls is a lot easier the second time around.
Anyway, I was excited to open Lavender because she’s an RBL Evolution, the newest and latest Blythe doll model. From what I heard and read online, the newer RBL Evolution releases are a lot easier and don’t require much effort to open, but I was sooooo wrong! lol
What I thought was going to be a simple task ended up taking 3 days to complete! Below, I discuss all the struggles I had whilst attempting to open Lavender and share some tips I learned along the way to help anyone who might consider opening their RBL Evolution Blythe for the first time.
I filmed most of my process in my latest Cozy Doll Dairies episode. If you want to see me struggle, go and watch the video! haha
RBL Evo Blythes have three screws holding them together. Once you remove the top screw, the scalp comes off easily so if you just want to wash your dolls hair you can do this without risking the rest of your doll from getting wet.
However, if you plan on opening your doll completely, I recommend keeping the scalp on because you’re going to want to put a bit of pressure on the sides of the head to open your doll and the scalp makes this process easier. This was extremely nerve-wrecking for me (watch the video if you dare!) but I did get Lavender’s head open! It was a scary experience, and I nearly had a heart attack because of the loud crackling noise she made (this is normal) but I successfully got her open!
After I had Lavender open, it was time to remove her old eye chips. I had originally planned to only remove the “creepy pink” eye chips in exchange for the light pink or brown eye chips (see above), however, I couldn’t decide which eye chips to pick! So, I ran a poll on my Blythstagram and fell asleep on it. When I woke up and checked the poll, it was a 50/50 split! After debating and thinking long about it, I decided to take out Lavender’s side green eye chips as well so I could include both of the new eye colors.
I didn’t take out the eye mechanism the first time because I thought I could easily change out her eyes without getting the mech out but I was mistaken. After doing the glue stick eye removal method, the new eye chips did not want to go all the way in, no matter how much pressure I put in! I only ended up getting one out of the four eye chips in all the way before I decided to call it a day.
The next day, I had more energy so I told myself I’ll just take out the eye mech, how difficult can it be? Let me tell you, this was sooooooo hard! I used a mini flathead screwdriver and wrapped it around some tissue to prevent making any marks on the plastic. I watched Beth Ramsden’s video; she makes it look SO EASY! After several failed attempts, I asked the Blythstagram community if they had any tips, and people sent me such encouraging stories of the first time they opened their Blythes and how scared they all were. I even had one of my Blythe besties record a video of her opening one of her dolls, which definitely helped me be more aggressive with my doll!
I was finally able to get the white eyeball part of the eye mech out, which I thought was great, as that was the only part I needed anyway. I glued in the new eye chips and this time got them in all the way without worry. I left the eyes to dry overnight even though I’m pretty sure that they would’ve stayed in because of how difficult it was to get them in! haha
The next day, what day are we on, day 3? But I believe this is the last day! I tired to nudge in the eyeball part back in but to no avail. So, I had to take out the entire eye mechanism out just so I could attach it back in! I did manage to eventually take it out and then shoved it back in. This was tricky because you have to be super careful not to damage the eyelashes of the Blythe in the front. When the eye mech was completely back in, I thought everything from this point would go smoothly, but nothing is ever that easy…
I also had issues putting Lavender’s head back together. At this point, I thought I must’ve gotten a super indestructible Lavender Babe because like, how is it this tough? After an hour of taking a break, I came back and was able to finally get her back to one piece! I found that attaching the scalp first and then the sides helped a lot! After this, I screwed the screws back on and she was finally done!
I also gave Lavender a hair spa on the first day. I only used some laundry softener as her hair wasn’t in bad shape but I thought since I had her scalp off, I might as well clean it. The hair spa made her hair feel soft and smell really nice!
OPENING AN RBL EVOLUTION TIPS
Leave the scalp on when opening and closing the doll
Keep all unattach pieces organized (screws, springs, t-bar, etc)
Use a flathead screwdriver with tissue wrapped around to protect the plastic
Take several breaks and rest when you feel flustered
Watch Beth Ramsden’s video
Don’t be afraid to get rough with your doll, she can handle it!
What this experience taught me is that customizers and/or anyone who regularly opens their authentic Blythe dolls are so brave! I’m not sure if opening factory or fake Blythe dolls is easier but the risk isn’t that high, seeing as they only cost $20-30 compared to a real $150-200 Blythe doll.
This entire process was very daunting. These dolls are expensive, so obviously you don’t want to risk cracking and ruining them but based on my experience, you’re going to want to be harder on them than you think! At first, I was nervous putting any pressure on Lavender at all but that plastic is so durable and a lot stronger than it looks! The day after I put her back together, my hands were so sore! lol
One thing I noticed when I was searching for videos on how to open real Blythe dolls (there are many videos on how to open fake Aliexpress Blythe Dolls) on YouTube and Instagram was how judgmental some people can be in the comments. Instead of criticizing how someone opens THEIR DOLL, why not share how you open yours nicely? I don’t understand why people get catty over dolls. You’re adult collectors, so act like one! If you were doing something wrong, I bet you would appreciate it if someone would speak to you with kindness. In this day and age, we need less hate and more love.
With all that said, I am super happy with Lavender’s new eye colors! I think both of them look so lovely on her but my favorite has to be the pink ones because I think they complement her hair so well!