Hi there! Is everyone enjoying our blog so far? I hope so, because every week we strive to give you more helpful tutorials so that you can further enjoy your hobby with Volks. And today we are going to talk about KIPS and how you can install them in your SD.
As your SD becomes loose, posing them can become more difficult. Tightening your doll’s elastic will help, but KIPS will help for the time in between tightening, and can help your SD hold poses longer. Does your doll have uncooperative arms, or a slouching head? Well, KIPS can certainly help!
The word KIPS is short for ‘Keep It Posed System’. KIPS are silicone disks that cushion and add just the right amount of friction when installed in between your SD’s joints. KIPS were first introduced back in 2005 with the release of our Limited SD16 Boy, Yukinojo. Since Yukinojo, KIPS have been installed in most Limited and Standard Renewal SDs, and are now also sold separately. Does your SD have KIPS? If not, add them! They are easy to install, and we’re going to show you how!
For this demonstration we used our lovely showroom model, Mika. Mika is an older version MSD Assembly Kit, so she did not come with KIPS. Here are the following tools used for this demonstration, but please adjust to your SD’s size:
- KIPS Parts
- Dollfie Stringing Tool for Head Parts
- Dollfie Stringing Tool for Mini Super Dollfie
- Super Dollfie Clip Holder 200mm/8in.
When you open your package of KIPS, carefully separate them and count them out. You should have eight KIPS disks total (2 large ones, and 6 small ones), as seen here:
One package of KIPS is enough for one ore more SD, depending on how you use them.
For Mika, we only need to use three KIPS disks (1 large one for the neck, and 2 small ones for the shoulders):
For MSDs and Yo-SDs, it is recommended to only install three KIPS disks. However, for larger SDs, you can also install smaller KIPS disks in between the forearms and wrists in addition to the shoulders and neck. Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s begin!
Step 1
Step 1:Use the Dollfie Stringing Tool for Head Parts to remove your SD’s head. Hopefully you are accustom to doing this by now, but if you need a refresher please visit Step 14 of Assembling Your MSD Kit: Part 4.
Step 2
Step 2: After removing the head, use your head tool again to pull up and out on the neck elastic about about three inches. Then, use the Clip Holder to clamp the elastic in place, as pictured above.
Step 3
Step 3: Next, remove the neck elastic’s S-Hook and place the large KIPs disk onto the elastic. To do this, place the KIPS disk over the knotted end of the elastic first, as pictured above, then over the looped end. The KIPS are meant to stretch, but be careful not to stretch them out too much as they can break.
Step 4
Step 4: After placing the KIPS disk onto the neck elastic, attach the S-Hook back on and attach the head. Once you have attached your SD’s head on, move it around a little. Do you feel a difference now that you’ve attached the KIPS disk?
Step 5
Step 5: Time to attach the shoulder KIPS! First, pull one of your SD’s upper arm out and use the Clip Holder to clamp the elastic in place, as pictured above.
Step 6
Step 6: Next, disassemble the arm. By now you should have a basic understanding of how to disassemble and assemble your SD, but if you need a reference, please refer to Assembling Your MSD Kit: Part 1.
Step 7
Step 7: After disassembling the arm, slip the KIPS disk onto the elastic, as pictured above. Attaching the shoulder KIPS is much easier than the neck!
Step 8 (not pictured): After attaching the shoulder KIPS, re-assemble the arm. If you plan on attaching a forearm KIPS, attach the upper arm first, followed by a KIPS disk and then the rest of the arm. If you want to also add a wrist KIPS, attach the KIPS disk after attaching the forearm, then attach the ball joint and the rest of the hand.
Lastly, repeat Steps 5-8 to attach the second shoulder/arm KIPS.
Once you have finished installing all of the KIPS, test them out! Like our Mika:
Ta da!
your SD should be able to spread out their arms and hold them out like an airplane! See, KIPS are very helpful! I personally have KIPS on all of my SDs, so I can tell you about how great they are all day long. But, don’t take my word for it, try them yourself!
Once again, we hope you enjoyed this tutorial and were able to follow along. ‘Till next time~Meow!
Tags: Tutorials
