I have been a huge fan of the ground-breaking 3D-printed Makie dolls ever since my review of Glythia back in September of 2013. I only had two substantial criticisms of Glythia: she was prohibitively expensive (around $180 with shipping) and her facial features are highly unusual. The Makie Lab did a wonderful job of enhancing the appeal of the Makie faces with their 2014 "Cutie Face" release. My Cutie-faced Makie, Effie, is one of my favorite dolls in the whole world. Effie accompanied my family on our epic trip to Edinburgh, Scotland last year. I could not have asked for a better doll companion.
Recently, the Makie Lab dramatically reduced the price of their dolls--effectively fixing all of my critiques of the original concept. The price reduction came with a change in quality, though. Makie dolls are still made with 3D printed faces, but they now have plastic bodies. Also, the customization options for the faces are not as extensive as they were at the start.
I went to the online Makie Shop to check out this new approach and found both the ease of customization and the price...uh, a little addictive. Ok, a lot addictive. Over the last four months, I've managed to accumulate a new female Makie in each of the three available skin tones. In this review, I will show off my trio and talk about what has changed (and what has stayed the same) with these delightful dolls.