Thursday, March 7, 2013

Springfield Collection Doll Bed Review

I bought the Springfield Collection Bed and Bedding Set  at the Michaels craft store in Batavia, NY for $39.99 plus tax. Yet again I am purchasing for my BJDs. The product page online mentions that this can be used for most 18" dolls, including the American Girl Dolls. This bed is between the Rebbeca Bed and the Molly Bed from AG in style, though it is much cheaper in price. This set is also less expensive than the Journey Girl set I reviewed, but you also don't get a desk, table, and accesories.

This is the front of the box that this particular set comes in. The set comes with a bed (wood frame with metal scrollwork in the headboard) , a blanket, and a pillow.

The Pieces

This bed comes in pieces, so you'll need a phillips head screw driver to assemble it. Yet again I suggest using a handheld screwdriver instead of an electric one- the holes are pre-drilled, and it would be easy to strip a screw. All of the pieces of this set easily rest on the floor of my room.
 
This bed consists of three pre-assembled pieces. The holes for the screws are pre-drilled, and the dowels are already firmly in place.  Although the instructions say that adult assembly is required an intelligent child would be able to put this together easily. The instructions are a single piece of paper, showing where the screws and dowels fit the bed together.

The bottom board for the bed isn't very thick, but it is very firm for its size, and the lower ledge of the bed is already attatched to it.

Assembly

I probably don't even need to include this part of the review, but I took the pictures, and darn it all I want to use them!
 
So this is the foot of the bed. This gives you a good idea how thick the legs/posts for this bed are. It's a lot more sturdy than my other bed.

Here's the completed bed...in two steps none the less! This thing is sturdily put together, it's not wobbly and the dowels fit snug into the holes the were meant for. The top of the bed is smooth, there isn't a lip or raised edge.

The Bedding

This set doesn't come with as much as the last bed set I purchased. You get a single blanket and pillow. There is no mattress either- not even a thin pad playing at being a mattress. I have everything I need to make proper mattresses though, so once I start that project I'll post up a tutorial as I work.
 
There isn't any color variation from what was on the front of the box. Neither the pillow or the blanket are made of a scratchy material- but yet again....tags! Grab a pair of scissors and clip them off so you don't ruin the seams on your bedding.

This is the bed once it's all made up. I think it could use another pillow, but that might just be me. It does look just like it does on the front of the box- they didn't use any kind of tricks to make it look like you're getting more than what you actually are.

Functionality

This is Absinthe, another one of my BJDs. She's 16" tall, and still has plenty of room between her feet and the end of the bed. She's thinner than an AG doll, or dolls of similar build, but there is room on the sides too, so this would fit any such doll perfectly. I believe I could probably fit her boyfriend into the bed with her if I was so inclined.

Overall Review

The Springfield Collection Bedset is a good bed for a girl's 18 inch doll. It has a sturdy build to it, and seems like it would hold up well to a child's play.  Being white, one could also repaint it, or add a mural if one is artistically inclined or has the stencils to do so. Everything in the set came in good condition, and it was super easy to put together. This was a good price for the bed, even though it doesn't have a mattress. The scrollwork on the headboard is pretty as well, and gives the bed a feminine feel.
 

 Pros

  • Bed is easy to assemble
  • Set is well priced for something of its size
  • Bed is sturdy
  • Bedding seems durable

Cons

  • No Mattress!