Recently, I finally received a body for my Barbie Modern Circle Melody. It took me a long time to decide on the right body. Certainly, I like Mattel MTM (Barbie Made to Move bodies) visually and I really appreciate the more realistic proportions and variety. But their quality is terrible - from mismatched skintones between different body parts to really awful joints. That's why I prefer using MengF bodies for my hybrids.
The ideal MengF match is the Beige skintone. A funny thing is that in photos the original body seems to match the face better, while in real life the original body has a much stronger contrast with the face, and the new body matches almost perfectly.
Another advantage of MengF bodies for older doll hybrids is that they can still wear their original clothes. Older dolls used to have a larger bust and a smaller waist compared to modern Barbies. Though I didn't dare try the original shoes - they're made of very stiff rubber.
