[OK] Vance the Raccoon Fullsuit by Liquid Sunshine Designs The item being reviewed is 5 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Liquid Sunshine Designs (LSDSUIT) Based in New York. Crafting since 2015. Year of Project2021 Completion Time (?)4 - 6 Months ETA AccuracyNO - the ETA was passed An ETA is the Estimated Time of Arrival for a project. In other words, an estimated turnaround time. An ETA is not a deadline. Review Date11 December 2021 RelationshipThe maker is NOT a friendThis relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written. Review InformationReviewerTwitter: zephyrnok Prior ExperienceI have prior experience in amateur fursuit making and wearing. I have both a digigrade and plantigrade suit. Wear Time20 Informed Maker of IssuesI have not told the maker about issues I have had with the suit. Vance the Raccoon Neutral ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Lump Sum of $1000 - $2999 Initial Contact: September 2020 Completion/Ship Date: February 2021 Shipping Origin: USA Type: Fullsuit Style: Toony Padding: Plantigrade Specialties: None SpeciesName: Raccoon Found in: Musteloidea(?) Features: None Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactVery easy to make contact with maker over email. Purchase was done through Paypal and their website. Maker CommunicationCommunication was satisfactory and professional. Part of their ToS was that there would not be many in-progress pics on demand, but they were willing to take pictures for me. Delays were relayed in a professional manner. Project Completion TimeThe slot was expected to have a turnaround in mid November, but the fursuit was not ready by then. That, plus holidays, added around a month or two of delay to the completion and shipment of the fursuit. Overall Project QualityMy biggest complaint that I have with Vance is that he's a little hard and uncomfortable to wear. The tightness in the chest is pretty negligible after wearing him for a little while, but if the head isn't having "a good day", it just becomes a complete pain to wear. Other than the head's fit, everything else is more or less competently made. Components Head Wear SatisfactionWearing the head is probably the least satisfying thing about the suit. It has a tendency to raise upwards– meaning I'm more likely to be looking out of those nose than eyes. When not lifted high, it pushes uncomfortably against the face, my cheek resting against the acrylic of the eyes. The size of the head makes it difficult to wear partially, as well as give proper hugs without having it bapped all over the place. Frequently I need to pull the head downwards (or readjust it), and the pulling wear-and-tear has caused seams on the ears and cheek-fluff to pull from the head-base itself. The paint on the eyes reduces some visibility, as do the removable eyebrows. If the head is properly aligned, you can get a modest field of view– though usually only through one eye. The highlight painted on the right eye is in the perfect position to block vision, unfortunately. In addition, due to the fact that they are sealed and acrylic, too much humidity and heat can cause them to fog up– the issue gets rather bad going from outside-to-inside, or if the internal fan is not running. Ventilation, then, is pretty pour without a fan. LSD did mount one within the nose, but the USB cord connected to it is finnicky at best, and the fan cuts out frequently– which is very hard to restart, even with a handler. Most breathing is done through the fursuit's hollow nose, but hot air tends to accumulate within it without the fan's aid. The mouth is closer to chin-level, so any drinking goes through the nose as well. The biggest mystery is how the head seems to wear poorly on some occasions, and better (albeit still not perfect) on other occasions. The best I can figure is that the balaclava is making it slide just enough to be unstable, while bare-heading it seems to be a little better (at the cost of getting sweat on the internal lining). Visual SatisfactionThe head looks alright. It is about as accurate to my character as I could hope for in terms of feature points (nose triangle, dots, head-fur). The ears are large, eyes are cute, and I do get a lot of compliments while wearing it. That said, the face seems very 'flat' from the side. Not sure if that is from stuffing it in the suitcase for travel, though I do recall it looking very flat in progress pictures and on unboxing. Symmetry is not perfect, but it isn't unbearably so. Some markings are a slight bit off compared to each other. Character design is more or less matched. Shaving is mostly even, with some areas of choppiness. Material feels of decent quality and is soft to the touch. Brushing is made difficult with the current wear between face and cheek-tufts + ears. There was some stitching failure in the chin as well, but it was a simple enough sewing fix. One-Piece Body Wear SatisfactionBody suit has an internal lining, and is sleek to put on. The lining does make it a bit hotter than without, but it is nice not having the bare fur-backing. It is tight around chest, which may have been from either gaining a few pounds of weight, or manufacturing my duct tape dummy improperly. Some seams of the internal lining have popped recently as of MFF 2021 due to some heavier activity, but the outer layer has not torn. Visual SatisfactionBody suit is symmetric. The markings are more or less accurate, with the exception of the belly and rear. The white fur (per ref sheet) is intended to go fully down from chest and wrap between thighs and go under buttocks. Instead, the maker did a white furred belly and separate white-furred buttcheeks. It's a slightly weird design choice (probably done to make it easier to sew?) but not quite character accurate. Fur is shaggy, not very close-cropped. It is soft and comfortable to touch, but definitely requires a lot more brushing upkeep. Colors were mostly accurate, it was difficult to find a brown that properly matched Vance's original color, but the reddish one chosen was made as a mutual decision between the maker and I. I like the rusty color of it. Hands Wear SatisfactionI don't wear the paws often as I've got a separate pair that suit my hands better. They are competent five-fingered puffy-paws with a lining. My hands aren't as dexterous as I would like in them (but that is part and parcel of getting puffy paws). Visual SatisfactionPaws are accurate to the reference. Tail Wear SatisfactionTail was heavy when stuffed with polyfill, but once the stuffing was replaced by balloons it was a bit more manageable. It is a floor dragger with a pull-cord to curl it so it doesn't always drag on the floor. Visual SatisfactionTail looks great and accurate, but the biggest issue is the fact that the base that attaches to belt will bend with weight and reveal the "gore" design on it. Some sort of reinforcement will be necessary in the future. Feet Wear SatisfactionIt's a little difficult to slide feet in comfortably, but it is clear when they're fully worn. There is a bit of room inside them, so feet can end up sliding around while walking. Caution when it's wet outside, they'll soak right through (not that waterproofing was any guarantee). Quality and durability is about as expected. No broken seams from walking. Visual SatisfactionFeet look accurate to the reference (with exception to sole, of course). Could use a little more trimming near the bottom of the foot, to keep from fur curling underneath while walking. Satisfied with the color, fur, and lining. Special FeaturesSpecial Feature: Inbuilt Nose Fan Fan makes the fursuit wearable, but only marginally so. Wiring is a little shotty, and fan cuts out often while putting on or off. The pocket to keep the battery pack in is very tight and is hard to open. Special Feature: Tail Curl Pull-cord Works great, hope they implement it with further suits! Main issue is the weight of the tail being too much for the cord, which causes it to slip. RatingFursuitReview rates by asking the question: Would you recommend this maker? OK This review has been marked with a neutral rating. This means the reviewer MIGHT recommend Liquid Sunshine Designs depending on circumstances that have been clarified in this review. Final CommentsIf you know someone with one of their suits, try on the head and see the fit. If you like it, and the style, you're good to go for them. They have a quick turnaround and are professional. If you have an unusual head-size or shape– or you don't want a fursuit with the same face as all their others– then you may want to seek another maker. Are you the maker of this item? Would you like to leave an official response? Click here. In case the button above doesn't work, you can click here to launch the maker response form.
