[YES] Zenith the Space Dog Partial by Sere Studios The item being reviewed is 5 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information SereStudios (SERESTU) Based in Michigan, Alger. Crafting since Nov 2015. Year of Project2021 Completion Time (?)1 - 3 Months ETA AccuracyYES - the ETA was accurate 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 Date28 June 2022 RelationshipThe maker WAS NOT a friend when the item was purchased, but they ARE a friend nowThis relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written. Review InformationReviewerTwitter: Puppy_Feathers Instagram: puppyfeathers Prior ExperienceYes, I am a full time fursuit builder. Wear Time10ish Hours Informed Maker of IssuesThere were no issues! Zenith the Space Dog Partial Positive ProjectThis item was a trade Paid: A Gift or Trade of None Initial Contact: January 2021 Completion/Ship Date: May 2021 Shipping Origin: USA Type: Partial Style: Toony Padding: None SpeciesName: "Space Dog"/ambiguous canine Found in: Canidae(?) Features: None Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactN/A Sere had posted on Twitter about wanting to take some trade projects and my partner and I approached her. We each sent each other a couple of character references to choose from so that all parties would be happy with the designs they were building. Maker CommunicationSere was very responsive and respectful. She posts frequent updates in her Telegram group, and sent individual updates to me as well when she was working on Zenith. Communication was always very easy and professional. She would typically get back to me within the day, but a couple of days for weekends and such was the absolute max. Project Completion TimeZenith was completed in about 4-5 months from the initial contact. I can't remember if we settled on a deadline for the trade, but even if we did it was well met as I never felt like anything was taking long at all. We finished our half of the trade first as we had no queue at the time, and Sere finished her half shortly after finishing some projects that she had in her queue. Zenith was shipped out very soon after being completed, if I remember correctly it was within the same week. Overall Project QualityOverall I love this suit a lot. It's adorable and extremely comfy. I plan on building a bodysuit to go along with this partial and can't foresee any issues with matching things up. I would absolutely commission another suit from Sere Studios in the future if given the opportunity. Components Head Wear SatisfactionThe head is very comfy! It's lined inside with spacer mesh neoprene which is super comfortable. It fits a touch on the larger side on the inside but that makes it really easy to take on and off which is wonderful. This also means that if I wanted to let someone else wear Zenith, I definitely could! It is also wonderfully lightweight. I tend to be a marathon suiter, and I can definitely see this suit being great for that. I do not typically wear glasses, but if I decided to over contacts I feel like there is plenty of room inside to accommodate them. Vision and ventilation are both superb! Visual SatisfactionThe head looks fantastic! Sere's suits are very symmetrical and she got my markings spot on. There is a small area near one ear where the thread has come a bit loose, but this could honestly be from me shoving the head into a fully loaded car for a road trip and not being careful enough (that's how much I trust the durability!) and is incredibly easy to fix up. The shaving is nice and even. I love the different fur lengths in the white that she used, it gives a lot of fun depth to the visuals. I had requested that Howl's cotton candy teddy be used for the blue fur and she was able to make that happen. The fur is soft and smooth, especially the ears which are a very silky short pile fur. The airbrushed areas are very well done, no crunchiness! The neoprene nose and resin teeth also add some fun textures that I like a lot. The expression is really cute! It's fairly neutral/happy, which I love. I feel like I could achieve different expressions with the follow-me eyes if I tried, but I haven't played around with that much. The eyelids on the head should be compatible with velcro eyelids if I ever wanted to make some though, so that is neat! The ears also have a great wiggle to them which is super fun! The concept art was matched perfectly, even down to Sere custom ordering minky for my gradients. Sere's style is very cute and toony and Zenith translated well into it, I feel like they look like a cute puppy! Overall I don't think I could be happier with the visuals of the head. Hands Wear SatisfactionThe hands are very comfortable. They are lined with the same neoprene as the head, and have stuffed fingers and paw pads. They fit snug enough to not fall off without being too tight. Movement and dexterity is somewhat limited, but that is to be expected from big bappy puffy paws so no issues there. The long black fur used sets up a great foundation for a seamless transition on a future bodysuit. The paws overall seem durable. I have only worn them for photo shoots, but have never had any reason to believe that anything was loose or not durable. Visual SatisfactionThe paws look great! The short pile fur used on the fingers was a great choice that keeps everything looking nice and crisp, and the black fur on the wrists is super soft! The claws are placed well, they don't look lopsided or crooked. The minky used for the pawpads and claws is from the same custom printed fabric that the inner ears and tongue are. It has a white backing that shows through on close inspection, but since Zenith is supposed to be sparkly/ethereal I actually really like that! The concept art, again, was matched wonderfully! The only thing even remotely "off" is the gradient on the claws not showing through completely, but I don't mind at all as I understand that gradients and custom printed fabric can be extra tricky design elements especially in such a small space. It's something that only I would ever notice, and honestly I've never once been bothered by it. Tail Wear SatisfactionThe tail is comfy, super lightweight, and even has a bit of wiggle! It's easy to put on with the belt slides and does not twist or flop over awkwardly. Quality and durability seem great! I haven't had it tugged real hard or anything, but it seems perfectly sound nonetheless. Visual SatisfactionThe tail looks great. My tail design is fairly simple, and it was matched perfectly. The different fur lengths are fun and give the tail a visual "swish" as I move around. It matches the puppy vibe of the rest of the suit very nicely! RatingFursuitReview rates by asking the question: Would you recommend this maker? YES This review has been marked with a positive rating. This means the reviewer would recommend Sere Studios. Final CommentsSere was a treat to work with and the community of Sere Suiters is very fun and positive. With this being a trade suit I wanted to let Sere have mostly free reign on it, but even when I asked for slight adjustments she was always kind and professional about it. I would highly recommend her as a builder to anyone who is considering choosing her to build their character, or even an artistic liberty project as the ones that I've seen her make have all been lovely as well! 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.
