[YES] Lou Knaptand Partial by Lobita Works We were not told what year this project was completed on, the item being reviewed could possibly not reflect the makers current work. General Information Please note that this review is from an older version of the site. The page layout differs slightly from the current version because of this. Reviewer Information Reviewer Furaffinity: baremyfangs Weasyl: eclair Relationship With Maker The maker is NOT a friend Prior Experience Not at the time of purchase, but I have tried on a few fursuits since then Informed Maker of Issues Yes Wear Time ~50 hours Maker & Project Information Maker Denali of LobitoWorks Commission Information Type: Fursuit > Partial Style: Toony Shipped From: USA Species knaptand Found in Canidae (?) Made in Year 2016 or earlier Transaction Information ~1000 USD Filed under $1000 - $2999 as a None. Estimated Completion Time (ETA) Accuracy YES - the ETA was accurate Date of Review 12 July 2016 Project Timeline Contact Date First contacted April 2013, Commission slot taken October 2013 Completion/Ship Date Completed November 2013, received December 2013 Item Completion Time (?) 1 - 3 Months, 7 - 12 Months Character Concept Art http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16657569/ (current ref) http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10605529/ (ref provided for commission) http://i.imgur.com/SqelJM6.png (head turnaround provided for commission) Photos of Completed Product http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12189497/ http://knapknapknap.tumblr.com/post/143265623085/ Head Wear Satisfaction Fit: The lining of is very comfortable, and the head has padding inside for the top of my head, my forehead, and my chin. It’s comfortable and breathable, and nothing’s stabbed, poked, or made it otherwise unpleasant to wear. The head is lined all the way to the neck-flap with spandex, which makes it look very neat and helps keep the fur cool and clean. Inside the head is quite roomy compared to some other heads I’ve worn, which are snug to the wearer’s face. I tend to prefer this for breathability reasons, but very active and bouncy suiters may want to keep this in mind and request additional padding if necessary. Ventilation: Great ventilation! The wide mouth allows fresh air to flow freely against my mouth and nose. I haven’t felt short of breath or uncomfortable, and am able to suit for a few hours at a time, indoors or outdoors. Vision: The head had a large blind spot right in front of me, but Denali let me know ahead of time that the shape of the nose would impede vision somewhat, which I gave the okay for. The eyes offer a wide range of vision that’s also very clear. There’s an additional bit of vision possible through the mouth, which is handy for reading or checking my phone. Visual Satisfaction Symmetry: The two eyes are slightly asymmetrical, but not as much as the official pictures would suggest. I asked Denali about the eyes after seeing the glamour shots and she did a good job of fixing it without starting any hacking or slashing at the head. One is still at a slightly different angle than the other, but it’s now very hard to tell and is more just part of the expression rather than a flaw. The markings, ears, and other features are symmetrical and proportionate. Shaving: No backing shows anywhere. The shaving is done evenly and cleanly. Though the fur used on the face is already rather short in pile, the shaving still helps bring out the dimensions of the head, accentuating the nose, muzzle, and cheeks. Look and feel: The fur used for the head, arms, and paws is rather short and not as soft as longer furs like luxury shag, but still plush and pleasant to touch. The fauxhawk is also lovely and soft to the touch. All the fur is easy to brush. Expression and appearance: The expression is exactly what I imagined for the character. The eyes are static, but different angles still bring out different expressions. The shapes are done well, the head isn’t overly big (even on my rather tiny frame), and everything is put together cleanly and almost seamlessly. The fur choice is great! On the fauxhawk, the long-pile fur has darker “roots” that make it look more like real hair. Does it match the concept art: Denali did really well incorporating elements of my drawing style with her fursuit-building style. I feel like the suit really reflects how I imagine my character looks, it includes her defining features like the angular teeth and doesn’t feel like a generic canine given a coat of character-accurate fur. The expression, colors, proportions, and features all match up with the concept art. It’s a unique product that really brings to life what I envisioned. Overall I’m thrilled with the head! Special Attachments and Features Not sure where else I can mention it, but the only issue I’ve had is that a small piece of the sculpy broke off on the inside of one of her teeth. It wasn’t any problem to fix it up myself though, I’m decently handy with sculpting and painting. Hands and Feet Wear Satisfaction Fit: I only got hands (and hands with sleeves attached, so I guess I’ll put those here?). Denali asks for plenty of measurements which ensure that you get a proper fit. My hands fit nicely and do not slide off, but I can put them on comfortably as well. Quality/durability: The seams are clean, neatly done, and strong. Nothing has popped yet and I have a range of movement with my hands comparable to what it would be if I weren’t wearing my suit. For the hands+sleeves, I still have an excellent range of motion. The fit is snug enough that nothing slides off, and I can comfortably put them on by myself. The hands/arms came unhemmed. I ended up adding bias-tape lining to the hands and arms as repeated wear was causing a bit of fraying. Judging from more recent product pictures, it looks like this has changed since I purchased my suit, and hands/sleeves now come with hemming! So my remarks on that front are a bit outdated. Interior: The hands/arms are unlined, but that hasn’t caused me any discomfort. No fabric marks on the inside that I can see, and the seams on the inside aren’t bothersome in any way. No messiness sneakily hidden on the inside to be found here! Visual Satisfaction Nothing about the hands or arms is lopsided. The shaving is even, and the fur used is the same as what’s used for the head, so I’m happy with the look and feel of it. I think the color matches the concept art well and looks very natural. Overall Product Satisfaction How was your concept art realized? Denali drew up her own concept sketch based on the references provided to help visualize how the suit would look in her style. In doing so, she did not deviate too far from my original concept art, so everything was still very recognizable. The suit itself matches the concept art very well. How well does everything fit together and match up? How satisfied are you with how well everything fits together and matches up? Do you markings match up at the seams? Are the colors consistent? No markings or anything, but the same fur is used throughout, so the colors are consistent, nothing looks out of place. Overall Project Quality I’m not sure what I can add—the suit is built to last and looks great. I love it and other people do too! Purchase Process Initial Contact Initiating contact with Denali was easy and pleasant. I first contacted her with some general questions, which she all answered cordially and informatively, and she was also very helpful in setting everything up for a price quote. Maker Response Time How satisfied are you with the response time from the maker? Very! Responses were quick, often within the same day. Maker Professionalism Lobitaworks was great to work with. They sounded enthusiastic about making the suit, they were always upfront with their answers and information, and every response I got was friendly and professional. I got a lot of progress photos, which I really appreciated, and Denali always asked for my ok before she went on to the next step. The Lobitaworks team really shines when it comes to customer service. I’m a happy customer! Project Completion Time When I contacted lobitaworks, I had set aside almost the full amount I expected I would be paying for a partial commission. However, I would have been traveling to Europe starting mid-December and didn’t want to risk shipping a suit overseas. I could ask about possible fall completion, have no set deadline and ask the suit to be shipped to a permanent address in the US for me to pick up later, or wait to commission until a summer slot was available so it could be shipped to me when i returned to the US. A Fall start was tentative and could ultimately not be met, but hadn’t been set as a hard deadline. On on October 31st, Denali contacted me to ask if I was interested in a slot that had opened up, which meant the suit could be completed before I had to leave the US. I was ecstatic! I agreed, and the suit was finished promptly after that, so that I received it a little over a week before my departure date. In all, I think they really went above and beyond to make this project happen, and I’m still super grateful that they did so. Rating FursuitReview 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 LobitoWorks. Final Comments Pros: -Quick, friendly, professional responses. Communication was always a breeze. -A good amount of WIP pictures were provided. -Maker seemed genuinely interested and enthused to create the character. -The suit is constructed well, seams are durable, glued elements are all still as solidly set into the head as they were on the day I received it. I’ve worn the suit to several events and outings over the years and it’s held up well through all of them. -Maker did a fantastic job of matching the concept art, keeping the unique look of the character. People in Dendermonde have even recognized the suit as a knaptand, which means Lobitaworks deserves huge props for accuracy! Cons: I really can’t think of any! I could go on about how happy I am with my suit; it looks great, it wears great, it’s precisely what I wanted for my character and I’m so glad Lobitaworks brought my Lou to life. In the end I can only emphasize that this experience was an amazing one from start to finish and that I can in full confidence recommend Lobitaworks to anyone hoping to commission a suit! 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.
