[YES] Atlas the Direwolf by Starcane Arts The item being reviewed is 3 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Starcane Arts (STRCANE) Based in California. Crafting since Oct 2011. Year of Project2023 Completion Time (?)7 - 12 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 Date19 July 2023 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 InformationReviewerAnonymous Prior ExperienceNo–this is my first fursuit. Wear Time10+ hours Informed Maker of IssuesI had–and still have–no issues with my fursuit at all! Atlas: Semi-Realistic Digitigrade Direwolf Fullsuit Positive ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Payment Plan of $6000 and over ◼️ Initial Contact: June 2022 Completion/Ship Date: January 2023 Shipping Origin: USA Type: Fullsuit Style: Real/Toon Hybrid Padding: Digitigrade SpeciesName: Direwolf Found in: Canidae(?) Features: None Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactStarcane Arts has quote openings that are easy to follow and submit for. Only a few days after submitting one of these, I was contacted politely by makers who clearly understood their pricing and had gone as far as looking into available furs for the project. Maker CommunicationStarcane Arts communicates easily, quickly, and politely. "Official" correspondence about your project goes to your email and is done in a timely manner, and in this method of communication you are treated like a client, but kindly rather than clinically. You are also permitted access to the makers' Telegram group chat when you are accepted for a slot. Because Starcane Arts are very good at vetting their commission clients, the Telegram is a wonderful, safe-for-work environment and is a great place to interact with other suiters while receiving updates on Starcane suits in real time. Project Completion TimeMy project was completed exactly around the time Starcane Arts said it would be completed. Frankly, I was impressed by this as there were a few people ahead of me in the queue *and* one of the makers knew they were going to need a couple of weeks off near the completion date. But, as I said, these makers have extremely realistic expectations about what they can do. They won't make you any false promises about deadlines, and they'll ship finished projects out same–or next–day. Overall Project QualityStarcane Arts really knows what they're doing. If you order a suit from them, every detail on it will be made well–these makers have realistic expectations of their own experience and abilities and are moreover good at vetting clients–so if you're accepted for one of their slots, you'll know you're in good hands. I could not be happier with the overall quality of my suit. If the industry standard for fursuit makers is "my suit has no issues," these guys are flying over the bar and have built a studio somewhere in space. I highly recommend visiting Starcane Arts's website if you haven't considered getting your fursuit from them–because you should. Components Head Wear SatisfactionThe head is made of resin, which is supposed to be a great deal heavier than foam, but my Starcane Arts head isn't heavy at all! Starcane hadn't made a semi-realistic canine before Atlas, so they actually sculpted her shape and cast it in their studio. So not only does no other fursuiter have the same head base my character was made on–Starcane Arts' ability to cast their own resin heads also gives them control over weight and balance, which, on Atlas, is perfect. Visibility is also notoriously worse in semi-realistic and realistic suits than in toony ones. You wouldn't know that Starcane Arts primarily makes toony suits, as I have no visibility issues at all and can see out of my semi-realistic canine head just as well as my best friend can see out of his toony feline. Granted, my best friend's suit isn't going to fit me perfectly because his head is much bigger than mine. But Starcane Arts is run by a crafting couple of makers who come in two sizes, so they're easily able to visualize what their clients will see when they put on the heads they make. Suiters who've gotten their fursuits from different makers have complained to me about losing items or having difficulty with stairs, but I can see perfectly fine! The fursuit is warm, as all fursuits are, but I don't have any issues breathing in the suit. Atlas's head came well-lined with the makers' own signature lining and with tear duct and mouth openings. The head fits so well that the head jaw moves perfectly with mine; the jawset is also built custom from resin and was hand-painted in the Starcane Arts studio. Visual SatisfactionAs you can see in the photos, Atlas's head came out perfect and matches the character design. The difference in fur color between the reference sheet and in her suit was done at my request, as there was no perfect fur match available to build her with. Starcane Arts even took her to the next level with a good deal of airbrushing, which has held up very well over time and looks subtly beautiful on the head. The fur is soft and in great condition, and all the detail shaving, sewing, and fur directions are symmetrical and gorgeous. Starcane Arts only orders from quality fur manufacturers, so when you brush the head, only teeny tiny wisps of fur come out. They went as far as to put actual boars' hair whiskers in her muzzle–which have also held up perfectly–and they offered me a vegan option in case I didn't want to wear real boar. Hands Wear SatisfactionThe hands fit well! They are just the right amount of loose around the forearms and connect to the bodysuit via zipper. Like any fursuit hands, they compromise your dexterity a bit, but these ones are comparatively sleek and were made from a pattern designed by Starcane Arts in studio. Despite the fact that you only send the makers your hand measurements, the fingers fit particularly perfectly and keep a little bit of that dexterity intact (you wouldn't be able to text your grandma, but you certainly wouldn't drop your phone on the floor)! There are no problems on the hands–or anywhere else on the fursuit–with the sewing. Visual SatisfactionI'm not going to sugarcoat it: these hands are sexy. Starcane Arts did a fantastic job drawing this pattern from scratch, putting it together, airbrushing it, stuffing it, clawing it, shaving it, and giving it a double-manicure. The paws are one of the most beautiful features of this fursuit (hands down, you could say). The pink, mochi-filled pawpads are a gorgeous color that perfectly match the reference sheet and the airbrushing is so well-blended that you can't tell it's there. The dark brown claws go beautifully with the character's natural color scheme and complement the whole suit's appearance. Lower Body Wear SatisfactionStarcane Arts went above and beyond with my bodysuit. Not only were they willing to quote me for, and add, subtle padding around the chest area when I changed my mind about it, but they also took into account my power lifting hobby when working on the leg, rear, arm, and upper back areas. Power lifting bodies undergo rapid changes, so Starcane Arts left room around the armpit area and made sure I had customization options with the amount of padding I put in. I have undergone bulks and cuts and my shoulder and thigh masses in particular have increased noticeably since November 2022, about a month after I sent the makers my DTD (duct tape dummy), and guess what? The suit still fits as if I never changed. Again, the fursuit is warm. All fursuits are warm. This one isn't particularly warm by any means–just a normal amount of warm. Do keep in mind when you're reading this review that I'm fortunate enough to be in perfect health. If you have any health concerns, please bring them up with Starcane Arts to see what they can do. I know they've built suits for visually impaired clients before and they may be able to accommodate you as well. Visual SatisfactionNot only does the bodysuit match the concept art perfectly, but the detail shaving is beautiful and symmetrical and you can't see the zipper/neckline. The padding is easy to put in and the makers sent it to me in the package with the suit. It makes the digitigrade shape Starcane Arts created look amazing! Tail Wear SatisfactionThe pillow-style tail is light and adds to the design, but you honestly can't feel it drag on you while you walk! Starcane Arts included a zipper attachment option, but there are also belt loops if I want to wear that for security or if I want to temporarily convert Atlas into a partial. The length of the tail is perfect so that it looks great with the rest of the character's proportions. Visual SatisfactionAs with the other parts of the suit, the tail is wonderfully made! The airbrushing looks great and the detail shaving is incredible. Feet Wear SatisfactionAs all fursuit feet are, these are much larger than human feet and warrant a level of caution on human-sized surfaces, such as staircases (I do not get on escalators in suit due to having heard some pretty gnarly horror stories). There are no issues at all with the feet! The feet pattern on Atlas was made from start to finish in the Starcane Arts studio. They're made of expanding foam and are easy to store and transport despite being the bulkiest pack-able pieces. They are definitely my size–they do not slide off and they allow for good movement, especially if you pick up just a bit more than normal when you walk–and even feature hidden zippers which can attach seamlessly to the bodysuit! Visual SatisfactionThe feet were carved in the Starcane Arts studio and are symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing. The resin claws look just as wonderful as the ones on the handpaws and the gradients are airbrushed expertly. You can also see beautiful detail shaving on the feet. Starcane Arts left some of the longer fur on the back, where actual wolf fur is a little longer, to bolster the realistic aspect of the suit design. Because fursuit feet can take up a lot of storage space, mine require brushing somewhat frequently even if they're not worn, especially considering my fursuit has some pretty long hair on it. The fur Starcane Arts used to build this suit is of such high quality that I never have to worry about maintenance! 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 Starcane Arts. 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.
