[YES] Tenko the Darigan Bori by Dominique De Leon The item being reviewed is 5 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Dominque de Leon Year of Project2021 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 February 2024 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 InformationReviewerTenko Twitter: Tenkowski Prior ExperienceYes, this is my first fursuit. Wear Time160+ Informed Maker of IssuesYes, I have sent the head a few times for repairs to the wiring of the LED system. They fixed it for me every time I sent it in. Now I am learning to do my own repairs. Tenko the Darigan Bori Positive ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Lump Sum of $3000 - $4999 Initial Contact: September 2020 Completion/Ship Date: March 2021 Shipping Origin: USA Type: Fullsuit Style: Toony Padding: Digitigrade Specialties: None SpeciesName: Bori Found in: Monster, Kaiju, or Demon(?) Features: Spikes, Hair / Wig Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactI used Deleon’s Telegram announcement channel to be notified for the next slot opening. After I filled out the Google Docs, I was so happy they were happy to go ahead with my idea! We did not use email for long and switched to Telegram. They made it very clear what was needed from me! Maker CommunicationDeleon has excellent communication skills w/ their clients and I've never waited long for a response from them. The prompt, accurate and useful content of their messages is professional, and they make you feel like a friend that's genuinely interested in working with you, your project, and answering your questions. Their progress updates were so plentiful that I never had to ask how things were coming along, no talking to a wall or awkward silences. Project Completion TimeI was informed that my slot was going to the start of the queue as soon as I got my slot, so I was never concerned about the when's and where's of the status of my slot. I didn't specify a preferred completion date. They got to work on it shortly after I sent payment and head measurements in September 2020. When my partial was nearing completion, Deleon was very happy to accept my request to upgrade the project into a full suit. I ran into some issues getting the first DTD to my maker — I used USPS in December 2020 to ship it out, which turned out to be a big mistake as USPS was incapable of handling the holiday and pandemic rush. I eventually accepted my loss in mid-February 2021 and successfully shipped out another DTD via FedEx. Deleon got right back to work on my slot as soon as they received the DTD. That was the one and only unfortunate part of the project! I had my maker waiting so long for my DTD to come in because of USPS. The tracked UPS delivery of my entire fursuit in April 2021 was packed and delivered with much care. In summary, the project was an astounding success from start to finish besides USPS who set the project back a few months. Anyways, I'm still very happy with the turnaround and very thankful of Deleon's handling of the situation. Overall Project QualityThe project came out better than I could imagine! At the time of commissioning them, Deleon was a fursuit maker for less than two years and costume maker for about a decade. And all those skills have translated beautifully — the quality and durability of my suit feel like they were made by the hands of a master fursuit maker who has been doing this for over a decade. When I conceived the possibility of this project happening in 2020, I did a lot of research and put a bunch of potential makers on a private list for contemplation. At the top of the list, I narrowed it down to Deleon and one other maker. I can say I absolutely made the right choice partnering up with Deleon in the end. Everything you see and cannot see on the project is quality, from what you see on the outside to how I feel wearing it on the inside, to the durability and feel of the material, and everything else that happens in the background like seller/buyer communication. It's all stellar. Components Head Wear SatisfactionDeleon did a perfect job with the size and comfort of my head! This section was an absolute must for me because my larger than average head circumference makes it very uncomfortable or impossible to put on most other heads. I don't have to adjust the head constantly from flailing around, nor does it painfully compress my skull over hours of use. I'll say the ventilation's good. Plentiful air comes in through the eyes and mouth and I can exhale just fine. Speaking of the jaw, it's movable to a degree and not tight, which is great for opening the maw to shove a fan in there when needed. That, in addition to the wonderful lining job on the inside of my head, keeps me at a decent temperature in all climates. It's easy to maintain inside and out no matter how long I've worn him. Vision is way better than I expected, and I can still see much more than you think even when my eyelids and LEDs are on. I never have a problem bumping into people I couldn't see. Visual SatisfactionI'm very happy to report that after taking him with me to over 10 action-packed conventions, he's still Like New! I'm really satisfied with Deleon's take on the Bori. The finished product really captures the mix of cute and "evil" look of the Darigan Bori and Tenko that I wanted. Deleon made a slight adjustment to the design I sent in which I liked a lot, they gave him a dark, bulb-shaped nose which I adore and actually incorporated into future designs of Tenko! I love the feel of his shaved fur on the ears a lot and he's shaved great everywhere else with no issues with backing showing. Tenko is able to have either yellow sclera or red sclera in art, and by default it's yellow. The bright red LEDs Deleon put into the eyes do a great job at replicating this concept! When they're on, they really do make the sclera appear red. The magnetic eyelids Deleon also used for Tenko are also so good. The expression they give Tenko is great and so are the magnetic eyelids, which are so strong that I don't have to think about them falling off randomly. One-Piece Body Wear SatisfactionIt's a pleasure putting on the body. The zippers have never failed me. I can move and do pretty much everything I could do out of suit. Nothing has fallen apart here, no seam issues. He's easy to clean in the tub. The bodysuit also has good ventilation as I can feel the air blowing in my direction reach me. My maker added velcro to the legs of the bodysuit which is great for keeping the padding in place. Even though I have a spiky shell, I can still kick back in suit if I wanted to thanks to the plush design of the spikes. Visual SatisfactionYep, I love how the body came out! The digitigrade look turned out great. The colors, markings, fur color and texture are all how I wanted them! The spikes in my back are a fan favorite and people ask to take pictures of them all the time. As mentioned earlier, the velcro on my bodysuit and padding help the digitigrade look to stay consistent and predictable. Hands Wear SatisfactionThe four finger handpaws are comfortable and great! It's rare for my wrists to show, I would have to have the hand padding off and really be stretching my hands up high for the wrists to really be noticeable. I don't need assistance to get them on right. I am also able to grab things easily when the hand padding is off. Visual SatisfactionThe claws are big and I love them! Very accurate to the Bori having big claws for digging. Fur is great and fluffy! Hand padding is a nice addition, and the paws still look good with them off. Tail Wear SatisfactionI love my big tail, it's not a floor dragger except for maybe the very tip of the tail, and even that doesn't get too messy. There is padding in the tail to thicken it, as well as wire that supports the shape of the long tail, but neither hinder me nor is there any wire poking out. The tail is attached to the bodysuit so it's one less step to fully suit up. I can still sit down in a chair even when I'm suited up. Visual SatisfactionGreat job on the markings and shape. My maker worked with me to select the right shape of the end of the tail, and it came out perfectly! I can shake my tail a bit, but it's also not a tail slapping hazard haha. This is how I like it. Feet Wear SatisfactionAnother great and comfortable part of the suit are the feetpaws! Built-in Crocs allow for comfortable and stable movement over an entire day of fursuiting. Like the handpaws, I don't really have an issue with ankles showing. No sweating issues here. So easy to put on. Visual SatisfactionOnce again, the claws here are great and the fur remains fluffy! Special FeaturesTenko has LEDs installed into the sides of his eye resin, connected to wire that leads to the hidden compartment in the back of his head that ends in a 9V battery terminal. Powering it on causes Tenko’s eyes to glow a very bright red. This is amazing! I turn that baby on a lot at cons and love it so much. It’s just the perfect thing, and yes, the vision is still great. I’m so happy Deleon put this system in. I’ve had a handful of times where the wire has snapped, and Deleon has been very helpful every time I reported issues to them. In the few times I’ve sent it to them for repair, I’d pay for the outgoing shipping fee and they'd handle the rest. It was a very fair deal to me as they would not only fix the problem but come up with different ways to mod the system to prevent future incidents. For example, they built a pouch in the hidden compartment for the battery and even redid the wiring of the system from scratch once. Despite many methods to reinforce and “Tenko-proof” the wire, I’ve had snaps happen as recently as January 2024. And despite that, I’m still very happy Deleon’s put this system in place. I do not blame Deleon at all for these snaps — the system is actually built very well. When a wire snaps, it’s always isolated to the section of the wire in the back of the head where it moves around a lot. This is not bad design because it makes the switch and battery in the back very accessible. The issue, I want to say, mostly rests on me and how I wear him. When wearing Tenko, I do what I would do out of suit and then some: bounce around like a kid on a pogo stick, headbang, dance like crazy. Basically, my head is going through a lot at cons, and I’m not going to be baby and keep me and my head as still as possible, but I’m also not trying to stress test the thing either. I know my limits and how valuable my fursuit is, I'm just so happy when I wear Tenko that the wire snaps have come to be somewhat of an expected thing at big cons. I don't think an average fursuiter would cause these wire snaps to happen so frequently. Yeah, it’s a little devastating when it happens on the con floor, but at the end of the day, stuff happens. As I have learned from doing the repairs myself and consulting friends, I see how minor the snaps and fix are, too. The pros outweigh the cons too much, and I’m sure eventually I will find a breakthrough in the effort to stop the snaps that doesn’t involve nerfing my movement. So, in summary, I'm thankful Deleon offers, or at least used to offer LEDs as an option on their fursuits and I would definitely commission a head from them with LEDs again. I hope this detailed review of my LED system explains my lengthy history but overall super positive experience with it! 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 Dominque de Leon. Final CommentsYes, I highly recommend Dominique De Leon and am grateful to have such a wonderful first time fursuit buyer experience! I look at my fursuit every day in the bedroom and am reminded of how happy I am with my purchase and maker. I fully support Deleon's work and would absolutely do business with them again. Very proud to be a part of their fursuit and Neopet suit family! 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.
