[OK] Beetle the Coyote Partial by Navy Workshop The item being reviewed is 3 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Navy Workshop Year of Project2023 Completion Time (?)2+ Years ETA AccuracyNO - MULTIPLE ETAs were 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 Date29 March 2024 RelationshipThe maker is NOT a friendThis relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written. Review InformationReviewerTwitter: trashyote Prior ExperienceYes, this is my third fursuit. Wear Time10+ Hours Informed Maker of IssuesYes. Beetle The Coyote Neutral ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Payment Plan of $501 - $999 Initial Contact: December 2021 Completion/Ship Date: December 2023 Shipping Origin: Russia Type: Partial Style: Real/Toon Hybrid Padding: None SpeciesName: Coyote Found in: Canidae(?) Features: None Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactThey open slots sporadically on their Instagram story and posts, and I was quick enough to ask for a slot in time. We used PayPal to go forward with the transactions. Maker CommunicationOriginally we communicated over on Instagram, but then switched to Telegram as it seemed they were more active there, and their Instagram DM's got wiped at one point. Communication, unfortunately, was really horrendous. They made multiple ETA's in which they avoided and lied to me about. I had multiple occasions in which they would ignore my messages for days, promise a wip, and then not follow up until I messaged them again (sometimes multiple times). Project Completion TimeThe commission roughly took two years to complete, which would've been longer if I hadn't spoke up, worried that they may have been scamming me. When I expressed this worry, suddenly I was receiving wips consistently. They stated they sent out my suit on a certain date, but didn't get back to me with the tracking number until a while later. Turns out they lied to me about the date in which the package was sent out, I could clearly see the date it had been processed on the tracking itself. Thankfully shipping didn't take too long, roughly two weeks which is a good amount of time considering I live in the middle of nowhere midwest. Overall Project QualityOverall, as my review states earlier, I am very happy with the fursuit at hand. It held up to my expectations, and I really love how they turned out. Unfortunately the process was… not good in the slightest. I commissioned them in December of 2021, and didn't really expect progress for a while as fursuit work can take a bit. As many know the Ukrainian and Russian war started shortly after, and they were stuck in Russia, trying to find a way to move out safely. All of their Instagram DM's were wiped, and they were restricted from PayPal. Obviously I understood how serious the situation was at hand, so I didn't try to push for updates in a clearly awful situation. Thankfully they were able to move, including their studio, to start completing work again. I messaged them occasionally but still kept it light for several months as they were rebuilding. Unfortunately I believe this is where the ball started rolling. They kept accepting sale commissions, and seriously underpricing themselves, only for their queue to become more and more crazy. During this entire commission process I asked for some sort of trello or list of commissioners. At the end of the day I didn't mind if the process took a while, only to see where I was at, and to be communicated with properly. They avoided giving me the trello for nearly a year and a half, and once I did receive it, I was shocked at how many people there were. There were HUNDREDS of people on the list (currently they have 82 people on their queue). This is where I started to get worried, and asked for more updates accordingly, including asking other people in the queue if they were facing the same problems. Unfortunately this seems common, and many other customers expressed their worry. Navy sent me four separate photos of "my base" over the months, only to use none of those four bases, presumably using them on other projects. It was clear they just showed me those photos so they could stall. I wouldn't have minded if they changed their mind on the base at hand once or twice, but there was no communication about these changes. They made multiple promises that they would complete parts of the suit at certain dates, only to miss it and avoid my messages asking when I would get photos. It was stressful and I started to get worried if my suit would ever be completed. The only way I was able to get my suit in the end was expressing that I was worried that they may be scamming me or stalling my project, as I saw multiple people get their suits before me who had commissioned them sooner. After that I got all of the progress photos I initially asked for, quite quickly, which made it clear they could finish fursuits in a timely manner, masterfully. I don't doubt their skill as a maker, as I've been following them for years previously, excited when I could finally commission them myself. As an artist myself, I don't mind delays and unfortunate timings that slow down projects, but I do mind that being communicated. Lying and stalling will get you nothing but hurt, confused, customers. Components Head Wear SatisfactionWearing the head itself is quite comfortable despite having uncomfortable looking straps that hold the moving jaw together. It tends to slip a little, but that may due to my head size and can be easily fixed with some small adjustments. Ventilation is great as you can easily prop open the mouth, and the eyes are large and easy to get air through. This also means the vision is great. Due to it being 3D printed, it can be quite heavy and can strain your neck if not careful. Despite this, I can easily wear this head for a couple of hours without taking it off. The only real complaint I have about the head itself is the eyelids. The magnets they used are weak and barely work to even attach to the suit, let alone staying on. Visual SatisfactionVisually I am very happy with the suit, it looks very close to my reference. I was worried that small details may be forgotten (such as the one cheek dot and ear chip), but everything was perfect in the end. They did their best matching fur colors, despite some of them being difficult to replicate. I was also pleasantly surprised how well the shaving turned out. Hands Wear SatisfactionThe paws are one of my favorite parts about this suit. They fit perfectly and are easy to grab things with, even as four fingered paws. They're built a bit like gloves, with sleeves attaching to the paws itself, which makes it super easy to slip on and off. Visual SatisfactionAgain, they very closely replicated my reference (I asked for claws later on). Shaving looks good, and there was a popped seam in the sleeve, but that's to be expected occasionally. They have 3D printed claws which make amazing clicky noises, lol. The paw beans are stuffed and very plush like. Tail Wear SatisfactionThe tail is a bit heavy as it's fully stuffed, but it is quite long so it's to be expected. The movement is great, and its super easy to wag your tail. It's built to be a hidden loop, which makes the structure of the tail hold together a lot better. Visual SatisfactionVisually, it's super hard to tell there's a hidden loop at the base of the tail. Even to the point where when I initially unboxed them, I was heavily confused as to how the heck I would put it on! The patterns look great and are accurate to my initial reference sheet. 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 Navy Workshop depending on circumstances that have been clarified in this review. Final CommentsIt hurts to see such a clearly hardworking maker fall down such a slippery slope, but I hope with this review it will be easier to communicate with others who have commissioned them or planned to in the future. I don't think they are a bad person, but it's obvious they underprice themselves heavily and take on more than they can chew. It's clear they can be a good maker when given the right chances. At this moment, I advise others to avoid commissioning them until they can figure out how to tackle their gigantic queue. I hope in the future this changes, and this review may bring light to it. If you are a navy suiter (or to be) and you have any further questions or testimonies, don't be afraid to message me. 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.
