[OK] Chiara the Maned Wolf Partial by Melissa Mendelson Art ❖

❖ This review has an official response from the maker. Jump to it? ❖

Maker Information

Melissa Mendelson Art (MMNDLSN) Based in Ohio, Cincinnati. Crafting since 2012.

Year of Project2022

Completion Time ^(?)Pre-Made

ETA AccuracyThere was no ETA given
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 February 2026

RelationshipThe maker is NOT a friend
This relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written.

Review Information

ReviewerBluesky: @axyaliendragon.bsky.social

Prior ExperienceYes, I own two other fullsuits and have made various fursuits in the past.

Wear Time100+

Informed Maker of IssuesYes, I contacted them about some specific questions regarding cleaning and maintenance.

Chiara the Maned Wolf

Neutral

ProjectThis item was purchased as a pre-made

Paid: A Lump Sum of $1000 - $2999

Initial Contact: June 2022

Completion/Ship Date: June 2022

Shipping Origin: USA

Type: Partial

Style: Realistic

Padding: None

SpeciesName: Maned wolf

Found in: Canidae^(?)

Features: None

Photos of Completed Product

Overall

Initial ContactEasy to contact the maker over social media.

Maker CommunicationShe was very prompt and professional in her responses and happy to take a split payment between my debit and credit card. Suit was a premade and shipped almost immediately after purchase. Box came with tracking and arrived in near-mint condition and was very well packaged.

Project Completion TimeN/A- suit was premade

Overall Project QualityI appreciate the smaller resin-cast size as it fits me better. Suit is easily recognizable as a maned wolf with distinct features exemplified. Ventilation and vision both excellent and improved with an added fan. Wear is comfortable and can be worn for many hours on end without needing to take it off. Airbrushing, shaving and blending even throughout except for the top of the muzzle and around the claws. Material used for the tail cap and elastic liners was of inferior quality and needed replacing. Tongue heavily resistant to adhesives and prone to falling out.

Components

Head

Wear SatisfactionHead is specifically cast for smaller sizes which is one of the reasons I bought it due to have a jaw defect that makes my face smaller than average. Very comfortable to wear. Lined chin padding was included and fits snuggly making the moving jaw very responsive. The rest of the suit is unlined. Holes drilled through the nose to allow for better airflow. Plenty of space in the muzzle to install a fan. Vision is excellent which is uncommon for a realistic style suit and compares very closely with my other large-eyed toony suit. Airbrushing is even throughout except on the snout where the fur seems to have been shaved too closely and is rather choppy looking. Whiskers have fallen out over time due to use but are easily replaced. Tongue immediately fell out after one day of use despite shipping box being near-mint. Unsure as to why, but the silicone tongue is heavily resistant to adhesives and I struggled to find a proper binding agent that keeps it glued down. A combination of E6000 and contact cement has held for several months now but I am wary about it coming loose again in the future. Jaw hinge squeaks terribly at times but makes no noise at others.

Visual SatisfactionVery pleased with the attention to detail and how closely the artist paid mind to the intricacies of the species such as the rounded ears and appropriate mane. While most people have called me a fox, several sharp-eyed observers including children noted the distinctions and identified the species correctly as a maned wolf. Fur is shaved a little too short on the top of the muzzle and appears choppy when viewed up close. Fur is of high quality on other parts of the suit though and is not thin, patchy or balding. Moving jaw allows for fun expressions and unique photo opportunities.

Hands

Wear SatisfactionHandpaws are comfortable to wear and cleverly shaved to incorporate the fused pawpads unique to this species of Canid. Good dexterity and movement. Handpaws are not lined but do have elastic cuffs at the end to keep the paws on more snuggly as the silicone pads are dense and encourage the paws to slide off your hands. Unfortunately the material used to hold the elastic cuffs was thin despite being new and both cuffs tore after only 20 hours of wear. Negligible as I did not care for the kind of material used in the first place and was able to easily replace it myself but I could see this being an issue for others not familiar with sewing.

Visual SatisfactionI love the fused pawpads and how the maker cleverly sculpted the hands to be four-finger internally but appear to be five-finger from the outside. The claws on the fused fingers are unique as they are actually cast together from resin and not individual but give the unique deception of looking like they are separate. I did go in with precision scissors to trim excess fur around the claws that maybe should have been done before finalizing the suit but again a minor complaint and easily fixed. Fur is high quality without balding.

Tail

Wear SatisfactionTail is lightweight and hangs down in true maned wolf fashion. Sits comfortably on a nylon belt I purchased separately. Tail cap made of the same material as the elastic handpaw liners so I replaced the material out of caution for tearing. Was not torn beforehand but did show signs of premature stress and the potential for early deterioration. Belt loops made of nylon and secure but tail cap material was weak and fragile.

Visual SatisfactionTail is short which matches the appropriate anatomy of a maned wolf and sways naturally when I walk. Fur used is luxurious and thick without balding and of appropriate color. No shaving and long-pile.

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 Melissa Mendelson Art depending on circumstances that have been clarified in this review.

Final CommentsI have wanted a realistic maned wolf fursuit since first getting into the fandom back in the 2010s and this suit was everything I was looking for. Overall I personally am satisfied with the suit and have cherished it very deeply since purchase without any buyers remorse. I do have some nitpicks about the shave job on the muzzle and paws, the tongue not adhering and the material used for the elastic cuffs and tail cap being too thin but most issues were fixable and do not negate my adoration for the suit itself. However I could see these being more prominent issues for buyers who do not have a background in fursuit making or sewing skills by negatively impacting their enjoyment of products bought from this maker. This maker’s suits do seem to generally run on the smaller side as well as I compared my suit with a former friend who bought a pre-made snow leopard from the same maker and rarely wears his suit as it is too tight and uncomfortable for him even though he is of a smaller build for a man. I love my own suit and the issues I encountered are negligible for me seeing as this is a one-of-a-kind hand-made item but other buyers may not see it the same way if they were to buy this suit themselves.

❖ Maker Response ❖ The following is an official response from the maker about this review:

Hi Chiara!

Thank you so much for leaving a review! Knowing some of the faults of my suits helps me make a better product, and especially because you have worn your fursuit so extensively, it gives me a great look at what works and what doesn’t.

The tongue is made of silicone – silicone does not stick to anything. There should be a fabric backing on it, and this is what allows you to use adhesives. If the fabric backing is missing, or if the silicone had soaked all the way through it (which is something I used to do back in the day – whoops!) you will need to adhere it to a new fabric backing using more silicone. You can just grab any silicone adhesive from the hardware store, doesn’t have to be fancy. Use a thick demin for the fabric. Once adhered, adhesives will stick to the fabric readily. I use a very strong hot glue these days, called Tuff Tack – it has been really strong and durable so far! But gorilla glue brand hot glue or e6000 should work too.

The jaw squeaking is solved on modern suits with a piece of fabric between the hinges. I apologize there isn’t much you can do to solve it on older suits except replace the hinges entirely since the Chicago screw is superglued in. I realized the squeaking was an issue a few years back and started adding the fabric.

I have also since changed the material I used for the handpaw cuffs and tail backing – though I might change it again to something tougher knowing your review!

I apologize about the fur on the top of the muzzle – this one is 100% on me and I hope I have improved in the 4 years since!

Thank you very much for supporting my small business and I hope you continue to have many years of use with Chiara!

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