[YES] Grigori the Mandrill Chimera Head by Rhee The item being reviewed is 3 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Rhee (RHEEEGG) Based in Florida, Orlando. Crafting since 2009. Year of Project2023 Completion Time (?)4 - 6 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 Date28 January 2024 RelationshipThe maker IS a friendThis relationship was indicated by the reviewer at the time this review was written. Review InformationReviewerAsterisk Twitter: asterisk6 Prior ExperienceI have have fursuited for 10 years with two suits I made myself (with highly questionable craftsmanship). I have not owned or worn suits made by any established maker until this one Wear Time~10 hours Informed Maker of IssuesYes, I had fit issues with the head and had their blessing to modify the inside of the head to fit (tightening elastic and adding some foam). It happened at the con I picked it up at so they knew immediately. Neither of us could figure out what went wrong measurement-wise but it wasn’t a hard fix since I have fursuit making experience. Grigori the mandrill chimera head Positive ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Lump Sum of $501 - $999 Initial Contact: January 2023 Completion/Ship Date: May 2023 Shipping Origin: Local pickup Type: Head Style: Real/Toon Hybrid Padding: None SpeciesName: Mandrill Chimera Found in: Monster, Kaiju, or Demon(?) Features: Horns or Antlers Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactI was offered the design as an in-person deal at a con, so did not deal with slots of openings. I am long established friends with the maker so getting contact info was a non issue. Was very clear about head measurements needed. Maker CommunicationGood communication via telegram. Lots of back and forth with WIPs through the whole process with response times of a couple hours max. The maker is a good friend of mine but was very clear and professional about the build process. Communication may be better/more direct for me vs other customers due to this though. Process was very smooth without any personal issues. Project Completion TimeETA was FWA 2023 for at-con pickup and met without issue. Overall Project QualityOther than the fit issue I am extremely happy with the product I received, especially at the price I paid. I am very gentle with this suit because resin makes me nervous about breaking things but I have not had durability issues so far and it seems solidly built. This is probably one of the best pieces the maker has done visually. It was a design they wanted to make for a long time and the enthusiasm shows in the visual product I received. It has a LOT of extras for the price I paid. Components Head Wear SatisfactionVision is good for this style. Tear duct vision is comparable to my self-made tear duct vision suit, “looking through two toilet paper tubes”-tier. You get some additional vision through the edges of the mouth which helps for lower objects and a bit of peripheral vision. Ventilation is VERY good. This head was deliberately designed for better airflow by not covering the edges of the jaw and I tend to wear it with the mouth slightly open as a force of habit from my other suits. Initially had the top jawset deliberately unsecured so it could be removed for even more airflow but I didn’t like how it rattled around and glued it in. I can dance for hours in regular clothes with it on without getting terribly hot/tired because the airflow is so good. For casual walking around I don’t even break a sweat. Internal craftsmanship is solid. Standard resin head interior with elastic and some foam padding in the head/chin. The magnetic closure on the back can be a little fussy to close (very easy to open though) but the fur is long enough it’s not a big deal. Head did not initially fit me, it was far too large around/vertically. We couldn’t figure out what happened and this may have been my fault at the measurement stage. It was easy to add some foam and sew the elastic tighter. If the fit hadn’t been so far off at the beginning, the maker made the elastic velcro adjustable for smaller tweaks, which I feel is a feature worth noting. Visual SatisfactionVERY happy with this head visually. It was an artistic liberty design I was offered so not very strict about it looking exactly like the concept art. It’s not 1:1 with the original concept sketch but looks fantastic in person and well exceeded my expectations. I really like the “giant art doll” or 70s-80s animatronic look it has with the bald face and droopy eyes. The final design is very striking. Overall head symmetry and external craftsmanship is good. Painting on the face is symmetrical and neat. Fur quality on hood is good. Ears get kind of buried by the fluff but are otherwise good visually. Expression is great, it changes between angles and the eyelids are very fun to play with. The lammergeier eyes give a really good deranged look. One adjustable eyelid doesn’t go beyond half-lidded, which I’ve adopted as part of the character and gives it a funny lopsided default expression 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 Rhee. Final CommentsI am a good friend of the maker so I will fully admit having that bias and had a very atypical commission scenario. But I would definitely recommend Rhee for semi-realistic heads of oddball species, especially artistic liberty since I got a fantastic value and great turnaround time. They mostly do premades so my fit issues would not be relevant for at-con sales. 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.
