[YES] Pepier the Gryphon Partial by Rad Panda Creations The item being reviewed is 4 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. Maker Information Rad Panda Creations Year of Project2022 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 Date22 May 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 InformationReviewerTwitter: heypepier Prior ExperienceNo, this is my first fursuit Wear Time15+ Informed Maker of IssuesNo, there weren't any issues to report Pepier the partial Positive ProjectThis item was a commission Paid: A Payment Plan of $3000 - $4999 Initial Contact: January 2022 Completion/Ship Date: August 2022 Shipping Origin: UK Type: Partial Style: Toony Padding: None SpeciesName: Gryphon Found in: Aves(?) Features: Wings Concept Art Photos of Completed Product Overall Initial ContactVery easy! I follow them on Twitter where they dropped their submission form as soon as it was live. The form was straightforward and easy to fill out and, once I was selected for a commission, the rest of the communication took place over email and Telegram. Maker CommunicationI'm super satisfied with RadPanda's communications. We stuck to email for the important things like billing and invoices, but Telegram for the more day to day updates like WIPs. They were very communicative about timeline, whether it was for delays like getting Covid or queue reshuffles that meant they got to my project a little sooner than expected. RadPanda was also a gem to work with, with a good level of professionalism but was still very approachable. I never felt put off or afraid to ask them to change or try something different. Project Completion TimeI was given an estimated timeline at the start of the project that was met pretty accurately. This date was offered up front, I didn't have to ask for it, and there weren't any major deviations from it during the process. Everything arrived very promptly and nothing got tied up in customs or lost. Tracking was provided through Parcelforce/USPS. Overall Project QualityOverall, I'm thrilled with how this suit came out. Birds/bird-like characters are a minority compared to a lot of other species so to find a maker who was not only willing to take on a bird but did a great job is HUGE! The suit is incredibly comfortable to wear and feels like it'll last me a good long time, given the high quality materials used and the strength of how it's all assembled. The pieces look great together and feel super coherent, and they're durable enough to take a whack but soft enough that they're still very huggable. This suit is very on par with the maker's style and fits right in with the rest of their suits. The shaved face, the eyes, the overall shapes, everything looks as expected. And everything matches too, from the colors used to the fur lengths and materials. RP was also very amenable to feedback, especially when we went back and forth a bit on how to get Pepier's face marking correct, which I appreciated. I would say this commission was very much worth the money I paid, especially given how great the maker was to work with. Components Head Wear SatisfactionThe head fits perfectly! It's very comfortable to wear and it's lined, which is a really nice and easy to clean touch for sweaty folks like me. The vision's great considering how obtrusive my character's massive beak is, and it's very breathable. There isn't a massive amount of foam so it's not too heavy and it's pretty balanced, eg. I don't feel like I have to hold my head in a specific way to compensate for weight. Visual SatisfactionThe head's perfect! Her overall shapes, from her beak to her ears are spot on to the ref sheet that I sent over and are very well proportioned to each other. The markings came out just right, true to the ref sheet and symmetrical on both sides. The fur shaving is even across the board and there aren't any bald patches or rough spots. The colors Rad Panda used are excellent, though I was presented with a few color options and chose which one I thought worked best (a good thing!). Pep doesn't have any airbrushing so that's not a concern, but her fur is super soft and it all goes in the right direction/with the grain, which is great. Rad Panda included two sets of eyelids so I'm able to emote a few different ways. Overall I'm absolutely thrilled with how the head came out! Hands Wear SatisfactionThe hands are so much fun! Because they're not padded paws, they're very dexterous and I have quite the range of motion in them and can grab as well as one can with gloves on. I have two pairs of hands, one that are just gloves and another that have attached arms which are connected to each other by a thick elastic band. They're both super comfortable and the arms fit perfectly, as Rad Panda asked for measurements and nailed it. Both pairs stay on very well and allow for a great range of motion. The seams are durable, though I try to be careful with the claws since they seem the most delicate part of the build – not because of poor stitching or anything but because of the design and the nature of me using my hands a lot. They're sewn on very strongly though and they haven't begun to even loosen yet, which, given the amount I wear the gloves, is great. They are not lined though, which is fine as the material isn't fur so it's washable. Visual SatisfactionJust like the head, the hands are great! They're spot on with the ref sheet and the embroidered scales look incredible. They're even and parallel across both hands AND both sets of hands, so that's a huge win. The claws, which are soft and made from stuffed fabric, are also perfectly shaped and positioned so that they don't stick up in the air or get in the way when I'm trying to pick something up. The fabric used, because it's not fur, feels like a sort that might be prone to a bit of balding after a lot of wearing, but that hasn't started to happen yet so I'm not at all worried about it. There is fur on the upper arms though and there's no issues to report on that other than that it transitions to the felt at the perfect spot, just as requested. Tail Wear SatisfactionFor a tail as big and chunky as this one, it's great! It's as comfortable as it could be considering how big it is and allows for a normal range of motion. It's surprisingly light considering its size and is very easy to move around in. It has great sway and doesn't get in the way of me walking at all, eg. I've never one tripped over it, though I do whack things with it quite often. There are hidden belt loops built into the tail itself so it supports itself quite well and there's no risk of seams popping or belt loops falling off. The feathers are also built into the tail itself rather than sewn on top so there's very little chance that they'll fall out or be torn out unless someone were to like, completely take apart the tail. And this thing can take a hit too, it's DURABLE and extremely well built. Visual SatisfactionThis tail is stunning! The tail feathers are perfect – they're symmetrical, perfectly sized, and correct based on the ref sheet. The fabric used overall is the same as on the rest of the suit, so it's nice and soft and easy to clean. The fur's nice and lush and there aren't any bald spots or weird patches, and the base of the tail where it meets my body is a very thick almost quilted material, which is a solid barrier for against friction. The overall shape of the tail is great too, nice and huge but shaped in such a way that it doesn't touch or drag on the ground. It takes a brushing like a champ too. 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 Rad Panda Creations. Final CommentsI would absolutely recommend Rad Panda as a maker. I will just note that they follow your ref sheet to a T, so make sure that's completely accurate and what you want before submitting because what you submit is what gets made. But otherwise thank you Rad Panda! This suit came out perfect and is so well constructed that you're gonna catch me wearing it at cons for decades to come. 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.
