[YES] Toon Wolf Fullsuit by Thunderhowl Studios The item being reviewed is 6 years old and may not reflect the makers current style, or work. General Information Please note that this review is from an older version of the site. The page layout differs slightly from the current version because of this. Reviewer Information Reviewer Toon Wolf Twitter: toonwolf11 Relationship With Maker The maker IS a friend Prior Experience I have had one previous fursuit partial that I built entirely by myself. Informed Maker of Issues Yes, the suit was originally too big but they saw it right away and hemmed it to fit perfectly. Wear Time 30 hours Maker & Project Information Maker ThunderHowl Studios Commission Information Type: Fullsuit Style: Toony, Plantigrade Shipped From: USA Species Schonlf, Snolf, Snow leopard-wolf Found in Canidae, Felidae (?) Made in Year 2020 Transaction Information 4357 USD paid in installments Filed under $3000 - $4999 as a Payment Plan. Estimated Completion Time (ETA) Accuracy NO - the ETA was passed Date of Review 18 May 2021 Project Timeline Contact Date January 2020 Completion/Ship Date November 2020 Item Completion Time (?) 7 - 12 Months Item Being Reviewed Toon Wolf (Schnolf, snow lepoard-wolf) plantigrade fullsuit in a toony style as a commission. Photos of Completed Product Head Wear Satisfaction The head of my Thunderhowl suit fits really great. It’s not too snug and not too loose. The maker asked for my head measurements and was able to work correctly off of those measurements. They used a proper mannequin head that did not stretch the head during construction. The head is very lightweight and breathable. The lining in my head makes it incredibly comfortable to slip on and off. The vision is excellent. Normal blind spots for fursuit heads but the area between the eyes is not too large, so it does not obscure my depth perception. The eye holes themself are bigger and un-obscured by paint. Visual Satisfaction Being that I wanted Thunderhowl specifically to make my suit, I adore the style of my fursuit head. The foam and fur patterns are symmetrical and vibrant. The shave is incredibly even. Thunderhowl is known for their moving jaw. My chin rests comfortably on the jaw. I don’t have to squish my nose anywhere to get traction for the jaw. You will have to exaggerate your mouth movements to make the jaw movement highly visible as with most (if not all) moving jaw fursuits. I asked for custom long fangs. Those are glued in very sturdy and do not obstruct the moving jaw. It had been a last-minute decision on my part which was rude of me, but Thunderhowl rolled with it and I am thankful that they did because the fangs add so much to my character. It truly made a difference for me and Thunderhowl was willing to accommodate. I asked for LED light add-ins which were a great choice. There is an option for eyelids on the suits and I have found that the eyelids can create a shadow over the suit’s pupils. This can obscure the eye color on the heads. The LED lights have worked wonderfully as a backlight when I am wearing my eyelids. Additionally, the suit eyelids are excellent and open up opportunities for so many more expressions on the head. Skye had a stroke of inspiration and accentuated the lashes on my eyelids which also contributed to my suit’s character. Sometimes it’s the little details that make a big difference. I had also asked to personally design the style of the eye pupils on my suit. Thunderhowl was highly accommodating and used the design I asked them for without hesitation. Special Attachments and Features The special features I asked for where: LED Eyes and a Fan The LED eyes work wonderfully! The wires feed through the head and are sewn into a pocket made inside the mohawk on my suit. The batteries for the LED’s are accessible and inconspicuous. I hardly notice it when I am suiting. I have had to replace the batteries once in 5 months with moderate use. The batteries are AA which are extremely common and accessible. Thunderhowl started offering fursuit head fans after my commission was completed. However, I was still able to order one and it fit into the roof of my muzzle perfectly. I personally find the fan slightly weighty. It makes it harder for me to keep my head movements more fluid for fursuit acting. But the fan does keep me cool and allows me to suit for longer periods of time. The fan takes AAA batteries which are extremely accessible. The fan can attach and detach to the roof of my muzzle via velcro. Body Wear Satisfaction The wear of my Thunderhowl suit is very strong. It fits my body so when I bend down, squat, lean, run, dance, or wiggle, none of my seams are strained. The interior sewing is very neat and tidy. There is a normal amount of fursuit heat with wearing the suit. Visual Satisfaction The suit is gorgeous. It is very symmetrical and exactly the colors that were shared in swatches for me from the beginning. The shaving is as even as the head. Since the fur is longer, left untrimmed the spots and rosettes would look strange with fur bleeding over the sides. Thunderhowl trimmed the fur very thoughtfully to show the spots. The trimmed very conservatively as well. This way if I want to trim more off it is my choice. The fur is very soft and the fabric on the back is very tight-knit and firm, good for the longevity of the fur. Thunderhowl uses quality and vibrant material to make my bodysuit. It all lined up with my concept art perfectly, even when I made a last-minute change in my pattern (don’t be me, make your changes earlier on. my only change was removing some extra spots). Hands and Feet Wear Satisfaction The original hand and feet paws for the suit fit very well. The shoes are exactly the size I described to them and comfortable to slip in and out of. I am able to run around on tile and gravel with my outdoor feet paws. There is extra wear where the souls of my feet connect to the ground. This is normal wear but worth noting that it wears down at a quicker pace. This area of the suit is probably the most susceptible to wear on the suit and is incredibly common with all feet paws. My indoor feet paws do not have the same type of wear that my outdoor feet paws do. The indoor feet paws are very cute and detailed nicely with the paw pads. I am very satisfied with that. The hand paws are cute and well crafted as well. Truthfully I would have liked the top of the fingers to be more padded than the pads of the paws. This is a personal preference for aesthetics and I find that there is slightly more dexterity. I think it might be valuable to Thunderhowl to give the option for padding on the top of the paws beans, or on the bottom of the beans, or even possibly both sides. The claws are cute and durable too. No lining on paws though. I did order a second pair of 5-fingered paws when they came out with the new design. Unfortunately they are a little too snug on me. However, this was my fault for not asking for a bigger size. Be sure to ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT. This maker will accommodate you. Visual Satisfaction The overall appearance of hand and feet paws are incredibly clean and well crafted. Symmetrical, even shave, quality fur, and matches my concept art which they were diligent about. They made another hand paw pattern of their own, taken from my ref sheet, in order to be sure they got the colors right. Special Attachments and Features The 5-finger paws that I got have resin claws on them. Good for giving scratchies. One claw was miss-glued and cannot be adjusted, plus the paws are a little too short on the fingers making them a little uncomfortable to wear. However, I did not speak to my maker about this and therefore have no reference on how they would remedy the situation. That’s on me though. TALK TO YOUR MAKER ABOUT CONCERNS. Tails Wear Satisfaction The tail is AMAZING. The shape is EXACTLY what I wanted!! It zips on and off my suit so I can partial if I want to. It’s got some loops on the base that my belt can feed through. It has two loops which make it much more study. I can wear it zipped on my suit with or without a belt on the inside. Wearing the belt makes the tail stiffer and more wag-able. When I am wagging my tail, I and invincible!!!! Visual Satisfaction The tail is beautiful. All the fur is soft and goes in the same direction. It looks exactly like the wolf tail I wanted. I am so happy with it that I’m even considering commissioning a second snow leopard-shaped tail! The tail is symmetrical, evenly shaved, uses quality fur, and matches my concept art perfectly. Overall Product Satisfaction How well does everything fit together and match up? The seams are strong. There’s great give in the seams so that I have no worries running around and being active in the suit. The suit fits perfectly. Thunderhowl said they would be able to take the suit in if I lost enough weight that warranted a new fitting. The pattern matches my ref sheet. The fur is so soft and the colors are vibrant. The fur is obviously a strong fabric too. I love Thunderhowl for its toony style suits and this suit stayed true to their style. With every suit, Thunderhowl grows and refines its technique. Thunderhowl comes up with new ideas and new ways to perfect and enhance their craft. They give each of their suits special and particular attention. They are highly concerned with commissioner satisfaction! I would definitely recommend this company based on my experience with them! If I had tips for working with this maker I would say: -If you have changes make them EARLY on before your materials are ordered -Be sure of what you want before commissioning! -ASK for what you want. Don’t stay quiet. -Be respectful and polite to your makers. They will likely be much more accommodating if you are respectful and kind. Overall Project Quality The product I received is of excellent quality. I have no complaints about my suit. It’s beautiful, matches my ref sheet. Thunderhowl’s service and communication was incredible. All fursuit makers looking to make it big would be wise to take a leaf out of Thunderhowl’s book. Communication, Care, & Commitment! Purchase Process Initial Contact Thunderhowl has a website that states when they are or will open for commissions. Price estimates are listed on their website. There is a link to this website on their twitter profile. I waited for 6 months, checking the website weekly, then daily, to see when they were open for commissions. They announced their opening on twitter and I made a submission on their posted Google Doc. They made it very clear how to apply for commission without me having to reach out them directly. Maker Response Time Thunderhowl Studio’s response is extremely quick and tentative. Open communication is key to this working relationship. Radio silence from fursuit makers is always a cause for concern, especially if they have your money already. Thunderhowl would respond to my question or concerns in a 24 – 48 hour period of time. Every single time. Even when they were sick. They didn’t use their illness as an excuse to not communicate. Very commendable for a fursuit maker. Maker Professionalism This is probably one of THE most professional fursuit-making companies out there. They have a professional Studio account that they do ALL business-related inquiries on. They were communicative and respectful and professional. They sent work in progress pictures all throughout the commission process. They did not make excuses for work lateness they only laid out an extension of their timeline. I personally don’t appreciate excuses so I was satisfied when they were professional about extending their deadline which was only a month after the initial deadline. I was willing to wait for a perfect product and the wait was in fact worth it. Project Completion Time I had a clear expectation of when my suit would be finished. I watched the progress of the Thunderhowl queue on their trello which was updated weekly or bi-weekly. When the timeline was adjusted I had seen it coming from paying attention to their trello. So my expectations adjusted as the queue adjusted. Everything was communicated in a timely manner which made waiting more manageable. I was local so shipping was easy enough. Rating FursuitReview 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 ThunderHowl Studios. Final Comments I’ve heard too many horror stories about friends paying over a thousand dollars for a suit they waited in a queue for two years. Yes this is a cheaper price than a reputable maker, however it ended up being more costly to those commissioners in the sense that the never received their fursuit or a refund. Again I say, save up and shell out the cash responsibly to a reputable maker! Thunderhowl is one of those reputable makers. Thunderhowl went above and beyond to make sure that I was satisfied with my suit. It was worth every penny. REMEMBER, all those pennies you pay don’t just cover materials and labor, it covers CUSTOMER SERVICE as well. If you want a high-quality suit that YOU WILL ACTUALLY RECEIVE, shell out the extra cash to go with a maker like Thunderhowl. This is their day job and they have the drive and commitment to providing HIGH-QUALITY services and products. Don’t cheap out and wait in a queue for two years. If you’re gonna get a fursuit, do the whole thing. Get exactly what you dream of, and when you invest in Thunderhowl you are investing in your dream coming true. That is one of Skye Cabbit’s biggest motivations, making dreams come true and having happy customers. You’ll never get better work than with someone who is passionate about what they do. Thunderhowl is an excellent option. 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.
