Hi Pyrus, nice to see you again

thanks for the info on S&H (shave and haircut), I was hoping someone else had played about with it!
I've already tackled the longer fur near the mouth as it wasnt looking right, might still need some work (depending how long it takes to render)

Is the shadow casting intensity already on something high like 15? I've lowered it down to about 8 or something and am hoping that the current render (in progress e.t.a in 50mins) will help.

The other tips are definately helpful too - gonna have a play tomorrow morning (if the demo doesnt expire before - cant remember when its due to, maybe tomorrow at some point)

The eye is indeed a default blinn - I just added a second cornea shaped bit of geometry and have made it semi transparent though it still isn't looking too hot. Maybe a little post work in photoshop might be needed to make it look better.

and thanks for the encouragement