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View Full Version : Yet another Fish Butt review/commentary!



Blondie
09-12-2012, 09:56 PM
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Okay! Now that I got that out of my system!

I got my Fish Butt in the mail today! This has been a long, long, LONG wait for it too. Over three months to be exact. I ordered my tail June 7th!
Here's the "original" design I had made for Stevi for my tail.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/finaltai.jpg

My tail was inspired by Hannah Fraser's and Aquamarine's. I was having a hard time trying to decide between this or a "thirteenth year" tail. And I am very please with the final decision.

Let me start off by saying, Stevi is superb in keeping contact with her costumers. I know I was a bit annoying with my emails, but she always had a reply for me within a day. She's very kind and understanding in her emails, and she truly cares about what YOU want. She wants you to be happy!
Now moving on from that, I've had a very, very, VERY long wait for my tail. I ordered it back when I graduated at the very beginning of summer in hopes I'd have it a little after the 4th of July. Originally, she had a 3-5 week wait for tails, now it's a 6-8 week wait. Still, I waited a total of 12 weeks. Which was pretty bumming. But Stevi was battling through some rough times. She made it very clear that she was dealing with a lot and even offered to make me a free top. I already have a top so I kindly told her no thanks. In the end, summer's over and I won't be swimming in my tail as much as I had expected to.

Moving on to today, I told Stevi I needed my tail by the 13th because I was going to the Florida Mer Meet up. I told her this around mid August and assumed it would be out waaaay before that date because the tail had been curing for almost a week now. And Stevi told me she would have it to me before that. It was shipped out on the 6th and supposed to come in the 11th. I was pretty nervous about FedEx because my family has had numerous problems with late packages and them in the past. Within the next morning the date was already pushed back to the 12th and I was starting to pull my hair out. I REALLY wanted my tail for the meet up. Thankfully the next few days went by and it was in GA, which meant only a few more days till it was in FL. The 12th comes around and I waited in the morning/afternoon for it. Nothing. Went to class, came home at 5, still nothing. I actually spent 40 minutes just laying by the window hoping the truck would pull up, but it was now past 7:30 and I gave up hope. And within ten minutes my dog was barking at the door and I took off in a bolt! The box was HUGE! Much bigger than I had expected! I waddled in with it and ran to my room to open it up!

The tail wasn't in it's wax paper sheeting that I had been told it would be in. It was in two garbage bags. Odd... But okay? Whatever works right?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/8C0FA332-AA86-4508-B80D-E07492A139A4-24897-0000203E4D98320C.jpg

It came out pretty easily and wasn't sticking like I had expected it to be because of the Florida heat. When I looked it over I was in total shock! So happy with how beautiful it came out! The picture Stevi showed me didn't even do it justice! And I'm sure my pictures won't either. It looks SO fish like! Just as I wanted it to!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/BA43DC6E-06CA-48D7-A843-7B5848AA2F5E-24897-0000203E5531C79E.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/0BCEF859-CFA6-4053-B557-9B72B87F3581-24897-0000203E511DC586.jpg

There was good amount of dust/dirt and animal hair on it. Which was okay, I have a dog and cat too so I didn't take offence to it. I know how pet fur is xD
The vinyl fringe was never attached to my tail though. I asked Stevi about this when I saw the picture, and she told me she was sorry but she didn't do the fringe anymore. I knew that she had stop doing dorsal fins because they weren't secured enough, but I was not aware of her stopping the fridge at the fluke because she sent me this when I asked her earlier this summer...

From: Stephanie Summers <mermaidparties@gmail.com>

To: Kiersten <iblondie@ymail.com>

Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: Mermaid Tail


Hi Kiersten!

First off let me say how sorry I am it's taken me this long to get you an update. With all the new design changes and what not I was putting off tails til I had it fully figured out and it's taken me forever to catch up. But I'm back on track now and here is a picture of the first step of your tail :D Paint! It's just the front, it started raining on me and now it's pouring. I'll have to get you the back tomorrow. And then next is scales and I'll put it together and ship it out. I did want to tell you I will not use the vinyl for fringe any more for dorsals, I'm not sure if I mentioned this already but the last tail I did it on, it all came completely off. I can still give you a fringed dorsal but it will be like Lanai's new tail that I posted today, painted like you want. It's a lot sturdier and wont stick to the rest of the tail. I can still do the vinyl at the bottom of the fluke though. Any ways, let me know what you think and I'll talk to you soon!


Stephanie

So, I was a little thrown off by that... Also I had asked for a "blended" waist line, where the scales where sort of cut out at the end. And that was not included on my tail.








From: Stephanie Summers <mermaidparties@gmail.com>
To: Kiersten <iblondie@ymail.com>



Sent: Friday, June 8, 2012 9:49 PM
Subject: Re: Mermaid Tail


Yeah, I think I can do that. Like the baby tail I made? I attached a picture.



Stephanie
Mermaid Parties

On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 7:44 PM, Kiersten <iblondie@ymail.com> wrote:

Ahh!! Another thing I wanted to ask! I kinda sorta drew it on my plans but just making sure, is there a way you can make the top of the tail look like scales breaking away instead of a straight line of fabric. I think Raina calls it a blended waist line. I don't know if I explained that right. Thanks again!









So that was not added either... Then I had also asked her if she could cut it more like this when she painted it since the fluke wasn't "exactly" what I wanted.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/lines.jpg

And she replied with...
From: Stephanie Summers <mermaidparties@gmail.com>
To: Kiersten <iblondie@ymail.com>


Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 10:21 PM
Subject: Re: Mermaid Tail


Hi Kiersten!

Yes, I can definitely trim the fluke like that for you. I'll do it after I get it all together though so I know the front and back match. And the big iridescent glitter is what I used in Allie's tail. I dont think the fine silver and black I have will look bad on your tail at all actually. I think it'll look really pretty in the scales :D I have to take tomorrow off for a doctors appointment and a promo shoot for my event in Sept but I'll have another update for you by Friday :)

And it was not cut in the end.





So now I HAD to try the tail on! When I put my ankles in, I already felt like the tail was REALLY tight. After wiggling a little more I got it up to my thighs with generally no problem. Then, there was my butt... I have um rather *cough*plump*cough* booty, yet my waist is generally small. So getting the waist part over my butt was tough. And I mean tough. Like "Holy CRAP this is tight." tough. It took me almost 20 minutes to get my tail on and I didn't have much space to wiggle without tugging on it. So I couldn't straighten it out completely. I think I need to invest in some conditioner or lube to get this on. Because I felt like I was going to ruin it trying to get it over my butt ><

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/448B0EBA-C077-4BF8-BAA5-C26423DE5F33-24897-0000203E58F11F88.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/7AA3B9EF-2719-42A2-B79C-3D1AF86023C4-24897-0000203E5C5BD02D.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/44CE99F3-CA4F-482D-B61D-3632835E23B9-24897-0000203E5F8AF83E.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/862FCE93-723D-4337-A17A-76D966C5802D-24897-0000203E675825A4.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/D44C7185-8F39-4803-8D7E-72EFF32E42F9-24897-0000203E6DBE5FA2.jpg

Overall, I'm pleased with my tail. If the conditioner helps get it on, then we're going to say no real problems with it. The only thing that made me a little upset was the wait, lack of fringe, uncut fluke, and the waistline. Stevi is a wonderfully nice person. She's a pleasure to do business with and it's hard to say anything negative about her. There was a good numerous things that weren't what I asked for in my tail. And I don't really have any intentions on sending it back for her to fix it just because it took so long to get here. So my rating as of now is a 3/5. My water test is on Friday where I'll post the pictures from the springs and give the swimming lowdown :)

Morticia Mermaid
09-13-2012, 12:51 AM
The colors are really pretty :)

Blondie
09-13-2012, 12:56 AM
Thank you Lexia ^^

SilverSiren
09-13-2012, 02:49 AM
Well, despite the lack of the things you wanted, its a very pretty fish booty.

Mermaid Saphira
09-13-2012, 07:06 AM
thats ur tail? I saw it the other day and was like wow! You looks lovely in it :)

AniaR
09-13-2012, 08:00 AM
congrats :)

Mermaid Annariea
09-13-2012, 05:34 PM
even though it isnt EXACTLY what you wanted, its still GORGEOUS, and i bet you look wonderful in it.

Winged Mermaid
09-13-2012, 07:50 PM
I'm really sorry things didn't come out like you expected. :( It's still really pretty! She's definitely been through a lot lately. Although I think if any tail maker gets too swamped to handle orders (whether it's a large amount of orders or not) they should stop taking them until they get caught up. Only a few tail makers do this though, and not doing so can lead to unhappy customers and a bad reputation. She seems to learn from her mistakes so far, I'll hope that she learns from this one as well.

AniaR
09-16-2012, 10:59 AM
I noticed certain people are complaining that nobody got upset with Stevi about this tail not being exactly the way you wanted when we get upset with other tail makers. I think the difference is that even though you didn't take her up on the offer- she offered you a free top to compensate for the wait time, and was honest with her reasons for being late (something certain others don't do). And as Iona pointed out- she clearly always learns from mistakes. She didn't put the "blame" on you, and as you said she clearly communicated and was kind.

I'm glad you finally got your tail and got to use it for the meetup. I hope it lives up to expectations despite the differences from your original plan. I'm fairly confident that if you still wanted those changes you could send it back without issue- but I bet now that you've got it you don't want to give it up haha!

Blondie
09-16-2012, 09:00 PM
I noticed certain people are complaining that nobody got upset with Stevi about this tail not being exactly the way you wanted when we get upset with other tail makers. I think the difference is that even though you didn't take her up on the offer- she offered you a free top to compensate for the wait time, and was honest with her reasons for being late (something certain others don't do). And as Iona pointed out- she clearly always learns from mistakes. She didn't put the "blame" on you, and as you said she clearly communicated and was kind.

I'm glad you finally got your tail and got to use it for the meetup. I hope it lives up to expectations despite the differences from your original plan. I'm fairly confident that if you still wanted those changes you could send it back without issue- but I bet now that you've got it you don't want to give it up haha!

Absolutely, I never held the personal problems she had against her. I really understand it was hard for her. I get it, I really do. She had a rough summer and I just ordered at the wrong time I guess. And the reason I didn't want the free top was because I had one of my own already. And I wanted to wear that top. So it would be pointless for her to waste energy on a top I probably wouldn't wear. That's why I declined her offer. Although, it was sweet. It was very nice of her to offer. All I was saying was that I was still kind of disappointed that I didn't have my tail this summer to swim in, when it was "planned" that I should have it in July.

And yes, I was VERY pleased with my tail. The tail worked perfectly in the water. Even on the cement stairs there were no problems. It slipped on easier with water and V05 conditioner. I looked at some of the underwater pictures and videos and it looks more realistic than I thought it would! I had tried attaching the vinyl to the fluke the night before so it fell off on one side in the water. Which was expected since it didn't cure for the full 24 hours. No biggy, I'm attaching it again.

Blondie
09-18-2012, 12:52 AM
More to add, I pulled out my tail again tonight to just look at it. And I noticed discoloration. Which I find confusing since the paint is sprayed on to the fabric then the latex is on top of it. Therefore it can't chip or fade. And the scales and latex are all intact with no problems. I don't know why the paint is faded like this...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/F795DAFA-ECB4-4818-A736-E53A681EDD1F-28619-00002501ED9DE3D0.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/4209CC4B-4C4D-4DB2-8430-F096365464CC-28619-00002501FAE31AAC.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/2005B60D-BF47-4516-9738-F0197765EE4B-28619-00002501FE08F10B.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/CC3E4B54-29C7-4C63-94B8-5193A184E04D-28619-0000250201F5EB43.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/B97263C1-D8DF-4404-993A-488D8A09C91A-28619-000025020507E04B.jpg

The back of my fluke which is the same as the front of my fluke should look like this...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/877FA1EB-615D-4248-807B-0F30B5F6A6AB-28619-00002501F7BB3A12.jpg

But now the front is faded like this...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/Sliver_Shine29/B89B7B3D-AAB6-432F-811C-0108F2E51A19-28619-0000250208969285.jpg

In some parts, I like it since my tail has white in it and it makes it more realistic. But then in other parts I don't. So I don't know...

Ashe
09-18-2012, 01:01 AM
That's really odd. Did you leave it in the sun to dry? Lots of color fades from that. Did you email Stevi about it??

Blondie
09-18-2012, 01:52 AM
That's really odd. Did you leave it in the sun to dry? Lots of color fades from that. Did you email Stevi about it??
No I didn't actually, I debated it but then I figured it wouldn't be a good idea because I knew the rule of thumb. I've had it drying in my room which actually rather dark. The only time it was in the sun was when I was swimming in it. I'm working on the email now xD

Felicia
09-18-2012, 01:54 AM
It looks like cloudiness from the latex not bein cured fully before water use... But I could be wrong

Winged Mermaid
09-18-2012, 02:34 AM
This is the kind of water damage that people talk about when they use their tin cure tails in water for too long. They turn white and chunks of it can start coming off. I know she recently ordered new neoprene- maybe it's new stuff? If the neoprene can't dry out properly then the wetness of it will actually continue to water damage it even after you're out of the water, causing the white and essentially un-curing. The quality of neoprene can effect this for sure. I know Raven's prototype had that issue with the neoprene. The people effected by this have said that once it completely dries it will re-cure and all will be well. But it will shorten the life of the tail for sure. And in the mean time, I wouldn't say that it's exactly healthy :/ It's essentially becoming uncured and breaking down, both of which will release toxins and can effect you as stated in the MSDS. I personally think people need to get away from tin cure altogether, but you guys know that.

I really hope things can be sorted out :(

AniaR
09-18-2012, 11:31 AM
Unfortunately I believe this is the hazard with alex plus tails and a known issue :( It happened with mertailor tails and it happened when Raven did hers as well. I saw some of Raven's alex tails in person and she was showing me why she specifically doesn't suggest alex and wow lots of this stuff right there. Also, alex degrades in the sun. I agree with Iona if it's becoming uncured you want to not put it on again until it is. Also, try wearing tights inside it to add an extra barrier for your skin.

Certain types of water have different acid/alkaline levels as well. I wonder if something like that might affect it? I'd email Stevi either way

I like Iona, am hoping people will get away from alex and turn to more reliable materials. The problem with that is the cost. If people want a less-expensive tail they're going to have to rely on these materials. I'm glad Stevi is moving into silicone :)And I'm also glad to see some REALLY great fabric tails coming into the market. Different people are really pushing it to make them seem more realistic

Blondie
09-18-2012, 02:44 PM
Stevi said, "And good news, that discoloration is normal. It just means the latex needs to cure a little longer. Lay it out in the sun on a towel for a day or so and it will go back to normal. It wont do that much longer. The latex is tricky with how long it takes to fully cure. " I hear both sides of the story that sun corrodes the latex, but in Stevi's tails she cures them out in the sun, and I know others that cure them in the sun with no problem as well.

Thankfully it's a fixable problem xD I'm not wearing my tail anytime soon so I don't care how long it takes to cure. Just as long as it does. Thanks all!!

Mermaid Mako
10-30-2012, 08:40 AM
Any luck fixing the problem? I love the colors though, and your mods to it. :)

Blondie
10-30-2012, 09:30 PM
Any luck fixing the problem? I love the colors though, and your mods to it. :)
Yes :) I put it out in the sun like Stevi instructed and the latex re-cured itself. So that is all fixed :) And thank you!

Koral
10-31-2012, 01:13 AM
I wish I had some sun to do that. :(

Blondie
10-31-2012, 02:03 AM
I wish I had some sun to do that. :(
Ahhh D: I know heat guns work better (so I hear). So you can look into buying one of those? How bad does it look on your tail?

Koral
10-31-2012, 03:10 AM
Oh. lkdfjgldkjfg I have a heat gun. In my closet. Right here. But my tail is at Loni's augh! This instant I don't know the state of my tail's whiteness level but let's just say I went from tropical to albino in less than an hour! LOL