Thoughts on Merrowfins? "New" Tailmaker

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Just got my tail last last and unboxed it today! Here I have my watercolor themed tail. It’s beautiful and it fits! Thank Neptune I measured correctly especially since I’m a seamstress.

As far as customer service goes, yes he takes a while to get back to you. It also took a bit to finally get progress photos. He has alot of backorders as far as I know. Overall, he is really kind whenever we speak to each other. It’s also nice that he takes payment plans because I couldn’t pay all at once due to other bills. I waited since September 2017 to get it and I wondered if I would ever get my tail. Now that I have it the wait was worth it in my opinion. Would I recommend his service? It’s hit or miss based on the other customers. If you’re willing to wait many months to get a tail from him, I suggest ordering in the fall/winter because I did that and got my tail this summer. I’m in love with my tail and I don’t see any problems with my tail.

Glad it came and you liked it, Tanya! Let us know how it swims, and hopefully he sorts that issue out.

I just saw a few of his tails in person and I was not impressed. (I don't want the mermaids who own them to feel ashamed so I will not be naming names etc, just my general observations)

Seams were super sloppy, scales coming apart, did NOT look like dragonskin and some of these tails WERE older and some were new. Drastically different color underneath than the painted tails (so when silicone on top split, there'd be a totally different color showing through underneath)

I am glad some people are having good experiences, but I felt really bad for the mers I saw with them.

I went to the Mertailor's shop a few weeks back and I remember seeing the lobster tail and the orca tail on display in the store. Now I see their photos on the merrowfins website. Why do they have pictures of tails that Eric physically has?

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Originally Posted by BlueCorvidae

I went to the Mertailor's shop a few weeks back and I remember seeing the lobster tail and the orca tail on display in the store. Now I see their photos on the merrowfins website. Why do they have pictures of tails that Eric physically has?

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Check the beginning of the thread -- they used to work together. Rightly or wrongly, the Merrowfins guy probably feels his contributions to the lobster and orca tails were enough for him to take credit.

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Originally Posted by Ransom

Check the beginning of the thread -- they used to work together. Rightly or wrongly, the Merrowfins guy probably feels his contributions to the lobster and orca tails were enough for him to take credit.

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That's fishy. Eric's mom (I forget her name) said that the orca was Eric's own personal tail that he made for himself. :confused:

Eric = robert short
matty = thom shouse

lol

Matty was a contractor for Eric and worked under him. He was hired to help with tails, but he makes all these claims that he totally made them. Yet years later still cna't make anything at that quality level. So draw your own conclusions.

Just like the Robert vs Thom stuff, Thom would have you believe he's the mastermind behind splash when he actually doesn't even have a credit on the film because he was a contractor under Robert's company. Meanwhile Robert did the majority of the work and Thom was just one of several people hired to help get it finished.

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Originally Posted by AniaR

Eric = robert short
matty = thom shouse

lol

Matty was a contractor for Eric and worked under him. He was hired to help with tails, but he makes all these claims that he totally made them. Yet years later still cna't make anything at that quality level. So draw your own conclusions.

Just like the Robert vs Thom stuff, Thom would have you believe he's the mastermind behind splash when he actually doesn't even have a credit on the film because he was a contractor under Robert's company. Meanwhile Robert did the majority of the work and Thom was just one of several people hired to help get it finished.

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I was definitely getting that impression, but wanted clarification. This guy's tails look like cheap knock offs made with Mertailor molds that he took with him. (That's grounds for a successful lawsuit, by the way.) I don't know if he lacks artistic talent or if he's just lazy, but it seems like the only thing this guy knows how to do is use silicone correctly. ...Which takes as much artistic vision as sealing a bathtub.

Matty did make a public video explaining his versions of events and explains very specifically that he was a contractor. (just for anyone wondering if I am making this up- lol it's form his own mouth)

Eric has at times in the past had contractors. He had someone doing airbrushing on the premade spellbounds and then when he transitioned all of that he decided he wanted to do back to doing it all himself.

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Originally Posted by AniaR

Matty did make a public video explaining his versions of events and explains very specifically that he was a contractor. (just for anyone wondering if I am making this up- lol it's form his own mouth)

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I was actually looking for that video last night to post here as an FYI, but I could not find the thing.

Edit- Oh, I just found the public clarification video. This is the one, isn't it?

https://youtu.be/R-Bj7h3hzoE

And the one he posted of when he was working on the lobster.

https://www.facebook.com/MerrowFins/...5695364328942/

hmm that youtube video looks like a follow up one to the one I originally saw. I'd have to go check on FB but I think he has me blocked anyway so I probably can't find it. lol

thanks for tracking the links down
!

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Originally Posted by AniaR

Matty did make a public video explaining his versions of events and explains very specifically that he was a contractor. (just for anyone wondering if I am making this up- lol it's form his own mouth)

Eric has at times in the past had contractors. He had someone doing airbrushing on the premade spellbounds and then when he transitioned all of that he decided he wanted to do back to doing it all himself.

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That makes sense, Mertailor is a large company and would likely need extra hands to meet all of the demand. But in most fields of labor, contractor=/= architect. It's one thing to have a credit given in some fields of work, but it's another to try to pass your employer's designs off as your own.

Matt describes which designs were his, as well as being clear that he's not attempting to discount anything Eric did, or his talent. Anyone who was watching after Matt and Eric broke up and then as Matt started his company, could see how really above board, down to earth, and pretty cool he was about something he could have gone full drama on and didn't, thank goodness. No one needs that.

But another thing Matt describes in the video that I hope people will realize, even if they don't watch that, when designers work for a company, it's more common for the public to believe the owner/head of the company is the one behind it all, when it's actually pretty normal for a designer under that kind of system to never get credit for their own work, because they're contracted out. Every recipe, craft, and project you see on a Martha Stewart website wasn't designed by her, but most of them were for her company by designers and crafters. So, he's not taking credit for his employer's work at all.

Anyway, those were the only videos on his YT or his FB page related to the tails in question.

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Matt describes which designs were his, as well as being clear that he's not attempting to discount anything Eric did, or his talent.

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he has a huge history though of posting all over social media taking full credit, to the point Robert Short intervened because Robert Short also did contracting work on the lobster tail.

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and pretty cool he was about something he could have gone full drama on and didn't, thank goodness.

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huh i'd say pouring bleach in Eric's koi pond and killing all his fish was drama... I saw a LOT of drama (I mean this guy put me and another mermaid on a female extortion site so he has no issue with drama)

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So, he's not taking credit for his employer's work at all.

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again he says that in his videos but contradicted it all over his posts.

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Originally Posted by AniaR

I mean this guy put me and another mermaid on a female extortion site so he has no issue with drama

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What in the fresh hell? Didn't hear about that, I hope nothing came out of it.

I noticed his reviews are gone so he turned off that function on FB. there was lots of interesting stuff there

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Originally Posted by Ransom

What in the fresh hell? Didn't hear about that, I hope nothing came out of it.

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well not for me. he just posted a picture of me WITH KIDS on the site, and my email so i got a few guys harassing me via email. He and another user did it- chris lapointe, they took full credit for it. But the other mermaid was stevie from fishbutts. Granted, at the time stevie was having her own downfall but they got into her cloud account and posted nude pics of her with all her contact information and she started getting majorly harassed. (Iona was sent all this stuff back when it happened. The website was taken down because it was all mostly revenge porn and the guy running it was actually arrested- it's all archived on here somewhere) This was all around the time when he joined forced with a few other banned mernetwork people and tried to start their own forum lol. it didn't last.

There's a reason he was banned from this forum guys. I just guess I forget that so many people who are active on the forum now, weren't around for all this stuff. Such a high turnover in the community stuff gets forgotten.

I personally met Matty at merfest 2 and decided to be a grown up and put the past behind despite what he did to me. It really had no affect on me but I was upset he'd put kids on a site like that. I watched his videos, tried to give him a chance/ so i tried to just be neutral but after the koi killing? and all the shit posts I saw everywhere? not so much.

I used to think it was all mertailor but now I think it was a case of him dating a toxic person and that person taking over.

taking the personal out of it, and just looking at it professionally, it seems he's still riding mertailor coat tails years later. He'll even word posts that look like passive aggressive replies to eric's promotional posts. his designs follow so closely to Erics often, eric releases those scales then Matty is right there. And he clearly doesn't have the skill level for what he's promoting. All these tails I see in person are splitting along the scales. there's loads of negative reviews and experiences out there if people dig.

I never want someone who buys his tails to feel shamed, but I do wish people would speak up more so there is a record. so others can make informed decisions.

edit to add: you only have to look at the first few pages of the drama thread to see screen shots of Matty making actual threats to people, and documenting him stalking

Wow, glad that site got taken off the Web. Mers really do need a thick skin for this.

is there more info about the koi incident (i'm just curious as to what happened)

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Originally Posted by -Mermaid Amber-

is there more info about the koi incident (i'm just curious as to what happened)

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Doesn't really mention alleged culprits or suspects but it did happen, recently too back in Feb 2015 . This is still after the documentary "my crazy obsession" TLC put out about him and other various interviews so the assumption seems to have been it could have been anyone at the time. Even I would have assumed it was more of a targeted hate crime type thing but that's because I would consider him a high profile unapologetic homosexual, that and considering I had someone do the same thing to my pond and poison/kill my dog. Just seems to be a tactic people use when they know its hard to trace.

Salting the earth is a whole different level of well...salty though. Florida's soil is incredibly poor sandy garbage to begin with poisoning what good garden and soil someone has is definitely something you do knowing you want to hurt someone financially.

That's unfortunately the only mention of it I could find that's written. Raina probably knows of some videos, if there were solid proof though you could bet Eric would have pursued legal action against him.

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Originally Posted by Arking

Doesn't really mention alleged culprits or suspects but it did happen, recently too back in Feb 2015 . This is still after the documentary "my crazy obsession" TLC put out about him and other various interviews so the assumption seems to have been it could have been anyone at the time. Even I would have assumed it was more of a targeted hate crime type thing but that's because I would consider him a high profile unapologetic homosexual, that and considering I had someone do the same thing to my pond and poison/kill my dog. Just seems to be a tactic people use when they know its hard to trace.

Salting the earth is a whole different level of well...salty though. Florida's soil is incredibly poor sandy garbage to begin with poisoning what good garden and soil someone has is definitely something you do knowing you want to hurt someone financially.

That's unfortunately the only mention of it I could find that's written. Raina probably knows of some videos, if there were solid proof though you could bet Eric would have pursued legal action against him.

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I'm so sorry to hear about your dog - that's so awful!!! A friend of mine went through the same thing and watching it happen was heartbreaking.

I remember the whole koi pond thing - that was so goddamn fucked up on so many levels.

Eric posted all about it when it happened but on his personal profile. Photos, videos, and a statement. (There may be some photos still up on his fanpage from 2015)

He chooses not to engage Matty at all. He's moved on and you can literally see how much better he got when they broke up. Both with his business and his interaction in the community.

Edit: I can't say 100% but I have a memory of discussing lawyer involvement when it all went down with Eric.

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That's so true. He was so lovely at Mermania a couple of years ago. It made me very happy to see how much more relaxed and sure of himself he seemed.

Poor koi. What a horrible thing to do with creatures that had nothing to do with the matter.... That's psychotic.

One of my unlces has a big koi pond, and from the time I spent there, I discovered how different and awesome each koi was. Each had their own personality. It would feel to me like a bunch of my dogs dying... They aren't your typical fish.

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Originally Posted by Mermaid Kane

Poor koi. What a horrible thing to do with creatures that had nothing to do with the matter.... That's psychotic.

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indeed, just reading that made me so angry.
Whoever does stuff like that is on a lower evolutionary level than an amoeba.

Sadly, quite a few animal haters or psychopaths around.
RIP, fishes.

I remember the whole koi bleach thing. I mean, what a f***ed up thing to do, deliberately going out of your way to harm someone else's creatures.

honestly people need to only go and read his posts on here from before he was banned. should tell you all you need to know about the guy.

really liked the new scales that he made but all these reviews and comments about him are really making me rethink my decisions
i just wish that Eric made cheap silicone tails like he used to

So I'm not a happy fish right now.
I ordered my second mermaid tail from Merrowfins and it ran my husband and I, just a little over a thousand dollars. I ordered my tail in August of last year and just got it yesterday evening.
Now I want to preface my tail review with one simple thing. This is not gonna be me bashing Matt., or painting him as the villain, as normally happens int he mermaid community when someone gets a badly made tail. I'm not gonna jump on the hate train and bad mouth the man over shoddy craftsmanship. now that being said... I am not happy with my tail. not in the slightest and this will more than likely be my final dealing with MerrowFins.


when I first contacted Matt, all the way back in August of 2017, about making me a second tail, he seemed really excited with the original design I sent him. which, was a tail that as supposed to have been based on the mermaid tails from Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I had initially asked if he could make the fins on the tail out of fabric instead of silicone so I could have the flowy ethereal look that the mermaids in POTC had.
At first, he agreed, then later he suggested that we do silicone anyway, something having to do with hygiene and wet fabric getting moldy. I went along with his idea as he was the tail maker, not me and I believed he knew what he was talking about.
we discussed the tail on and off for a few more months till My husband could get him paid. Matt seemed really excited about the tail was enthusiastic in going over it with me. Now I have numerous reference photos for the tail. all of which I offered to send him as references for how the tail was supposed to look.
[IMG ] https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...cd&oe=5C769946[/ IMG] [IMG ]https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...61&oe=5C774FA5[/ IMG]


So a couple of months go by and I don't really say anything to Matt, not wanting to be "That" mer and bug constantly for updates over my tail, but as the month's tick down I don't hear anything from him. emails go sparsely answered then completely unanswered. I let it be for a few more months, enjoy the holidays and college and the like.
Finally, after messaging Merrowfins through their Instagram I get a reply. my tail is almost done. just needs to be painted. a few more months go by and a finally get a picture of the tail.
the fins are bit bigger and bulkier than I was expecting but I assume the tail is still in its early stages and will look better once it's complete. I also didn't really notice the seams of the fins where they attach to the tail casue all this is being viewed through my Instagram account on my phone. The months drag one and my messages for updates go unanswered once again.

[IMG ]https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...d1&oe=5C6C73CB [/ IMG]

At one point Matt assures me again that my tail is close to being finished but that he would like to give me a tail with his new scale design and offers to sell my original tail to make a new one. At this point, however, I had already waited pretty long and was starting to grow antsy. As much as I liked the new look of his scales I just wanted my tail. I stated just as much and didn't get a reply for nearly another month. finally about... two or three months ago I get some updates.
Matt has Hired a new assistance to help with the social media side of things so I interact with her more than anything else. replies are still slow as hell but at least I'm getting somewhere.
Finally, I get a picture of the complete tail, or more over the back of the tail. which should have sent up red flags that he clearly didn't want me to see the front, but I was still hopeful. The tail is completely purple which is not the color scheme I wanted. I let Matt's assistant know and she gets back to him. He says he'll correct it. I'm told the tail is done and is just waiting for my approval. I get the pictures of the complete tail a few weeks later.
from the angle of the photos, I couldn't really see the seams of the fins but I was more focused on the look of the tail due to tot he size of the fins. I wanted On Stranger Tides and what I got, in my opinion, was Betta Fish. This made me extremely apprehensive about the tail but we had already paid and waited this long, I just wanted it in my possession at least. t so I took a deep breath and gave it my approval.
mind you once again, I'm viewing all this fro the small screen of my phone, since Instagram is the only way to reach and communicate with Merrowfins at that time. so I'm not getting a really true look at the tail.

[IMG ] https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...e3&oe=5C6F626F [/ IMG]

Looks pretty from the back right?

[IMG ] https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...f4&oe=5C873244 [/ IMG] [IMG ] https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...c6&oe=5C64E3E7 [/ IMG]

I'm told the tail is being shipped out that day. I expected to be sent the tracking number on the tail that same day. it took me asking Matt's assistant to get me the tracking number and it took her two whole days to get it to me.
My tail finally arrived yesterday evening and what little excitement I had for it was immediately crushed upon opening the box. I'm so disappointed and underwhelmed that I'm trying not to cry.
seeing the seams of the fins up close reveals that they look horrible. They literally look thrown on the tail shoddily attached. Not seamless, the extra silicone spills over the scales tot he point, that they might as well not be there.
I'm not even upset with the imperfections in the scale mold of the tail. that I could have overlooked honestly. even the rubbed off color on the fluke and the odd hairs in the silicone, but the fins... I just can not believe this.
my prior tail from Matt which was far cheaper than this one looks better but I've put on weight and can't fit into that tail which was already a little snug to begin with, which is why I ordered another tail.
after the nearly a year of waiting, putting up with inconsistent emails and messages, this is what I end up with?
I am not going to drag or vilify Merrowfins over this but is my belief that Matt knew the tail was shoddily made, or at least that the fins were not done properly, which was why he offered to make me another one and sell this one but when he couldn't find a buyer for it, due to the fact that I am "rather petite" (his words not mine), he rushed through this one to get it out to me.
If that had been the case, all that needed to be said was that the tail was not coming out as expected and would need to be scrapped and redone. I wouldn't have been happy but I would have agreed. As is stands, whatever the case is I am completely and utterly disappointed int this tail. It is not what I envisioned or paid for and I'm honestly just so... disappointed isn't even the right word.

I will be emailing Merrowfins to let them know I am sending the tail back and expect either a complete refund or a new tail

I'm just kind of shocked that the extra fins are flat out glued on top of the body scales. Its pretty crucial to root any extra fin attachment to the body and reinforce wherever possible (And if rooted properly, you can hide the seams way better too). Extra fins can rip off so easily unless they're properly attached and even then they're pretty delicate. That's scary! So sorry <3

Oh man, I'm so sorry. I have the same types of fins (side fins that kind of wrap around to the front along the calves) and as Katie says above, when they're properly rooted, they've got a seamless look (I've found them to be pretty sturdy, too.) I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this :( Let us know how it turns out!

I totally see your points. The first thing I noticed was how bulky it was, and the glued on fins. It also looks to me like some of the paint hasn't totally cured but that could be a trick of the light. I am not trying to take a dig either but it also looks to me like the scales- especially the ones at the top of the waist, are really messy and grainy like the mold was dirty and the pull wasn't clean. Not a fan of the fluke seam either. I think he just hasn't mastered attaching extra pieces yet.

Sorry man, I know you were really looking forward to it.

I contacted Merrowfins through Instagram and got in touch with Matt's assistant. she didn't seem to understand just what I was unhappy with or what was wrong with the fins.
I told her they look sloppy and shoddily done and she tried to get me to explain in detail just what was wrong with them, even going as far as to ask if there was a specific way I had wanted them attached.
um yes. I'd like them attached the way they are supposed to be attached not this sloppy gluey mess that I was sent.
I was told she would be seeing Matt on Friday and would speak to him then and see what course of action he wants to take and that eh would probably just offer to replace or redo the tail but my husband wants a full refund.

now I have to find another tail maker within my budget

now I'm even angrier because Matt just posted a new tail on his facebook.
the fluke is perfect and the seams for the fins are nowhere near as bad as mine
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...bd&oe=5C748DAA


https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...f4&oe=5C873244


like there is no excuse now. my tail was clearly rushed through and just thrown together.

yeah it's a really clear difference.

Is your tail a basic or a partial? That's one thing I've noticed with merrowfins quality- the partials and full silicones are constructed, look, and perform 100 times better than his basics. Your fin attachments look very similar to my basic tail (I ultimately got rid of because of the same issue's you're facing). I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

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Originally Posted by MissLunaBelle

Is your tail a basic or a partial? That's one thing I've noticed with merrowfins quality- the partials and full silicones are constructed, look, and perform 100 times better than his basics. Your fin attachments look very similar to my basic tail (I ultimately got rid of because of the same issue's you're facing). I'm so sorry you're dealing with this.

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if I remember correctly, all the way back in August when I first contacted him we discussed doing a basic but if I'm not mistaken he offered to upgrade me to a partial since I was a returning customer.

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Originally Posted by AniaR

yeah it's a really clear difference.

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very! and what gets me is that I went to task over Matt so many times. defended all the badmouthing and sung his praises when someone asked where I got my tail.
and look where that landed me.
I had work opportunities that were dependant on this tail

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Originally Posted by Prince Calypso

very! and what gets me is that I went to task over Matt so many times. defended all the badmouthing and sung his praises when someone asked where I got my tail.
and look where that landed me.
I had work opportunities that were dependant on this tail

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I have done this before for people. I understand how much it sucks because you sincerely believe you're defending someone worthy of it. All you can do is learn, be honest, and move on. Sometimes people aren't what we think or are told, especially in this community. Sometimes people just change too. For better or worse, I have experienced both.

Here's hoping that moving forward either your tail with be updated to your wishes or you'll get a refund/partial refund. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Prince Calypso

if I remember correctly, all the way back in August when I first contacted him we discussed doing a basic but if I'm not mistaken he offered to upgrade me to a partial since I was a returning customer.

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I "added" glitter and he never added it, he said he would make it blacklight reactive, that never happened. I honestly think he just gets in over his head. Here's a couple pics of my old basic tail which makes me believe he didn't actually upgrade your tail.. again, I'm so sorry you had to deal with thisAttachment 43581Attachment 43582

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