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Because I'm a dingus and forgot to post this here...
http://i43.tinypic.com/107qijo.jpg
I placed my order September 4th and received the tail December 13th (Friday the 13th DUNDUNDUN).
My order was originally due at the end of October but was pushed back about six weeks due to the ladies of Finfolk having to move house and studio and some other life events.
The Design Process
I began the designing process in August, just before making my deposit to get in line for production ($1,000). I wanted a silicone tail based on my current neoprene tail designed by Morticia Mermaid. They were very excited about the color scheme and the prospect of working on their first black tail! I did not receive any sort of image of what the tail may look like (like how Merbellas, etc have tail templates and Raven or other makers may send you a sketch to confirm the idea) but since I sent them images of the front and back of my neoprene tail, I had confidence that it would work out nicely. I asked for the classic fluke, a Competitor upgrade, pectoral and ankle fins. I asked that they do whatever they like on the fins are far as pattern and color and it came out fabulously!
The Tail
I'm in the middle of getting video and accurate pictures of the tail in person but I can tell you it's very thick (about the same thickness as an iPhone 5) with raised and textured scales in a diamondlike pattern (kind of like a reverse of the Merbella scales). There are no weak spots I can find. Embedded within the silicone is a super tiny mesh fabric for strength all throughout. The monofin is glued down within the silicone and does not slide and the fluke does not balloon up at all in the water. Drainage holes are positioned along the bottom of the fluke and are very difficult to spot! I only found them by accident, running my fingers along the bottom. They are very small and I could barely stick my fingers in them.
The tail weights roughly 30 pounds and is very heavy outside the water but in the water, it's very light. I move so quickly and stealthily in the water, I feel like I could win wars in this tail! During our big pool party, people were commenting that Theobromine (Mermaid Cynaea) and I were practically teleporting from one end of the pool to the other. I'm still learning how to get in and out of the tail efficiently. Currently it rides low but Finfolk gave me some pointers, the biggest of which is that it's okay to roll the tail down over the monster pectorals - they're very durable. They have not had any complaints about tails riding too low - I just have to figure out the best way to get my tail on, which requires much more practice on my end.
The seams! The seams are near non-existent, I think in part due to the diamondlike pattern of Finfolk's scales. They seem to arrange the seam in a tooth pattern and when I initially received the tail, I couldn't find any seams without first looking inside the tail! Everything about my tail is very thick - thick fluke, thick scales, my additional fins are thick, so while silicone isn't indestructible by any means, I also don't feel like my tail will fall apart if I'm not always treating it with kid gloves or an accident happens.
I am able to sink in the tail perfectly without having to worry about wearing a weight belt!
Swim video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTUr_...ature=youtu.be (Thank you, Morti! <3)
Shipping
Since my order took longer than expected and I had this big party I was hosting, Finfolk partially paid for two-day shipping, which I cannot thank them enough for. The tail came within a huge Amazon box stuffed to the brim with packing peanuts and the tail itself was in a large garbage bag with more packing peanuts. There were no tears or other damages that I could find.
[Box Opening video to go here!]
Customer Service
I'll be the first to admit that I was a terrible nag and every time I would send a message, Finfolk would reply very graciously. I think the poor girls are overworked and I don't believe they have much help. I was losing my mind the closer to my gig date we got but Finfolk pulled it off in spades. I got so many compliments and now several more people in my immediate area are interested in mermaiding and ordering from Finfolk. :) I can't thank Abby and Bryn enough for making my silicone mermaid tail dream come true!
Ok here goes and I'll warn you I'm not very good with putting words to paper :P
I sent my first email to Finfolk on the 19/05/13 just to enquire on whether they were willing to make a tail for my 9 year old little mermaid and I assured them that she was very capable swimmer and had been doing so for a couple of years.
They replied back the same day and with some info on costs etc and said they could cast the tail a little thinner so it wasnt as heavy.
Talked off and on over the next couple of months getting it all arranged, talking monofins, colours and costs etc.
Made the first half of the payment on the 28th of August to lock in the start time in September and I sent her measurements, design & colours.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...3848f788aafcae
It was to be based on her very first tail I made her :)
Silicone was poured for the body piece on the 10th of Sept and fluke took shape 7 days later. I had to wait a little longer for the rest due to the Renfest and the moving of their studio, but that was no bother
because good things come to those who wait ;)
On the 20th of Nov Emily got her first sneak peek of her fluke design and 8 days later she got the full picture of her finished tail!
https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...61119381_n.jpghttps://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...64266991_n.jpg
Last payment was made on the 2nd of Dec and the tail was shipped out on the 6th Dec :)
Emily finally got her tail on the 31st of December! It took a long time due to customs as they had it for three weeks??
This is a video of her unboxing her tail https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...2184118&type=3
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...81445704_o.jpg
Tail was easy to put on, the quality was phenomenal, no seams, the detail in the scales and fluke were flawless and the colour on the tail was just breathtaking :mermaid kiss:
We went for her first swim a few days later and I was a little apprehensive because the tail was heavy! But she popped off the edge of the pool and just swam like it had always been so :D
Here are a couple of videos of her swimming;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abi7iEb1Q3E
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...ages_video_set
http://youtu.be/9vkWYhkrb_0
If you are looking at buying a quality tail I would hands down buy from Finfolk Productions! They were easy to talk to and completely got her and her personality in a tail, True artists :mermaid kiss:
https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...38053929_o.jpg
I posted this review long ago when I got my Man O War tail in the Finfolk forum area. Now that they have a review section all to themselves, I am copy/pasting the link to the review for the benefit of easy viewing!
FINFOLK REVIEW: MAN O WAR TAIL
If you want to check it out, here is my unboxing video on YouTube. I filmed my first swim in it, so I should have an in-pool video soon!
I have upped my rating to 5 stars after having received this message from the twins on my tail's paint:
We don't know if there's just an instant stigma in the community (because of certain tailmaker)s that if there's a problem, you just have to fix it yourself - that's not true! Michelle, if your tail is in any way not up to your standards, OF COURSE we will take it back and do our best to alter it for you, using products and painting techniques that you can know will be safe for your tail. SPREAD THE WORD. We think it's astounding that other makers refuse or ignore problems with their work. If it's something that needs fixing on our end, we will ALWAYS repair free of charge.
I don't know about you but I REALLY appreciate this kind of caring attitude toward their customer's satisfaction. They really ARE an amazing company!!!
The Portugese Man O War Tail
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...9&d=1388551636
Rated: 5/5
Made By: Abby and Bryn at Finfolk Productions
Cost: $3,000 plus $130 shipping
Features: "Lorena" style fluke, Competitor monofin, custom dorsal fin, custom tentacles around ankles, scale tipping
Time Frame: Ordered October 23, 2013, received December 31, 2013--order was pushed back a couple of weeks due to Abby and Bryn moving into their new studio; was originally scheduled to be finished mid-December
Recommended: HECK YEAH!!!! :D
Pros
-Reliability
-Good customer service
-Good warranty/Promise that you will like the tail
-Amazingly creative work
-Willingness to do highly custom work without extra charge
-Very fast turnaround
-Beautiful craftsmanship
-Utterly INVISIBLE seams
-Great choice of many flukes
Cons
-Not the best packaging when shipping
-Not really given a chance to "okay" the paint job before shipping
-Not given many updates during the process once the design is okayed
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...0&d=1388551662
I adore my tail--let me start with that. I approached Abby and Bryn with the idea of making a tail based on a Portuguese Man O War. They seemed very excited about the idea, and so onward we went! I sent a link to a pinterest board with pictures and descriptions of various Man O War traits I was interested in having in a tail. They told me that they would start on my tail the last week of November or first week of December, and I paid 50% up front.
After that, I didn't hear from them again, but they regularly updated their Facebook page with the work they were doing so it was easy to judge when my tail would be started since most of the people in line ahead of me were from MerNetwork. About halfway through December, I sent them this sketch of what I was interested in:
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...5&d=1388548867
They didn't respond, but I figured they were very busy with all the tails they had in the works.
I did get a BIT of a scare when the next time they messaged me they stated that they were "pouring my tail." I freaked out a little because we hadn't discussed design AT ALL and I was afraid they had made my tail with their "Basic" fluke, which I don't love. I wanted the "Lorena" fluke. Turns out they just meant they were pouring the scales. A few days later they messaged me with this sketch to okay:
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...6&d=1388549255
I okayed it, and they went to work! One nice thing was that they made it very clear that if they HAD poured the wrong fluke, they wouldn't have tried to make me take it like some tailmakers *coughcough* have been known to do, that they would have started over. This doesn't seem like much, but considering how we have seen some tailmakers operate, it REALLY made me feel good.
They were a couple of days later finishing my tail than they had said they would be, but it WAS Christmas, literally, so definitely no big deal there. I told them I needed the tail by January 2nd so I could apply for the Mermaid Lagoon at Scarborough Ren Faire and they assured me it would be here by then--and it was. I got one picture update of the dorsal fin during the process, and saw the finished picture the day before it was shipped.
I noticed that the pinks looked a little lighter than what I had wanted, but it can be hard to tell on a computer, and they looked more intense in some photos, plus the twins mentioned the color was more intense in person. Unfortunately, the pinks are not very intense at all, and I really wanted that "electric" look that the Man O War has, as is shown in my original design and stated on the pinterest board. This is the reason for the -0.5 points--I just wish I had been given more of a chance to okay the paint job. The tail is BEAUTIFUL, but it is not exactly what I wanted. The electric coloring was really important to me, so I do wish I had said something when I looked at the pictures on the computer and the pinks looked too pale. But hey, live and learn. I will probably add some electric color to it, if I can figure out how.
On December 31st, the tail arrived at my house about 1:30pm. The box was TOTALLY open on one side, with the tail literally about to slide out, no doubt thanks to UPS' loving care. If there were care instructions, they must have fallen out, because I didn't get any. This is not really FinFolk's fault--it's UPS' for being so rough on packages--but they may want to package the tails better next time. The box was from Amazon and I think probably held a flat screen TV at one time as it was about that size. The tail itself was wrapped in a black trash bag.
I took the tail to open it at my friend's house, as can be seen in my unboxing video. It was GORGEOUS, and I love it, but I was rather disappointed by the coloring. They did great on the body shades, but neither the scale tipping nor the edges of the dorsal fin were the electric color I had asked for, such as in these pictures:
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...7&d=1388549827
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...8&d=1388549841
This was something I REALLY wanted, so like I said, a downer.
I moved the tail so I could get some pictures and the pink did look a bit better in the sun, but I was still disappointed. The tentacles and everything were AWESOME, though, and I do love the dorsal even though the sculpt it is not quite what I pictured. I feel like the dark lines look more like stripes than the indentions that a Man O War actually has, and I wish they had done them in pink like an actual Man O War. I will probably change that as well. It also doesn't like to stay up for pictures, but that's just the way of dorsal fins! This one isn't floppy, but it lays on one side or the other, like it's tight, almost.
Overall, the tail was immensely beautiful and my only complaint is the lack of intensity of the colors. I REALLY love intense colors, as anybody who looks through my wardrobe can see, so it was a bit too demure for me, and I am REALLY wishing now that I had gone ahead and said something. It was really my fault in that I should have spoken up the first time I wondered, and I am smacking myself in the head for it now. But hey, I can fix that.
The seams were AMAZING, I mean ASTOUNDING. Not even a HINT that they existed! SEAMLESS, completely! The drainage holes are invisible as well, at least until you pull it out of water and watch it "pee," LOL. You would never GUESS that they are there! If nothing else, FinFolk has AMAZING construction!!!
It doesn't weigh that much, either. Or not as bad as I expected. I do SCUBA, after all, so the weight was nothing compared to what I am used to hauling to the water. I would say that the tail is close to neutrally buoyant, but not quite there. The fluke is negatively bouyant (it wants to sink), while the rest of me isn't so interested in sinking. But perfect neutral buoyancy is VERY hard to achieve, and I did not expect it. You would have to specifically design a tail for that ONE thing and have the person test it as you make it to be able to achieve this (SCUBA gear overcomes this by allowing "customization" through the addition or release of air into the Buoyancy Control Device). It felt really good though, and I bet it will even out in a deeper pool.
This is probably NOT a scientific way to do it and is probably NOT an accurate representation of what it weighs, but when I stood on a scale alone it said 130 pounds and when I stood on it holding my tail, it was 157. It probably weighs more like 30 pounds, but it's not as bad as I expected. Silicone tails also feel really cool. It reminded me of those balls full of goop you can buy at the dollar store--you know, the ones you squeeze and they feel sort of slimey? Heck, maybe they're silicone, too. Also a sex toy I once owned as a joke. You could suction cup it to stuff, I would stick it on the TV sometimes to annoy my roomie, LOL. That was probably silicone as well. And this is probably TMI.
ANYWAY, it was pretty easy to put on using lube, though I could get it pulled up really far in front and not as far in back. It rode down a little as I swam, but I probably just need to work on getting it all the way up.
Next I took my tail to the indoor pool at the Holiday Inn for my first swim, and this is where I TRULY fell in love with it! Due to it not being quite what I had imagined, it hadn't really taken my breath away when I got it out of the box. I mean, it was very beautiful but I wasn't overwhelmed. Swimming in it, however, was MAGNIFICENT! Man, I felt like I could FLY and the tentacles looked SO cool under water! Even the color seemed a little better, if still too dull for my tastes.
I understand now what the person who said that the Competitor makes it "easy to cheat" the dolphin kick meant (was it Raina? Not sure...). It's hard to remember to swim from the abdomen when a tiny flick of the heels gets you so far! I was flying around that pool--and bending my knees WAY too much, LOL. Unfortunately, it was a very shallow, small pool (5 feet in the deep end) but it was the best I could do for an indoor pool in the winter. The other choice was going to the rec center, and their water is so heavily chlorinated that I cannot open my eyes underwater, and I wanted to take videos.
Because it was so shallow and my fluke is so big, the fluke tended to "suction cup" onto the bottom, making it hard to pull up. I could not lift it fully out of the water, so I guess I need to work out. Also, I skinned up my elbows because I had to use the edge of the pool to turn around because it was too shallow in most places for me to move my big fluke enough to turn! There was a lot of silicone to concrete contact because of the depth, but it came out none the worse for the wear! It is ASTOUNDINGLY awesome. After that swim, I was HOOKED. It may need a few changes with the color, but I ADORE the way it moves and feels! I thought it would be HARDER to swim in, but it is a THOUSAND times easier than my fabric tail!
There was a little gaping at the waist even when I pulled it up as far as I could manage, but I noticed that the few times it did it were during specific moves that I guess have more drag. Mostly, though, it stuck to me pretty well, though it doesn't totally hide the tattoo above my ass, which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't a tat of an anime boy in bondage. Yeah, I may have to figure out a way to cover that for kids' parties. Damn you, Ai No Kusabi!
Overall, I am totally thrilled. The ONLY downside was the paint, and that is easy enough to fix, and even if I don't fix that, it is still gorgeous. I LOVE swimming in it and cannot WAIT to take it on my blue water SCUBA trip and get some pics on the beach! It is awesome, Finfolk is awesome, and I would recommend them to ANYONE. To EVERYONE! Hehehe.
Anyhoo, if you want to check it out, here is my unboxing video on YouTube. I filmed my first swim in it, so I should have an in-pool video soon!
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...1&d=1388551681
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...2&d=1388551698
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...3&d=1388551734
I have not seen a review for the Mythic series and thought I'd add one. This is my personal experience from ordering it to the last few months of using it.
I ordered my Golden Goddess Mythic on April 15 during their pre-sale. I received my tail August 29, after some delays. However, they sent extra stickers and a discount code to makeup for it, which I used on merchandise I'd been eyeing for a while.
The tail is beautiful. I had an issue with my zipper, but it was easily resolved by installing a slightly more heavy-duty one. I blame this mostly on my having gained weight after ordering the tail and my butt being about three inches larger than they recommended for the size. Since switching the zipper, I've lost some of that and may need to take it in, but it's not too difficult to work with.
I have yet to lose a scale, which is a common worry for people, but it seems they're improving their technique. While waiting for my tail, they were great about responding to messages (one time they had posted they would be slow to respond due to other commitments and they still responded within a week).
The tail moves like a dream in water, and is so pretty. I receive compliments on it regularly. I've gotten pretty decent at swimming in it and it is fast! A little difficult to get into alone (I suggest having a second person and using lube to get into the foot pockets). However, the tail is pretty comfy once on.