Hello. I am posting a sort of review, on a tail I recently got to wear. I am not posting this in the actual tail review, since I have not bought this tail, but I am designing one to be made so more than likely you will see that coming in the next month or so.
So I'm sure a lot of you were aware of a little gathering of sorts, of some of us mers in FL that took place this past week. On Friday of our meetup, merman Jesse organized a gathering at Rainbow River, bringing one of his newest tails. Originally, it was made to fit Raina, but since she was not present, some of us tried it out instead. And so I would like to share that experience with you, since it actually sold me on his tails - I simply must have one nowSame with Fawkes.
The first thing I'd like to talk about is the appearance both in, and out of water. The scale pattern is the tiny, bubble scales, which happen to be my favorite. The fluke was beautifully detailed and had that natural, gentle flop to it. It was also the nicest "tattered edge" I've seen yet. blending the body of the tail into the fluke was perfect - no bulging, lumps, or anything else that would make you crinkle your nose. I understand that the body of the tail is made with three sections of silicone. the seams are VERY minimal, and I'm sure with a little more practice, invisible. With the tail stretched, when Fawkes was wearing it, I didn't even notice the seams. This particular tail was painted with a special silicone paint, so that it bonded right in with the rest of the silicone - it can never scrape off or anything like that. A big plus, because after that day, I've decided, I'm pretty much always going to have to touch up the heels of my neoprene tailJesse said at the WMAs, he KEYED his tail, and it did nothing at all! That's certainly a plus. The whole tail is glossy, keeping a natural, wet, fishy look. And in this particular tail, a small fin designed by Sasha was included, and it did not sag once. It stood perfectly and consistantly, but again, because it is dragonskin silicone, it is also flexible, and COULD bend down if you needed it to (for folding in a carrying bag, sitting in the tail, etc).
My next point is brief but impressive. This tail was intended for Raina - a very petite mermaid. First Fawkes wore it - she is about Raina's height, but I'd say a little stronger built. Then I wore it. I am short and fairly meaty in my hip/thigh area. Then, Jesse himself wore it! So the elasticity in this tail allowed for 4 TOTALLY different sized mers to be able to wear and enjoy this tail! I thought that was pretty incredible.
Now for how it swam. I was a little unsure of how it would perform in the water, knowing it had the foil - essesntially the beginner monofin from finis. Boy was I silly for worrying. When I first took off to test the propulsion, I went from the steps to almost clear across the swimming area of the springs in a very short amount of time (I didn't count the exact amount of seconds) and in one breath. The tail was not heavy in the water at all (although on land I picked it up and was like HOLY CRAP! - it was around 40 lbs), and I was so happy when I found out how EASY it was to manuever in this tail. For a while I was just spinning and spinning and spinning. Because I couldn't believe how easy it was! No drag at all and really just perfect to do any kind of ballet move. With my tail, the large leaderfin monofin is more appropriate for fighting tides and getting great propulsion in an ocean, so when trying to flip, or spin, or anything fun like that, the fluke creates incredible drag and it is actually very difficult. Not in Jesse's tail though! It was awesome! Also, the way the fluke moved under the water was grand. Perfectly natural flow. Not too stiff, not too floppy. Just right. There was no bubbling of the tail and it fit you like a glove - no flabby extra around your waist. And the waist also gradually faded into the skin because of the thin-cast, transparent area up there.
And so, after that, I was sold. I decided I simply must have one. I'm waiting to find out what colors are available for the silicone paints before I make my design. He suggested the color looked very good with my blonde hair, but there are more and more splash-type tails popping up, so if the right colors are available, I'm thinking of a design based off of the coloration of a fresh water swordtail fishFor a 100% dragonskin silicone tail, you CANNOT beat that price - less than a grand! And he says he is able to make it in about 2 weeks. I can't fathom it being made that quickly. I take a month just for my neoprene tails! Price, speed, value, quality of product.... this wins in every category.
All in all, after trying it out, I highly recomment a mermaid creations tail. It was awesome!
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