problems with fan universe creations uk

[Birdie]

Do you have any links? Allegations of recasting need to be backed up with more than 'my friend told me', and given that SelenaJohnsen has posted images of her sculpt, this needs to be put to bed if it isn't true.

 

[cordell31]

Well I for one believe the explanation given by Selena. I've been waiting on a cowl since last year but now I have the reasons for the delay then I can't see a problem. Lets all give FUC a bit of breathing space so that orders can be honoured.

Looking at the pics of the sculpts I just wish I had as much talent to do this sort of thing.

 

[VaultUK]

No I don't have links . Let it be put to bed then

 

[SelenaJohnson]

I found pictures of HK Gauntlets on their website - and while I can see that they do look very very similar to ours, there are also a few very clear differences. Since I've spent months sculpting the Gauntlets, I can spot the differences right away.

So I took pictures of the same angles of Gauntlets I have been working on today (they are not finished yet so the removable resin fins are still missing in my pictures but you can see the dimensions of HK Gauntlets and FUC Gauntlets being different)

On the left of each picture HK Gauntlets, on the right FUC Gauntlets:

I know that my Gauntlet on the right falls wider because there is no arm holding it up but the gaps themselves are a completely different shape to HK gaps between the straps:



And here you can see that HK has a rounded edge next to the elbow piece, ours is pointed. Further you can see the difference on the top section, the curves and dips are different, and the width of the side panel is also different, same as the fin imprint detail on the top part. And lastly the wrist part is longer on our Gauntlet:

 

[VaultUK]

Then I am proven wrong and I'm sorry for the post

 

[SelenaJohnson]

Information I was give was from a friend who has gauntlets from HK and them and said they was the same other than changes made to removing part
And it's been talked about on several other boards

If you don't mind could you tell me what other boards are talking about it as I couldn't find anything?

 

[Simpson77]

Hi Selina, how long do you think it will take to complete the backlog of orders. I ordered my gauntlets in October I think it was, was also told a couple of months ago that my gauntlets would be shipped with in the week. Still no sign.

 

[darthdisco]

Guys, I just received my gauntlets today and I'm TERRIBLY upset with them. They look great, but they are useless for costuming. No question in my mind that corners were cut when manufacturing these. The description I was given in the email when I first ordered them don't match what I received. Plus all the pix they used to show "velcro" attachments have gone missing from the site. There is no velcro used on the ones I received. I tried them on and they wobble and flop and stretched so much that I'm afraid they'll tear after one wearing. The only thing I *DO* like about these are the fins. Since they are removable I'm going to use them to customize my UD gauntlets. My advice to anyone who is still waiting on these is to DEMAND A REFUND. This is shameful, since I really liked my cowl and neck armour I bought from FUC last spring. But after all the BS from them as of late, my recommendation is steer clear of them completely. Ask for your money back. Don't listen to their excuses. You will not be pleased with these gauntlets.

 

[darthdisco]

Me Again,

Here are some pix of the gauntlets I received this morning. You can judge for yourself how bad these are. I should also note I was promised a spare set of fins or "convention kit" in case of loss or damage. I did not get these. Which is a shame. Because after taking these pix two of these fins are already broken. If you have any questions, post here or message me directly and I will answer your concerns.



Things to note in the pix above, notice how the plating is separated at the wrist? I'm assuming this is to allow a hand to slip through. I have small hands and I had trouble squeezing through the opening. Next, the plating itself is poorly done. Note the separation at the top forearm. Fins are not flush, and when worn are as crooked as a homeless man's teeth. I really tired to like these things. The more I look at them and try to determine if there's anything remotely good about them, the more disappointed I get. I thought the fins had potential but there's no way they would last an hour at a convention. One bump and they'd bust right off. They are sculpted nicely, but the overall assembly of these things just don't work.

So I'm in the market for a new set of gauntlets again. Can't believe I waited 6 months for these. If anyone has a recommendation, please pass them along. I'm looking for something with near-screen accuracy, durability and adjustable. Something that works with the UD Dark Knight Rises suit would be a definite plus.

 

[SelenaJohnson]

Me Again,

Here are some pix of the gauntlets I received this morning. You can judge for yourself how bad these are. I should also note I was promised a spare set of fins or "convention kit" in case of loss or damage. I did not get these. Which is a shame. Because after taking these pix two of these fins are already broken. If you have any questions, post here or message me directly and I will answer your concerns.

Hi Darren,

I'm sorry to hear that you don't like your Gauntlets. I thought that if you had any issues with them you would have contacted me first.
I know that I have been bad at replying to emails and all but I thought with my public apology I would have at least shown that I'm not hiding away from the issues.

The velcro part is actually something that we had changed over the months for the Gauntlets to work at all and is more movie accurate without the velcro. The free set of spare fins were also a problem we encountered with shipping as a loose set of sharp plastic spikes didn't seem to go well with the customs, so now you can order replacement fins free of charge when needed. I would very much like to see the pictures of your Gauntlets too see what faults there are and which fins broke and how, however in your previous post there don't seem to be any attachments.


Kindest regards,
Selena

 

[darthdisco]

Selena, I had troubles posting pix but they are up now. My wife and I are trying to get me into my suit so I can take some pix with the gauntlets in place. We had some success just a few minutes ago, but we are still making some adjustments as they slide around on the arms. At first look in the mirror they look better than they do in the pix I posted. I was able to hide some of the seam flaws I illustrated in the pix with my gloves on. That worked a bit.

Regarding the production issues with the velcro and replacement fins - these are issues you should have told us about up front BEFORE processing our orders. If you have any integrity in your work and reputation, not to mention respect for your customers YOU MUST tell us these things! Now that I know replacement fins are free of charge, I would like to order two sets because two of mine are already cracked.

I will post more pix tomorrow after my wife and I try to make these work with the rest of my suit.

Hi Darren,

I'm sorry to hear that you don't like your Gauntlets. I thought that if you had any issues with them you would have contacted me first.
I know that I have been bad at replying to emails and all but I thought with my public apology I would have at least shown that I'm not hiding away from the issues.

The velcro part is actually something that we had changed over the months for the Gauntlets to work at all and is more movie accurate without the velcro. The free set of spare fins were also a problem we encountered with shipping as a loose set of sharp plastic spikes didn't seem to go well with the customs, so now you can order replacement fins free of charge when needed. I would very much like to see the pictures of your Gauntlets too see what faults there are and which fins broke and how, however in your previous post there don't seem to be any attachments.


Kindest regards,
Selena

 

[sparrowfan]

the gap at the wrist is killing me!

 

[LePaul]

Are the pieces peeling apart? It looks like the top and bottom parts don't line up....not to mention the fins

I have the Gotham gauntlets and have tried to score a set of the Fan Universe ones on the many auctions but always outbid The Gotham ones are awful, the fins are not cut nicely and the seams you see...well, mine look like a Dremel sanding bit was used, its simply awful.

Looks like the search continues for me!

 

[darthdisco]

Yeah, I'm having the same issue with that wrist gap. I can hide it a bit with my gloves on but not much.

LePaul - yeah, one of the seams is peeling on the arm.

I just spent an hour struggling to get these over the arms of my suit. I had some limited success. After looking in the mirror after a few trials they still look better on me that the UD gauntlets. The fins pop up and align better when there's some pressure on them from below. But they don't sit flush, which is a bit of an issue for me. Not the end of the world, however. But the fins will never survive a crowded room. If I ever get these to work for me I would only wear them for photo shoots.

So contrary to my previous posts there is some merit in these gauntlets. They DO Look very cool, but they are cumbersome to get on. The rubber makes it very tough to get on over bare skin, but not so hard over smooth material like Under Armor. But I have a UD suit which has some slack in the wrist that bunches up when I can finally get the gauntlets to sit in place. I could get this tailored to be more form fitting, but that doesn't change the issue for guys with bigger arms who also have UD suits. There's no way these would work for them.

I'll post some more pix tomorrow with them over my suit. I really, really want to like these. But I fear too many cut-corners during production turned what could have been an excellent product into something very disappointing.

the gap at the wrist is killing me!

 

[SelenaJohnson]

Hi Darren,

I only have a minute so I apologise in advance if it seems my reply is too short or sounds rude - I have no intention to be rude at all I just have a lot to do as you all probably can imagine - but you actually put them on the wrong way. They are supposed to go on the opposite arm - you're wearing the one that goes on the left arm on your right arm right now. The gap is meant to be at the back of your arm, and the wrist is meant to go underneath your glove so that the gap will be held together and hidden.
The picture where you are holding the Gauntlets to show the fins sticking out and they are all wonky, that is what happens when they are being held up or twisting. They are also supposed to stick out a little bit when you wear them - the original ones do stick out a little bit as well. Not as much as you've shown in the picture because I can tell the way you're holding it, your fingers are pushing them up from inside.

Here is a picture that show the fins being in line if not twisted by being held up





I'm very sorry about the rest, as I have said previously in my public apology - I got overwhelmed, scared and handled it badly, even got sick. I tried to make a start with my public apology, I stopped listing the items, but now I also need a chance to react to these type of things to make them right.

Me Again,

Here are some pix of the gauntlets I received this morning. You can judge for yourself how bad these are. I should also note I was promised a spare set of fins or "convention kit" in case of loss or damage. I did not get these. Which is a shame. Because after taking these pix two of these fins are already broken. If you have any questions, post here or message me directly and I will answer your concerns.

View attachment 302432View attachment 302429View attachment 302426View attachment 302433View attachment 302430View attachment 302427View attachment 302431View attachment 302428

Things to note in the pix above, notice how the plating is separated at the wrist? I'm assuming this is to allow a hand to slip through. I have small hands and I had trouble squeezing through the opening. Next, the plating itself is poorly done. Note the separation at the top forearm. Fins are not flush, and when worn are as crooked as a homeless man's teeth. I really tired to like these things. The more I look at them and try to determine if there's anything remotely good about them, the more disappointed I get. I thought the fins had potential but there's no way they would last an hour at a convention. One bump and they'd bust right off. They are sculpted nicely, but the overall assembly of these things just don't work.

So I'm in the market for a new set of gauntlets again. Can't believe I waited 6 months for these. If anyone has a recommendation, please pass them along. I'm looking for something with near-screen accuracy, durability and adjustable. Something that works with the UD Dark Knight Rises suit would be a definite plus.

 

[SelenaJohnson]

Hi,

the gap is actually meant to be on the back of the arm (as the real one actually also has a gap at the back, plus it's supposed to go underneath the glove)
He put the left Gauntlet on the right arm - meaning the gap is at the front instead of where it's supposed to be - at the back.

I know that I've made many mistakes and caused a lot of fires which I'm now trying to put out, but I think I deserve a chance to defend myself when there is something that is not being done right causing the item to look more off or worse than it actually is.

the gap at the wrist is killing me!

 

[SelenaJohnson]

I have to say that the way the item is being displayed in those pictures does make it look bad - in my own defence he's actually wearing the left Gauntlet on the right arm, meaning the gap which is actually supposed to be on the back.
If you look at the real Gauntlets, you can see that there is a gap at the back / the inside of the arm.

Plus the fins are lining up with the base, so if the base is twisted, they will look wonky. they are held in line by magnets on the inside, so you also have to make sure they are all aligned with the magnets - give them a wiggle so they snap back into place by themselves.

I know there are other faults here to which I own up to - the fins being fragile, the missing velcro - I didn't try to cut corners, I merely tried to make it work - and this way worked best - and I failed to communicate that with the buyers as I have failed many things for which I have now apologised and stepped up for but I'm still getting beaten on so now I think it's time that I defend myself a little bit as well. The velcro made it look terrible and it didn't make it look any more or less than the original to leave the velcro out - the gap is supposed to be there - but on the other side.

So if he had the right Gauntlet on the right arm, you would see the correct side on the front - and they would line up. The fins are moving if you push them - so sometimes they can look out of line but even the real ones are bending sideways when he is resting his arm on his leg in the promo shots.

Are the pieces peeling apart? It looks like the top and bottom parts don't line up....not to mention the fins

I have the Gotham gauntlets and have tried to score a set of the Fan Universe ones on the many auctions but always outbid The Gotham ones are awful, the fins are not cut nicely and the seams you see...well, mine look like a Dremel sanding bit was used, its simply awful.

Looks like the search continues for me!

 

[WaltT]

Darren please do not compare your items from FUC to UD Replicas, which I thought was unfair. UD Replicas items are not costumes (can be worn as such). They are meant for motorcycle driving and for a crash situation. They are built with leather, Kevlar, nomax (SP) and body armor. That’s like comparing apples and oranges. Two different items all together. UD Replicas is meant for saving your life on a motorcycle and cosplay. Whereas, FUC is strictly meant for cosplay.

I own from both companies. For FUC to be the same as UD Replicas their items would have to be made out of leather also. Or totally made out of resin, than your looking at another beast with its problems. Believe resin items are no fun.


I think too many things happened to them this year that threw a monkey wrench into how things normally work at FUC. One bad year does make it a bad company. Once FUC gets caught up, things will be back to normal.

 

[third3ye]

darthdisco, this may not be 100% screen accurate but you CAN split the fins on the UD leather gauntlets, see pic below. I did that with mine and I have no complaints. It does look like the FUC pair is not meant to be worn with the UD jacket, the sleeves are probably too thick. PM me if you need instructions, it's very easy to do.

 

[sparrowfan]

Darren please do not compare your items from FUC to UD Replicas, which I thought was unfair. UD Replicas items are not costumes (can be worn as such). They are meant for motorcycle driving and for a crash situation. They are built with leather, Kevlar, nomax (SP) and body armor. That’s like comparing apples and oranges. Two different items all together. UD Replicas is meant for saving your life on a motorcycle and cosplay. Whereas, FUC is strictly meant for cosplay.

I own from both companies. For FUC to be the same as UD Replicas their items would have to be made out of leather also. Or totally made out of resin, than your looking at another beast with its problems. Believe resin items are no fun.


I think too many things happened to them this year that threw a monkey wrench into how things normally work at FUC. One bad year does make it a bad company. Once FUC gets caught up, things will be back to normal.

1st post on the rpf, and its defending Fan universe creations, member since mar 25, 14.