Since these two cowls seem to be a couple of the popular choices when it comes to a Nolan Dark Knight suit, I thought I would at least offer up a small comparison between the both of them.
I will preface this by saying: I know that the Nolan trilogy isn't the new kid on the block, so this might be mostly pointless nowadays. I also am not an expert at this, as this is my first real costume attempt in any major shape or form. And the big one, is that the two setups can often be practical for different people for many different reasons, and I am in no way advocating that one is going to always be better than the other, in every way, for every person and situation. The views presented here are my own, and I am certainly able to be incorrect in some of the points, and by all means, feel free to offer opinions on my own if you feel the wish to.
I purchased my first cowl, from seller Megaprime1978. It appears to be similar to IconicFX, but I can't say as to if it's the same one just sold under two names, or where it's history is from. I'm just going to call it the MP cowl through this, just for clarity sake. The cowl was purchased (and as of this writing is another listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/232101669985 ) and came as a cowl with neckpiece. Total purchase price was under $100 in my case, but with anything e-bay, your luck may be better or worse.
The second cowl I purchased, was from Coofunkcurly on these forums, which I will refer to as Kevin's throughout this, as it's easier to type
With his, I purchased the cowl and the neck with mesh backing pre-assembled. As his pricing has been mentioned in his thread detailing the run, I'll list it here also, $275 shipped, as a package. Obviously at first glance, a big price difference. So now, why is that?
The two cowls themselves look outwardly very similar, as they should since they are for the same thing. There are a couple minor differences, at least in the pair I'm holding. Kevin's cowl has slightly more defined brow lines, specifically the center above the nose. The jawline from a profile view also is slightly different. In the case of my MP cowl, it appears the right eyehole is slightly smaller than the left, which could likely be solved by simply trimming it by hand. The ears on the MP cowl are filled solid with more urethane, whereas Kevin's is foam-filled. This makes Kevin's noticeably lighter when held side by side. Kevin's also feels thinner, or another way, more flexible. It doesn't feel as stiff as the MP cowl, but that could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preferences. Kevin's nose is a little wider, and more pronounced in it's shape than the MP cowl, but is lacking pre-cut nostril holes. His run thread addresses this, and it can be modified relatively easily to fix that. I did notice that once it was pressed back against my face, it was noticeable to not have them in yet.
In my case, my head is way too small for either, and both need padding to fit my noggin, mostly because of the chin strap. With either one, if the strap had about a 1/2" chopped out of the center, it'd fit perfect. But in the case of the MP cowl, for me, I had to pad significantly on the top and rear to get the chin to fit correctly while leaving the eyes in place. In doing so it raised the forehead of the cowl to an almost comical degree. With Kevin's, I need a little less, and it pulls the cowl back far enough that it fits my eyes with less gap in the chin than the other, which when paired with the neck and balaclava I have, it works ok for me, and without looking like Down Syndrome Batman. It also feels a lot smoother around the eyes, but again, trimming on the MP Cowl might help there too. *NOTE* This doesn't mean that one will fit better than the other, for every person. People don't have the same faces, so what might be more comfortable for me, might not be for someone else.
When it comes to why I prefer Kevin's, hands down, the biggest reason is the neck piece. It can be purchased separately (or could last I knew, so if times have changed, don't shoot me), and is completely, and utterly WORTH IT. This thing is a friggin masterpiece. The MP cowl comes with a one piece urethane neck that will need to have a fastener glued to the back, as well as will need to wear a hood under it. Let me say that again. You HAVE to wear a hood under it, or you will have obvious gaps along the seam between it and the cowl where your neck shows. As it's a single piece mold, you do have molded mesh texture inside parts of it, and it looks decent enough for what it is. And as most people do wear a hood or balaclava with a cowl, that shouldn't be the ultimate deciding factor in the decision. *** I will also say that MP also made mention of a mesh neck available additionally, but I cannot say what the result is, as I went with the 'standard package' *** I also believe the IconicFX cowl is similar in the design and implementation of the neckpiece.
MP Cowl:
Kevin's Cowl:
Kevin's neck on the other hand, art. At least on me, it fits such that the cowl slips down on my head and comes down over the top of the mesh of the neck, which (if my head wasn't so small that I NEED a balaclava and padding), conceals your neck completely. And as it's fashioned with actual mesh material, the realism factor is certainly there. Add to that, the zipper already built in on the rear, and it's just as good as it's going to get. The only thing with that, is that the zipper becomes a seam in the center of the back of his, whereas the MP one, will have a less obvious seam when it's velcro'd or whatever together.
MP Neck:
Kevin's Neck:
MP with neck:
Kevin's with neck:
Bearing in mind there is a price difference between them, it's easy to see why people could go either way. the MP (and the IconicFX like it), is cheaper as a package, the cowl looks decent even if it might take a couple little tweaks to fit ideally based on your facial structure, and most people are going to wear a hood to attach the neck to anyway. It might be wearable for extended times after some smoothing around, with no ill effects, and you could do very well for it. I know there are plenty of members here who have the same one and are happy with it. Kevin's cowl needs a nose punched in, but feels out of the box, a little lighter, less stiff, seems to mold a little more forgiving with less padding (again, might only be for those of us with tiny heads), and the neckpiece is spectacular, even though to do so, you add a premium price. If you're going Bat on a Budget, the other won't disappoint most. If you're looking side by side, you'll see the subtle differences in the cowl, and the neck will jump out, but when you want that extra kick of realism and will pay to have the best, you can't beat Kevin's for that.
I will preface this by saying: I know that the Nolan trilogy isn't the new kid on the block, so this might be mostly pointless nowadays. I also am not an expert at this, as this is my first real costume attempt in any major shape or form. And the big one, is that the two setups can often be practical for different people for many different reasons, and I am in no way advocating that one is going to always be better than the other, in every way, for every person and situation. The views presented here are my own, and I am certainly able to be incorrect in some of the points, and by all means, feel free to offer opinions on my own if you feel the wish to.
I purchased my first cowl, from seller Megaprime1978. It appears to be similar to IconicFX, but I can't say as to if it's the same one just sold under two names, or where it's history is from. I'm just going to call it the MP cowl through this, just for clarity sake. The cowl was purchased (and as of this writing is another listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/232101669985 ) and came as a cowl with neckpiece. Total purchase price was under $100 in my case, but with anything e-bay, your luck may be better or worse.
The second cowl I purchased, was from Coofunkcurly on these forums, which I will refer to as Kevin's throughout this, as it's easier to type
With his, I purchased the cowl and the neck with mesh backing pre-assembled. As his pricing has been mentioned in his thread detailing the run, I'll list it here also, $275 shipped, as a package. Obviously at first glance, a big price difference. So now, why is that?The two cowls themselves look outwardly very similar, as they should since they are for the same thing. There are a couple minor differences, at least in the pair I'm holding. Kevin's cowl has slightly more defined brow lines, specifically the center above the nose. The jawline from a profile view also is slightly different. In the case of my MP cowl, it appears the right eyehole is slightly smaller than the left, which could likely be solved by simply trimming it by hand. The ears on the MP cowl are filled solid with more urethane, whereas Kevin's is foam-filled. This makes Kevin's noticeably lighter when held side by side. Kevin's also feels thinner, or another way, more flexible. It doesn't feel as stiff as the MP cowl, but that could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preferences. Kevin's nose is a little wider, and more pronounced in it's shape than the MP cowl, but is lacking pre-cut nostril holes. His run thread addresses this, and it can be modified relatively easily to fix that. I did notice that once it was pressed back against my face, it was noticeable to not have them in yet.
In my case, my head is way too small for either, and both need padding to fit my noggin, mostly because of the chin strap. With either one, if the strap had about a 1/2" chopped out of the center, it'd fit perfect. But in the case of the MP cowl, for me, I had to pad significantly on the top and rear to get the chin to fit correctly while leaving the eyes in place. In doing so it raised the forehead of the cowl to an almost comical degree. With Kevin's, I need a little less, and it pulls the cowl back far enough that it fits my eyes with less gap in the chin than the other, which when paired with the neck and balaclava I have, it works ok for me, and without looking like Down Syndrome Batman. It also feels a lot smoother around the eyes, but again, trimming on the MP Cowl might help there too. *NOTE* This doesn't mean that one will fit better than the other, for every person. People don't have the same faces, so what might be more comfortable for me, might not be for someone else.
When it comes to why I prefer Kevin's, hands down, the biggest reason is the neck piece. It can be purchased separately (or could last I knew, so if times have changed, don't shoot me), and is completely, and utterly WORTH IT. This thing is a friggin masterpiece. The MP cowl comes with a one piece urethane neck that will need to have a fastener glued to the back, as well as will need to wear a hood under it. Let me say that again. You HAVE to wear a hood under it, or you will have obvious gaps along the seam between it and the cowl where your neck shows. As it's a single piece mold, you do have molded mesh texture inside parts of it, and it looks decent enough for what it is. And as most people do wear a hood or balaclava with a cowl, that shouldn't be the ultimate deciding factor in the decision. *** I will also say that MP also made mention of a mesh neck available additionally, but I cannot say what the result is, as I went with the 'standard package' *** I also believe the IconicFX cowl is similar in the design and implementation of the neckpiece.
MP Cowl:
Kevin's Cowl:
Kevin's neck on the other hand, art. At least on me, it fits such that the cowl slips down on my head and comes down over the top of the mesh of the neck, which (if my head wasn't so small that I NEED a balaclava and padding), conceals your neck completely. And as it's fashioned with actual mesh material, the realism factor is certainly there. Add to that, the zipper already built in on the rear, and it's just as good as it's going to get. The only thing with that, is that the zipper becomes a seam in the center of the back of his, whereas the MP one, will have a less obvious seam when it's velcro'd or whatever together.
MP Neck:
Kevin's Neck:
MP with neck:
Kevin's with neck:
Bearing in mind there is a price difference between them, it's easy to see why people could go either way. the MP (and the IconicFX like it), is cheaper as a package, the cowl looks decent even if it might take a couple little tweaks to fit ideally based on your facial structure, and most people are going to wear a hood to attach the neck to anyway. It might be wearable for extended times after some smoothing around, with no ill effects, and you could do very well for it. I know there are plenty of members here who have the same one and are happy with it. Kevin's cowl needs a nose punched in, but feels out of the box, a little lighter, less stiff, seems to mold a little more forgiving with less padding (again, might only be for those of us with tiny heads), and the neckpiece is spectacular, even though to do so, you add a premium price. If you're going Bat on a Budget, the other won't disappoint most. If you're looking side by side, you'll see the subtle differences in the cowl, and the neck will jump out, but when you want that extra kick of realism and will pay to have the best, you can't beat Kevin's for that.
