I had the same issue when I got my cowl. After a little trial and error, here's what I came up with. It works perfect for me...maybe it'll help you guys out ;)
Here's the shape and orientation to the cowl
It covers the back and top a little and pushes my chin down and forward
I'm no expert on Batman but kapow7 would be a good place to start.
+1 for Jons' Batman props. Not sure if he's doing the gauntlets, but my TDK cage has quite a few of his gadgets ;)
Unfortunately, I have to get in on this too... I ordered the gauntlets in October with an ETA of early November. Spotty email communication since then. I got the "your item will be with you soon" message in January, stumbled on this thread and then saw all the facebook page complaints before...
Re: Licensed Batman Related Leather Goods. Customer Pics - NOMEX Batman added 9/25
Wow, the cage looks great!!! I may just have to hit up wondercon now just to see this in person ;)