Licensed Pulse Rifle pre-order

[Doombringer]

BTW, what's happening to the replica industry in general? Why is everyone using resin? That's the sort of thing I'd associate with cottage industry product made in someone's garage. Fine for them, but not for a full fledged licensed prop replica company.

It is the replica industry paired with mass manufacturing, and it is unfortunate. Even with a limited series of 1000 or so... if these were all-metal and all crafted/assembled by hand, to specifications, they would probably cost twice as much or more. And that is still with overseas labor.

Compare to, say, a handmade claymore from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. There are no moving parts and the detail is relatively simple throughout. Crafting it just takes time, good materials, and a LOT of hands-on and know-how of a master craftsman. $1000 USD, and that was a few years ago and not including international shipping. Historical sword replicas, produced domestically (i.e. Albion), can range from $900 to $2000. Katanas (i.e. Bugei), could be that much for one in koshirae, to a LOT more for a daisho. And these are 'just' swords.

 

[JLinNY]

Ok I finally got around to opening mine, the green version #209. Here's a side pic. What I did was use one of the pieces in my hard wood floor to use as a straight edge, and tried to line up the barrel with the shoulder stock and back of the Thompson part. I know those parts are a little higher, but not that much.

One of the things I have noticed after looking at my pic, and the pics from others, is that things can look differently depending on how you look at them, or photograph them. I've held this thing and looked at it from all different angles and I see a pretty straight barrel and a little droop from the grenade launcher. I can definitely live with this.

After having this thing in my hands and giving it a good look over, I think a big part of this thing is that you are putting a bunch of large parts together that don't all line up exactly with each other. For example I don't think the shroud lines up perfectly with everything, and I think when it is put on it's rack (which is lined up with the straight part of the shroud) it looks worse than it actually is.

I think I am going to make my own shelf based stand out of wood.

Now I am NOT saying that other do not have drooping problems with their rifles. These are just my observations based on my rifle.

My big problem with my rifle is that the paint on the shroud isn't that great. There are numerous rub marks and a few fine scratches. I'm not sure how I want to handle this.

My grenade pumps slides smoothly and not too loosely, and I think it gives a pretty good thunking sounds for a replica. The only thing I don't like is the "tongue" part that is in there where you would load real shells in the bottom is very loose and flappy.

The bolt on the Thompson is also very loose. I like that they incorperated this into the replica, but they could have done a better job.

Another thing I am not crazy about is that the Thompson looks like what it is, a molded Thompson. I can see why other's would want to upgrade this.

All in all I am very pleased with this replica, aside from the shroud paint. It's not perfect, but I really didn't expect it to be. I can live with it.

That's my .02.

 

[A.J.]

Quick question: Where one could find an accurate sling for this thing? Thanks for any info!

 

[Cpl Potter]

well i am sorry for all the dissastisfied guys out there , but it has really helped me make my desicision , i started the first of my 6 pay about two weeks ago , and i will be requesting a rfund today , my matsu airsoft looks 10 times better , and im not in it just for the shrouds ,so im bowing out until there is if any some positive forward progress made by hcg . good luck guys

 

[RustedHero]

You are very understanding with the glue considering you have just spent $1000 on it :eek i would be sending it back and getting a refund or replacement and letting them pay shipping.

Believe me I thought about it especially after the magazine bottom broke off. The thing that bothers me about the whole sending back and requesting replacement and/or refund is the process. Waited so long and I feel at this point with so many others trying to get through to HCG with their problems it would be super frustrating and forever. Even with these issues the PR is so georgeous! And since its mainly a display piece I feel after my repairs it still looks exactly the same as it should. Another thing is the droopage issue. Mine is not too bad. If I get lucky during the long replacement process and they send me a new one....what are the odds the new one will have a super bad droop? Since mine is good I'll just roll with it.

RH

 

[JLinNY]

well i am sorry for all the dissastisfied guys out there , but it has really helped me make my desicision , i started the first of my 6 pay about two weeks ago , and i will be requesting a rfund today , my matsu airsoft looks 10 times better , and im not in it just for the shrouds ,so im bowing out until there is if any some positive forward progress made by hcg . good luck guys

If I had a Matsu one I wouldn't bother with the HCG.

 

[judgedredd]

Understood just a damn shame.

Believe me I thought about it especially after the magazine bottom broke off. The thing that bothers me about the whole sending back and requesting replacement and/or refund is the process. Waited so long and I feel at this point with so many others trying to get through to HCG with their problems it would be super frustrating and forever. Even with these issues the PR is so georgeous! And since its mainly a display piece I feel after my repairs it still looks exactly the same as it should. Another thing is the droopage issue. Mine is not too bad. If I get lucky during the long replacement process and they send me a new one....what are the odds the new one will have a super bad droop? Since mine is good I'll just roll with it.

RH

 

[JLinNY]

Believe me I thought about it especially after the magazine bottom broke off. The thing that bothers me about the whole sending back and requesting replacement and/or refund is the process. Waited so long and I feel at this point with so many others trying to get through to HCG with their problems it would be super frustrating and forever. Even with these issues the PR is so georgeous! And since its mainly a display piece I feel after my repairs it still looks exactly the same as it should. Another thing is the droopage issue. Mine is not too bad. If I get lucky during the long replacement process and they send me a new one....what are the odds the new one will have a super bad droop? Since mine is good I'll just roll with it.

RH

I would have been really disappointed if what happened to you had happened to me, but I would have handled it just the way you did. Aside from that, if you are happy with the one you got then I would hold onto it. You could always get one that is worse.

 

[Lear60man]

Hey guys I just want to take a moment to say something. Tommin, Matt etc put a lot of hard work into getting this piece to the masses. It obvious that there is a QC issue over in China. That is after the green light was given to the final prototypes which we all can agree were 'dooable'. I dont in any fault our members for issues that are out of their control. In fact I commend them for staying with this thread to take the full frontal assault from the consumers. QC problems happen all the time in Chinese factories that are under strict production costs and time tables. In order to get this piece to market at a reasonable cost, low cost labor had to be introduced into the mix. I can almost guarantee that no one in the factory has seen Aliens let alone has an eye for the detail that we do.

HGC has a return policy that is in place. If your not happy, return/exchange it. If my PR was as bad as some of your I wouldn't hesitate in returning it and contacting my cc company to reverse the charges. I get the fact that everyone has been waiting for this for a long time. It would be a bummer to open your holy grail only to find tupperware.

Lets just try to remember that QC issues are the sole responsibility of HGC and the factory, not our members here.

 

[Clutch]

Thanks! I thought I was losing my mind! :lol

They are still there and located on a different thread. (didn't want to be the first here to post pics!!)

 

[Cpl Potter]

Hey guys I just want to take a moment to say something. Tommin, Matt etc put a lot of hard work into getting this piece to the masses. It obvious that there is a QC issue over in China. That is after the green light was given to the final prototypes which we all can agree were 'dooable'. I dont in any fault our members for issues that are out of their control. In fact I commend them for staying with this thread to take the full frontal assault from the consumers. QC problems happen all the time in Chinese factories that are under strict production costs and time tables. In order to get this piece to market at a reasonable cost, low cost labor had to be introduced into the mix. I can almost guarantee that no one in the factory has seen Aliens let alone has an eye for the detail that we do.

HGC has a return policy that is in place. If your not happy, return/exchange it. If my PR was as bad as some of your I wouldn't hesitate in returning it and contacting my cc company to reverse the charges. I get the fact that everyone has been waiting for this for a long time. It would be a bummer to open your holy grail only to find tupperware.

Lets just try to remember that QC issues are the sole responsibility of HGC and the factory, not our members here.

Not only do i not blame matt or tommin . i was gonna suggest matt go back into production right away

 

[propstuf]

I agree completely. As someone who has dealt with Matt for years, I have nothing but respect for Matt's work, and more importantly, his word. Any issues that have arisen in connection with HCG's Pulse Rifle (and the one I received yesterday [Brown Bess] does have a slight droop, but not so much that I'm not keeping it) are factory/assembly issues. I presume that neither Matt nor Tommin (with whom I've never spoken) have anything to do with that.

 

[Boshek]

WEll, as I stated earlier, I sent an email to HCG:

They replied to my question. It appears that refunding it is an option, but I am not so sure about an exchange..


____________________________________________________________

Hello,
I received my Pulse rifle on 8/13 however my rifle has a magor flaw where
the grenade launcher and barrel "droop" down compared to the rest of the
rifle. Its noticeable enough where I cant live with it. Ashame too, as the
rifle is of very nice quality and otherwise I was very pleased.

It appers this is a problem on many, if not all of the rifles being shipped.
It looks like a mfgr issue.

Can I exchange mine for one that does not have the issue?
If not, I would like a refund.

__________________________________________________________-

>
>> Hi ,
>>
>> I am sorry that you are not happy with your Pulse Rifle.
>>
>> We will oblige & offer you a refund.
>>
>> I look forward to your response.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Customer Service
>> Hollywood Collectibles Group_____________________________________________________


Hello,
I would really like to exchange this for another.. How do I get the process
started and where and how do I send it.

Thanks,
Boshek
_____________________________________________________________
a day later.. Still no response.. So....


> Hello,
>
> Can I do an exchange for one that is straight like the one pictured on
> your site?
>
> Thanks,
_________________________________________________________

 

[MooMooEgg]

WEll, as I stated earlier, I sent an email to HCG:

At least you got a response. I haven't head back from them yet :cry

 

[MooMooEgg]

Hey guys I just want to take a moment to say something. Tommin, Matt etc put a lot of hard work into getting this piece to the masses. It obvious that there is a QC issue over in China. That is after the green light was given to the final prototypes which we all can agree were 'dooable'. I dont in any fault our members for issues that are out of their control. In fact I commend them for staying with this thread to take the full frontal assault from the consumers. QC problems happen all the time in Chinese factories that are under strict production costs and time tables. In order to get this piece to market at a reasonable cost, low cost labor had to be introduced into the mix. I can almost guarantee that no one in the factory has seen Aliens let alone has an eye for the detail that we do.

HGC has a return policy that is in place. If your not happy, return/exchange it. If my PR was as bad as some of your I wouldn't hesitate in returning it and contacting my cc company to reverse the charges. I get the fact that everyone has been waiting for this for a long time. It would be a bummer to open your holy grail only to find tupperware.

Lets just try to remember that QC issues are the sole responsibility of HGC and the factory, not our members here.

I agree completely with this. I have a few of Matt's pieces and they're all exceptional, and just from that, I know he put 100% into helping design HCG's rifle. It just sucks that the quality from the labor in China is so poor. After seeing DarthDarren's pics of the flaws, I looked over my rifle carefully and saw similar issues.

It really sucks because I've wanted one of these for so long, and I do love having it, but so many little issues make me want to send it back. :cry

 

[CeSquared]

At least you got a response. I haven't head back from them yet :cry

I canceled my order a week and half ago and they still haven't credited my purchase.

I'd suggest calling them but I just went back 1 page and saw they aren't picking up the phone anymore. That's pretty boojie.

 

[Rook 3]

You have to remember that these are, in essence, a mass produced display item.

Matt made his one by one, by hand, custom fitting everything so it ended up looking the way it did. NO factory on the planet could make 1250 hand made items with that level of continuous quality. heck, Airsoft guns made overseas have a hit or miss quality
at times, and the majority of those parts are machined or cast out of ABS plastic and metal.

Regarding the pump grip being "too loose," I wish the pump action on my hand built rifle was a little more loose, or smooth. It's quite stiff. I fear one time I'll pull back on it and the bolts on the pump grip will rip right out of the M870's charging arm.

Is the HCG rifle perfect? No. But it is pretty nice, and the metal shrouds are something nobody else has done yet.

I ended up receiving an OD version when I ordered a BB version, but oh well.
My hero rifle will be the correct color.

Russ

 

[Hirohawa]

The shrouds do kick ass - they are so thick and I was surprised by how robust they are structurally. They definitely did not skimp on the shrouds.

 

[DarthDarren]

The shrouds do kick ass - they are so thick and I was surprised by how robust they are structurally. They definitely did not skimp on the shrouds.

I never had any doubts the aluminum shrouds and sheet metal parts would have problems, because they are based on CAD models and the tooling was CNC machined, so each piece comes out identically, since the process is automated. I guarantee you that the contract manufacturer in China outsourced these pieces to established casting and sheet metal vendors, which would explain why they look so consistent and the results are high-quality. I'm sure Matt and tommin would concur.

But all the resin parts HAD to have come out of soft tooling, which lends itself to warping, uneven wall thickness, asymmetry, and all the other pitfalls RTV molds are well known for. HCG obviously went half-ass on these replicas, focusing its resources on the metal parts and neglecting the resin. In this respect, MR, Efx, QMx, WETA, SideShow, and even NECA have demonstrated MUCH higher production & QC standards when it comes to large resin parts.

If I don't get a response from HCG regarding an exchange for an INSPECTED & STRAIGHT Brown Bess PR, mine is going back, with a very heavy heart.

I'm at least glad my defect review post helped some of you make more informed decisions about ordering or returning your replicas.

A word or two to Matt & tommin: I want to apologize if my rhetoric toward you has been harsh. I made some rash assumptions, and in my frustration needed to point the finger of blame at a tangible person, not a faceless company. I realize that as much input as you both had into the design & prototype reviews, the ultimate responsibility lies with HCG and its manufacturer. I hope you will accept my apology. Matt: if I get a refund, I would be honored if you would accept a PR commission from me, even if in the end it will cost me more than what the HCG replica did.

D

 

[LDR]

So anyone in the UK got theirs yet?

Has anyone else taken the shrouds off? Can we get photos of the inside of the shrouds please?

Thanks