Alright guys. That's enough. I've been watching this thread. And it's gone too far. It seems it's become a tradition , to bash 'FP' here. As long as I've been apart of this community (albeit absent 'here' as of late), I don't deserve this. Every other year or so this happens because I've hit some turbulence in my personal life and get real slow on orders. I'm asking nicely, for this to stop here. I couldn't even have an uneventful Christmas. I'd really like to not be highly strung bringing in the New Year too.
I've had some serious personal issues in this last year that have indeed thrown some wrenches in the works and slowed things. I've been very public about this. However, public on my private Facebook. My personal issues have been detailed for my customers so that they can be informed while the matters are resolved. Some lovely folks at another forum have been so kind to take that information and re-post on other public forums. And it's not very kind. Places like TheDentedHelmet cache in Google forever. It was meant to stay between myself and my customers. Now, most of the world can see it. Really appreciate that.
Nevertheless, I have been providing fairly regular updates on my Facebook for my customers. And making strides in tying up my business with folks in back order status. Links to every way to contact me possible, have always been in my email signature. If I've missed an email, there's Facebook. If you're not on my Facebook, I'm sorry. I try to make sure all of my customers are on the same page. Sometimes someone doesn't make it up there, and I look like I've flown the coop. And it couldn't be farther from the truth. I've even had my personal phone number for phone or txt in my email signature for years. There's really little chance that someone can't reach me, with very, very little effort. I do not ignore people on purpose. I never have. And I'm certainly not going to rip anyone off. I haven't in 15 years and don't plan to start now.
I know there are several people here in the membership that would like nothing more than to see me fail. See me gone. There are several in this thread alone. and might I add, a few that have shown me kind support on Facebook, only to find them here taking shots at me. That's one of the reasons I took a leave from TDH. No one wants to spend time where they're not welcome. But people really need to think about what flame / bash threads accomplish. Nothing good. Whereas it may be a pedestal to stand on and clear your throat, it doesn't help the end game. And what I mean by that is, by blowing certain things out of proportion (knee jerk reactions), it creates hostility, damages reputation, affects business, and therefore undermines the good of the community as a whole. And by that I mean, if folks want to keep trying to inflict damages to me, my reputation, my products, it will eventually irreparably damage any means I have of completing my back order log. Is that really want people want? I think folks really need to come to terms with the fact that grand standing, thinking you're blowing a whistle on someone to shame them into producing faster, making life difficult by way of talking them down to other people, stabbing at them any chance you get, isn't like the squeaky wheel getting the grease that it used to be. All you're really doing, is making it infinitely more difficult to take care of business. If you inflict enough damage, you may actually get rid of that someone you want. That's called shooting yourself in the foot. Because you'd not only be hurting yourself, you'd also be hurting others by the time you achieve that goal. I would even dare say, that I could have conceivably caught up with work much faster, if certain individuals hadn't been spitefully trying to make it that much harder to do, throwing their wrenches at me every chance they get for the last year. This is truly a case of living and let live. It really has to be. If folks would just let me do my job, instead of trashing me every chance they get, things would go a lot smoother. And a lot faster. I know it's hard to wait. I do. But we're all adults. We all know that life can kick us from one direction after the next. Private vendors are no different. Have a little human compassion. One day you might need it from someone else.
If it hasn't been said enough already over the years, I've served the community as a whole for a LONG time. Likely even the oldest now. And I've always completed my work. For everyone. No matter the circumstances. Albeit slower when life throws curveballs, and kicks in the gut. Some people throw their hands up and walk away. Think about that for a second? Have I? Absolutely not. Just because a handful of people are upset they haven't receive a reply to an email, doesn't mean I'm MIA. Remember, historically, the Internet has always been a place to see and hear all the 'bad'. Rarely do you ever see any of the good. For every one person that may be thinking they've had the screws put to them, there may be 10 more that received their orders and went on their merry way to work on them. Sadly, I rarely ever see anyone do 'FP' build threads here anymore. You ever wonder why that's the case these days? Because people have become frightened to show off their acquisitions. They've become frightened to show any support for the 'FP' label whatsoever. Because certain individuals 'here' have created a bitter, hostile environment for anything FP. That's not paranoia. It's fact. What is also fact, as long as I am fulfilling my order obligations, there are no laws being broken. I am filling orders regularly. And I have the records to prove it. Circumstantially slow, is NOT a crime.
Please, just cut it out. It's not a very adult approach, to very adult circumstances.
Furious, I've seen several comments from you up here regarding your order. I'd be happy to discuss this with you privately. Missing your messages was not on purpose.
Mark (Magoo), yours is a special case, that I would rather discuss in private as well. I did in fact make a mistake where you are concerned. And I do apologize.
Keegan, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you actually. And I'd be open to doing so if you want to message me.
But while I'm addressing this thread, iI'd like to specifically address your your comments.
The posted picture was most certainly "photoshopped". I haven't even tried to deny this in private. But the source picture, isn't the exact picture you posted. There were several pics taken at that time with variances in angles here and there. The visor blank area was indeed replaced with a visor from another pic (obviously) and there's nothing wrong with that for illustration. Transplanting of details isn't true. With the dent specifically. And I see what you're talking about. But the entire image was cleared of varying shadows. The dent was hard to do that with, without making it look strange. By removing the shadows you end up removing detail and softening things. Especially when reducing a super hi res image down to the composite quality that you're trying to compare to. It is what it is. But the real point here that you may not know, or even realize because it hasn't been discussed yet, is that the picture in question was never posted or publicized on any platform. It was never meant to be used that way. It was a mock up done a long time ago to illustrate the similarities in over all shape. To see where or what is lacking when comparing to a 'holy grail'. There's nothing to hide with this helmet. Plenty of people own them, and can see that the details are the same, in hand. No misrepresentation was ever intended, or forced on anyone like what you've (probably unknowingly) implied. There are a ton of images of this helmet, from varying sources, and it stands up to exactly what has been visually advertised.
Lastly, the FPH2 in general.
When I posted its intro several years ago, I said, you either like it or you don't. It's still there to read. It boggles me to this day how much war this thing causes. I've discussed its origins privately with many. And still won't, to this day, discuss that on an open forum. I have good reason for this. It's ridiculous how many opinions there are out there. Which is why I don't even address the futility usually. Take out of the equation, just for a moment, that it's anything at all whatsoever. Do you like the helmet and the way it looks? Do you not? That's great! You have an opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. People will have their varying opinions of anything that hits the market. It's healthy to have your own opinion. It's far more respectable than accepting the opinions of 'others' as gospel. Letting others influence you can make you look foolish if you're only parroting someone else's statements written elsewhere.
Again, it is what it is. People can compare this to that, and that to this until they turn blue. Think about what it is you're comparing. And what you're comparing to. The MF helmet? Seriously? Sure it's an awesome helmet with an awesome history. Has it not already been established that it was taken from a mold while at Don Post studios that was manhandled? Yes. For years. How can anyone compare anything to it, when it obviously has its own issues. There's isn't a single person that can say with absolute certainty that the dome shape is correct or incorrect, or that the flare is correct incorrect, ect, unless they've held said helmets to an original directly. I can make two of the very same helmet look notably different just from using too much fiberglass catalyst from one to the other. And sometimes there are variances between my castings. That's the nature of hand made. But it doesn't change the fact that the only people that are qualified to compare, or cast judgements, with regard to any helmet that has been discussed here, are those that have been privileged enough to handle the original helmets, or have spent time with them, or have molded them. To date, none of you in this thread, aside of Art, Gino, and even Keegan, have any claim to such privileges. The rest of you are comparing a 30 + year old distorted, mishandled castings of an original helmet, to photographs, and current available helmets.
Even the current helmets are something to tread with much caution. Those of you that have taken to praising the MR, specifically, any FP MR derivative (now made by Animefan or Asok) as being some sort of holy grail, or, still the best for this reason or that? Do you stop to think for a moment, that these helmets came from me? You don't think that I had a hand in altering, or modifying them to meet or exceed public expectation? You don't think that I'm foul able? At the end of the day, no matter what comes from me, there is always a level of artistic license that has been taken. Because to date, the only unadulterated casting of anything that exists, is whatever castings came from the EFX mold of the hero helmet. A single casting from that mold, is, and will always be the holy grail to what all others want to achieve. The MF's, the Stunts, the MR's, the GMH's, the FPH2's, are all tinkered products. Because no one, has been able to get an unadulterated helmet out the door. They've all required restoration, or correction. Or, or, or. It might be in one's better interest to stop wasting their time beating a dead horse and wait for the Licensed helmets to arrive. I'm fairly confident that there will be several people feeling quite foolish when that day comes. Hell maybe even myself included.
Something to think about.