robiwon wrote:
But for some to say that that is the saving grace of the prop and that other QC issues should be overlooked because someone is a diehard PR fan is just wrong.
To be clear, that is
not what I am saying.
If your HCG pulse rifle arrived with flaws, defects, or other 'issues' such as this hot topic about 'barrel droop', then by all means contact HCG and work it out with them.
Those diehard pulse rifle BUILDERS (not fans) I refer to are those who have already gone above and beyond what the casual pulse rifle fan/builder has ever done -- real metal SPAS 12 cages and sometimes even real deactivated Thompson M1A1's and Remington 870 parts. Those are the ones that have been drooling over the thought of real aluminum shrouds for years now.
robiwon wrote:
The majority of the people who bought this are not going to rip them apart just to have aluminum shrouds.
I'd wouldn't hold my breath just yet on that one, but I guarantee that you will be surprised by how many members here purchased this kit to strip the shrouds off of them to be used in their even more accurate pulse rifle build.
robiwon wrote:
The shrouds were not designed to fit over an airsoft Thompson (probably the most common base used in a PR build), so the shrouds were not designed for the PR builder.
Not entirely true. We've been very fortunate to have some 'insiders' that worked very closely with HCG regarding the design of this particular product, one of which has already "successfully grafted an HCG shroud set to an airsoft" with some modifications. Hopefully he'll chime in here soon with details and photos.
robiwon wrote:
Bottom line is that they were assembled poorly at the factory, plain and simple.
True perhaps. But they
ARE made in China. That's the only way HCG could have pulled off such an affordable price point for a pulse rifle with real aluminum shrouds. Again, I bring this up because no typical prop company is going to go through the added expense and R&D to bring casual pulse rifle fans aluminum shrouds. They could easily have been made of resin at a fraction of the cost and the casual pulse rifle fan would not have known the difference.
This very same pulse rifle (perhaps with better QC) would have easily cost us $2000 USD or more if manufactured here in the United States. Sometimes it's a blatant trade off of quality for cost -- but in this case it's not so much the quality of the materials or the craftsmanship as it is a problem with the quality of the fit and finish of final assembly.
Regardless, I hope HCG is able to resolve this issue amicably with those that truly have poorly assembled pieces.
robiwon wrote:
With all the hype over this I have almost decided to build myself another hero PR. One that has a GL that is straight.
But I bet it won't have aluminum shrouds.
