Just following up on this thread, making sure nothing was taken the wrong way. In no way was I knocking the baits Jerry produces, just trying to find a way to remedy the problem. I did try going through the retailer where it was bought, when I asked about the projected turn around time I was told " I dont know, could be 3 weeks could be over a month" and that was word for word what I was told. So Jerry was the next logical step in the chain. As for help in resolving the matter, I have recieved it and will use that route. If I wasn't tied up with work all the time I would have fabricated the fixes myself. There's nothing wrong with the Raptor it preforms and looks excellent. Other than the simple material failure of the tail on the ones I recieved I am more than happy with it. I hope nothing was taken out of contexted with the post. And thanks to all who offered thier time and info to help.