ANOVOS issues (ANOVOS ONLY discussion)
- Thread starter Art Andrews
- Start date
ABE
Well-Known Member
this is the update #2
Welcome to Update #2, Troopers!
Thank you again for your ongoing support of the Classic Stormtrooper Armor we are producing---your excitement is really fueling our team to make this the best costume available! We are also reading your comments, and hope that these updates help demonstrate our commitment to you as not just customers, but investors in the new line of STAR WARS™ products!
A lot has happened since our last newsletter, including the public prototype debut at San Diego Comic Con International where some of you saw this armor up close. While that particular suit did not reflect the final production armor, it was very close to what you should expect upon delivery. A few adjustments are being made for better alignment on the thighs, calves, biceps and forearms, but the details true to the original forms are not being changed.
The best news is that we still appear to be on target for a late November/early December delivery!
Don’t forget that although we are now at full Initial Offering Price for the Classic Stormtrooper, it’s still not too late to convince friends to join the Empire---in fact, we noticed that many of your are taking advantage of and sharing the 10% OFF coupon codes that come with every order placed after mid-June 2015. We think it’s awesome you are “paying it forward” to grow your Empire!
Thank you again for your support as we work together to change the face of costuming and fill the world with more soldiers of the Empire! Be sure to ‘like’ our Facebook page at facebook.com/anovos, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/anovos, and on Instagram at instagram.com/anovos.
For the Empire!
Team ANOVOS
Welcome to Update #2, Troopers!
Thank you again for your ongoing support of the Classic Stormtrooper Armor we are producing---your excitement is really fueling our team to make this the best costume available! We are also reading your comments, and hope that these updates help demonstrate our commitment to you as not just customers, but investors in the new line of STAR WARS™ products!
A lot has happened since our last newsletter, including the public prototype debut at San Diego Comic Con International where some of you saw this armor up close. While that particular suit did not reflect the final production armor, it was very close to what you should expect upon delivery. A few adjustments are being made for better alignment on the thighs, calves, biceps and forearms, but the details true to the original forms are not being changed.
As you may have heard, the base material for the armor will indeed be UV-coated ABS instead of the custom PVC that we were developing. We heard a lot of concerns about the unfamiliarity of working with PVC and, thanks to your support, were able to get the volume pricing needed to make the switch back to our preferred material. Hopefully, the change back to ABS will make kit-builders more confident in their ability to construct their armor using tried and true methods and materials.
Speaking of building kits, our friends at Tested.com have also put together part one of a great video tutorial to introduce you to what it takes to build armor from a kit. If you purchased the ensemble, you may still pick up some tips for further modification. Check out this video here for part one: [url]http://bit.ly/1Jlg6HT[/URL]
We also wanted to address the undersuit which has been previously referred to as an “arming suit.” To keep this costume affordable and to allow for the end-user to customize their own strapping system, we have simply decided to provide the basic long-sleeve and long-pant lycra undersuit in the sizing you selected when ordering. These black undersuit pieces are the first thing you’ll put on when suiting up, and the strapping in the form of velcro and black webbing material will be separate (not attached) to the suit for maximum user customization and optimal fit. While the original concept was to re-purpose an idea for a Clone Trooper undersuit, it was simply not going to be comfortable due to breathability.
Another soft goods change we have made is on the Stormtrooper neckseals. The shiny version we showed in an earlier newsletter has been replaced with a lighter, more breathable material (shown below on the right). Comfort is always a priority when we are making final decisions on accessories.
Speaking of building kits, our friends at Tested.com have also put together part one of a great video tutorial to introduce you to what it takes to build armor from a kit. If you purchased the ensemble, you may still pick up some tips for further modification. Check out this video here for part one: [url]http://bit.ly/1Jlg6HT[/URL]
We also wanted to address the undersuit which has been previously referred to as an “arming suit.” To keep this costume affordable and to allow for the end-user to customize their own strapping system, we have simply decided to provide the basic long-sleeve and long-pant lycra undersuit in the sizing you selected when ordering. These black undersuit pieces are the first thing you’ll put on when suiting up, and the strapping in the form of velcro and black webbing material will be separate (not attached) to the suit for maximum user customization and optimal fit. While the original concept was to re-purpose an idea for a Clone Trooper undersuit, it was simply not going to be comfortable due to breathability.
Another soft goods change we have made is on the Stormtrooper neckseals. The shiny version we showed in an earlier newsletter has been replaced with a lighter, more breathable material (shown below on the right). Comfort is always a priority when we are making final decisions on accessories.
The best news is that we still appear to be on target for a late November/early December delivery!
Don’t forget that although we are now at full Initial Offering Price for the Classic Stormtrooper, it’s still not too late to convince friends to join the Empire---in fact, we noticed that many of your are taking advantage of and sharing the 10% OFF coupon codes that come with every order placed after mid-June 2015. We think it’s awesome you are “paying it forward” to grow your Empire!
Thank you again for your support as we work together to change the face of costuming and fill the world with more soldiers of the Empire! Be sure to ‘like’ our Facebook page at facebook.com/anovos, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/anovos, and on Instagram at instagram.com/anovos.
For the Empire!
Team ANOVOS
Last edited by a moderator:
Westies14
Master Member
I appreciate the goal of making these things more comfortable, but I think it's a mistake to prioritize it over accuracy for a piece like the neck seal. If the glossier material bothers anyone, it'd be easy to line with a softer fabric. I just went through the Han & Luke stormtrooper gear scenes to compare. If the two newsletter images are accurate to the fresnel/reflectivity/texture of the two prototypes, the one on the left appears much closer to what's seen on screen.
Losing the arming suit is unfortunate, and a bit different than a material change like the neck seal. It's actually removing an item from the list of deliverables. Thousands of customers have already paid for these pre-orders, but the first reason for the change was listed "to keep this costume affordable." Will the completed Stormtroopers be made from the kit's new webbing?
Anovos changed the ST armor plastic back to ABS after switching to PVC in response to customer feedback; hopefully they'll consider reversing these two changes as well.
Looking forward to new shipping estimates on the Star Wars line! The May 1 update is still the latest on the site. Dying to know if I need to order boots for a Han costume for Halloween...
Losing the arming suit is unfortunate, and a bit different than a material change like the neck seal. It's actually removing an item from the list of deliverables. Thousands of customers have already paid for these pre-orders, but the first reason for the change was listed "to keep this costume affordable." Will the completed Stormtroopers be made from the kit's new webbing?
Anovos changed the ST armor plastic back to ABS after switching to PVC in response to customer feedback; hopefully they'll consider reversing these two changes as well.
Looking forward to new shipping estimates on the Star Wars line! The May 1 update is still the latest on the site. Dying to know if I need to order boots for a Han costume for Halloween...
Got Maul
Official Licensee
I think the perception of what an "arming" suit was may have been off in the first place. Our suit was originally nothing more than lycra-like body suit with minimal strapping at best, and when I say minimal, really just a few hoops. We decided that to have the strapping suit made would have been more time delayed in manufacturing because now we'd have to account for multiple sizes and placement of these hoops. In the end, the return on investment for the user would have been minimal vs the time gained with staying on track for manufacturing deadlines.
As for the neck seal , we did choose comfort over accuracy in this measure. Sure, we are trying to find a material that will give us both, but I fall back on the original statement I have always preached for this costume. You want 99% accuracy, EFX is the one you go for. You want something about 85-90% accurate but really nice to wear and a great kit to put together with friends and family, go with ours. We are not going to replicate dents or warpage of the original. As for the Anovos Stormtrooper Kit, our parts are meant to line up like a puzzle. They are not forced into place because of "accurate" warpage and then sanded down to accommodate the misalignments of the original.
With other kits, if the parts allow, we may be able to go for the 95th percentile on accuracy (like our current TFA's ~ perhaps even 98th) but some kits just weren't meant to be consumer product friendly from the get-go.
As for the neck seal , we did choose comfort over accuracy in this measure. Sure, we are trying to find a material that will give us both, but I fall back on the original statement I have always preached for this costume. You want 99% accuracy, EFX is the one you go for. You want something about 85-90% accurate but really nice to wear and a great kit to put together with friends and family, go with ours. We are not going to replicate dents or warpage of the original. As for the Anovos Stormtrooper Kit, our parts are meant to line up like a puzzle. They are not forced into place because of "accurate" warpage and then sanded down to accommodate the misalignments of the original.
With other kits, if the parts allow, we may be able to go for the 95th percentile on accuracy (like our current TFA's ~ perhaps even 98th) but some kits just weren't meant to be consumer product friendly from the get-go.
The neckseal on the right looks comparable if not better than those sold on the 501st boards and no one is complaining about those. Keep the faith
Can you share more on the Sandtrooper differences to the regular Stormy???
I am still so sad I missed the Tier 1 on the Stormy and am hoping the Sandtrooper will be the same so I can rotate his Shoulder Paldron and Backpack so sometimes he is Sandy and sometimes just plain Stormy????
Dao2
Well-Known Member
it was in the newsletter :< kit still on track it said, and I assume helmet too
i wouldn't be surprised with a little slippage though
geordietrooper
Sr Member
i don't think 1st order tks have been offered for sale to the general public yet ?
are you saying you ordered one in june ?
Lichtbringer
Master Member
Maybe FirstOfferTKs? Those that were ordered immediatly when they offered the first priced for the early custumers.
First ordered, first gets - maybe that´s what is meant in that question.
First ordered, first gets - maybe that´s what is meant in that question.
geordietrooper
Sr Member
:ninja
Last edited:
ataru72ita
Well-Known Member
That's marvellous news!!!!
Regards,
Alberto
P.S. any news on the Luke Bespin outfit and about the bespin belt and holster??
Also interested in an update on the Bespin pieces. Thought we'd get an email update last week...
I need a Kylo Ren costume and Han Solo TFA jacket! That is all
Westies14
Master Member
So much for Halloween! We've been getting some really conflicting information and it's time for some straight talk on some of these items. Let's start with the Han belt rig:
There were many requests for an estimated shipping date in the last month on this thread which have each been ignored, even when Anovos has replied to other bits of those same messages. There was one response, worded so strangely that I couldn't make sense of it: When we were told that the Vader helmet would be the first item shipped for costumers, I asked if that meant "first of the Vader items" or "first of the Star Wars line," the response was: "that would be the Vader helmets."
However, the web site has now been updated. The "Star Wars Product Updates" page has been jettisoned in favor of the new email update system (we've only gotten one related to the classic TK armor) and the estimated shipping for the Han Belt Rig on its pre-order sale page is now WINTER 2015! They were being packaged in May, and again in August, but they're shipping two seasons from now? This just doesn't add up.
VADER
The last Vader ensemble shipping estimate (August 2015) has come and gone without an email, website or thread update. Its pre-order page still estimates shipping last May. The helmet shipping estimate on the individual product pre-order page is fall 2015 - is that accurate?
HAN BESPIN
The Han Bespin ensemble, once listed on the Star Wars updates page on the website as a late summer/fall 2015 delivery has no estimate on its pre-order page. That sales page still directs us to the now-empty SW updates page for the latest estimates.
Then there's stuff like the TK arming suit or the back and forth on the plastics for that product. I know the initial hype is mostly marketing speak, but when Anovos walks back the hyperbole on the materials or actually removes a promised item from the TK pre-order, it needs to be handled better. When we wonder what happened to the miracle plastic which was being developed, recognize that you guys are the ones who made it sound so ideal for this application. When we ask about the rigging system, you gotta know that we're not the ones who made the arming suit sound so innovative, easier and convenient than traditional strapping. Anovos had been great about communication early on, but the communication has slowed and has become weirder, less forthright when it comes - bordering on defensive or evasive at times.
I know and like several of the people involved in these projects. I'm proud to know that Anovos grew out of the ranks of RPF membership! I'm excited for them and the work they've got the opportunity to do having secured the coolest possible license. You've got thousands of my dollars though, and god knows how much has been collected from all the pre-order customers in the Star Wars line. We have yet to see a production sample from any item in the line, and asking to see the one we're told is completely done was met with such a strange reply - Anovos should be dying to finally show us something they've made for the STAR WARS line! I'd think you guys would be sitting at the end of the production line with a camera, but you're boxing them up for a year without taking a picture? How surprising can the unboxing be - does it look so different from the prototype being used to solicit the pre-orders? We're getting conflicting or confusing information on our investments. It looks like it may be a year and a half for the first product ordered to ship, assuming the latest update tucked away on the pre-order page is accurate and it doesn't get pushed back again. Please, give us some straight talk on these items and what we can expect as far as the finished product and shipping times go. Try not to fall back on the idea that we can always get a full refund. That's a good policy, but if we've waited over a year we're probably committed, and if we don't have a realistic expectation of when they'll come or what they'll look like it's hard to make an informed decision on jumping ship or staying the course. A 0% interest rate is also a pretty bad return on a loan to a business, and that's what a refund over a year later would feel like. Some customers might hope to re-sell their purchased items if they no longer want them and the estimated wait to receive them is short enough.
Anovos, help us to reclaim the enthusiasm we all felt at the beginning of this thread! You're our only hope.
- JUNE 2014 - paid in full; others may have ordered earlier
- MAY 2015 - Last product update on the Anovos website, belts are being packaged and shipping by "late May"
- AUGUST 2015 - RPF thread update: "The good news on the belt rig is that they are on US soil being packaged for shipment. The end is very near on this project."
- AUGUST 2015 - RPF thread update: "The good news on the Han Belt is they are being packaged now. So the end is finally near on these items."
- AUGUST 2015 - Re: pics of finished product: "I typically shy away from showing pics of the final product for fear of ruining the unboxing experience for others."
There were many requests for an estimated shipping date in the last month on this thread which have each been ignored, even when Anovos has replied to other bits of those same messages. There was one response, worded so strangely that I couldn't make sense of it: When we were told that the Vader helmet would be the first item shipped for costumers, I asked if that meant "first of the Vader items" or "first of the Star Wars line," the response was: "that would be the Vader helmets."
However, the web site has now been updated. The "Star Wars Product Updates" page has been jettisoned in favor of the new email update system (we've only gotten one related to the classic TK armor) and the estimated shipping for the Han Belt Rig on its pre-order sale page is now WINTER 2015! They were being packaged in May, and again in August, but they're shipping two seasons from now? This just doesn't add up.
VADER
The last Vader ensemble shipping estimate (August 2015) has come and gone without an email, website or thread update. Its pre-order page still estimates shipping last May. The helmet shipping estimate on the individual product pre-order page is fall 2015 - is that accurate?
HAN BESPIN
The Han Bespin ensemble, once listed on the Star Wars updates page on the website as a late summer/fall 2015 delivery has no estimate on its pre-order page. That sales page still directs us to the now-empty SW updates page for the latest estimates.
Then there's stuff like the TK arming suit or the back and forth on the plastics for that product. I know the initial hype is mostly marketing speak, but when Anovos walks back the hyperbole on the materials or actually removes a promised item from the TK pre-order, it needs to be handled better. When we wonder what happened to the miracle plastic which was being developed, recognize that you guys are the ones who made it sound so ideal for this application. When we ask about the rigging system, you gotta know that we're not the ones who made the arming suit sound so innovative, easier and convenient than traditional strapping. Anovos had been great about communication early on, but the communication has slowed and has become weirder, less forthright when it comes - bordering on defensive or evasive at times.
I know and like several of the people involved in these projects. I'm proud to know that Anovos grew out of the ranks of RPF membership! I'm excited for them and the work they've got the opportunity to do having secured the coolest possible license. You've got thousands of my dollars though, and god knows how much has been collected from all the pre-order customers in the Star Wars line. We have yet to see a production sample from any item in the line, and asking to see the one we're told is completely done was met with such a strange reply - Anovos should be dying to finally show us something they've made for the STAR WARS line! I'd think you guys would be sitting at the end of the production line with a camera, but you're boxing them up for a year without taking a picture? How surprising can the unboxing be - does it look so different from the prototype being used to solicit the pre-orders? We're getting conflicting or confusing information on our investments. It looks like it may be a year and a half for the first product ordered to ship, assuming the latest update tucked away on the pre-order page is accurate and it doesn't get pushed back again. Please, give us some straight talk on these items and what we can expect as far as the finished product and shipping times go. Try not to fall back on the idea that we can always get a full refund. That's a good policy, but if we've waited over a year we're probably committed, and if we don't have a realistic expectation of when they'll come or what they'll look like it's hard to make an informed decision on jumping ship or staying the course. A 0% interest rate is also a pretty bad return on a loan to a business, and that's what a refund over a year later would feel like. Some customers might hope to re-sell their purchased items if they no longer want them and the estimated wait to receive them is short enough.
Anovos, help us to reclaim the enthusiasm we all felt at the beginning of this thread! You're our only hope.
Last edited by a moderator:
I just think they have too much on their plate. Now with TFA coming around they'll go full speed ahead trying to push those products as well. I don't really want to see the new stuff before we've had a chance to get the old stuff honestly. It's all about marketing your brand and right now it's at the height of Star Wars fandom again so every post is related to TFA and the new troopers.
Like I previously said I know delays are super common in all our hobbies now, but it's still frustrating for sure. I trust Anovos though and I'm sure they are going to deliver an exceptional product when all is said and done. But yeah, right now they are bordering on efx territory in terms of extended delays and delays with the only exception is that they do acknowledge us when we have questions and concerns.
Like I previously said I know delays are super common in all our hobbies now, but it's still frustrating for sure. I trust Anovos though and I'm sure they are going to deliver an exceptional product when all is said and done. But yeah, right now they are bordering on efx territory in terms of extended delays and delays with the only exception is that they do acknowledge us when we have questions and concerns.
Similar threads
