ANOVOS issues (ANOVOS ONLY discussion)

[Mr Mold Maker]

What details were missed? I still don't see how anyone can be commenting on details or quality considering no one has received a completed Mandalorian helmet from Anovos or efx.

You don’t see how anyone can be commenting? Anovos and EFX have both released photos of their prototypes and some photos from production. I am clearly commenting on those, and until more photos come out I will continue to. It’s a thread to talk about Anovos and their products, if it bothers you so much I would suggest you spend your time reading another thread until the helmets are in people’s hands or simply ignoring my posts.

As for your other question, I would encourage you to actually look at the EFX and Anovos helmets, and compare them to the real helmets. PM me if you prefer. If you still can’t spot the differences, then I will walk you through them.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I was really eyeballing this Helmet and thought, what could I purchase that would most likely actually be delivered...an ANOVOS product, or this guy who says I can buy a seat in heaven with my Seed Money?

Well, let’s just say that I have planted my seed, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[Krieger]

I was really eyeballing this Helmet and thought, what could I purchase that would most likely actually be delivered...an ANOVOS product, or this guy who says I can buy a seat in heaven with my Seed Money?

View attachment 1085712

Well, let’s just say that I have planted my seed, ladies and gentlemen.

Phrasing! (still carrying my no more preorders sign)

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

The question is: Who will be pre-ordering and paying the full amount?

Honestly? After everything? If it was actually something that I'm interested in and not something I have no interest in owning, I'd probably spring for it.

 

[craigjohn]

That a super easy helmet to produce as far as production goes and not worth $700, the biker scout which EFX made is a much more complexe helmet and was much cheaper, BTW its crappy looking, it looks silver painted with heavy clear coat, the ones in the show looks like real polished metal.

I have to disagree on a lot of this. Filming the Mando helmet is going to make the helmet look different in a photo, and it'll still look different sitting on your shelf at home. It's all going to have to do with the film crew's lighting, camera angles and post production retouching.

If not for the pooling of the clear coat in those areas, you definitely can't tell it's silver paint with heavy clear coat any more than the screen used helmet looking like real polished metal.

How about you wait and see what the final delivered helmet looks like before over reacting.

You could get Bobamaker’s helmet and the actual paint (Alumaluster) and still come in under $700.

Anyone with a keen eye should be able to replicate this paint job. What’s crazy to me is Anovos and EFX had it infront of them and they still missed details.

Bobmaker's Standard Kit - $360 USD
Alumaluster paint = $400 USD
Add the clear coat...

That's more than $700.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

Bobmaker's Standard Kit - $360 USD
Alumaluster paint = $400 USD
Add the clear coat...

That's more than $700.

Alumaluster is $180 for 8oz which is enough to do at least three of these helmets. It goes a long way.

Bobamaker - $360
Alumaluster - $180
Clear coat - can be a $20 can or my favorite, Matrix clear coat, which can be bought for $78 shipped.

You’ll find that is still under $700. Switch to a 2K rattle can and you’d be under $600. If I’m not mistaken, Sam sells, (or at least sold,) 4oz kits of Alumaluster as well. That would be more than enough for one helmet, if someone desired to go that way. That would reduce the price even more.

I am speaking from first hand experience here. I use these materials regularly, and I have for years. I am familiar with the costs and options. If there is anything else that needs to be cleared up, by all means, let me know.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

A fan-made helmet can absolutely be assembled for a LOT less than the official product, no question there. There's a good chance it'll end up being more accurate too. The way different makers deal with close scrutiny of details differs wildly.

But it seems like the cost in time of painting, assembly and finishing are not being taken into account, or the licensing costs, which might very well be as high as 60% of the total (by what I've heard from others dealing with Disney).

Anovos current reputation of horrible delays and communication notwithstanding, it still comes down to what each person wants for his or her collection, if they're prepared to do the work themselves or want to get something just ready-to-wear.

 

[JBReplicas]

A fan-made helmet can absolutely be assembled for a LOT less than the official product, no question there. There's a good chance it'll end up being more accurate too. The way different makers deal with close scrutiny of details differs wildly.

But it seems like the cost in time of painting, assembly and finishing are not being taken into account, or the licensing costs, which might very well be as high as 60% of the total (by what I've heard from others dealing with Disney).

Anovos current reputation of horrible delays and communication notwithstanding, it still comes down to what each person wants for his or her collection, if they're prepared to do the work themselves or want to get something just ready-to-wear.

Exactly, and when you cut corners on things like art finishing, it shows. This isn't a sandtrooper that you can fling some acrylic washes over and say its 'battle worn'.

 

[JOATRASH FX]

Since we haven't seen a finished in-hand helmet, I'd opt to wait before passing judgement. I've read of others having problems with some Anovos hard-surface goods, but the two helmets (premium and standard) I have owned were great, as were the pins and emblems.

 

[FastballSpecial]

With Thanksgiving next week, we must be only a few days away from the Mandalorian helmets shipping.

 

[ggriffaw]

You don’t see how anyone can be commenting? Anovos and EFX have both released photos of their prototypes and some photos from production. I am clearly commenting on those, and until more photos come out I will continue to. It’s a thread to talk about Anovos and their products, if it bothers you so much I would suggest you spend your time reading another thread until the helmets are in people’s hands or simply ignoring my posts.

As for your other question, I would encourage you to actually look at the EFX and Anovos helmets, and compare them to the real helmets. PM me if you prefer. If you still can’t spot the differences, then I will walk you through them.

Making definitive statements about quality and details based on not so great photos of in work product doesn't seem fair. Would you like people to make comments about the quality of your work based on that amount of info?

I wouldn't count the photos on the Anovos or efx product pages. Those are prototypes, not products produced by the factory. I have only seen the photos included in the Anovos blog of the actual factory products. I don't think those say much about the finished product because those are in work products. The end result may have those issues or they may not. We just don't know yet.

If people thinking definitive comments based on little info is premature bothers you so much, maybe you shouldn't post comments like that. This is a discussion board, not an announcement board with no replies allowed. Sometimes people disagree. Others have made similar comments about waiting to see the actual product before passing judgement.

 

[ggriffaw]

There are lots of opinions on this board about how Anovos and efx should be doing things. If you have the knowledge and ability to create a fairly large amount of these products, in a reasonable time, with accuracy, with quality construction, at a reasonable price that covers all of the expenses, please contact Disney about acquiring a license and starting a company. Neither Anovos nor efx have been doing a good job. If the problems are just incompetence or greed, surely others could do it much better.

I know RS Props does a great job. I have bought quite a few items from them. Unfortunately I think their business model is quite different as far as quantity produced, the type of items produced, and not being licensed.

I think the goals of companies like Anovos and efx are different than RS Props. Anovos and efx attempt to produce mostly mass produced items that may require some compromises. RS Props is more like the individual builders that focus more on accuracy. Unfortunately they have a pretty limited line of products so are not an option for many replicas.

 

[darthjones]

What details were missed? I still don't see how anyone can be commenting on details or quality considering no one has received a completed Mandalorian helmet from Anovos or efx.

Many people want to buy a finished product, not go through the effort of making it. I think it is to be expected that a mass produced product will have some compromises to meet time or budget constraints.

Some people have more of a collecting mindset. They would rather have a licensed product in it's original condition than a customized product that may be more accurate. An example is the Anovos Shoretrooper helmet. It is well known that the paint is the wrong color, but repainting it will make it much harder to resell regardless of how well the repaint was done.

All of this is great but Anovos has never met a time or budget constraint. Myself, I love the helmet in the pics. I'd buy it if it were actually available without exception in the time frame they already missed.

Still, re: my preaching here, I am daily running into more and more folks who don't know what it takes to finish anything. Truly finish. No one being "realistic" will ever know what it takes to finish anything to an exceptional degree.

 

[AJK001]

In case you don't follow the Anovos STD Phaser thread the latest announcement from them is that they will be restocking it soon but the long promised stand that was supposed to be delivered later will now be something they are going to produce at a later date and then charge for it even though it was promised as part of the deal when ordering the Phaser however many years ago that was. To me this is a new low even for these idiots.

 

[Krieger]

All of this is great but Anovos has never met a time or budget constraint. Myself, I love the helmet in the pics. I'd buy it if it were actually available without exception in the time frame they already missed.

Still, re: my preaching here, I am daily running into more and more folks who don't know what it takes to finish anything. Truly finish. No one being "realistic" will ever know what it takes to finish anything to an exceptional degree.

I am still learning how to finish props, and never have a sense of time and effort, especially 3d printed ones. mostly amateur hour for what I do as a hobby, but I certainly appreciate the level of effort it takes to get things right, or as close as possible.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

Making definitive statements about quality and details based on not so great photos of in work product doesn't seem fair. Would you like people to make comments about the quality of your work based on that amount of info?

I wouldn't count the photos on the Anovos or efx product pages. Those are prototypes, not products produced by the factory. I have only seen the photos included in the Anovos blog of the actual factory products. I don't think those say much about the finished product because those are in work products. The end result may have those issues or they may not. We just don't know yet.

If people thinking definitive comments based on little info is premature bothers you so much, maybe you shouldn't post comments like that. This is a discussion board, not an announcement board with no replies allowed. Sometimes people disagree. Others have made similar comments about waiting to see the actual product before passing judgement.

Again, ALL I did was point out what was in those photos. It wasn’t a definitive statement, it was me saying “X is on THE HELMETS PICTURED (which I specified in the post mind you,) which COULD mean they will be on the production helmet.” Me saying I bet the rest will have it is also not a definitive statement, it is an educated guess based on my past experiences with Anovos’ quality control, or lack there of. Do I KNOW for a FACT that it will be on all the helmets? Of course not, and I did not say that I did anywhere in this thread.

This is not “discussion.” This is you misinterpreting my words and meaning, and me trying, with no luck clearly, to clear it up.


All I do with my posts on this board is try to help people, using my own experience with these materials, (something very few of the hobbyists here have,) to show them things that they may not see themselves. If you can’t understand that, I can do nothing for you.

 

[TradeCraft]

Some are saying that the photos are of helmet prototypes, and do not represent the finished product. in the past, Anovos has released photos that say “prototypes shown, subject to change”. If they were prototypes, they would be focusing on paint effects, and I would assume they would slightly differ in appearance. I also doubt they would perfect paint effects on expensive and completed fiberglass helmets. I assume they would perfect their paint on 3 dimensional molds or inexpensive cast shapes. I am sure those photos are of finished products. When they announced the Mandalorian’s helmet, they thought they would ship in merely weeks, so you have to assume they had final products to show photos of. They also don’t say prototypes subject to change, which is something Anovos always does when showing early photos that will change. Sorry to keep bringing this up, but have you not seen ALL the horrible flaws and defects in the Jyn gloves? They sent those Gloves with tons of amateur level mistakes, and you think there is no way they would send helmets with some dripping clear coat? I assume they are showing photos of the best helmets, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some helmets ship looking even worse. I’m done giving Anovos money... or the benefit of doubt. My opinions are based on Anovos actual track record and business model, as well as their sub par quality.

 

[Synz314]

I don't expect much to change between prototype to finish product either. That's mostly due to the short amount of time they're supposedly shipping the helmets in. Even though we all know it's not going to happen. The only major alteration I can recall Anovos making after their prototype is the locking mechanism and visible hard hat bolts on the Vader helmet.

For what it's worth it looks like the more accurate one compared to the EFX.

 

[Krieger]

While we wait, and wait for something to materialize, I watched The Welding Geek’s metal helmet build - and Punished Props Academy foam build on youtube. Both are awesome. Now back to waiting.

 

[TradeCraft]

I don't expect much to change between prototype to finish product either. That's mostly due to the short amount of time they're supposedly shipping the helmets in. Even though we all know it's not going to happen. The only major alteration I can recall Anovos making after their prototype is the locking mechanism and visible hard hat bolts on the Vader helmet.

For what it's worth it looks like the more accurate one compared to the EFX.

That’s not the only change Anovos has made. In my hour long phone call with Charlie, he also talked very negatively about customers who had issues with the Jyn gloves. He said no one had ever complained about quality, buthe said some had complained they were made of leather. He then said he can’t help it if people can’t read what they are buying. I had to remind him that the original product page said faux leather, and to some people, that actually is important to them. I’m not one of those people, and prefer products made of real “dead baby lamb”. I do have to point out that was the absolute worst quality of leather I have ever seen in person. It’s not even “genuine leathe”, which is already pretty low quality. It was apparently the worst ever quality “bonded leather” ever made, which is already the MDF or particle board version of leather. Honestly, they likely got the bonded leather as factory seconds for cheaper than the faux leather they had originally promised and advertised. But to then sarcastically speak about other customer’s inability to read as the only excuse for complaining, was pathetic. Even more pathetic was that he was the one who couldn’t remember whatAnovos had promised, so it made him look terrible in my opinion. The fact is, if they can save any money whatsoever, or use inferior or second quality materials, you know they will. I don’t see them throwing out helmets, or even sanding them, if the paint and/or clear coat drips.