Have Anovos made missteps? Most definitely- a few that they should have known would garner public disfavor. They have admitted as much and that they are working on improving things.
But a lot of voices seem to be hoping that they go under. I hear the popcorn being eaten already. Is that what this hobby has come to? Schadefreude when a company born out of our community begins to stumble and not hitting only home-runs?
There are a few things I've learned from looking into the industry over the years, when I've even toyed with (and ultimately rejected) the idea of making props full-time. Making props for a living is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It's not likely to make you universally loved either. At best, you'll have a 50-50 split of people that hate you and love you. Simply getting enough orders to support a small group of people working full time (or more) is a major challenge at the moment and having to struggle continuously does not make it easier to solve issues that pop up. Thread like this, started from a legitimate and honest concern, that instead turn towards bashing no matter what the defending party says, make it even harder.
Anovos started as a small group of fans (two, I believe). They have so far given us a few things that no one has been able to. (Why did it take almost 50 years for a company to make truly accurate TOS Trek uniforms?) They even succeeded in tackling the damn Monster Maroon... and even the standard version of it is fantastic. I've got a fair bit of knowledge of tailoring garments and the jacket alone is a work of art on their part; there's not a stitch wrong. They've made TK armor kits for less than half of what folks paid for inaccurate fan-made armor tens years ago (not taking into account inflation). Some of the complaints I've seen regarding the armor kits have been very nitpicky. We are truly spoiled today when it comes to TK armor. (Also note, to their credit, that Anovos has done very little to discourage fan-made pieces that directly compete and take away business from licenses they are paying dearly for.)
Does that excuse them from legitimate criticism? Hell no. At the same time, it's rather disheartening to see how little we (as a community) support new startups in this hobby while we at the same time complain that no one is making replicas any longer. During the prequel era, we were in a golden age of prop collecting with Master Replicas, but today, despite having a few VERY good franchises taking in more box office money than ever, and things like cosplay becoming "accepted" in the general space, prop companies are struggling to make us stuff. I can't say exactly why that is, but I'd be surprised if our generally pessimistic attitude isn't part of it. The logistics of making prop replicas for anything close to "affordable" are extremely hard to overcome. Anovos are currently struggling with the hard-shell items- that's pretty clear. They've delivered a few things but are having a hard time consistently delivering everything. Sure, maybe they should concentrate on ONE thing until they have that perfect, but maybe the business of making replicas simply cannot be sustained unless they expand now instead of waiting.
What happened when one of Anovos founders popped in here (even admitting it was outside what their licensing agreements permit them to)? He came in and apologized profusely, then became lambasted because of a comment that he wrote hastily on his phone (not good for long messages) because it was regarded as standoffish, even though it (according to him) wasn't intended as such. There has been research done that proves that "intent" is often impossible to accurately construe through text messages- even if they use emoticons. (Honestly though- what else was he going to say at that point?) And since then, the thread has continued pretty much downhill. Let's be honest- whatever they say, someone is going to find fault in it and keep going. How does that motivate them to openly communicate here on the forums (even if they were allowed to)? If every time you say something, you're going to need to defend against a lot of voices- some of which might just be joining in for the sake of it. Those without complaints, that are happy with their purchases, rarely give praise. (I'm trying to do both.)
I'm not saying "don't complain". We should complain. (Sorry Anovos, I love just about everything I've gotten from ya, but from my perspective you really dropped the ball sizing the Picard jackets- but kudos for taking it back no questions asked. You do need to fix that ticket system too 'cause it's a tad buggy.) There are certainly people that have legitimate grievances against them (as with any company) but I would guess that there are Anovos customers out there that simply can't be reasoned with too.
At present, Anovos have about $900 of my money in pre-orders. I've so far spent about three times that and despite having to wait agonizingly long for a couple items, they have been great. I truly feel for the Vader suit people- it's torturous having to wait so long and Anovos should definitely do something to compensate for the wait.
If the worst happens and I lose those $900, I'll naturally be royally pissed too- and if the stuff I'm waiting for gets delayed too many months I might not be willing to wait them out in the end. (There are certainly limits to what anyone should be expected to put up with.) We're passionate about these things- they are more than bobblehead toys in both cost and what they represent- at least to me. This is a hobby in which we get access to things that many people don't even think are possible to have. I'm still, after having been in this hobby for 10+ years, fulfilling childhood dreams of things I never thought I would be able to own or even see in real life. Can't we find a way to complain AND support these companies at the same time, instead of campaigning for their demise as soon as things get a little rocky?
