Anovos Stormtrooper.... thoughts?

[Crisisfilms]

Even if someone took the original November estimate as a final date, and missed them saying that there were no guarantees of receiving the armor before TFA (which they did state plainly in several newsletters and statements), we are still talking about a 2 month delay at most (Nov-Jan). The fact that it was a preorder to begin with and they have sent out multiple updates and answered tons of questions on their FB and twitter, makes me wonder just what people are complaining about (and some of these reactions are just absurd).

 

[Gnar Gnar Jinn]

A refund doesn't excuse poor practices. Yes, that's been offered to me - for other issues that they've changed in this deal. There's a trend here, it's not just about the delay nor is it just about Disney.

Do we even know that this is about Disney? I mean - it's been 7 months since the first pre-order wave ended. ...they did manage to get a First Order bucket out in record time - so, I'm totally buying the it's the mouse's fault as you'd think that would be under a terrible amount of scrutiny - but, I don't know.

You do realize that the first order armor and helmet have been under development (and offered to the public for a longer period than the OT kits have right? Anovos has been working directly with the mouse and the 501st to produce FO kits and helmets so 501st can troop events, and provide marketing opportunities. The FO stormtroopers on stage at celebration were Anovos. Disney has been directly involved, most likely eliminating many of the longer steps that are facing other products.

Long story short, the FO helmet appeared to the general public at a much later date in the production timeline, and therefore was available "quicker" than other offerings that were available earlier in the production timeline (TK, Vader, etc...)

 

[JD]

You do realize that the first order armor and helmet have been under development (and offered to the public for a longer period than the OT kits have right? Anovos has been working directly with the mouse and the 501st to produce FO kits and helmets so 501st can troop events, and provide marketing opportunities. The FO stormtroopers on stage at celebration were Anovos. Disney has been directly involved, most likely eliminating many of the longer steps that are facing other products.

Long story short, the FO helmet appeared to the general public at a much later date in the production timeline, and therefore was available "quicker" than other offerings that were available earlier in the production timeline (TK, Vader, etc...)

You do realize that good old-fashioned pre-First Order Stormtrooper armor has been around a whole lot longer than First Order armor, right? I understand there is a production timeframe - that includes development, test runs with actual manufacturer and all that... we waited as they changed from ABS to PVC back to ABS and then they took away the advertised (and talked about in this thread by an Anovos guy) arming suit as all part of the development of a product they advertised and sold pre-orders for.

We also know and understand that this armor has been around nearly 40 years - there have been people bootleg-manufacturing this armor for years and years - while the FO has been around for... um, how long? Yet they were able to get that product out amazingly fast. These guys had a game plan - and I'm sure it may've changed during production... but, that shouldn't excuse them for not pushing through.

They worked with Disney for the FO armor? Um - I hope they're working with Disney for this armor, too. I hope Disney is directly involved with all their products. If they're not - please provide something for proof - because, one would hope that they'd have some sort of system in place to handle both multiple product runs and have some sort of priority for older runs over newer ones -- other than to make a quicker buck for something newer that would be in demand. (It's not like they needed a much more than prototypes to fulfill Disney for the time being - and we've seen plenty of old school prototype ST armor from them).

Long story short: they offered something for presale, they advertised certain things and changed their minds about what they sold us... they told us certain dates and then changed them. Now, they're backed up with support issues due to these delays....

Again, I'm thankful that they've given us updates. I'm thankful I was offered a refund when their advertised deal changed. What I'm not thankful for is more and more excuses and more and more delays. If you're happy with that - that's great.

 

[Gnar Gnar Jinn]

They worked with Disney for the FO armor? Um - I hope they're working with Disney for this armor, too. I hope Disney is directly involved with all their products. If they're not - please provide something for proof - because, one would hope that they'd have some sort of system in place to handle both multiple product runs and have some sort of priority for older runs over newer ones

Ok, you clearly don't understand what's going on here...

Disney partnered directly with Anovos and the 501st to produce FO troopers in time for celebration, this wasn't a public run, it was a special project. They've been working on the FO longer than the OT (at least as far as we can tell publicly)(they have been working with the 501 on FO armor months before they announced OT TK (It's TK btw, not ST). For this project Disney would have been working more hand in hand with Anovos to make the deadline.

Of course Disney is working with Anovos for all costumes, but the FO project would have almost defiantly required more interaction at every step, thereby eliminating many issues that would have come up later.

TL;DR: The FO Stormtrooper has been available longer (from Anovos) than the OT TK has (from Anovos) You just haven't seen it publicly. And to accomplish FO trooper kits in time for celebration, with the purposes it was supposed to fulfill would have required a more intimate relationship in the development than other items.

 

[jkno]

go look on starwarsscreencaps and look at the stormtroopers. Nobody is talking about storage degredation or weathering. They were originally manufactured badly. That's how they are. It is authentic.

Cleaning the armour up is inauthentic by definition. Unless it is to restore the screen used state. That isn't required, for the helmets at least. Plastic doesn't just erode, or dent. It can warp, but the helmets are quite a sturdy structure so this isn't apparent on the surviving examples. Only the paint and decals have faired badly.

Fett's helmet might need clean up, as I believe the original ESB has dents and cracks not there during filming. Your approach would be authentic for that example.

The weird bubbles, wonky sculpt etc and other manufacturing flaws are not eligible for clean-up, unless idealisation is the aim (which is okay!, just not my preference)

It is very simple. If you want cleaned up, fair enough, it is understandable. But some people don't want a sugar coated, revisionist item. That is why there are different providers. An un-altered cast of the real thing is the gold standard for prop replica, but not necessarily merchandise


You might like the hero helmet better than the stunt helmet.

Exactly. But don't waste your breath. He's simply not getting it, and he is saying the same thing over and over...

 

[juajn7fernandez]

Tested released a video putting together the Shadowtrooper helmet and it seems they also have a finished stormtrooper helmet. Thought you guys might enjoy the video.


http://www.lightersideoftheforce.com/2016/01/building-star-wars-shadowtrooper-helmet.html

 

[mortifactor]

I'm quite excited to see the anovos tie helmet, to see if the hero faceplate is present and a copy of the real deal. The hero face plates were as neat as these anovos corrected stunts, so correctionism won't be an issue. I'd like a hero stormie too, from access of the original.

 

[JD]

Ok, you clearly don't understand what's going on here...

No. I'm very clear on what's going on here.

I don't care if Disney is using Anovos for their costume needs - what matters is they are selling a product (ST armor), advertising a deal and changing it. You can attempt to justify that all you'd like (are you on their payroll?). You can say they've done this, that or another thing (again - not that it matters - without proof) - it doesn't fix the issue.

 

[Lichtbringer]

You can make excuses for them all you'd like. It doesn't change the idea that we've paid money and haven't received much other than promises (that have changed more than once).

I´m pretty sure to remember that when i ordered (tier 1, so ... long ago, too), they stated something the way "we hope for xxxxx delivery, but we don´t give a guarantee it will be availabe for Holiday/Halloween or TFA".

I ordered cause i didn´t care as i never planned to run around in plastic at any of those dates.

 

[VinMan]

It's a hell of a lot easier to create 50 costumes for a specific event when there is no budget restraints.

Its a totally different animal to produce 7,000-10,000 for $350-$500 max budget.

From the very beginning Anovos stated delivery would be Winter 2015. Winter 2015 ends on March 19, 2016.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that these shipping dates are expectations and not firm.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that materials and processes are subject to change as research and development continues.
From the very beginning Anovos has offered a full refund anytime up until delivery if you are not pleased.

The communication for any complaint on their facebook page is almost always immediate. Where else will you find that in a little mom and pop operation.
You won't. It doesn't exist...anywhere.

Maybe you should have read all the details before you purchased and you wouldn't end up crying like a baby in your Cheerios.
Rational people have realistic expectations and have patience because they understand the great value of this type of tier structure organization

Others write posts that resemble yours.

If you don't like it you should have spent $1,000 - $1,500 including soft parts and likely you would have had the same wait time.

Move along...

No. I'm very clear on what's going on here.

I don't care if Disney is using Anovos for their costume needs - what matters is they are selling a product (ST armor), advertising a deal and changing it. You can attempt to justify that all you'd like (are you on their payroll?). You can say they've done this, that or another thing (again - not that it matters - without proof) - it doesn't fix the issue.

 

[Sv3onSA]

It's a hell of a lot easier to create 50 costumes for a specific event when there is no budget restraints.

Its a totally different animal to produce 7,000-10,000 for $350-$500 max budget.

From the very beginning Anovos stated delivery would be Winter 2015. Winter 2015 ends on March 19, 2016.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that these shipping dates are expectations and not firm.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that materials and processes are subject to change as research and development continues.
From the very beginning Anovos has offered a full refund anytime up until delivery if you are not pleased.

The communication for any complaint on their facebook page is almost always immediate. Where else will you find that in a little mom and pop operation.
You won't. It doesn't exist...anywhere.

Maybe you should have read all the details before you purchased and you wouldn't end up crying like a baby in your Cheerios.
Rational people have realistic expectations and have patience because they understand the great value of this type of tier structure organization

Others write posts that resemble yours.

If you don't like it you should have spent $1,000 - $1,500 including soft parts and likely you would have had the same wait time.

Move along...

Can I like this post more than once?

I get it... I want to have the kit in my hands too. I want to know more about it. I want to be involved. I'd like a few more newsletters here and there, sure... I've never spent that much for a costume too. Yadda, yadda, yadda... I get all of that.

But still, for the deal we got, I can live with delays. Hell, I'll probably walk around in my apartment with only the bucket on for months while I build the suit. That's ok, I know it won't build itself overnight, just like this run didn't get made overnight either...

 

[Cry-Lo Ren]

new update





Attention Troopers!

As a valued trooper who acquired the STAR WARS™ Classic Trilogy Stormtrooper Do-It-Yourself Kit with Completed Helmet, we wanted to update you on the shipment of the kits. (The Completed Stormtrooper Ensembles and helmets will be addressed in emails to be dispatched at a later date.)

Here is the TENTATIVE schedule for order dispatch, although we do note that additional updates will be dispatched should changes occur:

• 
  [*=left]Pre-Celebration Orders (April 12 to April 15, 2015): Shipments to begin betweenJanuary 20 and January 30.
  [*=left]Celebration Orders (April 16 to April 19, 2015): Shipments to begin betweenJanuary 30 and February 15.
  [*=left]Post-Celebration Orders to May 4, 2015: Shipments to begin between February 15 to March 1.
  [*=left]Tier 2 Orders, and Full MSRP Orders up to December 31 2015: Shipments slated during March 2016.

Note: To look-up your order date, please refer to your receipt as that will be the quickest way to know. It will be listed on there.

Additionally, due to the massive amount of shipments going out, we are not able to specify exact dates for either departure or arrival under any circumstance. You will need to refer to the shipment notification and tracking link for that, when that is emailed to you.

Now why the waves? That's because not all the trooper kits have made it to our fulfillment point yet, as they were shipped to us in waves due to their bulk and quantity. (The first box itself is 30in x 20in x 20in and weighs just over 20 lbs.)

Furthermore, we cannot and will not guarantee delivery for any future holidays or events due to numerous conditions in play during this time of year, including adverse weather conditions, shipping congestion, and other factors beyond our control.

Now, if you have any order that has multiple items of different products, please be advised that it is NOT possible to merge shipments together as this helmet will be fulfilled from a different fulfillment site than the other products in our catalog.

Also for those of you who have been asking about tracking and delivery confirmation: yes, the package will be signature required and come with emailed tracking notifications via our 3rd party fulfillment center.

How will the trooper kits ship? There's been some question about this, so to clarify, we will be shipping the TK kits into two (2) packages; the first large package contains all of the parts and pieces of the kit (including the fully-built helmet, neck seal, belt and holster) EXCEPT for the under suit (jacket and pant) and glove; the second package will contain the under suit (jacket and pant) and glove. (Additional Note: It is entirely possible that you will receive the second package prior to the first, and vice versa.)

Additionally, the instructions will be available as a digital download only (estimated releaseJanuary 25); we will not be offering printed versions, at all. This allows us the opportunity to re-issue instructions if needed, and as future add-ons to the kit become available.

Need to change your address or cancel your pre-order? This is your FINAL OPPORTUNITY!

That's right: if you have either an ADDRESS CHANGE or CANCELLATION that needs to be made, please reach out to us no later than 5 PM Central time on January 20, 2016 by following the instructions in the next section below! Any address changes submitted after that deadline will NOT be honored, and any re-shipment due to incorrect address will be the responsibility of the customer -- e.g. the customer will need to remit shipment costs for any re-shipment. NO EXCEPTIONS.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADDRESS CHANGE
As noted above, ANY and all address changes must be submitted by 5 PM Central Time on January 20, 2016! NO EXCEPTIONS!

You can verify the shipping address we have on record by going to [url]http://www.anovos.com/account/login[/URL] or, if you don't have an ANOVOS.com account, please refer to your email receipt. Anyone with an address change MUST email us at support@anovos.com with “TK KIT ADDRESS CHANGE” in the subject line---updating your info in your ANOVOS.com account alone does not complete the address change! Please provide:

1. Your order number(s).
2. Your original shipment address.
3. Your NEW shipment address.

Please allow 3 to 7 business days (excluding weekends or holidays) to process requested changes.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDER CANCELLATION

As noted above, ANY and all order cancellations must be submitted by 5 PM Central Time on January 20, 2016!
Any shipment of an order with a cancellation request submitted after the cut-off period will result in delays in refund and cancellation, and a full refund will NOT be honored. (In other words: the refund will be minus original shipment & handling, in addition to any return and restocking fees.) NO EXCEPTIONS!

Anyone with a cancellation request MUST email us at support@anovos.com with “TK KIT ORDER CANCELLATION” in the subject line.

For faster processing, please provide:

1. Your order number(s).
2. Your original shipment address.

Please allow 3 to 7 business days (excluding weekends or holidays) to process a cancellation and refund.

 

[newmagrathea]

Yep, I just got the same email. Funny thing is I ordered on April 25, which is between the dates on the 2nd and 3rd bullet points. Not worried though, just glad to see things shipping soon.

 

[Gnar Gnar Jinn]

It's a hell of a lot easier to create 50 costumes for a specific event when there is no budget restraints.

Its a totally different animal to produce 7,000-10,000 for $350-$500 max budget.

From the very beginning Anovos stated delivery would be Winter 2015. Winter 2015 ends on March 19, 2016.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that these shipping dates are expectations and not firm.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that materials and processes are subject to change as research and development continues.
From the very beginning Anovos has offered a full refund anytime up until delivery if you are not pleased.

The communication for any complaint on their facebook page is almost always immediate. Where else will you find that in a little mom and pop operation.
You won't. It doesn't exist...anywhere.

Maybe you should have read all the details before you purchased and you wouldn't end up crying like a baby in your Cheerios.
Rational people have realistic expectations and have patience because they understand the great value of this type of tier structure organization

Others write posts that resemble yours.

If you don't like it you should have spent $1,000 - $1,500 including soft parts and likely you would have had the same wait time.

Move along...

^This guy gets it.

Everything people are complaining about was mentioned upfront. Just because people don't read doesn't make it Anovos' fault. I'm very excited for this kit, and am fine with the wait.

Please keep this business model Anovos! Most of us really appreciate the work that goes into these products, and especially the early discounts you give us! Don't give into the haters!

Honestly, what they're doing is awesome!

I decided not to jump on board the Han belts as there are already competitors at that price range, and I wanted to see the final product before making my purchase from Anovos... So what did I do? I'm waiting for them to launch the product before I make the purchase. I'm not buying it ahead of time and complaining. With the TK no one comes close to this price point, so it was a no brainer to jump on.

 

[JD]

It's a hell of a lot easier to create 50 costumes for a specific event when there is no budget restraints.

Its a totally different animal to produce 7,000-10,000 for $350-$500 max budget.

From the very beginning Anovos stated delivery would be Winter 2015. Winter 2015 ends on March 19, 2016.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that these shipping dates are expectations and not firm.
From the very beginning Anovos stated that materials and processes are subject to change as research and development continues.
From the very beginning Anovos has offered a full refund anytime up until delivery if you are not pleased.

The communication for any complaint on their facebook page is almost always immediate. Where else will you find that in a little mom and pop operation.
You won't. It doesn't exist...anywhere.

Maybe you should have read all the details before you purchased and you wouldn't end up crying like a baby in your Cheerios.
Rational people have realistic expectations and have patience because they understand the great value of this type of tier structure organization

Others write posts that resemble yours.

If you don't like it you should have spent $1,000 - $1,500 including soft parts and likely you would have had the same wait time.

Move along...

This kind of thinking and rhetoric is great - if you want to end up homeless. :facepalm

I'm sure other "mom and pop operations" hav done great and kept their promises (it isn't just about missing their projected date) - remember Icons? Or a slew of other "bad vendors" that you can read about. I'm confident Anovos will deliver - just tired of broken promises.

Rational people expect what they've been sold. If you're happy with that, that's awesome - I have some ocean front property in Wisconsin I'd like to sell you - it's on the teir plan, so it's cheap.

its storm trooper armor - they're not reinventing the wheel.

Maybe Anovos will buy you a calendar, 2015 ended a couple weeks ago.

 

[Sv3onSA]

This kind of thinking and rhetoric is great - if you want to end up homeless. :facepalm

I'm sure other "mom and pop operations" hav done great and kept their promises (it isn't just about missing their projected date) - remember Icons? Or a slew of other "bad vendors" that you can read about. I'm confident Anovos will deliver - just tired of broken promises.

Rational people expect what they've been sold. If you're happy with that, that's awesome - I have some ocean front property in Wisconsin I'd like to sell you - it's on the teir plan, so it's cheap.

its storm trooper armor - they're not reinventing the wheel.

Maybe Anovos will buy you a calendar, 2015 ended a couple weeks ago.

You have the right to voice your opinion... I'm not saying you're wrong, I guess we just have different perspective. I'm happy I'll be getting it soon, I sure would've liked earlier but that's ok, it doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. I hope whenever you get your kit, you're happy with it and it was worth the trouble these delays caused you. Happy trooping

 

[Lichtbringer]

Maybe Anovos will buy you a calendar, 2015 ended a couple weeks ago.

Maybe you should educate yourself a little bit more about what "winter 2015" means, for probably 99% of the at least basic educated people it´s the winter that started around Dez 2015 and goes to March 2016. If you didn´t notice ....... it´s still winter out there, and it´s not the winter 2016. :rolleyes

 

[VinMan]

Obviously I'm off the mark...

.... That's why my phone keeps blowing up with post likes and people quoting my post saying how on the mark my thoughts are.

I guess that's why it's been copied and pasted onto the Anovos builders group on Facebook and had dozens of likes.

Hey I'm sure your phones blowing up with supporters too. Supporters who don't read before they buy.

Move along...

This kind of thinking and rhetoric is great - if you want to end up homeless. :facepalm

I'm sure other "mom and pop operations" hav done great and kept their promises (it isn't just about missing their projected date) - remember Icons? Or a slew of other "bad vendors" that you can read about. I'm confident Anovos will deliver - just tired of broken promises.

Rational people expect what they've been sold. If you're happy with that, that's awesome - I have some ocean front property in Wisconsin I'd like to sell you - it's on the teir plan, so it's cheap.

its storm trooper armor - they're not reinventing the wheel.

Maybe Anovos will buy you a calendar, 2015 ended a couple weeks ago.

 

[Snowtrooper]

Tested released a video putting together the Shadowtrooper helmet and it seems they also have a finished stormtrooper helmet. Thought you guys might enjoy the video.


http://www.lightersideoftheforce.com/2016/01/building-star-wars-shadowtrooper-helmet.html

Not that I'm an expert on assembling ST buckets, but it looks like the guys in the video cut out where the ears meet the curve of the helmet a little much since there is a very visible gap. When you guys are cutting out the ears, you might not want to cut it out that much and slowly grind it down to get it to match up better.

 

[KrangPrime]

latest news letter claims thing will be shipping between January 20th and February 15th