ANOVOS TIE Fighter Pilot - Completed Ensemble... ugh.

[Fowltown]

One of my all-time favorites from the OT is the TIE Fighter pilot and was so excited when Anovos offered the full ensemble as one of their early Star Wars items. I ordered in the first tier back in NOVEMBER 2014 and have been patiently waiting ever since.

It finally arrived on my doorstep TODAY. Two boxes, the helmet and the chest box/accessories.

First, I unbox the HELMET. Gorgeous. So excited to finally have this in my collection. But what Imperial pilot is complete without his CHEST BOX?

I open the second box (which includes a letter apologizing for the delay, indicates the gloves will be coming in a separate shipment and offers a 10% discount code for my trouble.) I remove the chest box, which looks fantastic and suddenly something hits me like a fist.

The hoses don't fit the helmet. Like NOT EVEN CLOSE. As I'm sure many of you can relate, It's SO incredibly frustrating to put up this kind of money for a product, to wait SO long and be asked to have so much PATIENCE as a consumer --enduring constant shipping delays--- only to have the magic day arrive and for a mistake like this to just suck the fun out of the entire process.

The picture below doesn't do it justice. And these are HARD rubber hoses, no amount of squishing/forcing is going to make this happen. And you know what? I shouldn't HAVE to force anything. It should work right out of the box.

Anyone from Anovos have thoughts on this?

 

[ggriffaw]

Are you sure they are supposed to fit through the hole? I think some TIE pilots use a magnet system to attach the hoses. There may be other methods as well, but I doubt the hoses are meant to fully go through. If they went through the holes the hoses could poke the wearer in the face.

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[Fowltown]

Definitely makes sense but nothing else in the box, unfortunately. And no diagram or instruction manual.

 

[Zenwalker]

I am supposed to be getting one of these soon as well. If you have time please post more pics.

As far as the holes, I guess just cut them a bit bigger. I know it's a pain the **s but it seems like the only solution other than shipping it back for another one which will probably be even more of a headache. And I agree for the price you pay and the time you wait for these things they should be perfect. I have the SDS Tie PIlot helmet and chestbox/ hoses as well and the holes on that helmet are bigger.

You say the hoses are rubber, not plastic? If you carefully cut the holes a little bigger you might be able to 'screw' the hoses in.

 

[BudaFett]

Cutting the hole larger having a different way to connect the hose would be your best bet.

 

[Darth Fetty]

Besides the tubes, how is the rest of the ensemble? Any other issues? I have one coming as well, but won't be able to see it till summer when I'm back in the US.

Any chance you could take some more pics?

 

[Thestig604]

Could you slit the tube down the middle a little so that you could squeeze the tube together to slip it into the hole? Would you only need to get a few ridges though the hole to hold it in place?

 

[jkno]

Try cutting on one side of the hose like this:

 

[kirova]

maybe try softening the hose with a hair dryer, then slowly "screw" it into the hole?

that's what I did when I had to replace the hose on my vacuum cleaner

 

[ggriffaw]

If you put a black gasket around the end of the hose it may be tight enough to hold in the larger outer hole. It looks like the diameter of the hose is pretty close to that size.

If you want to wear the helmet, I believe you will need a good way to attach and detach the hoses without damaging the helmet.

There is a 501st forum for TIE pilots. You could get recommendations there.

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[Fowltown]

Thanks for all the advice/recommendations everyone. It's just so incredibly frustrating for Anovos to have marketed this as a "completed ensemble" and then to receive something so half-baked and needing additional work. (even though the finish quality of the armor is quite nice) For $1000+ I shouldn't have to be doing any trimming or adjusting, they should have delivered a professional-quality solution for these hoses. (like a magnet system) Instead, it's like they just tossed some tubing in the box and said, "Here, deal with it."

Since the original pre-order, they already stripped out the environmental/AC solution that was supposed to be included with the helmet, I just wish Anovos took a little more PRIDE in their product, especially since it took them so long to deliver it...

I'll try and post more pictures soon.

 

[Jagjaguwar]

+1 for "screwing" the hoses in. I had this exact issue with my RS complete TIE commission. I think on accurate TIE helmets the holes are supposed to be squashed like that. Can't tell if the Anovos hoses have a spiral type of ribbing on them like the ones RS sent, but trying to squeeze the hose to the shape of the hole and push straight in wasn't gonna work. Spinning the hose while gently pressing in worked for me, and once it's "threaded," you can spin it either way to adjust pretty easily. I attached the hoses to the helmet first, then did the same "threading" of the hose ribbing for the chest box. Slitting one side of the hose would also work but may not be necessary.

Also, depending on how stiff the hoses are, it might be a good idea to loosen them up a bit *before* attaching them to anything. I did this by holding one hose at each end, and twisting in opposite directions. The hose will coil up a bit as you're essentially following the spiral of the ribbing, if that makes sense. Loosened up the hoses and created more of the curve/coil look that looks right. Just don't be too rough with it, and there's probably only one direction that will work (going with the spiral and not against it.)

 

[Thestig604]

Any photos of the full ensemble? Did you manage to make the hose fit?

 

[Davy Jones]

I'd love to see pictures of the chestbox and jumpsuit when you get a chance.

 

[Apollo]

:eek Wow! :eek

That is just totally unacceptable..... :unsure

 

[ggriffaw]

:eek Wow! :eek

That is just totally unacceptable..... :unsure

I can agree that the lack of directions are unacceptable, but it sounds like the hole is supposed to be smaller than the hose so the hose doesn't come loose.

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[Fowltown]

I contacted Anovos customer service and they're passing my issue up the chain. I've seen a few posts on Instagram from other customers and they've made the tubes work. I actually contacted one of the posters and he said there was cutting/cramming involved, and I guess that's my point... I didn't pay for a KIT, I paid for a complete ensemble that's ready to go, out-of-the-box.

Definitely appreciate all the ideas/support you've offered, I'm just hesitant to do anything until I've gotten an "official" response from Anovos, and I'm sure they're busy with Star Wars Celebration. Will try and take a few more pics this weekend, though.

 

[Apollo]

Regardless if the hole is supposed to be smaller or not, clearly there is a major problem in its connection to the bucket.

Extremely poor planning on Anovos part

I can agree that the lack of directions are unacceptable, but it sounds like the hole is supposed to be smaller than the hose so the hose doesn't come loose.

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[ggriffaw]

Totally agree there should either a very obvious way the hoses attach or directions. The customer shouldn't need to make modifications or figure it out on their own.

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[Koushiro Izumi]

Hi, I'm new to posting in these forums and I want to say that I, myself, ordered a TIE Pilot Ensemble from Anovos and was wondering what kind of quality should I be expecting due to the fact that I paid more than a grand back in May of 2015?


There is some bump or dent on the back armor piece.





The back-bottom part of the helmet is like that.







And there are some light scratches on the jumpsuit.

I, also, did not receive any instructions and had a hard time assembling my own costume and wasn't exactly sure how to attach the armor chest and back pieces. I know you can unscrew some of the parts of the straps but the screws don't seems to fit through the top holes of the armor pieces.

Thanks for reading.