Re: OOOOO Anovos announces another Pre-Order ---- The First Order Stormtrooper Helmet
There's also the matter of skewed expectations. We've gotten spoiled by cheap materials from China and their overworked, underpaid workforce. One of the things ANOVOS have to find is the balance between quality, cost, and MSRP. For instance, because of American cost of living and the typical costs for skilled labor, if one wanted a tailored Imperial Officer uniform, made from accurate materials, and designed for actual wear and not with the shortcuts of a movie costume, you're looking at over a thousand dollars for a bespoke suit. If we weren't at the wrong end of half a century of stagnant wages and ever-rising inflation, that wouldn't be so bad. But between the fact that most of the buying audience doesn't have the funds, and public expectations have been affected by cheap import goods, it can be tricky to find ways to cut overhead to keep the price down without sacrificing quality.
One way to do that is to take the actual manufacturing process to those overworked, underpaid factories overseas, but that adds in whole new layers of delay -- language barriers and misunderstandings or misinterpretations, cheaper materials not living up to hopes, much back and forth travel and communication, and ultimately the licensor's approval at every step of the process.
ANOVOS have said they're trying to find the best route through that minefield. They want to make quality costumes tha tstand up to years of actual use and being worn, but are also trying to keep costs down so they don't have to charge several grand each. So yeah, they're still experimenting with the best materials for the TFA Stormtrooper helmets to find the best fit to tick the customer satisfaction, ease of manufacture, and and lowest possible cost boxes. They're not changing their minds on a whim.
--Jonah
. I, for one, am looking forward to this release; I only hope I can afford it when it drops.
