Peregrinus

Hmm... My chest is 45". How much do I have to worry?

How much wiggle room in that would you say there is? We're of a height, but I've got a couple more inches round the waist...

I mentioned a couple pages back that the shipping window for the pre-2019 TFA FOTK preorder got quietly shifted to Q4 on their web site. There was apparently a small statement to that effect on their FB page, but I'm hardly ever on FB and didn't see it. So they haven't gone over without comment -- they're actually well within their current window, with a month and a half to go. Given a nonzero number of people have gotten at least partial kits (with the lion's share apparently going to Disney for "Rise of the Resistance" extras), it's no longer complete vaporware. I have faith I'll get something eventually.

Four grand for a TFA cod and untrimmed elbows... *seriously considers* (Not really -- but it does make me a bit lustful...)

@Krisko720, ANOVOS' old business model served them well at the time. They did Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica stuff for a fairly small clientele, those being much more niche properties. They would announce a product to gauge interest before a single erg was exerted on R&D. They would offer deep discounts on the eventual retail price to an early batch, less to a couple successive tiers, and then use that to fund production. Everyone knew they were in for a wait, and the company was fairly transparent about progress and setbacks. Then they got the Star Wars license and everything went to hell. A lot was involved in what happened after, only some of which we know. Disney and LFL don't like their license-holders being as open about internal practices -- especially involving them -- as ANOVOS had tended to be. Some is known, though... A lot of early prototyping was done with known unlicensed vendors. Then, at some point, they cut ties, took most of the prototypes, and transferred all remaining prototyping and R&D to China. They apparently did not do due-diligence in their hurry to stay on schedule and cut costs. Some combination of shady factories, language barriers, and economies of scale started screwing things up horribly. Their orders were small enough, they kept getting bumped down the schedule for bigger customers. Lackadaisical quality standards saw whole shipments reach the States with cheaper materials than contracted for (the factory pocketing the difference). At least one factory was one that has a record of holding clients' orders hostage. Every time they've had to send something back for re-working or trying to get back on the schedule to re-do a substandard order, that's time and money they couldn't afford. And the same bad business decisions that led them to that point seem to have kept compounding things, to the point a class-action suit was filed and Disney appears to have likely stepped in to whip them into shape. ANOVOS have brought a large part of the manufacturing back States-side and product is starting to ship. For those of us waiting for our FOTKs, the bulk of early production seems to be going to Disney. I've seen about half a dozen people receive theirs on here and Facebook, but I don't know how many people ordered who aren't involved with Star Wars costuming groups, so I don't know what percentage of kits shipped to customers that might be. My takeaway is that it's in Disney's and LFL's interest to prop up ANOVOS and get them back on the rails. If they go under or lose the license, as with Icons, Master Replicas, PropShop, and Museum Replicas, anyone who comes along after them (if anyone even dares pick up such an apparently cursed license) would have to start from scratch. I have hung in because I want to see ANOVOS get their crap straightened out and succeed.

Idly wandering through the ANOVOS site and noticed the pre-2019 pre-order TFA FOTK standard kits (like what i ordered) are now listed as Q4 2019 shipping -- 1st October through 31st December. I do not recall getting an update to this effect...

Given the rest of it is also 2019, I'm 173% sure the one outlier is a typo.

I'd say that confirms the people who ordered the TFA helmet are getting the TLJ.

Nope. I'm still hanging in, too.

I can't attest to the armor, but the helmets are verified as a sort of hybrid between Standard and Premiere.

From a couple pics I've seen of the helmet interior, it looks to be a weird -- possibly unique -- hybrid of the Premiere and Standard. Fiberglass construction, but with a Standard style interior.

Thanks for the pictures. The tight focus helps. It looks like they're replicating the Finn Trim™, but in that test-cobble haven't trimmed/rounded the corners on the backpiece. I really want my kit in-hand so I know what exactly I'm dealing with. I have several notions of how to attack this -- as with the shoulder seams -- that I can't start to narrow down until I have the final physical artifact to study and fiddle with. The cod I'm probably just going to try to source from KB. Maybe the amount he quoted me for the Phasma boot armor I ordered and he never made would be enough for that piece and he can get started right away since I already paid him almost two years ago... And that SDCC floor map -- never mind ANOVOS, will folks please let us know if there's anything neat at the Rubies booth next door?

Recommend he start making "upgrade kits" of the parts needed for each. Cod and forearm rear pieces for TFA, for instance. I want to actually have stuff in hand before i hatch a plan of action, since that demo dress-up wasnt fully assembled but just stuck together for a quick-and-dirty picture.

Which, considering when the novel takes place, is of indeterminable likelihood. Unless we get something visual in Resistance or maybe delving into Finn's backstory in his early training, he's out of the First Order picture by the time the Sequel Trilogy (and a lot of its ancillary fiction) takes place. Because there's an unpleasantly strong chance this will never be an approvable costume, I'm going with Del's take -- from the boot armor to the Phasma cape (i.e., off the left shoulder and trimmed in red, same as hers). I'll have the "mirror image" cape the cover artist went with, too, even though it makes no sense except as a counterpoint to Phasma's orientation and color scheme. If they're both Captains and that's an indicator of rank, they should be the same. If First Order Stormtrooper Captains wear black capes trimmed in red and Phasma just made hers out of a body bag because she's a terrifying psychopath, then I'll probably also tackle a more "conventional" cape, as well, to have all options covered. But I don't like that the only official sources clash in this respect (the cover art shows his cape in reversed orientation to hers, and with the colors inverted -- red stripe and silver armor for her, red armor and gray stripe for him; while the poster maintains the reversed orientation... but leaves the stripe off altogether), and both break uniformity -- which is kind of important in a, you know, uniform. I can only handwave so much due to Phasma giving a middle finger to the rules and doing her own thing.

No comment on that they're called Sith Troopers?

My previous post was to say that ANOVOS may or may not be using the factory that Imgill knows, and that others arent as good at doing stuff the way their clients want first try. Tried to edit to append that, but couldn't get a cursor past the quote block. Any rate, for further edification Imgill later followed up with this:

Oh, also, regarding Germain's posting of Global Effects' statement, I offer this vastly differing experience MovieFreak over on the RPF has had with his company's dealings with Chinese factories:

The most pertinent things I've seen lately surrounding the data black hole that's been bugging us for so long are: - Disney's re-upped ANOVOS' license for another three years. - Multiple people had previously contacted and gotten responses from LFL and Disney licensing folks, so all parties are aware of problems with ANOVOS. - The latest on the class-action is the judge had ordered it to ADR -- Alternative Dispute Resolution. This means mediation between parties, and, I feel, is the best chance we all have of seeing ANOVOS not go under and take our money with them, and start getting back on their game. Anything beyond that would be speculation on how exactly that would happen. The plaintiffs don't want customers' funds to vanish into a bankruptcy. Disney doesn't want the bad press. LFL wants to keep getting licensing fees, which they won't if ANOVOS fails, as -- after Icons, Master Replicas, Museum Replicas, and The PropStore, as well, before them -- I can't see anyone else being in a hurry to pick up that high-end costume/prop license. Thing's cursed. My hunch is that the Mouse might float funds to get things caught up, while also sending people in to whip ANOVOS into shape on the business side of things. I can't see them being cool with being on the hook for refunding everyone if ANOVOS goes under or loses their license or otherwise won't be able to deliver all the ordered product, which is what the plaintiffs are asking -- that the customers be made whole, either in the form of the quality products they ordered in good faith, or in the form of full refunds if such won't be forthcoming. From a cost-benefit standpoint, it is more in their interest to prop ANOVOS up and turn things around. They stand a better chance of getting a return on that investment, particularly if restructuring is a condition of such. Speculation, as I said, but not uninformed.

I'd managed to miss this before. I was just poking my head into this subforum to see if there was any discussion of the recent Legion vote. This is much more pleasant. I have a lot, that range from "wearable, but still being upgraded to my personal standards" to "under construction" to "research/sourcing/accumulation phase" to "will probably do someday after all the rest of that crap is taken care of". That last category is mostly my Trek costuming, which further consists mostly of replacing everything I made back in and just after high school, that I outgrew before I hit 30 (damn shoulders), and that it's taken me a while to find it in me to re-do. I won't go into those -- or, really, any of the "maybe someday" ones here... Star Wars, chronologically: • Custom Golden-Age Sith • Custom Mandalorian Crusader • Custom ROTJ-inspired Jedi (drawing from Lucas' comments during Mark's costume fitting session) • Republic Judiciary uniform (the Radiant VII crew in TPM) • Alpha ARC Commander Trantos, Phase I • Clone Trooper, Phase I (specifically, from when Trantos went undercover as a plain trooper) • Custom Clone Wars Jedi General (same Jedi persona, but in armor for the conflict) • Trantos' Phase II getup • Fenn Shysa's Mandalorian Protector uniform (ESB-accurized version of the Clone Wars flashback in the comics) • Imperial Commando (what the RCs and ARCs were combined into after the end of the wars) • Early Imperial Starfleet pilot flight gear (Han's outfit from the deleted Academy sequence) • And the casual uniform and jacket (a mishmash of Han's ANH pants, suede jacket from Solo, and a black shirt) • ROTS/TFU version of the Emperor's Guard • "v0.5" of my custom Mandalorian Protector, testing materials and patterns, and just having fun • TFU Senate Guard (the original gray version, that were guarding the ruin of the Jedi Temple, not the blue version of the Royal and Shadow Guard) • Senate Guard garrison uniform (aka "Rebel Fleet Trooper", a term I have fought for decades) • Non-approvable protest U-Wing pilot uniform (treated cotton flightsuit instead of nylon, jacket made to match ESB Snowspeeder jacket, not R1 version, etc.) • Imperial Mandalorian Supercommando (going with the white "Supertrooper" version of Boba, here) • Idealized ANH Stormtrooper combat armor • ANH Stormtrooper non-com garrison uniform (two-piece uniform, no rank, kabuto helmet, DH-17) • ANH Stormtrooper officer Class A uniform (Praji, Jir, et al) - Solo greatcoat - R1 rain poncho - Conjectural Stormtrooper officer battle dress (abbreviated version of R1 Tank Driver over two-piece uniform, a la Veers) • ANH Darth Vader • Storm Commando (further evolution of Imperial Commando, post-Battle-of-Yavin -- not a Shadow Scout, as the Legion defined it back in '02) • Nova Trooper • Hoth Rebel uniform (functionally insulated for Winter wear) • "Summer" version of above, derived from comics and R1 • ROTJ Royal Guard • Conjectural Royal Guard flight gear • Royal Guard combat armor (red Stormtrooper armor with an SE-44C -- not a Magma Trooper as the Legion defined it back in '02) • Fenn Shysa's "Mandalore" getup (post-ROTJ) • "v1.0" of my custom Mandalorian, also post-ROTJ Supercommando • Captain Cardinal • Second Galactic Empire Stormtrooper (aka Legacy) Anime: • Macross Defense Force uniform • Macross flight gear • Yamato pilot uniform Video games: • Spartan Gungnir armor and laser rifle (Halo 3/Reach era) • Illusive Man (Mass Effect) • NCR Veteran Ranger (Fallout) Comics/movies-of: • MCU style Cyclops (conjectural, not Fox's X-Men franchise) • MCU style Guardian • Iron Man Mk XIX • MoS style Kryptonian Other: • Late-16th-century period garb, minor Scottish nobleman • Armor for above • COBRA Crimson Guard (original action figure style) • Dieselpunk "plague doctor" • Steampunk/Weird West roving adventurer Most of these will be packed away, but I hope to at least display those thirty-odd helmets in a "hall of heads" set-up, as well as a similar weapons wall.

I still haven't been able ot find an answer since first posing this question. I'd love five minutes with Michael Kaplan.

Since I'm one who ordered "with helmet", wanted the TFA version, will likely be getting the TLJ version if hints are accurate, and the TFA buckets are already hella expensive on the secondary market... if you wanted to swap whenever the heck my probably-TLJ helmet arrives, lemme know. I know their advertising photos of the TLJ helmet show something less than 100% accurate to the film prop. Maybe the finished product will nail it better, we'll see. But the offer's there.

Has anyone heard yet whether those of use who ordered our kits "plus helmet" will be getting the TFA (what I ordered) or TLJ (to match the armor as it actually is) version? If the latter, I want to contact ANOVOS and see if they can revise my order to armor-only, refund me the difference, and I'll put that toward one of their TFA helmets from the secondary market. Which would irk me, as I could've had helmet in hand long since if I'd've had to go that route. For the TLJ-specific armor pieces, I'm strongly considering whether I want to ask folks with the Alpha or Beta kits who want to upgrade to TLJ if they want to swap cods and forearms (and maybe helmets, if necessary)... Or try to source TFA-accurate armor pieces from one of the vendors, and just deal with the lack of lineage... Or 3D print and scratch-build my own using the TLJ pieces as a starting point. *sigh*

When I ordered it, I ordered "Star Wars, The Force Awakens First Order Stormtrooper armor" and selected the "with standard helmet" option. I have let them know through e-mail and chat, since seeing the test pulls, that what they advertised was TFA armor, not TLJ armor. I ordered TFA, I want TFA. Bad enough I now have to figure out what to do for the cod and forearms, but if they alter the helmet to the TLJ version without communication or approval from me, I'm going to raise a little hell.

Right. Kinda what I was getting at -- the sooner there's something up showing how to address that area, the sooner it can be pointed to to help out people who don't realize. Trust me, I have gone through your build thread a good half-dozen times to to get some things burned into memory -- and I know I will again once I have actual armor pieces to mess around with. I meant specifically I'll be looking for people's approaches to turning the TLJ cod into the TFA cod. I'd rather, if it's at all possible. I'd rather not have to source a TFA cod separately. I'm also going to be looking at how resilient the resin for the ab/belt boxes is and how tricky it'll look to be to hollow them out further. If I have to source plastic ab/belt boxes, I may do the cod, too, if modding the included one would be too difficult or too likely to crack. The fan builders are good, but I like the lineage of the ANOVOS kit. I'll cede the latter if I have to, but grudgingly.

Yeah... I've been on the fringes of the 501st for almost two decades, and I wish I could say it no longer needed repeating: There's no such thing as an approvable-out-of-the-box costume. A piece, maybe. But never the whole thing.