[thegreatgalling]

ANOVOS SPENGLER LEGACY REVIEW

For my two dream replicas, I decided to pick up two Spengler Legacy packs. (These were purchased through distributors who had them in hand, not Anovos directly).

One of my packs will remain a super hero but will be upgraded to resemble the original as much as I can. The other, for another day, will be converted to a GB 1 Venkman.

Now that I have had a chance to digest the ANOVOS Spengler Legacy pack I can dive into some of the finer details.

Overall, this pack is a gem and the lineage adds a surreal dimension. Based on photo comparisons, almost every part comes from the original counterpart save the fittings, ion tube, and metal components.

So the basis of the pack is truly awesome.

Having seen two packs, I can also say that there is a definite human component as can be expected. No two Anovos packs are the same and that’s a good and bad thing.

The pack photographed here is number 29 - and that apparently makes a difference. My second pack is number 77 and of far softer on certain details. I am uncertain if that is because pulls lost detail as they went along or if each artist completing the packs chose varying degrees of cleanup.

PROS

As far as *accuracy* the shapes, blobs, and scratches are going to be there. Some holes were filled for casting and they left them filled.

As far as accuracy of assembly and “look” it’s fairly average for a detail oriented fan but still very impressive as a mass produced item.

The weathering is nice, perhaps a bit overdone in certain spots. It’s a mix between beige and rusty washes.

The pros are definitely the linneage. It’s hard not to be gitty seeing little constellations of imperfections you can match on the original super hero.

CONS

The red in the labels to me are too metallic and not as accurate as Mack's Factory’s offerings.

My biggest con is the way the booster tube is attached to the ion arm. It’s sort of a fake weld/semihero clay mess that is really annoying to see. I am not sure what they were thinking.

As far as the bad, for its price, I think they cheaped out in a few areas that could have brought this to the next level.

On this pack, the bumper is about .25” crooked which is visually annoying.

The yellow wire is thin and lifeless. A true replica NYCOIL wire would have been appreciated.

The next biggest complaint is the electronics. They are really basic. For the price, I would have expected sound.

Also, because the pack look depends so much on who is painting it, quality is really a crap shoot.

Overall I’m very pleased.

Here’s what I think I will upgrade on my pack.

1) real resistors (they are painted casts and are pretty bad).

2) the dale resistor was upside down.

3) I will replace all stickers

4) I will be upgrading to Spongeface’s electronics

5) I will straighten the bumper

Thoughts?

[thegreatgalling]

Because I can’t help but take EVERYTHING apart. Here’s the guts.

They elected to reject accurate brackets to this wood connection system:

[thegreatgalling]

Here’s some photos of the dreaded weld abomination.

[Kingpin]

I'm really, really surprised by the "wooden block" revelation.

I would not be happy to discover that's how the motherboard was attached to the shell if I'd spent as much on one of those replicas that they were charging... I can only speculate how you felt when you discovered this.

[delta88]

Congrats on your packs. Really a mix bag. Its tough to see these things in the wild through distributors, knowing that ANOVOS has actively avoided communicating with those who ordered through them and when our orders will ship.

[thegreatgalling]

Congrats on your packs. Really a mix bag. Its tough to see these things in the wild through distributors, knowing that ANOVOS has actively avoided communicating with those who ordered through them and when our orders will ship.

It’s very frustrating and I really hope these start shipping soon for everyone who ordered one. The wait and lack of communication is unacceptable.

[Ykymf]

4) I will be upgrading to Spongeface’s electronics

I expect mine on Tuesday... also from a distributor.

As I had deduced that there would be no sound, I hemmed and hawed over whether to prioritize lineage or robust features.

Lineage won out and it's lower price didn't hurt.

Since you've cracked it open, do you have any expectations on how intensive upgrading the sound will be and having everything function via the wand?

It just won't feel right flicking that switch and not hearing a sound. I could even do without all other sounds if it made on and off sounds.

Do the lights on the wand work? Is there one in the vent and is the Anovos one open air? Looks like it might have a covering on it like the Afterlife wand available on the market.

Thanks for sharing and the answers. I'll be sure to chime in once mine's in hand!

[JWils23]

Have to echo the sentiment on the wood blocks for mounting points. Are they just glued/epoxied to the shell? I’m assuming Anovos thought the bulk of these would be in display cases and not really be worn so maybe that’s why they opted for that type mounting setup? You’d think though that for accuracy of this pack they’d have it mounted like the originals. Does the Spengler come with an aluminum mobo or is that plexiglass/plastic like their other pack?

[ccv66]

I'm glad they're finally shipping. I don't care for the wood mounts out of principal, but honestly they'd probably take alot of abuse before they broke. I'm sure it's going to be stunning after you're done with it.

[thegreatgalling]

4) I will be upgrading to Spongeface’s electronics

I expect mine on Tuesday... also from a distributor.

As I had deduced that there would be no sound, I hemmed and hawed over whether to prioritize lineage or robust features.

Lineage won out and it's lower price didn't hurt.

Since you've cracked it open, do you have any expectations on how intensive upgrading the sound will be and having everything function via the wand?

It just won't feel right flicking that switch and not hearing a sound. I could even do without all other sounds if it made on and off sounds.

Do the lights on the wand work? Is there one in the vent and is the Anovos one open air? Looks like it might have a covering on it like the Afterlife wand available on the market.

Thanks for sharing and the answers. I'll be sure to chime in once mine's in hand!

Having cracked it open I can tell you it appears the light kit inside is a heavy props kit.

Upgrading the pack itself will be fairly easy but I admit the wand seems harder. I’ll def keep you posted.

If you Pm me, I’ll share a facebook thread where I’m detailing my upgrade with more pics.

[thegreatgalling]

Have to echo the sentiment on the wood blocks for mounting points. Are they just glued/epoxied to the shell? I’m assuming Anovos thought the bulk of these would be in display cases and not really be worn so maybe that’s why they opted for that type mounting setup? You’d think though that for accuracy of this pack they’d have it mounted like the originals. Does the Spengler come with an aluminum mobo or is that plexiglass/plastic like their other pack?

The mobo is aluminum but it’s thin, maybe a fraction over 1/16th of an inch.

The shape at the top is also inaccurate.

[thegreatgalling]

For those interested, this is what that ugly (well REALLY ugly) weld looks like.

It’s epoxy covered foil...

[thegreatgalling]

The pack did not come with instructions, but I learned the batteries are housed inside the booster tube by removing the top bolt:

[thegreatgalling]

The pack lights are heavy props.

[Dr.D]

That would make me livid. Anovos is a disgrace.

[ccv66]

Could probably retro fit mack factory mobo.. I'm sure this was a nightmare project for anovos.. I think it would have been so much easier for them and probably just as profitable to sell us casting of parts. Rather than half ass a complete pack.

[Kingpin]

For those interested, this is what that ugly (well REALLY ugly) weld looks like.

It’s epoxy covered foil...

At bare minimum that should be a piece of molded resin.

[Lowberg]

I don't even have words for that aluminum foil in epoxy.

[l3w1sb159]

For the price, I'm a little shocked at the quality of those bodged parts...
They nailed the casting of the shell and parts but the construction looks a bit slap dash, considering the amount of time people have been waiting for these.

[Ykymf]

Got my pack and I feel insanely guilty as I ordered it from halloweencostumes.com just a week ago. Truly sorry for the people who have waited years. I cannot believe that they did that to people. Had I known about this pack before they discontinued it, I probably would have been one of you.

I'm swamped with work so I was only able to take a quick look inside the box.

The blue cable that comes out of the Ion Arm and into the resistor is not connected to the Ion Arm. Will be getting a closer look at that problem after my workday and hopefully it's an easy fix.

The weathering looked really good.

I was only able to remove the top layer of foam protector so who knows what may await.

Isn't the vent light on the wand supposed to be open air? This one has a translucent covering inside that dramatically reduces the light inside, similar to the Afterlife replica.

Did it have a covering in GBII, which I believe this Anovos pack was modeled after?

I love that open air bright white light. Bummer it's not there out of the box.

I'll be sure and share pictures when I can.

[ccv66]

The people who ordered early also paid alot less. It's just the shady way Anovos does business. If they were more transparent it wouldn't have been a big deal.. to be jerked around and spend a small fortune and have no idea what you get until you open the box..

Did they ever deliver any of their flight suits?

[Ykymf]

What was the initial price through Anovos?

I was able to use a 20% off coupon on the Halloween website and that brought the price after tax and shipping to $2,995.54

Now that they only have 1 left, they jacked the base price up by $500 ($3999.99 pre-tax, pre-shipping)

If anyone is thinking about grabbing the last one, I believe you get 20% off your purchase when you sign up your email.

As I researched this, I could not believe the long history people had with trying to get their packs after paying so much years ago.

[deadderek]

Absolutely under no circumstance place an order with Anovos.

[Kingpin]

Isn't the vent light on the wand supposed to be open air?

It is. They may have made the concession on health and safety grounds, as the brightness of the light could cause sight issues if looked at directly...

But it could as easily be that they didn't bother to modify the reflector lenses that they (*presumably) bought for the thrower.

*I'm making this assumption, I've yet to see the inside of one of Anovos' throwers.

[ccv66]

It's typically half price if you order early. But they also had those people's money for 3 years why they were crowdfunding.. The packs are definitely nice display pieces, but don't order another one.. you'll be able to get the same shell from Mack factory. If You don't mind assembling it, for probably a little less money you'll have a much better pack + aluminum wand

[Ykymf]

Okay. So, here's the closest thing I will ever make to an Unboxing video.

I think I got them all embedded here but this page definitely has them all: https://imgur.com/a/0C4xizw

It's in my nature to do a more detailed and well written/laid out review post but I have to get down to some work so let me drop the pics and some quick and dirty thoughts.

Before I begin, I am absolutely by no means an expert when it comes to pack parts. I know the general terms/vicinity. If I'm slightly off in my description, please just roll with it.

- You'll see I had one known, obvious error from the start: The blue cable from the ion arm was not connected to the resistor. It slipped right back in. You'll see how it arrived and fixed though I'll be checking other ref pics to make sure it's sitting right. .

- This thing is incredibly heavy. You better believe I tried it on. Having never worn a pack before, I don't know what most fans are wearing around parties and conventions but if it's this heavy then I salute you! Anovos claims they way 38lbs and that's roughly what the hero packs weighed on set. Murray, I now sympathize.

- On that note, it seems pretty clear to me that this is meant to be a display piece and display piece only. Any notion I had of wearing it quickly went out the window.

- I took a picture of the booster weld mentioned earlier in this thread.

- The barrel on the wand is not great. For starters, it's a manual pull-out. After that, it's quite easy to pull it past the point that it should go. It does seem to be connected inside by a wire but the barrel does not have lights so the wire may not be electrical and instead just meant to prevent it from falling out entirely.

- The barrel also spins so the red cable stretched out of one of the fixings as well but it just popped back in.

- I imagine that I'll do some superglue tricks on the two wires that have popped out on me so far.

- I knew that there was no sound going in. And that is representative of the on set prop so I get it. There is a lack of satisfaction however that there's no sound when you power on.

- Only one switch/button on the wand does anything: The main power switch. Turn it on and all the lights on pack/wand go on at once and run 1 sequence.

- It's strange to know that this prop that costs thousands does less than the Afterlife Spengler Wand.

- Until you all tell me about other errors, or I can really analyze the pack for a longer amount of time and with better lighting, the thing that bugs me the most is that the wand vent isn't open air. It's got a translucent covering inside the wand that prevents the light from really shining and almost from escaping at all. I really love the bright white light you see in the films emanating from it and it's just not there. I don't even know/think there's a bulb inside that would even do it if the covering was removed.

- I wanted to get these pics taken before bed last night so I moved really fast. It's not perfectly straightened on the stand though I'm fairly certain that like Thegreatgalling's pack, the bumper is slightly askew.

- Sorry the lighting in the room I was in wasn't all that great and the flash isn't very forgiving.

- The pics appear in the order I took them as I peeled away the 6 layers of padding.

- I actually ended up putting everything back in the box/padding right after. It's a workout. I know you'll be excited (cause I was too) but until you're ready to keep it out and on display, I would recommend leaving it in all or most of the padding.

- Oh! And I didn't not come across a certificate of authenticity. It's quite possible that it's below the very last level of padding that I did not remove from the box. So, maybe it's pinned between that padding and the bottom cardboard but I don't know. I hope it came with one.

[JWils23]

Thanks for posting up more pictures, it’s interesting to see these out in the wild now! But yikes, that aluminum foil is brutal on that “weld”. For you guys that purchased this, what is your satisfaction level? Was it worth the money/not worth the money? Obviously owning something cast directly off the super hero shell is hard to beat but I’m curious on the overall feeling now that it’s in hand. I was thinking about this when I was looking at the super hero shell that Mack’s factory is going to offer and how it will compare.

[Michael Scott]

Was the fuse label on top of the EDA upside down on the Super Hero? The one on the reference pics is blank. Also, what bothers me most about this offering from Anovos is the cyclotron and power cell lenses are too opaque.

[l3w1sb159]

It might just be the lighting but those straps on the alice frame look very shiny, almost polyester... and on that note is the frame a cheap rothco one?

[Ykymf]

Thanks for posting up more pictures, it’s interesting to see these out in the wild now! But yikes, that aluminum foil is brutal on that “weld”. For you guys that purchased this, what is your satisfaction level? Was it worth the money/not worth the money? Obviously owning something cast directly off the super hero shell is hard to beat but I’m curious on the overall feeling now that it’s in hand. I was thinking about this when I was looking at the super hero shell that Mack’s factory is going to offer and how it will compare.

To quote Venkman, "We'll get back to ya!"

As mentioned, I boxed mine back up and don't even have it in the room that I will be displaying it, let alone the exact spot.

I blew through everything so fast last night just trying to sneak a peek and take pics before bed that I didn't truly have the time to soak it all in.

For me, the dream replica I was looking at (GB I style, w/ smoke effect, w/ sound and lights, with a pop barrel and I assume lighter than the cast of the hero is) was nearing/over $4,000.

I got this one for 20% off-- just under $3,000 after tax and shipping. I put it on a brand new cashback credit card w/ 18 months to pay it off no interest. I thought I was going to get $250 back as a bonus for spending so much so quickly but saw something today that leads me to believe it might be $750. That'd be sweet.

I guess I would've gotten that bonus/zero interest with my "dream replica" too but with the discounted price and lineage to a screen used pack, I feel like this was the better choice for me. I don't cosplay (but probably would be interested with a lighter/features packed replica, especially on opening night @ Afterlife) so all the bells and whistles might have ended up being more of a demo novelty than something I'd use out in the wild.

Also a key point is that I only ordered this last week and have only begun to pay it off. The expectations of someone who paid it off years ago and has been dying for this moment will probably be much greater and rightfully so.

Anyway... I said a lot but still need to get back to ya when I have spent more time with it and hear from people on here what's wrong with it. Haha. I'm maybe one step above novice compared to most so I'm sure I'll hear all about how messed up it is.

1 last thing... Do you or anyone on here have a picture of what the "weld" spot should look like? I spent some time trying to see the original/replicas in that spot but it's not an easy find. It's often blocked in many pics.