Anovos Spengler Legacy REVIEW THREAD

Equipment Proton Packs
1

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 ■■■■ 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?

image
image640×522 129 KB

image
image517×640 90.7 KB

image
image517×640 92.3 KB

image
image517×640 86.6 KB

image
image517×640 79.9 KB

image
image517×640 79 KB

image
image517×640 103 KB

image
image517×640 84.1 KB

2

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

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

image
image480×640 91.5 KB

3

Here’s some photos of the dreaded weld abomination.

image
image480×640 80.7 KB

image
image480×640 75.2 KB

4

I’m really, really surprised by the “wooden block” revelation. :o

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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. :slight_smile:

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!

8

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?

9

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.

10

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.

11

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.

12

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

It’s epoxy covered foil…

image
image480×640 90.8 KB

13

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

image
image480×640 73.3 KB

14

The pack lights are heavy props.

image
image480×640 113 KB

15

That would make me livid. Anovos is a disgrace.

16

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.

17

:o

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

18

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

19

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.

20

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.