I felt the need to put some of my thoughts into words following some of the negative blowback on social media. This isn't an attempt to excuse some of the things with Anovos, such as the delays with ketting the kits out there, I am concerned there's more assumption than facts behind the negative remarks regarding the Legacy Kit.
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There's been a lot of talk about Anovos and their "Spengler Legacy" Proton Pack. A part of the talk that's spun out of it has been the unhappy response from some fans at learning a screen-used Proton Pack was dismantled and cast to make the Legacy kits.
As a post-face before I get any further into my feelings on this matter, Sean and Vinny, the two people most publically associated with this project are people I consider friends. I've interacted with them as community members, and in the case of Vinny we were both once on the same forum moderation staff. I like to think I have a good idea of their character, but for the purposes of full-disclosure, I wll also acknowlege that I will have a certain degree of bias in favour of them.
So with that being said, let's get stuck in.
The Pack has not been destroyed With both this announcement, and the original teaser announcement, there had been angry responses from fans, with choice remarks stating the screen-used Proton Pack had been "destroyed", "ripped-apart" or was "no longer the Spengler Pack".
The first two remarks are angered knee-jerks. Yes, the Pack in question was dismantled, it still exists (it was put back together after the parts were molded), it wasn't ripped-up like some house going through a remodel. Sean and Vinny have spent years building their own Proton Packs, so I am willing to believe they know how to take one apart and cause the least amount of loss to it.
It's also worth noting that a lot of the remarks are being made without a full understanding of the efforts that were undertaken to carefully dismantle the prop. Anovos/the guys who dismantled it have given their assurances that a museum-approach was taken, and while I can understand some of the angered fans being skeptical in the absense of photographic proof... That isn't permission to launch into hyperbolic claims of the prop being destroyed, or torn to pieces, when there's no proof of that.
I don't know how it was dismantled, so I'm not aware of what (if any) elements had to be cut or drilled in order to allow Anovos to reproduce them, but I feel some consideration needs to be applied to the various components of the prop. Were major elements lost, irreparably damaged or outright destroyed... I could then fully understand the anger, but let's take a moment to consider what may have been changed/removed/replaced? One post remarks that rivets and weld lines would have to have been removed, another remarked at the loss of some of the original paint on the prop.
Of the three, the one I would be most concerned about is the weld lines... But there isn't actually anything indicating any weld lines have been lost - so far that's only an assumption, without any proof to back it up.
As for small bits of paint and rivets, I don't consider these particularly significant. A rivet is a rivet, regardless of whether it's 10 or 30 years old. It also feels, disproportionate to get angry over some of the paint potentially being lost, considering how much paint has already been lost from the prop.
Context Something to consider about this prop is that it's 33 years old, and this isn't the first time it's been taken apart.
By my estimation (and I'm certain I'm rounding down), the Spengler Super Hero has been partially (or completely) dismantled on three separate occasions.
It was dismantled 27/28 years ago so it could be retrofitted for the production of Ghostbusters II.
It was dismantled around 5 years ago, where the bumper was reproduced by a different member of the community, not affiliated with Anovos.
It was dismantled earlier this year so that it could provide the basis for the Spengler Legacy kit.
By 1989, the Super Hero Pack had already gone through some changes/modifications that meant it was no-longer identical to how it appeared in 1984 in the original Ghostbusters. In the 33 years since the original film, the Pack has been on display both at Planet Hollywood in New York and in Sony's corporate headquarters in Los Angeles (the latter location saw it displayed in direct sunlight).
When the Pack wasn't on display, it was in storage in the Sony archives... Which is likely where it has accumulated most of the scratches and damage the prop exhibits.
(Some fans were granted access to photograph it about 7 years ago, and even then the poor condition of the prop was clear to see. You may see for yourself in the photos they took:
http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/reference/33/http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/reference/34/)
In 2010, the Super Hero Pack was missing paint in several spots, some of the labels were either badly damaged/worn, or missing completely. The clear plastic barrel tube, similar to the same element on another 1984-era screen-used Proton Pack, had a habit of falling loose. There's rust on some of the metal elements, and some of the screws/bolts holding the components in have been lost (though it should be noted, a number of them were replaced in 1989)
Whilst these props are beloved by the fans, to Sony that's still all they are: film props, studio assets - in some way it's a mixed blessing they've been held onto this long, rather than sold or destroyed (though it should be noted that some of the Proton Pack props have been auctioned off in previous years).
The Super Hero prop was in poor condition when Sean and Vinny were given access to it, and by the rationale of some of the angered fans, it had already lost its "unchanged" status decades ago.
Further Context One of the reasons I feel the angered reaction is unfair and unjustified, is the fact that Anovos/Sean/Vinny were approached by Sony to reproduce the Pack. I'd prefer to be an idealist rather than cynnical in studying the motives of the people who've made the Legacy Kit, and that they didn't go into it with the intention of enriching themselves (Even at $3,000... After production/material costs and... I presume, paying something towards Sony - the studio won't be doing this without expecting some sort of cut - the Packs aren't going to sell in such quantities and earn such a revenue that they'll be able to retire from it.)
I honestly believe they produced the kit so that they could offer the best option out there. Considering there are fans in the prop replication community who do offer sub-standard kits/parts, and one notable one who presents the claim his kits are studio-sourced, when they aren't, the Anovos Legacy kit may help to take the wind out of the sails of the unscrupulous fans.
Whether we like it or not, as long as Sony owns the Ghostbusters property and film props, it can do what it likes with them. If, however, they grant the rare opportunity to well-respected, experienced fans to take a look into one of the screen-used props, and to reproduce that, shouldn't that be something to be excited about?
Are we unable to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they did a good job at taking the Pack apart, mold it, and put it back together again? What have they done in the past that would suggest they'd do anything but employ the most care and dedication?
Again, I appreciate I'm biased by my friendship.
I just don't feel the lack of faith in Sean and Vinny is justified.
Now, that's not to say the lack of faith in Anovos isn't justified... I can understand and sympathise with those who are frustrated and unhappy with how long they've been waiting for their kits, I've been in an identical position (I was also waiting on a Proton Pack kit) - however, I'm not here to defent Anovos' delays.
Conclusion - This wasn't meant to be an essay, sorry I can understand the anger and upset to a degree, but I don't agree with it.
I feel a lot of it is misdirected, and misguided. There's been a lot of assumptions made without any real knowledge about the techniques and approach that was used to dismantle the pack.
We Ghostbusters fans are definitely a passionate group, but sometimes we do let our passions get the better of us - the last few years have been proof enough of that.
There's a lot of stuff we don't know.
What we do know is this:
•Sony approached Anovos with the idea of using one of the original Proton Packs from 1984, the prop that featured the most detailed electronics seen in the film, to produce a rule of officially-licenced Proton Pack replicas.
•Sean Bishop and Vincenzo330, who have a couple of decades of combined prop building experience - and noted participants in the Ghostbusters fan community, are brought on to spearhead the project.
•The Super Hero Pack is dismantled, and a majority of the components are molded so that resin copies can be made from them.
•The Super Hero Pack is reassembled and returned to Sony.
-There may be a few more things that can be said with certainty, but those are the most notable points.
TL:DR - Too long, didn't read So to summarise:
•Sony approached Anovos to reproduce one of the original Proton Pack props - this process would require some degree of disassembly.
•The screen-used Proton Pack hasn't been "destroyed" or "torn apart", it was dismantled, molded, and then put back together again. Anovos and those involved with the project have given assurances a museum-like approach was used for the assembly/disassembly stages.
•The screen-used Proton Pack was already in a somewhat poor condition when it was loaned to Anovos, and had been dismantled to various degrees over the past 30 years.
•There's more assumptions than verified facts in a lot of the accusations/conclusions made against Anovos, and how it handled the screen-used prop.