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Anovos - The Mandalorian Helmet Replica
(The Mandalorian TV Show)
 

Background... and a warning!

Okay let me start by saying we're a little conflicted as we write this review. The reason for that is although this helmet is indeed very good, it appears to many collectors just like us, that Anovos themselves is absolutely not a good company to deal with. Their long-standing inability to fulfil on pre-paid customer pre-orders has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Star Wars fans, us included. Their modus operandi seem to be to advertise enticing new helmets and costumes, take customer's pre-order cash up front, but then seem to forget that they actually need to manufacture and deliver the damn thing as they go through a cynical delivery date push-back every 3 months. Like clockwork, every quarter, in some cases delaying pre-paid orders for years!

So the one take-away you should get from this review is - if you want an Anovos Mandalorian helmet, then for goodness sake DO NOT go direct to Anovos - but instead buy it from a reputable retailer (or eBay seller) who has the helmet "IN HAND and ready to ship". Otherwise be prepared to wait....and wait...

The Mandalorian TV show demonstrates how magic can happen when extremely talented Star Wars fans make a TV show. Right back since 1980 we’ve been desperate for a Boba Fett story, and with "The Mandalorian" this goes a long way towards giving us that. So when both Anovos and EFX announced they would be making replicas, there was an immediate and positive response from collectors. So concentrating on the Anovos version, as mentioned earlier we took the safe route and purchased it via a 3rd party rather than from Anovos direct. 

So it’s good that we’re able to get our hands on othese in advance of Season 2 arriving at the end of October. It typically sells in the $650-$700 range, but is certainly is a very impressive helmet. Cast in fibreglass it has a beautiful metallic sheen, accented with areas of simulated light damage and weathering. It has an almost bashed-metal/pewter like finish to it, and though that's likely some form of auto-paint -  its nevertheless done really well and replicates the look of the screen-used helmet.
According to the information provided by Anovos, the mould used to make these replicas was scanned from an original screen-used helmet - the Anovos blurb stating "With access to the film-used helmets from The Mandalorian, we used 3D digital scan technology to capture the precise geometry, right down to 0.2 mm of accuracy, to create our exacting reproduction".
Though a direct physical cast off an original would of course be preferable, a digital scan of the original helmet is still a pretty good source. The main potential uncertainty over a scan (resolution issues aside) is our assumption that Anovos has replicated the scan 1:1 (which was always a question mark against the old Master Replicas RotS Clone Helmets). However, ahead of direct side by side comparisons against an original, we're going to assume that Anovos produced a 1:1 copy.
The above shot shows off the paint finish that replicates that Beskar-armoured look, along with the rear vents and ear detailing. We've consciously taken photos in different lighting conditions and surroundings for this review to try and show off how the helmets appearance changes with different lighting and environment conditions.
..and below as you can see the grimy detailing is correctly concentrated around the edges and faces most likely to receive the most weathering, with Anovos using a production-used helmet as their template. The weathering probably looks a little more prominent in photographs, whereas in your hands its more subtle.
The helmet weighs just over 1Kg including fixtures and internal padding, so somewhat less than we were expecting. As a rough comparison, an Anovos First Order Stormtrooper helmet sitting nearby weights 1.8Kg, so a significant difference. Some of this weight saving seems to be down to the a much-thinner 4-5mm thickness of the resin/fibreglass. So this is not a negative point at all - as it certainly seems to be a very well made replica.

Like the ears, the rear detailing appears to have also been a separate part which has been added to the main helmet section. Like the ears it also has a dull silver finish, and is highlighted with topical weathering and scorch marks - again looks great.
Below a nice shot of the detailing around the visor and ear section, as you can see the lines are very sharp and precise - and the ear detailing, paintwork and weathering offering a realistic contrast against the main helmet section.
So back to the finishing, and as you can see from these photos it really does look fantastic. The finish is somewhat like the metallic paintwork of a premium car - but certainly captures the appearance of the helmet seen in the TV show really well.
There are some nice areas of weathering and highlights, and its good to see this wasn't overdone, with light dirt marks and scorching mainly concentrated to areas around the raised sections on the dome (where real weathering, dirt and grime would typically build up). The cheek-surrounds are also more weathered against the matt grey/brown finish - emulating the originals use of shading to enhance definition and shade.
Helmet detailing is very sharp, with no apparent imperfections in the helmet we received. Of course this is to be expected from any premium-priced fibreglass helmet, but nevertheless it’s great to be able to report this helmet meets our quality expectations.
It looks like the ears are separate sections that have been attached to the main helmet section - and have additional silver and black painted detailing.

Looking inside the helmet that has the standard black car-interior type material, though no additional padding per-se. However that’s probably a good idea as the internal measurements of the helmet are on the small side (as it appears is the screen used helmet) with an internal diameter of circa 20.5cm ear-to-ear, and 23cm front-to-back. However, this is still slightly larger than the EFX Mandalorian replica - which we'd guess is therefore a little undersize?
BTW some of the photos on this page show the helmet presented on a 3rd party stand (the EFX) one, since as with all the Anovos helmets, stands are not provided with Anovos helmets (nor plaques etc.) as they're licensed as "Costuming" items, as opposed to EFX's "Prop" license.
The visor is actually two separate layers of acrylic about 1cm apart, presumably to ensure that they were able to achieve the required colour - yet still dark enough to hide the wearers face.
The helmet itself comes alone in the 12.5”x12”x12” (inch) single layer cardboard box, accompanied by nothing more than polystyrene chips and phone padding. However, I’m pleased to say that this was sufficient to protect this particular helmet on its 5,500 mile journey from California to London.  So as with all the Anovos range, your buying just the helmet - as no plaque or stand is provided.
 

So in summary Anovos has produced a very fine looking replica helmet. We just wish they could get their act together such that we could actually recommend buying one directly from them - rather than a 3rd party seller with stock in hand!