Fatherless One wrote:
Btw that's not meant to be disrespectful MJC, I know you work with JB.
Well that's not quite accurate. I haven't worked with JB since July of 2005, for reasons I won't go into here, but I can assure you I have no loyalties to him.
All I'm basing my statement on is that while working with him, I discovered a mold of a DP Deluxe in the shop. Having studied the face of the JB ROTJ while working on them, I noticed various details that were different from the GH ROTJ. For example, the left cheek tubes are more "sucked in" on the GH than the JB (and DP Deluxe for that matter). Also the mounting system is exactly the same as the DP Deluxe, and I do think it would be quite difficult to seamlessly meld that to GH face and have it line up perfectly to the DP. The neck flare also differs from the GH and exactly matches the DP Deluxe (or at least the one JB molded). Really the only thing that matches up to the GH is the chin vent. I think he traced the GH chin vent and cut it out on his DP Deluxe to make it look more accurate to the originals.
As for the dome on the JB ROTJ, I'm pretty sure it came from the 20th Century helmet that JB recast for his ESB (and ANH V2) face. The 20th Century dome is definitely an ROTJ one, and it does differ from the GH. The 20th Century dome is softer than the GH for starters. Also, the GH dome's flange flares out a little more on one side than the other, while the JB is a little more symmetrical.
So I think we agree that JB's claims of his helmet being directly cast from an original that he owns are false, and that he has also made unauthorized recasts of other peoples' work to produce it. I just think that he recast some different people than you do! My thinking is that he would go with the simplest route, which I think would be what I outlined here.
Anyway, I'm just trying to share the info I have gathered, so do with it what you will!
All the best,
MJC.