I went back and compared the prototype eFX Legend with the production version shown more recently. So in spite of Gino's assurances that the dome flaring issue would be corrected and that it was just the fault of it being a rushed pull, I see no change. The angles look the same, the thickness of the front flaring edges look the same. So either the dome isn't out of the Rick Baker mold (ie: from a copy of something that came from the mold, for example) or there was something seriously wrong with the mold at the time the eFX master was pulled.





And it is obvious how Gino attempts to hide this by shooting the helmet against a black background and using lighting that minimizes the flaws. Who shoots a black prop against a black background? I'd like to see an auction house that does. If Gino is supposed to know so much about art direction then he should know the basics about still photography.

All someone has to do is increase the brightness of one of his photographs and the deformation of the dome flaring becomes apparent, especially when compared to a casting that came out of the same mold 20 years earlier than the eFX master casting.



And if someone thinks this is just to attack Gino, if you take responsibility and boast about something, then it better hold up to scrutiny. I would do the same with anyone who showed a Darth Vader helmet, licensed or otherwise.

Some new pics from Wondercon (courtesy of Shadow, RS forum)

Thanks for posting the pics of this, Great to see something new on these, Just noticed that next month it will be a year since i paid my deposit on my legend version, Surely the end is in sight for these being dispatched?, Reminds me of the fiasco i had waiting for the last official release Vader helmet from Master Replicas that i bought , the EPIII ,same game, different name.

According to DarthLuis (RS Forum) who spoke to Bryan at Wondercon, the legend may start shipping next month.

Wow, well i hope it does and thanks for sharing

Is it me or is the paint job on the dome more satin now? The samples they've shown so far seem to be glossier than this one.

I have seen so many different things with all of the different castings shown that only one thing can be certain. We won't know what they will end up looking like until we open the box on delivery day.

Most of my interest lies with just how much clean up work will have been done to the castings, either version?

And there it is: The first production 'Legend'| (courtesy of Shadow, RS forum)





And finally some info from Bryan on these helmets:

I would like to give you a brief update on the status of this project. Lucasfilm has given us the final approval and thus, we are now in production. In fact, we had on display actual production pieces of both the Legend and Limited Editions at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA this past weekend.

We anticipate shipping the first quantity from Asia in about 30 days. We do not have a definite number of helmets that we will ship yet since each helmet will be thoroughly inspected and some helmets will be rejected because of our strict Quality Control Specifications.

We will be producing the Legend Edition first, followed by the Limited Edition.

We will be allocating the helmets in the order that the pre-orders were received. Your order number is ******. For those of you who ordered a Legend, you may remember that we overloaded the credit card server and caused a huge backlog in the credit card authorization process. So, for the those who ordered a Legend, we will allocate in the order that the authorizations came back from the credit card gateway, which may not necessarily be the same order that the orders were submitted for authorization. We will contact you when the helmet allocated to you is en route from Asia via e-mail, so please ensure that our e-mails do not end up in your SPAM file.

Thanks once again for your patience! We have set up an e-mail address specifically for questions and assistance for the Darth Vader helmet. vaderhelp@efxcollectibles.com

Bryan

Did a quick comp between the two versions and there appears to be some difference between the 'Limited' mold and the 'Legend' mold.



So, it's not just the paint job.

Thanks for this news. Great pic's.
The helmet assembly looks well done and clean.
Hope all helmets will arrive to there buyers without any damage and also in this quality.

well that could have happened when they pulled it from the mold or any time when it was trimmed or painted..that is just a chip and a scratch..if you compare the features or sculpt of the helmet..specially where you pointing out the chip on the eye. you can clearly see that it came form the same mold. another way to confirm that is to compare the mouth vents..at the bottom of the triangle. the line is wavy on both masks. and is identical. so like said if you compare the features or sculpt of the mask you'll see that they are the same..juts that the limited one has some damage and the other does not. also keep in mind..they did say that they are filling in all the imperfections for the limited edition helmet..for it is an idealized version of the helmet.. but its clear to me that the limited one you are showing was damaged somehow.

[quote="SithLord"]



just something ive noticed doing some research. if you look at the image ive posted from the movie. it seems that it has the same flaring on the dome as the efx. it is an awkward angle. but it seems to look just like the efx one. after all they did have 3 castings made from the molds. even if efx claims that only one was used to film the movie. its fair to say that one of those 3 castings could have been used in filming the movie. and possibly one of those castings turned out how the efx turned out..if not then why does the helmet in the movie photo look so close to the efx?
the only difference i see between these photos is that the dome seems longer in the back than the efx one..but that is because the dome is riding back on the face plate..if you compare the widows peak you will see that it is well above the top mark or line on the bridge of the nose. there for the dome looks to be longer but really isn't..
what do you think?

DynamicMenace wrote:

StarWars Collector wrote:

Did a quick comp between the two versions and there appears to be some difference between the 'Limited' mold and the 'Legend' mold.

well that could have happened when they pulled it from the mold or any time when it was trimmed or painted..that is just a chip and a scratch..if you compare the features or sculpt of the helmet..specially where you pointing out the chip on the eye. you can clearly see that it came form the same mold. another way to confirm that is to compare the mouth vents..at the bottom of the triangle. the line is wavy on both masks. and is identical. so like said if you compare the features or sculpt of the mask you'll see that they are the same..juts that the limited one has some damage and the other does not. also keep in mind..they did say that they are filling in all the imperfections for the limited edition helmet..for it is an idealized version of the helmet.. but its clear to me that the limited one you are showing was damaged somehow.

The chip and scratch are supposed to be there on the Legend Edition. They are visible in the film on the Hero helmet and are indicative of what efx has said all along that the Legend Edition will be a "warts" version of the helmet and the Limited Edition is more idealized.

It's good to see some actual proof that there is more to the Legend Edition than just the paint job.

yes you are correct. i know that..i was mistaken. ..i thought the one on the right was the limited version... i guess i need better glasses. your correct..the chips and dings are suppose to be on the legendary. but either way..i was just proving that they are from the same molds.

According to Gino they're not from the same molds and I've decided to believe him (in this particular case)

well i guess i stand corrected then. if Gino says so then i guess it must be true. so technically they are from different molds..but wouldn't the limited edition come from the mold of the legendary? after all they say that the limited was an idealized helmet where they fixed all the imperfections of the legendary. so yeah..i guess they would be from two different molds..but wouldn't it be fair to say that the molds derived form the same source? because there was only one helmet made for the film supposably. and only 3 castings were made form those molds of that one helmet..at least that's what efx is claiming on their site. i dont think that they would say that if it wasn't true.
so the bottom line is..if what they are saying on their site is true,,then both helmets derived from the same mold..and that is all i was saying ;)