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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:21 pm 
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The master helmet came out of the mould in the 90's as far as I know - exactly whan I don't know
The mould for the current run came from was made almost two years ago.

Here's some more - I don't think I can take anything drastically different from this moment on.

My scantily clad girlfriend wearing it maybe?

Kidding!

Let the overload continue...

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:28 pm 
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AnsonJames wrote:
My scantily clad girlfriend wearing it maybe?


You would get no complaints from me. :lol

Excellent photos so far, thanks for sharing them.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:44 pm 
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AnsonJames wrote:
The master helmet came out of the mould in the 90's as far as I know - exactly whan I don't know
The mould for the current run came from was made almost two years ago.


Thanks for the info. I'm hoping to get hold of a face cast remarkably similar to the VP, though it has one or two differences, and I'm trying to figure out it's lineage. I know it dates at least as far as 2002 ish as that's when I first saw it.

Jeremy


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:05 pm 
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Again, thanks very much for the pics AJ. I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 8:39 pm 
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Yes, ditto...thanks for sharing the love....

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:12 pm 
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Strange it seems to have lost some detail in the rear and the rear of the tubes....compared to the VP I had. Maybe it's the softness/lighting of the photos...not sure but there's something missing on the back lower tube end that should be there....hmmm. I wonder if there was further cleanup. I thought there was no other mold because when I had mine made it was a new mold.

By the way, the grill is screen ANH, not the ESB movie poster helmet...I checked that already.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:15 pm 
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Unbelievable pics thanks for sharing so much secret info.

chris


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:18 pm 
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HAL9000 wrote:
ANH was a low budget ($7 million) film and the original Vader was made in a non-jacketed flexible mold made of some sort of Polysulphide-type material. Because the mold did not have a hard jacket, each casting ended up with just slightly a different shape. (yours shows the asymmetry associated with this).
JN[/i]


Ok I confirmed that the original ANH mold was a cold pour with a fiberglass jacket, it wasn't jacketless. Goes to show what JN knows :rolleyes


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:31 pm 
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SithLord wrote:
Strange it seems to have lost some detail in the rear and the rear of the tubes....compared to the VP I had. Maybe it's the softness/lighting of the photos...not sure but there's something missing on the back lower tube end that should be there....hmmm. I wonder if there was further cleanup. I thought there was no other mold because when I had mine made it was a new mold.

By the way, the grill is screen ANH, not the ESB movie poster helmet...I checked that already.



I've got a good few images of the helmet this came from and it doesn't have any detail missing.
I can tell you that detail doesn't deteriorate in Silicon moulds, they either just rip or small pieces get torn off and stuck in casts.

I know for a fact there was only one mould made.
I even know what the initials VP stand for and the original makers name but unfortunately I've been sworn to secrecy.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:51 pm 
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I took long exposure photos without using a flash - you can only see detail in the areas that are being directly hit with light.

All the darker areas look a little sketchy as far as detail is concerned

Here are some tube photos...

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:28 pm 
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AnsonJames wrote:
I've got a good few images of the helmet this came from and it doesn't have any detail missing.
I can tell you that detail doesn't deteriorate in Silicon moulds, they either just rip or small pieces get torn off and stuck in casts.

I know for a fact there was only one mould made.
I even know what the initials VP stand for and the original makers name but unfortunately I've been sworn to secrecy.



Ok thanks yes those photos clarify that for me. Ok that's interesting because I could swear that I was told the first mold was damaged. Then the pull I got was the first from the same mold....ok cool.

The helmet it came from is still a copy.....so these are at least 2nd generation from a ROTJ era template...but still surprising considering their quality...I actually know what that template originally came from, and Mr. VP does not :wink: Maybe I'll show it here sometime....


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:32 pm 
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Hi,

Well I have been off the forums for a couple of days so it has taken a wee bit of catching up to read through this thread. It has been a really interesting thread so far and the pics Anson has provided have turned out great :)

Thomas one mould was made and all seven faceplates were made in roughly the same time period unfortunately getting them shipped was the hassle as the prop maker works between two cities in the UK. I think you also experienced a very long wait for you faceplate but it wasn't due to it not being made it was due to it sitting waiting to be posted.

There are no differences in all seven faceplates made. I could contact the prop maker for you if you would like that confirmed.

I did at one point have 3 VPs in hand and looking at them all they could not be told apart from each other. The guy who made them is a professional and his standard of work is excellent. In fact the reason they were stopped being made was because there was a tiny tear in the mould taken from the master helmet and the propmaker was such a perfectionist he will not make any more unless he makes a new mould. Lesser propmakers would have tried a repair and carried on making more. Any lumps, bumps flaws etc seen on the VP are on all seven. They and definitely on the three I aquired and would doubt the other changed in any way.

For clarity the maker of the VP faceplates who is the same guy who works in the TV and film industry got his copy from a mould in the early mid nineties.

To my knowledge he has never said it is ROTJ to anybody which has been said in this thread. In all honesty he was sent to make a Vader for promotional work and was presented with moulds for certain items a faceplate, dome and tusks being part of this. He wasn't told it was ROTJ he was just told it was Darth Vader and he himself wouldn't have known the difference between ANH/ESB/ROTJ and to be honest the guys who allowed him to use the mould probably couldn't have told the difference either. I am in no way not saying it isn't, or can't be ROTJ era all I am saying is to my knowledge that was never stated.

The run eventually ended up producing seven faceplates Thomas (Sithlord) got one, I got three and the other three went to fellow prop collectors and friends.

The line were the VP neckline ends is I think were the master copies neckline is cut to. In hand this can be seen on the VP as where the neckline is cut you can see in some areas the line slightly.

Any clean up done on the faceplate I think was done by the propmaker. He unfortunately did sand off the tabs. If you are going ANH with a faceplate no big deal as they were not part of the original prop the tabs were screwed on. If you wanted accuracy for ESB/ROTJ then taking the tabs off is a shame. The reason for clean up was he got access to a screen used Vader that was owned by a UK collector and decided to make the VP master the same. That is why on the master there is writing in pencil and a larger chin vent marked up.

Fortunately after minor clean up he never continued with his Vader and it was left in storage for years.

Then as luck would have it I met a friend of the propmaker and after seeing the VP master pics organised a run of ten helmets going through the friend of the propmaker. The ten were never completed only seven but if the propmaker makes a new mould from his master then more may become available.

I am really hoping another run will be done if there is enough interest I will phone my friend and see if anything can be done. Also it would be great to get the dome that came with the VP made up. I will honestly try my hardest to see if copies from the master VP can be made again but it will depend on the willingness of the propmaker and his work schedule and if there was any real demand. Unfortunately nobody apart from the propmaker can dictate if any more will be made.

Because of this thread interest levels have been raised on this prop so please beware especially people who are new to the hobby unfortunately the VP is currently not available from anybody unless the original propmaker decides to do another run.

So basically anybody offering VP faceplates at this point in time is either a recaster or a liar :lol

Jeremy Gonk27 do you work for the BBC? If you are who I think you are (sorry if I am wrong :) ) I have a feeling after talking through mutual friends you actually might know the guy who made the VP. Shoot me a PM if you like.

Oh yeah. As Anson pointed out VP isn't a propmakers initials like a lot of props it is a name stuck on it by a friend of the propmaker and if you knew the full story of the run and how 'slowly stop start' it all went then VP is very apt and very funny. I must say though after almost 2 years of trying to get the helmets made it all turned out 'Dantastic' :wink:

I don't think though we should get too hung up in the competition thing with the Vaders. I think we should maybe just appreciate the fact that a couple of new excellent Vaders have come along for the community to enjoy.

It is a great time to be a Vader fan.

Cheers Chris.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:46 pm 
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Interesting information Chris..Thanks for sharing.. :cool:

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Reviews statuemodellarge-figure-review-section-vf203.html


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:55 pm 
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Hey Chris great post.

I still can't believe I did not use the information you gave me on the RPF a while back ....and now it's too late :violent

Hopefully a new mold will be made.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:13 pm 
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Thanks for the information Chris. This has been a very informative thread.


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