Stupid question maybe but, the efx and the SL come both from the Rick Baker mould, correct?
Why than the SL have the apple tabs on top and the efx this tube mount?

Oh, the remnants of the tabs were sanded off to make the efx. The tubes were then added. The reason for this is that the tab system is stupid and unstable - a quick fix for filming schedule or something. Believe me, you don't want to have the tab system.

Some folks want it, yes, but it's like Titanic fans/ groupies - the most authentic experience of that disaster is freezing to death in the water. You've got to stop at some point.

Boy - get the sense that I don't like the tabs?! lol!

The SL doesn't have tabs. They were removed for molding. All that is left is the glue marks and impressions from the tabs.

They beat to the answer.

yeah im surprised as well on how well the shape has been preserved too. i would have thought that the efx would have been significantly different in over all size and shape. but its minimal.
if the over all shape has been preserved. then i guess it would be fair to say that all of the details would have been as well?
wish we could compare the SL with the raw master pull from the Rick Baker molds that efx took to make their molds for the legend.
would be very cool to compare them with the SL. just to see how well the details have stood the test of time.
question still remains for me though is, how did the differences in appearance happen to the efx that appear when comparing them to the SL. such as the dome and the tapered side of the face plate. the only logical answer i can come up with. is it had to have happened when they made the mother molds when making their master helmet from the Rick Biker molds.

your dislike for the tabs. is it from a trooping point of view? because wouldn't it be more logical to go with the tabs for authenticity reasons? i think people want the tabs to make the helmet as film accurate as possible.
for someone who is building an ANH helmet and they want it to be as film accurate as possible. i think the tabs is a no brainier. specially if you want it to be authentic. but thats only if you are going to display it only. if your going to be trooping around with the helmet. then a rig attachment or any other more secure what of attaching the dome to the face plate would be better for sure.

but to be honest IMO. i think it would have been even better if efx had given the legend the tabs to make it film accurate. make it a true legend. and only have the limited version as the trooping wearable lid with the attachment ring. a true idealized version of the iconic lid.

What about cheek-corner to cheek corner and mouth edge to mouth edge measurements?

Is the face of the eFX the same size as the SL? It looks like it's a touch narrower.

DynamicMenace: I'm wondering whether you've had access to tabs or had a helmet with tabs. They are functional, sure, but they are a great big pain in the ass, when you want to put the dome on and take the dome off. Their angled placement on the facemask makes it even harder to get a correct positioning of the dome - as can be seen throughout the first movie, where the dome sits like shit half the time. I don't think you realize the even worse disaster that would have befallen eFX than the shipping disaster they are suffering now.

Roughly said, you have to nearly pry the tabs apart with a crowbar and you have to force them together, risking damage to the paint job, as seen very evidently on the screen used helmet. It's a tight-locking snap system.

Sure, they could have gone for the cheat and put functional tabs on the face mask and then devised an ingeniously complicated mount system in the dome that won't affect the look of the face mask when off and will secure the dome to the face when on. Honestly... they chose a simple, tested solution that works without all the hassle and annoyance and complaints the tab system would have created.

Well what i wanted to adress with my question was more if efx did alter there helmet mould as they add this ring on top?
Cause as i think if the SL is a unaltered cast from the Rick Baker mould, there never was a ring on top.
There only were this tabs, or the rest of it on top , no ring mounting.
If that's correct, than the declaration of efx ( or better from Gino) about a unaltered helmet cast out of the Rick Baker mould would be wrong.
Maybe now you better understand what i mean or from which pov my question come from.

The eFX production helmets are third generation castings.

The first generation casting is the master helmet that was cast out of the Rick Baker mold. Whether that one had the pipe mount fitted to it I don't recall having heard.

Second generation castings are the ones that were prepped for the two lines - Legend and Limited.

Third generation are the production helmets.

At least that's how I understood it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.



There are levels of "unaltered" when it comes to licensed props. There's cleanup, there's fittings, there's all sorts of things. Some think retaining the geometry, but filling and sanding the surface to get rid of blemishes fits under the unaltered label. There are those who feel NO filling and sanding should be done to be able to call it unaltered.

We all know the helmet was altered. What did you expect? It's a licensed helmet that has a whole other set of criteria and things to consider than fanmade helmets do. The pipe mount was chosen for better dome attachment as the 3M tabs are murderously difficult to use and honestly, an inferior system. It works, sure... but you risk damage to the helmet whenever you try to pry the dome off the facemask and when trying to put it on, while trying to get the proper alignment and position. It's a reasonable compromise, as it is in an area you don't usually see anyway.


Honestly, using the term "unaltered" for a licensed replica is honestly a poor choice of words, as that's just not feasibly possible anyway.

If you do an overlay of the cheeks you'll see by how much, and it is a noticeable amount. It isn't just narrower, it is smaller in every dimension. It is slightly bigger than a VP ANH, and smaller than any SL/TD/TM/DJ mask. One thing you can do is look at the height of the face from the lower edge of the mouth to the top of the eyebrows, that is how I look at it to compare the face size. It is bigger than a DS 20th C, VP ANH, GH ANH master, and about equal in cheek width to the SPFX V2 (although the cheeks on that were artificially expanded in feeble response to my previous comparisons of cheek width). It is a nice size no doubts there, but still smaller than I expected.

As to whether it is second or third gen, I would also have thought they would need to 2nd gen masters one for the Legend and one for the Limited which would make each copy 3rd gen and that might explain some of the loss in size, but not all of it.

I was disappointed when eFX decided to use a mounting ring. If you have compliant enough tab polymer, then the knobs shouldn't break off the stalks. Using a spacer in the dome, one would even be able to position the dome a bit because of the way the tabs meet each other. Then one could put a soft "bumper" inside the widows peak to prevent damage to the paint on the forehead. Simple. To me it really takes away from the authenticity to have a permanent mounting ring on the mask. But of course from a marketing standpoint, it is a more secure system. But if you think about it, if one were to troop with this and the dome gets bumped (I know this from experience), then it could crack the mount because there's no give. With a tab-based system, the dome would simply wobble to one side if hit and there would be no damage to the mounting system. So I don't consider the tab-based system to be so inferior (sorry Darth Jones ).

In that case,not more as to use the term " Legend " on it.

Yeah unfortunately all of that was just "legendary" marketing hype. With all the back-pedaling they've been forced to do since the release of the Vader the DP Deluxe could easily fit into their criteria for a Legend Edition.

well no i have never had access to the tabs. nor have i had a helmet with the tabs. i can understand your explanation and points of view or anyone's for that matter of why they would be a pain in the ass if your using the helmet to troop with. and for the reason why efx used the ring mount. i just think that efx should have gone with the tabs on the legend to keep the helmet authentic. keeping more true to the legend.
but i guess efx only had the trooping Vader in mind when making these helmets and not the nostalgic collector who wants authenticity and only displays them.

but for a nostalgic iconic display piece. the tabs would be the way to go to keep it authentic. regardless of how much of a pain in the ass you say they would be. but im gathering your mentioning this on a trooping point of view. im speaking of using the tabs to keep the helmet authentic. for display purposes only.
i guess it all boils down to preference. what one would want for their helmet weather they are trooping or displaying it.

but from what sithlord said. its sounds like they wouldn't be that much of a pain if attached properly. and he has some very good points of why to go with the tabs also.
reason for me even mentioning the tabs is because i have an ANH helmet in the works. and i would want it to be as authentic as i possibly can get it to be. but i will be displaying my helmet only.
i wont be trooping in it. but if i did. i would still want it to be as authentic as i possibly could have it. but thats just me.