Hey there
I got this Vader helmet off Ebay before finding out about this place.
I don't know who made it so asking this newb will be a fruitless quest to "no answer for ya land"
If anyone knows who did make it I'd be happy for the info.
It is to say the least, a fixer upper.
Needs a strip n repaint after I try to slowly heat reshape the back of the helmet skirt....It is really warped.
Or not as I'm just starting this hobby/obsession

One thing I would seriously suggest is to NOT make any structural modifications at all at this time. Start with stripping the paint off of the helmet. There are various ways of doing that.

The next thing you should do is take pictures from six feet back, zoom in, and give us a straight on shot from the front of the helmet, with and without dome (without to see the dome mount as that will help identify it), + take a picture of the dome from straight above to show the skirt flange circumference. The originals were not round and perfect, so I really advice you to not make changes just yet.

This is the top of a Rubies dome. Though not perfect, it is also not too far off from the originals, in terms of flange shape.

So if this irregularity is what you are seeing, then it is an accurate feature. However, it could of course also be warped, as you say, but pictures will definitely help determine that.

Thanks for the reply.
Nope that is what it looks like from the top down. I thought it had to wrong it was so wonky looking.
Glad I did not take the heat gun to it yet.
Been stripping it down as the paint was so thick every edge was rounded over rather heavily.
So thick in fact the little divets under the eyes were almost filled in.
Will take some more pics, as suggested, after feeding time is over.
Again, thanks a ton!

New pics up in first post.
Hope they help.

1st pull....interesting. But, a GB ROTJ? What the heck?

Gypsyboy, I'd reckon.

Other than stripping it down that is what it had on it when it arrived.
So GypsyBoy? Is that a terrible thing?

Depends on what you want. The Gypsyboy helmets are reworked copies of this helmet from Hollywoodprops (aka Larry Green Productions) - http://hollywoodprop.com/vaderhelmets.htm - which I always heard was a copy from a DP DLX, but it's impossible to tell from the look of this piece:

Well it is better than the old Starlog advert masks but at some point I do want something better.
Something that won't...hopefully, make me have to sell a needed organ to purchase.

LOL... all helmets need you to sell some sort of organ... there's no escaping that.

Anyway, this kind of helmet is one I usually call a stepping stone to something else. It is one you can just go to town on and try out various things, so you feel secure and ready when you upgrade to something better. It's like a Rubies Supreme... though, from the looks of it... a lot less offensive gross misshapen looking (mostly due to Gypsyboy's rework of that utterly butt-ugly helmet he copied). So, use this as a helmet to test your prepping, finishing, and painting skills on.

Okay will start hunting for someone esles organs to harvest while I fool with this thing.
Going to need to source some eyes for it.
Before that though I think a bit of "research" is in order so in pops the ROTJ Bluray!
Thanks!

Check with vadermonkey for lenses.

Research is always good!

I just wanted to chime in to say that this helmet was sold as is, as a fixer upper. The horrid paint job and wonky angles are not typical of what I like to see leave my shop. This was a project I just didn't have the time to devote to myself, so I thought somebody could benefit from the project. It was sort of a "test casting". And the paint was something I hadn't used before... or since.

Hey no problem at all.
I'm happy with what I got. Like I said earlier it is a lot better than an old DP!
I have a long rainy winter ahead to get it looking spiffy so no worries Gypsyboy.
So please don't take my typing the wrong way.
The danger of the internet is not being able to feel the intent of the words typed.
As for wanting better I only mean as in having one of the "holy grail" Helmets.
Hope that puts you at ease on this.

That'll be a really decent looking helmet once it's finished!

Rich