For the past few months, I have found myself with a ton of free time on my hands. In this time, I have been doing some serious photo analysis of the on screen images
and web images of all the various Darth Vader helmets. I started with ROTJ helmets, but then felt compelled to move on to the ESBs. One of the helmets that I came
across was the 1994 Christie's auction helmet.
Looking at this helmet, my first thought was, 'NO WAY'. Ever since it was put up I basically felt that this helmet couldn't possibly be an actual screen used ESB. It's appearance actually gave me the impression of a re-cast, and
not necessarily a good one, that someone had painted a while back and stuck on a shelf, then it got beat up from moving and storage.
But I have always felt, despite how poorly cast It looked, and how rough it looked, it still had something about it, that made it seem more like the real production used helmet
then even helmets such as the TM before all the paint was stripped off and the putty.(
Not to impugn the providence of the TM at all)
So taking this into account, I decided to give it another look.Obviously the first thing I noticed was the general rough appearance of the overall helmet, the trimming of the dome, the neck, and a lack of actual eye lenses. The three notches
on the bridge between the eyes seems cruder than what I'm used to seeing as well. The detail on the dome appears to be rough as well in the area of the widow's peak.
But, as I examined further, I began to notice some interesting aspects.
First, the shape of the face and its structures are sharper and more correct, then I'm used to seeing on any
recasts. Second, the colors of the paint and how the colors are laid out is consistent with an actual screen used helmet.
Third, the grille in the teeth is consistent in size and placement with actual screen used helmets.
Fourth, the right cheekbone appears to replicate details of the TM cast (
and if indeed there is a TM cast underneath all the Empire Strikes Back helmets that would make sense).
Even though the angle and the lighting is different, which has some effect on the appearance of the exact details of the surface, there is definitely a commonality in the features
that can be seen in the highlighted area of the Christie's 94 cheek.
Lastly, I took a look at the eye lenses. Even though you can't see through them, they seem to have a permanence about them, both in how they are attached and their shapes
(not just flat) seem to replicate actual eye lenses. And not just something somebody stuck in there.
It is from this, that I began to seriously suspect that, not only is this actually a screen used helmet, but I can actually think of where it would've been in the film.
So I began to ask, 'Where would you use a helmet that is only crudely detailed in some places and has no functional eyes?'
And the answer was, 'You would usually blow it up.'But please do not confuse this, with the helmet that rolls on the ground or the helmet that explodes on the ground, or the helmet that Hamill sticks his face through,
for it is
not one of them.
I believe it is the helmet on the dummy itself. It takes a hit with a light saber rod, an explosion at the base of the neck, followed by nearly a 6 foot drop to the ground.
And if the person preparing the helmet had any idea how the scene was to be filmed, they would know the helmet did not need actual eyes, just something to reflect the
light and there was no reason to finish the cheekbone as it would be in shadow, anyway.
I figure the helmet looked something more like this when they actually shot the scene.
The light reflection in the eyes, simply reflecting off of polished clearcoat that has now oxidized just like the paint on the rest of the helmet.
And if you look at the helmet again, it's easy to imagine where it got the the rough beat up area on the forhead the dome, possibly from the fall.
There also seems to be some shearing of the fiberglass material at the base of the neck that may have come from either hitting the ground,
or I think possibly from the explosion, When the head is severed.
All in all, IMO, it's pretty good match. I can't think of any other way this helmet would've been used.