The following is the result of research I've been doing for the last several months, on both ROTJ and ESB Vader helmets.
I have been somewhat reluctant to post this, partly due to its complexity, as in how best to lay it out, but also due to its 'matter-of-fact' nature.
Some of which you may or may not agree with. But for me, most of it was pretty cut and dry.
Probably the first thing to know is that unlike ANH and ESB helmets, each of the ROTJ helmets are reasonably distinct and pretty easy to tell apart.
Most of them have been on display and visual reference material is reasonably available. Although I have done the same with the ESB helmets,
it's a lot more elaborate, as well as somewhat more controversial, so I am going to do the Jedi's first. I will first image them as a group, then break them down individually.
It's gonna take a little while for me to load all this in, so please bear with me.
(Also, I'm not sure if it is the forum or Photobucket, but for some reason
this is as big as I can get these images. The original is almost twice as big, and easy to see. Hopefully you can see this, apparently you can click on the picture to see it full-size.)
The image above was meant to be a heading. But it also contains all of the helmets used in Return of the Jedi. Admittedly in the small images, it may not be so easy to tell them apart.
For the most part they all look like Darth Vader helmets, but when you examine them closer, no two are alike. You'll notice the heading says, 'mostly'. That is because at least one helmet
in this montage is an ESB, and another helmet is a reworked ESB. They are placed here in the order on which they appear in the film, and I will identify them as 1, 2, 3 in the same order.
While these may not be the actual numbers that were assigned by the production, I do know that the third helmet in this lineup is marked with a number 3. Most of these helmets were used
in more than one shot or scene, but not all. While used in multiple shots helmet No. 3 only appeared in one scene. As did the last two helmets in the lineup.
This second block shows alternative images of each of these helmets. You will note that helmet No. 6 shows a helmet from Empire Strikes Back, that is because this helmet is actually an
ESB pretending to be an ROTJ. And although it has seen a little bit of modification, it is still mostly in its original form. No. 7 is the reveal mask and was only used in one shot. It did not have
an accompanying dome and most likely the dome from No. 6 was reused.
(Reminder, you can click on
the image to make it bigger.)In block No. 3, we see the helmets as they've appeared in the years after the films. Helmets 1, 2 and 3 have been regulars at conventions and exhibits as well as No.7, 'the reveal'. No. 6, the ESB was on
display in a Planet Hollywood, but I've heard that it's now been sold to someone overseas(??). The last I heard, No.5 is still in the Lucasfilm archives. But No.4 is whereabouts unknown. If it's still
in the archives, it has never been put on display, publicly.
One helmet that I could not identify, was the helmet worn as Vader flies end over end through the air, having been kicked by Luke. No matter how hard I tried freeze-frame it, the helmet is just too fuzzy
and indistinct. It is helmet No.4 that is being worn before and then after the airborne tumble, but I would think it unlikely that it was worn during it.
While it is reported that ESB helmets were modified for use in ROTJ, I can find no evidence other than the scene with No.6 of this having taken place. Another ESB helmet can be seen in the film,
in the shot where Vader watches out the window as Luke's shuttle heads off to Endor, before he turns around and walks away. I believe this to be a non-used take from the ESB, as this helmet is
completely in it ESB trim. Complete with ESB tusks and all.
From here, I'm going to take it down to the individual helmets. But before I do, I want to make note of some key changes to the ROTJ Vader helmet, from the ESB.
1. ROTJ domes sit slightly higher than their ESB counterparts. The dome on an ESB sits nearly flush with the top of the eyebrows.
Whereas, there is a noticeable gap between them on the ROTJ. The ROTJ dome also sits flatter against the forehead, further
exposing the eye brows.
2. The center strip on the ROTJ dome does not have the dimple, (a remnant of the ANH) at its tip, like the ESB and the edges of the
center strip are slightly more rounded.
3. ROTJ helmets use different grills than the ESB's. Although some people it said the chin grille on the ROTJ is larger, when compared
side-by-side. I see no evidence of this. The ROTJ grille is muchbrighter, with the grille being painted silver, as opposed to the ESB's which
were painted the same color as the neck, but other than a slightly straighter cut the chin grille opening is the same size on both.
4. The cheek faces of the ROTJ have been somewhat reworked. Whereas the original ESB cheek inner edge would terminate 8-10 mm behind
the face of the nose, ROTJ cheeks, with some exceptions, flow smoothly up the side of the nose to it's tip. The cheekbone color also matches
the whisker on an ROTJ, whereas they are color opposed on the ESB.
5. The ROTJ eyes, tend to appear wider than the ESB's. This is because most ROTJ eyebrows have only their upper edges highlighted and the
eye lenses are somewhat flatter and have a golden tint to them.
6. The inside of ROTJ noses are painted after the clearcoat is put on. So they reflect brighter than their ESB counterparts.
7. And last but not least, ROTJ's use a different tusk. The tusk has a flatter, wider head than the ESB. (But everybody knows that...)
Do you really need a pic?