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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2016 2:09 pm 
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Amongst all the little details the present on these photos, I think this is fascinating...

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This looks like it may have been a cast from an original ANH dome which had the center stripe layered up to produce the thicker center stripe on the ROTJ dome, then trimmed off the widow's peak. You can see a distinct shadow cast by the upper (new) layer of the center stripe.

This is a trait I also noticed on the Brian Muir Ultimate Vader dome from this photo angle.

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Pull quote from Brian's website...
"Brian purchased a cast from the original moulds of the mask and helmet that were still being used on the production of Return of the Jedi from the mould maker who was employed to produce the screen used Vader masks and helmet"

...See the screen cap below for the entire story.

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Quickly changing the direction of this Yugo - so is this the kind of cast (seen in SS's original post) Brian Muir received prior to finishing his Ultimate Vader? If so, he was this far "||" away from having a wildly accurate screen used ANH faceplate for his helmet (warts and all). Wish he'd have left all of that in the final cast of his Ultimate Vader, including all the dings, drips, and brush strokes on the Vader dome.

Wonder if Brian would be interested in creating a Brian Muir "Legend" - assuming he still has that original cast. ;)

So to steer this Yugo back onto the road: If the Brian Muir cast and this new found cast match up, which it appears it could, it would definitely be a cast from the Return of the Jedi production molds.


Would love to see a few straight on photos of the faceplate from 6 feet away with a focal length of 85-100mm (portrait lens).


Photography tips review/reminders for those viewing this thread....

The best place to photograph your helmet is outside on a cloudy day, or next to a large window facing the opposite direction of the sun (sliding glass door is best) - from 10 am to 6 PM - which creates a nice big soft box. That window will create a beautiful quality of light.

You can even set up a white towel or pillow case to bounce light back to the opposite side of the helmet. Don't photograph the helmet while you (the photographer) are facing the window. Turn the helmet towards the window, 45 degrees, or 90 degrees to the window. If you have a sliding glass door facing north, you can point the helmet directly at the door, then stand outside (while still standing in the shade) and photograph the helmet straight on with the door open.

Any inexpensive DSLR or mirrorless (Fuji, Olympus, Sony) with a longer focal length (85mm - 105mm and f/2 to f/4) will give you the best results. Try to keep the ISO below 400 so you don't introduce too much imaging noise.

Lastly - try to give the helmet a simple background. Complexity will be a distraction. It can be a pain in the ass, but the results will speak for themselves.

Cheers,

c


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 03, 2016 5:48 pm 
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Beautiful mask. Looks like a rejected casting made for ROTJ.

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:51 pm 
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juan7fernandez wrote:
I see some TM resembling traits all over that face mask and the dome looks like the early stages of a ROTJ cast. At first glance and if the story checks out, this was an unused production cast.


I suspect there are a few more Vader casts floating around out there waiting to be discovered (by people like us :thumbsup ).

After ANH took off and Vader was the greatest Sci-Fi villain ever I'd imagine a few "extra" casts came out of the molds and into various crew members hands (unknown to LFL) as momento's.


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 1:47 pm 
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Really cool helmet indeed. It's so neat to see one of these gems appear from time to time

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 5:16 pm 
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Interesting and yes seems to be related to a TM mask with the neck extension but I'll get back about this and have a closer examination when I have a moment. The resin is very interesting as well and I've seen that type before.

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:30 pm 
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Very interesting find. So cool how things pop up like this. I'm curious on it's lineage as well.


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 1:47 pm 
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Here are some better pictures of the same helmet.

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Last edited by Sith-Smith on Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 2:50 pm 
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Such a tragedy they glued the two pieces together like that. Guess it kept the two together, but damn. Would be pretty horrific trying to seperate the two and avoid major rework of the halves.


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:45 pm 
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Great photo's.

Between the SL, the TM and this new discovery we'd have all three OT films Vaders covered :thumbsup


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:20 pm 
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even with the horrible dome position you can definitely see how amazing this thing would look finished. So the big question is: is there a possibility to find a way to make a small run from this helmet?


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:17 pm 
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Well the fused mask to dome problem is no longer an issue. The owner opted to carefully seperated the two pieces to reveal this:

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How about that?

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:28 pm 
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OHMIGAWD!!!! That helmet is gorgeous.

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What a beautiful piece.

I echo, Juan. Is there any chance we can a make a small ROTJ run with this helmet? I'd be all over it. :cool: :cool: :cool:

Hell, I'd love two copies. :)


Thank you SO SO SO much for sharing this with the Prop Den.


Last edited by craigjohn on Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 2:33 pm 
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Looks much nicer now :lol :thumbsup


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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 3:37 pm 
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So I did some searching through my reference material and found that I had a photo of this helmet from January 2007. And I know about the crew member you are talking about. But if it is the person I'm thinking of, why would they be asking about it here when they themselves have said what it is?

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 Post subject: Re: Vader Helmet owend by original crew member
PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 5:57 pm 
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You have my attention now Thomas :wink:


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