vadermania wrote:
I have checked my other images from the Ron Punter ESB faceplate and cannot make out any traces of cast tabs on the top inside the ring mount. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I was always under the impression that the "quick and dirty" UK mold from the screenused ANH faceplate has been produced at Elstree to fabricate new Vader faceplate castings for ESB production. And the original/working tabs on the screen used ANH faceplate weren't removed during the casting process.
The Vader ANH costume travelled to the US for the TIE fighter cockpit scenes, correct? After shooting wrapped, the costume went to Don Post, where Rick Baker removed the tabs and molded the faceplate and helmet. After that, the helmet got a partial repaint and went on tour with Kermit Eller. Eller delivered the original ANH helmet (possibly the complete costume) back to LFL at one point, it went back to England, and the UK mold was made for ESB production. After that, it was possibly stored under the supervision of Nick Harrison, who rented out storage facilities to the production (see the "carpet picture" of the faceplate next to an Indy whip for reference. I found this pic in the Harrisons storage room at Elstree years ago). Then the faceplate somehow found it's way into Grundberg's collection in France. I can only guess here, but I think that Harrison sold it to Grunberg many years ago.
Is Ron Punters faceplate one of the original Vader faceplates created for ANH? Possible. When I talked to him many years ago, he stated that he painted all OT Vader helmets for the production, and refurbished surviving ESB helmets and armour for ROTJ.
It would be interesting to know if all screen used/production-made ESB Vader faceplates feature cast tabs. The Paul Allen stunt does have them.
Hey Tom
Yes you're right, there are no cast-in tabs on the top of the mask, and yes I agree that all the newly-made helmets made for ESB came from the 'uk mould' which included the tabs. The lower side tubes on Ron's mask have their undercuts filled in exactly like the SL.. this, along with the absence of cast tabs, the same fibreglass matting that Baker used on his tour helmets (including the 'Funeral Pyre helmet I believe, which is also a Baker cast) and a neckline similar to an SL all points, in my opimion, to the mask coming from the 'US mould'. Also the UK mould would have been made during ESB's production for that film and those raw casts given to Ron to finish, however
his facemask was already a completed prop that he was given to
refurbish so had been around before the uk mould was made presumably (which agrees with him calling it a '1976 mask').
The only mould sources we really know of so far are the US and UK ones, and to me there are far too many indicators pointing to the US line for it not to be of Baker lineage. I don't know how one of these ended up back at Elstree, but if one was returned to Lucasfilm after tour use, they may have sent it over for use as an extra helmet in the film?
..and yes, the ring appears to be grey plastic under the paint. I would assume Ron added the the ESB ring, mesh and tusks as part of the refurbishment.