StephanieLM wrote:
Hello!
Link to photos! I couldn’t get the forum to post my photos.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r8npOaLgL7rJRzsp0GwXqSrEluKkb_rbI bought this helmet in the mid 1990s, probably 1994 or 95 from a friend of mine‘s Hollywood memorabilia business, which was called a store called Star Wares on Main (Main Street in Santa Monica). One of her employees sourced it because I wanted a replica Vader helmet. It was sold to me as a pull from the original mold for ANH Vader. They all had very deep sources throughout the entertainment industry, so I never questioned it despite no LOA. It is very large and quite heavy - the size you’d expect it to be for a 6’6” to 7’ character. They were very tightlipped about the source, and I got no information. However, I trusted them implicitly and was pleased with it at the time. Nobody was making replicas then, so it made me very happy to get it. Recently I decided to sell it, and attempted to Positively ID it. My first contact was Jez at starwarshelmets.com. He wasn’t sure, and referred me to The RPF. I got lots of conflicting opinions there, all the way from it’s a fan made piece of junk on up. Some speculated Don Post, Fyberdyne, Ghost Host, etc. Unfortunately, nothing definitive.
Then yesterday I got some very interesting information from a very kind and helpful fellow who sent me the following information. Many text messages presented here in chronological order. Thoughts?
“Not totally sure. You might want to contact Disneyland. That helmet looks like one that was for sale in a glass case, at the Star Tours gift shop. I saw it there around 1993. I almost bought it. As far as I know, if it is that same helmet, was made by Lucasfilm. It was for the Star Tours ride animatronic, but they never used it. It was sent over with a couple Stormtrooper suits that were eventually used in the old people mover ride. Not sure if you've seen them. Anyway you might have something worth a heck of a lot more than you are asking. It would be one of a kind. I'll do some research as well.”
“It's not a great replica. I looked it up and it could be that helmet. You have to remember that back in 1993-95 there wasnt anyone making a fully fiberglass helmet. Lucasfilm produced full stormtroopers armor and darth vader armor for Disneyland back in 1987 for the opening of star tours. The armor was made from castings from ROTJ armor by Lucas film. I'm not sure which casting was used for the DV helmet. Anyway they were given to Disney and they kept them in their costume dept. When they became no longer viable and they purchased higher quality armor most of the old stuff was either destroyed or sold off to collectors. Most of the destroyed items were soft items since they were deteriorating from so much use.
If that is the DV helmet that I remember, it was made by LF. Do you know of anyone that has a fiberglass one piece helmet made by LF. I don't. Except possibly, you. If you don't want to find out, I'll buy this helmet from you at your current price when you get back from your trip. Give me a month to aquire the funds useless someone else buys it.”
“This is what got me thinking.
1. Santa Monica near Disneyland
2. All fiberglass
3. One piece
4. Large, seems oversized.
5. Year, I saw it in 93 for sale at Star Trader gift shop for $1200
You bought it ? 95
Makes me think a collector bought it at Disneyland, realized it wasn't a very good copy and oversized, sold it to you in 95.
That helmet was never meant to be high quality. It just had to get the job done back in 1987. Most people wouldn't know the difference.”
“Here's more info i found
Your helmet is an exceptionally rare, highly sought-after piece of Star Wars merchandising history: it is almost certainly a Don Post Studios "Deluxe" Edition Darth Vader fiberglass helmet.During the mid-1990s, Don Post Studios held the official Lucasfilm license to produce high-end replicas. Disneyland famously stocked and displayed these ultra-premium, high-dollar collectibles inside the Star Traders gift shop (the exit shop for Star Tours) and the Art of Disney gallery.Why Your Helmet is SpecialThe "One-Piece" Modification: In the original movies, Darth Vader's helmet was always a two-piece design consisting of a face mask and a separate matching dome. However, because the heavy fiberglass on the Don Post Deluxe versions made the dome prone to slipping, many collectors, prop makers, and even theme park displays permanently fused, glued, or fiberglassed the two components together into one rigid piece to preserve the perfect screen alignment and prevent damage.The Massive "Screen-Accurate" Scale: The massive size you noted is actually historically accurate! David Prowse, the physical actor who wore the suit in the original trilogy, stood 6'7" tall and possessed a massive bodybuilder frame. To keep the dark lord's proportions looking menacing rather than comical, the original film prop was sculpted to be intentionally oversized. When an average person puts an authentic replica on, it can look comically large, coming down far over the shoulders.Movie Lineage Molds: Unlike cheap modern plastic masks, the mid-90s Don Post Deluxe line was cast directly from an original production mold from The Empire Strikes Back. This gives your fiberglass helmet a direct "bloodline" to the actual screen-used movie props.The Lucasfilm "Flaw": To prevent these replicas from being fraudulently aged and sold as authentic screen-used film props, Lucasfilm Licensing intentionally required Don Post Studios to slightly alter the paint job.”
On your faceplate, you will likely notice that the gunmetal grey and gloss black alternating paint scheme on the cheeks and nose is subtly reversed compared to the film.
The Don Post helmets were limited to 1000 and sold at the Disney stores and Star Trader. Those particular helmets had foam and liners inside them. Also they had a metal tag inside with the issue number. IE. 0025/1000 or whichever number in the series you owned.
Since yours does not have a lining or a tag. You may ask, well then, what is it? Well, Don Post Studios also sent out a limited number with shipment to store locations as store display only. Not to be sold, but for the store to display behind the counter or in display cases.
Not sure what the value is for your helmet, but it was a direct cast of the helmet. Looks like ANH to me not ESB. I hope this explains a lot for you. I have never seen one of the Don Post Deluxe helmets from that era for sale. Who know how many still exist. If yours is a display only helmet, then that would make it even more rare since they were not meant to be sold and typically only one per store. From what I read, not all locations got display models.
I think these helmets are probably the most screen accurate since they were cast off the original, which was meant to go on David Prowse head and he was 6'7" tall. So only 1000 were made, and I would think less than 20 display models were made. Possibly 10 or less would be my guess.”
I would very much like to hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions on this information and my helmet. I was having trouble uploading photos, so if they don’t appear, send me your email and I will send them to you. TIA
Hi I saw your post on RPF. I've been analyzing and collecting Vader helmets for 27 years. Also I have collected quite a few one-off castings over the years and of course the excitement of having one unfortunately usually has to be tempered with the reality of what it actually is, or came from.
In the 90s this kind of mask and helmet appeared occasionally. There's a lineage of the so called Fyberdyne/Ghosthost type of helmets. The Fyberdyne was a modified ANH with a latch on the forehead and anything of that type is very cleaned up, it is also warped in the face, as well as had modifications such as there was so much cleanup that they re-created the nail marks on the top of the cheeks (maybe even an indication of a fan sculpt). The U-shaped part of the nose is also a tell as it's thinner and a distinct shape. If this is from 93-95 it is a very well preserved helmet, although the finishing could have been more recent as well. The Santa Monica lady who said it was from the original mold just was saying that without knowing anything about authenticity. There was a mold made by Roger Sides and JW at the time made castings from that RS mold, cleaned them up and sold them. There's a very good chance that is what this helmet is. Roger made a mold of a Fyberdyne helmet and mask and then cleaned them up since it had the forehead mounting latch. Both Roger and JW worked in the industry and so one of Roger's helmets could have ended up in the store. The Fyberdyne itself could have been an attempt at sculpting something more accurate for the time. But neither it, nor anything from the Sides mold would be considered of authentic lineage, but rather very far removed from any production or touring molds or castings.
It is an ANH-style helmet, but it was certainly not made by LFL. Even if JW was in the industry (and not working for LFL), it would have been a side project, so technically it is "fan-made".
Also, it is definitely not a Don Post Deluxe helmet. Those were based on a ROTJ (not ESB and not directly from a production mold as they are also heavily cleaned up) and were licensed by LFL and made much later than the Fyberdyne lineage. There's no relationship between this casting and a DP Deluxe helmet, or a Rubies for that matter. Also, there were no "display" helmets from the DP line at that time. There was the DP Classic Action which came after the DP Deluxe, and that was it (and then the modified Rubies from a similar source).
There isn't really a "one-piece" Vader helmet. There would always be the mask and helmet (or dome as some call it) cast separately. How they are joined together is just up to the maker, and this one might just be screwed together or have a resin bridge, perhaps to prevent recasting the mask and helmet separately. But there's nothing particularly rare or exceptional about that.
A Fyberdyne copy would not be "massive in size". In fact with the cheek width measurement for example I could tell you where it fits in the entire lineage. That being said, they probably meant large in relationship to the DP toy helmets. But even if it is 1:1 size, that doesn't mean it is directly related to the originals, as in this case it is not, but rather indirectly.
So yours is a nicely finished, likely JW-sourced Fyberdyne copy, which itself was a highly modified, cleaned up version of an earlier casting, or derived from a fan-made sculpt from that time.
It's value would be similar to a Fyberdyne or similar type of casting. Since after that time period there were many other more authentic-sourced and accurate castings that came along, either fan-sourced or licensed (the EFX Legend and Limited are more accurate than a Fyberdyne lineage for example), that tends to undervalue this somewhat, to a more basic ANH helmet fan casting copy, perhaps valued at anywhere between $800-1200 depending on who is interested in helmets from that time period.
cheers,
Thomas
