I would put to anyone who thinks the ring mount is superior this:
Where is the damage on the original ANH screen helmet?
It went through the ANH production and around three years of touring with Kermit....where is the damage?
Even if, as I hypothesize, the tube ends were redone at some point during ANH, whether they actually got damaged we don't know. And from the shoot, from what we see onscreen, apart from tube end length differences that might be real or not, there doesn't appear to be any damage to the mask on account of the tab system. Any damage would occur to the dome and sure we see it flying off during the saber duel behind the scenes but look at how well IT STAYED ON during the actual fight sequences we do see onscreen. And from what I can tell, there might have been an early dome during the fight sequences, then they changed the dome and that one dome stayed the same for the rest of the ANH production. So where is all this damage?
Sure for ESB Anderson needed a more secure fitting but honestly who is going to fight like that in their Vader suit when they troop?
So the issue about it not being secure enough I think doesn't hold water. If you manufacture the tabs properly then for normal use they would work. And in fact, when you have a completely rigid mount, there is greater risk of damage to the dome as there is no give on an impact of the armor. I've worn a Vader suit a lot in trooping conditions and I can attest to this. If I had a completely rigid mount, the dome would have been chipped or cracked on impact instead of just being dislodged slightly and if it is then usually it won't fly off right away and you can hang onto it and remount it.
That is what the tabs were designed for, to secure something in place and if in the event they are forced to separate they can without damage to the mount.
