Need help with an MR helmet

[Cenobyte]

Hello,
I received this personally as a gift from Master Replicas at least 15 or more years ago.
The plaque shows it to be an Artist proof.
I have a question to see if this might possibly be a production sample, or what it could be.
I have checked around, and have not seen any clean versions out there to composted to.
One issue is the lens. It appears to have been tinted after. All other MR helmets have just smoked lenses that have not been tinted.
Also, around the lens is a little rough. All of my other helmets from them are smooth.
As you can see in the pictures, the external tint has bubbled.
Any help would truly be appreciated.
Thank you for your time,
Brandon

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Hey Brandon!

Are you asking for comparison by people that own this helmet if they have the same issue or are you asking for help to correct the issues? I can’t help either way. I am just interested in the topic.

 

[Cenobyte]

I am trying to see if this issue is normal, or if this is possibly a production sample.
As I had mentioned, every other MR helmet I have seen does not have external tint on the lens, and the roughness around the lens.
Great to see you on here still MJF!

 

[Riceball]

I could be wrong but the "issue" is in the name, Artist Proof. This suggests to me that is something of a prototype of sorts, hence the flaws.

 

[jkno]

I could be wrong but the "issue" is in the name, Artist Proof. This suggests to me that is something of a prototype of sorts, hence the flaws.

Master Replicas Artist Proof items are identical to the regular ones, just a simple AP plaque instead of a numbered one added later.

 

[Darth Lars]

An "artist proof" is a prototype sent to the intellectual property holder's licensing department for final approval. It is supposed to represent what the mass-produced article is going to be like.

(I only know because we've seen several artist proofs of various Star Wars props and helmet replicas on the forum throughout the years.)

 

[teecrooz]

Many Limited Edition runs also have Artist Proof items that aren’t prototypes or approval copies. Say the LE run of 100 sells out. The artist or company still likes to allow its members, people who worked on it, or more currently social media influencers, to get a copy outside of the edition size. These are usually identical to the run as they are produced at the same time.

MR, RS, EFX, Regal Robot, etc all do this.

 

[AJK001]

I have a couple of MR Artist Proofs and as far as I can tell there is no difference between them and the final product. At one time it was common to see MR Artist Proofs being offered for sale.

 

[Treadwell]

What's different about the tint isn't evident in the photos. Are you saying the regular run had visors made out of tinted plastic, but yours is clear with a film on it?

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

Not sure if you saw this but there is some interesting info especially about timeline of release of the clone trooper helmets...

Master Replicas Clone Trooper Helmets

 

[jkno]

An "artist proof" is a prototype sent to the intellectual property holder's licensing department for final approval. It is supposed to represent what the mass-produced article is going to be like.

(I only know because we've seen several artist proofs of various Star Wars props and helmet replicas on the forum throughout the years.)

In fact that is not the case with Master Replicas or EFX. See my post above yours or teecrooz's. There was even an old post on Rebelscum explaining what AP's are, IIRC Amy from MR explained for the forum members.

 

[Darth Lars]

In fact that is not the case with Master Replicas or EFX. See my post above yours or teecrooz's. There was even an old post on Rebelscum explaining what AP's are, IIRC Amy from MR explained for the forum members.

Ah, but that was what it used to mean, before MR started using the term for other things, wouldn't you agree?

 

[jkno]

Ah, but that was what it used to mean, before MR started using the term for other things, wouldn't you agree?

Indeed. Sideshow and some other companies have the same policy. AP's are now given to collaborators, to people who helped developing the item, to people involved in production, promotion etc. They are the regular item with an AP plaque

 

[Cenobyte]

What's different about the tint isn't evident in the photos. Are you saying the regular run had visors made out of tinted plastic, but yours is clear with a film on it?

Yes

 

[Cenobyte]

Thank you all for your help!!