Hey guys,
I have a degree in graphic design, had a few graphic design jobs for the better part of 15 years, then fell bassackwards into photography - wedding and food photography. Been loving being my own boss ever since.
I've been an avid reader of numerous Star Wars costuming forums for the past several weeks. I saw the Original SW when I was eight, and I came home wide-eyed with my imagination running wild. later that year, one of my grade school friends came to school with (from what I can remember) a real stormtrooper helmet. I've been hooked on that helmet ever since. I have no idea if it was a real helmet or not, but from my eight year old eyes, it had that authentic look that department store 'masks' just couldn't duplicate. Because of that, I could never bring myself to buying a Stormtrooper mask or helmet that wasn't like the original. I wanted the real thing.
Then Empire Strikes Back came out, and I was hooked on Vader's new helmet - more so than the original ANH helmet. Something with the higher dome brow showing off the mask brows giving it more of stylized/sculpted skull appearance. It just looks wicked awesome. Rinse and repeat - I could never bring myself to buying a Vader mask or helmet that wasn't like the original. I wanted the real deal.
Fast forward a bit, and I started seeing new replicas that looked incredibly close, and there were times I was ready to buy, but at the time they were too expensive for my pocketbook. I thought about these two helmets on and off for a long time.
Then....The Force Awakens. Boom! I was eight years old all over again - something the second trilogy could never recapture in me. Even better, I now that I have a two year old and a four year old, and watching them dive into and get all crazy excited over the Star Wars Universe has amped it all up that much more. It's so. much. fun. So now, thanks to TFA and my kids, I've been searching, hawking and researching for these helmets again.
It's ridiculous how far they've come in the last 15 or so years. The one Vader helmet that kept showing up on my searches was the Efx ANH Vader Limited Edition. It's selling for around $1,800 on eBay every now and then. It's not exactly what I want, but if there wasn't anything else available, I'd probably consider it. I'd even consider the Legend edition even more so.
As I continued to google away, I found so many prop and costuming forums, and that opened the flood gate to all sorts of options. I found Anovos, which incidentally is located right down the interstate from me. So I put an OT Stormtrooper helmet on pre-order before Christmas, but have since cancelled it - it's allegedly going to take until March to get to me anyway - and that's if it there aren't any delays. As I continued to search I found RS Prop Masters, and I have a helmet in my cart. If I'm going to get a helmet, and I've waited 38 years, I might as well get a direct descendant.
Now I'm on the prowl for a good ESB Vader helmet. I've narrowed it down to two. Anovos. Their ESB Helmet looks incredibly promising if you look at the example they show with their full costuming photos. They have taken a few liberties here and there, but that helmet as that ESB 'look'. ...and those little details above the mask eyebrows are a nice little kicker. The dome mounting system seems brilliant - another nice perk.
Then there's the Quasimodo II ESB. It's another tremendous example that has that ESB 'look' I'm after. Being a designer/photographer, I'm liking the handcrafted fan-made helmets more and more. It's a labor of love I truly appreciate, it's nearly impossible to overlook that notion. I also love some of the proceeds go to disabled SW fan - something I'd love to be a part of.
So... that's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL
