Unlimited Run Quasimodo - ANH / ESB / ROTJ Darth Vader helmet

bookface

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hey everyone, welcome to the second helmet project from myself and CSMacLaren!

If you'd like to a brief overview of the history of this helmet and its build story, check out post #45 on this thread New Vader ANH helmet

The helmet is essentially a heavily modified GH face mask (with Ghost Host's permission), paired with an equally heavily reworked Don Post Classic Action dome.

Please read all the info below if you are interested in buying one of these helmets, I've tried to be as comprehensive as possible.

WHO MAY PARTICIPATE

Mac and I would like a post count of at least 40 and that you've been on the boards for some time - so that we have some comfort that you are aware that illicit recasting is wrong, and acquiring props for known recasters to pirate and profit off of is wrong.

There may be people who create a user ID just to participate in an auction, and their purpose is to pirate what they purchase - or it may be a friend acquiring it for someone else who illicitly pirates fanmade props for his own gain. A recaster making money off of this helmet means we are less and less able to achieve our humanitarian goal of helping the lady at the heart of these projects.

If you fall short of this criteria, we're not unreasonable. Tell us about yourself and that you do not support recasting and that you will pledge to protect this helmet from falling into the wrong hands. We want to hear where you're coming from, so please don't just see the restrictions and think "Oh well, they'll never sell to me."

Additionally, we can take the following into consideration:

1. A longtime trustworthy member of the RPF will vouch for you
2. If you frequent another discussion board that does NOT support recasting, we can take that into account as well
3. A 501st Garrison Commander vouching for you and pledging that his detachment does not support recasting

QUESTIONS & CONTACT INFO

Any questions pertaining to ordering, shipping, paint, etc. please contact me regarding ordering.

Mac (CSMacLaren) is only the contributing sculptor but is available to answer art- and sculpting-related questions only. (If you use the Forum's e-mail feature, BE SURE to check your Junk/Spam folder and to mark RPF messages as "Not Spam / Not Junk").

WHAT YOU'RE GETTING

These helmets will only be sold as complete, painted helmets ready to display. There will be no unpainted kits available for this helmet. If you want to paint your own, please consider Darth Ugly! I will not part them out, so please don't ask if you can have just a dome, or just a facemask. They are fibreglass, I use epoxy resin with twill weave fibreglass cloth, and finish the inside of both dome and mask with a final slush cast of resin for a nice surface finish. The tusks are custom machined to my own design in stainless steel.

SCULPT, PAINT & FINISHING

ANH
The intention with Quasimodo was to try and hit a much more screen accurate look than Darth Ugly. The new (and totally different) sculpt for the face and the dome have been paired with a paint finish that tried to emulate the roughness and worn look of the original. This is most definitely not a "Darth Ugly Mk II". Although it may look like I've simply painted a mask and then thrown it down a few flights of stairs, all the wear to it is planned and precise, and based on how Vader appears on the Tantive IV at the start of A New Hope. As is seen in screen shots of that scene, the dome appears shiny but also somewhat hazy, so while there are some hard reflections that you would only see from something polished and glossy, from other angles these same reflections appear fairly muted, giving the dome a more satin or matt finish. This too has been replicated.

ESB
The faceplate is the same sculpt as ANH, the only difference being the enlarged chin triangle. The dome has been modified for ESB obviously, but the main difference is the paint and finishing. No brushed gunmetal, and the clear coat is a 2 pack polyurethane clear.

ROTJ
Some sculpted changes to the face for ROTJ, mainly where the cheeks/whiskers transition into the nose. The midstrip to the dome has also been reworked to represent the changes made for ROTJ.


PRICE

Helmets are $895. If you will be using it for trooping with the 501st them there is an optional hard hat liner and other accessories that can be added, please mention this when you contact me.

Shipping to the US and Canada is $105, though I will need to double check post codes to make sure there are no extra delivery costs, as UPS sometimes charges an extra fee if they deem your location a remote delivery area. On that subject, I use UPS as standard and pack pretty solidly to stand whatever they throw at it, but if you would prefer a different delivery service then just let me know, though shipping costs will be higher. UPS is the cheapest I've found.

Shipping to Europe is $40, UK $19. I'm happy to accept payment in € or £ as well.

If this price is a little rich for you (I'm well aware it's not the kind of money you're likely to find between the couch cushions!), please do consider Darth Ugly, my other Vader helmet. It's more of a budget offering with a few compromises that haven't been made with Quasimodo, but still an excellent helmet.

And finally, pics of what you're getting. If you like the look of it displayed with the armour then please check out the link to my armour thread in my signature at the bottom of the post:

ANH

ANH_Quasi1.jpg

ANH_Quasi2.jpg

ANH_Quasi5.jpg

View attachment IMG_3927a.jpg

ESB

ESB_Quasi1.jpg

ESB_Quasi3.jpg

ESB_Quasi6.jpg

Quasibust3.jpg

ROTJ

quasi_rotj1.jpg

quasi_rotj2.jpg

quasi_rotj5.jpg

Quasibust4.jpg
 
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Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I'm actually very interested in one of these, but I've got a couple of other ongoing projects that I need to get paid off first. Hopefully they will be available for a while. :cool
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

INCREDIBLE.

Free bump for this beauty. Wish I could afford it but I'm happy with my Ugly and I've got tons of other projects in the pipeline. But then again....:)
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

Can you show or describe the mounting mechanism between faceplate and dome? I'm particularly curious about its adjustability. Thanks!
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

It's very similar to the eFX mounting system, the top of the face mask essentially fits into a ring that is mounted to the inside of the dome. It doesn't really allow for much in the way of adjustability, though there is a little bit of play in it that would allow you to position it a few mm higher or lower. How much adjustability were you looking for?
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I really like to look of that helmet. I've had several over the years and sold them all. I need to find some spare cash somewhere to purchase this.
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

It's very similar to the eFX mounting system, the top of the face mask essentially fits into a ring that is mounted to the inside of the dome. It doesn't really allow for much in the way of adjustability, though there is a little bit of play in it that would allow you to position it a few mm higher or lower. How much adjustability were you looking for?

Bantha,

In general, bookface and I work closely and study dome positionings via photos until something feels optimal for a particular sculpt. It's part of the artistic vision. I'm hesitant of modifications because some people might request them out of misconceptions of how the prop may have appeared, not to mention it veers from the artist's original intent.
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I appreciate where your coming from, and I do believe the dome positioning you've chosen is optimal. A few millimeters of play is really all I would want. And to be sure it's not bolted on or anything too permanently fixed. What can I say I'm one who likes to tinker with slightly different dome positioning from time to time to replicate a particular movie scene or just to give it a different look. But that would not detract from retaining a default positioning which retains the artist's vision.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I think you'd be fine with the amount of adjustability there is. There's enough play to allow you to bring the widows peak down a little, or to expose a little more of the eyebrows, but if you were trying to get it even halfway to say, an ESB look with the eyebrows totally exposed, that's not gonna happen. My goal with each helmet will be to set it so that it naturally settles into the look pictured. Any variation on that will be a conscious effort on the part of the owner to replicate a specific look from ANH.
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

Bantha,

There's definitely a variety of looks in ANH. Sometimes camera angle, camera proximity, lighting direction and shadow play a lot with our perceptions. There are times where the dome looks very low, but that may also because of Prowse's head's forward tilt. There are times where the helmet looks like it's barely hanging on, and those are more "wardrobe malfunctions" which, as you'd understand, isn't part of the artistic vision for this helmet.

In the world of Vader, even a few millimeters can have great impact. Given the proportions of mask and dome, the trick is "not too high" and "not too low" but what's "juuuussst right" for this particular sculpt, and I do believe bookface has it down for Quasimodo. :cheers
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I really want one of these......might have to sort out a deposit and payment plan or something.....

Rich
 
Re: Quasimodo - ANH Darth Vader helmet

I know it's early, but whenever you and Mac get an ESB version of this, consider me in. Can put down deposit anytime.
 

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