Thanks guys.
Well, I can understand why the previous version was done as a carved foam master instead of a print. Not even sure the printing tech was as advanced then as it is now. I certainly reckon it was an insanely lot more expensive. Milling/carving a master is just cheaper and if you are not as interested in the surface details as I am - and several others - but more interested in the overall shape of the piece, then it's not a big loss.
I've tried with vac-formed helmets. They just didn't do it for me in terms of matching the exact look of the original, be it the alterations made to the molds, the forming, the plastic, the way I utterly sucked at putting them together... and with the HDPE... to actually have to paint that after hearing the horror stories... NO RUTTIN' WAY. That's just not for me. Kudos to the talented and patient people who marvel at that.
Anyway, here are some shots for those able to appreciate this piece for what it is and not for what it isn't. This is not the original. This is just a damn fine representation of that particular original with details not seen reproduced before.
Removed at demand.