What's puzzling about the Disney Luke is that it has many differences from the Black Series, but has enough in common to suggest they had a mutual starting point in the production process. It seems inefficient to me that one production run did some reinventing of the wheel, re-doing the perfectly fine work of the other, but these things happen.
I do not have the original Black Series Luke, but from photos I've seen it's exactly the same as the Wedge that I do have, except for deco of course.
Differences in no particular order:
1. The bump on the sides toward the back: Black Series Wedge is taller, Disney Luke is more defined. The bump on the originals is from vacuforming over a round-headed screw that exists on the APH helmet. They hold on a strap that goes around the back of the neck. Due to the vacuforming, the original bumps were more gradual (replicated on my conversion).
2. The bump on the sides just behind the boxes: on an APH, these are attachment points for the oxygen mask. They are held on by a rivet, which is the bump behind it. Again, the bump is more subtle on the vacuformed props. The rivet is centered along the part on the APH. On both replica helmets, the bump is not centered, but are off-center in opposite directions. The bump is missing altogether on the wearer's left side of the Black Series.
3. More on these boxes: the Black series is about the correct width. The Disney is a little too narrow. They are both too tall, however: Black series is about 1/16" too tall, and the Disney 1/8" too tall compared to the APH part. Also, the holes are bigger and spaced closer together on the Disney---the Black Series is more accurate in that respect.
4. The activation button for the sounds is concealed in the box on the wearer's right for the Black Series; wearer's left on the Disney.
5. The Disney lacks the extra strip of plastic on top of the mowhawk.
6. The boxlike cap at the front of the mowhawk is smaller on the Disney.
7. Chin cups: Black series has bumps both above and below the strap. (Onscreen there is only an upper one.) Disney has no bumps.
8. The interior shells are different. The Black Series has molded detail suggesting a quilted pattern. The Disney is smooth plastic. The locations of the battery compartments and speakers are also different. It would be interesting to compare the PCBs inside, but I haven't disassembled them.
9. Disney Luke has silver weathering "paint chips", suggesting the helmets are supposed to be metal, which is not true even in-universe I don't think. They certainly didn't use silver weathering on the props.
10. Black Series visor is fixed in lowered position. Disney visor is retractable.
Overall the Black Series is superior, but most of the Disney deficiencies are minor, and it has a big plus in the form of the retractable visor, and being currently more obtainable in the first place.
(These have my own weathering on them, for good or ill---the released products are much cleaner.)
I do not have the original Black Series Luke, but from photos I've seen it's exactly the same as the Wedge that I do have, except for deco of course.
Differences in no particular order:
1. The bump on the sides toward the back: Black Series Wedge is taller, Disney Luke is more defined. The bump on the originals is from vacuforming over a round-headed screw that exists on the APH helmet. They hold on a strap that goes around the back of the neck. Due to the vacuforming, the original bumps were more gradual (replicated on my conversion).
2. The bump on the sides just behind the boxes: on an APH, these are attachment points for the oxygen mask. They are held on by a rivet, which is the bump behind it. Again, the bump is more subtle on the vacuformed props. The rivet is centered along the part on the APH. On both replica helmets, the bump is not centered, but are off-center in opposite directions. The bump is missing altogether on the wearer's left side of the Black Series.
3. More on these boxes: the Black series is about the correct width. The Disney is a little too narrow. They are both too tall, however: Black series is about 1/16" too tall, and the Disney 1/8" too tall compared to the APH part. Also, the holes are bigger and spaced closer together on the Disney---the Black Series is more accurate in that respect.
4. The activation button for the sounds is concealed in the box on the wearer's right for the Black Series; wearer's left on the Disney.
5. The Disney lacks the extra strip of plastic on top of the mowhawk.
6. The boxlike cap at the front of the mowhawk is smaller on the Disney.
7. Chin cups: Black series has bumps both above and below the strap. (Onscreen there is only an upper one.) Disney has no bumps.
8. The interior shells are different. The Black Series has molded detail suggesting a quilted pattern. The Disney is smooth plastic. The locations of the battery compartments and speakers are also different. It would be interesting to compare the PCBs inside, but I haven't disassembled them.
9. Disney Luke has silver weathering "paint chips", suggesting the helmets are supposed to be metal, which is not true even in-universe I don't think. They certainly didn't use silver weathering on the props.
10. Black Series visor is fixed in lowered position. Disney visor is retractable.
Overall the Black Series is superior, but most of the Disney deficiencies are minor, and it has a big plus in the form of the retractable visor, and being currently more obtainable in the first place.
(These have my own weathering on them, for good or ill---the released products are much cleaner.)
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