ANOVOS Darth Vader

ok, I do some of the work for you but you could have searched a little bit. ;)

here a the thread explaining the V2 quasimodo,
https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=229882&highlight=quasimodo

you'll see it's based on something and improved on. This is an artistic recreation of the feel of the movie helmet. It's not cast on a movie prop, for that you'll have to see CFO (cast from original), and you'll have to pay even more for that. there is a run in the junkyard for finished helmet for the esb version.

You seem to be quite in a hurry to buy that Helmet, I would advise to take your time, search, make sure this is what you want and in the meantime, you get more posts on the rpf, be known a little bit more and then maybe Bookface will add you to his list. But you can also contact him and discuss with him, and you could still be accepted. Just be a bit patient. For the story, I joined the rpf for the quasimodo helmet! I was like "I'll never manage to get my 40 posts count, how will I do that?". I totally forgot about that, got lost into all the props and marvellous stuff on the forum and after a few month I had 100 messages. At this point, a quasimodo helmet was for sale in the junkyard and I had the huge chance to buy it! I just was patient, and everything worked out, I'm very in love with that helmet and couldn't be happier, I'll soon be in contact with Bookface now to ask him if it's possible to get an armour for my helmet. :)
 
My understanding of the CFO helmet is that it is based on a helmet that was given to someone that worked at Lucasfilm. The helmet was in pretty bad shape so significant clean up was needed to make the reproductions look like the screen used ones. It appears to have lineage to a helmet made by Lucasfilm but it isn't actually an exact cast of the helmet and the helmet was not a screen used helmet.

There were some exact casts which included the damage, paint drips, etc of the original helmet given to the person but they were limited.

Search for CFO ROTJ to see some threads about it.

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My understanding of the CFO helmet is that it is based on a helmet that was given to someone that worked at Lucasfilm. The helmet was in pretty bad shape so significant clean up was needed to make the reproductions look like the screen used ones. It appears to have lineage to a helmet made by Lucasfilm but it isn't actually an exact cast of the helmet and the helmet was not a screen used helmet.

There were some exact casts which included the damage, paint drips, etc of the original helmet given to the person but they were limited.

Search for CFO ROTJ to see some threads about it.

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The CFO Vader helmet do be more accurate is a copy of a casting that came from the very same molds the screen used were cast from. During production a cast was made and then given to a crew member who passed away in the mid 90's. The current owner came out with it recently and allowed copies of it to be sold off.

The mold the casting came from was the UK production mold that produced the screen used for ESB and ROTJ helmets. This casting proved the face masks were just modded from the ANH faces as the casting was an ANH face right down to the small triangle vent on the chin(although the vent wasn't part of the sculpt, but it didnt have a large one sculpted in thus tying the face directly to ANH.)

Other then the crude finish having to be removed the CFO Vader helmet is a copy of the ROTJ screen helmets(Not directly albeit, but both the GS casting and screen helmets hark back from the same molds). You can not get any better then that for a ROTJ helmet. Im on the list for a finished helmet. Im just waiting on Mark to give the go ahead to send the payment.

Mark has researched the paint and the finish as much as he possibly can to make his helmets as accurate to the finished screen copies as possible. He has stated that he used the same original paint brand Ron Punter has used on the screen helmets.
 
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The CFO Vader helmet do be more accurate is a copy of a casting that came from the very same molds the screen used were cast from. During production a cast was made and then given to a crew member who passed away in the mid 90's. The current owner came out with it recently and allowed copies of it to be sold off.

The mold the casting came from was the UK production mold that produced the screen used for ESB and ROTJ helmets. This casting proved the face masks were just modded from the ANH faces as the casting was an ANH face right down to the small triangle vent on the chin(although the vent wasn't part of the sculpt, but it didnt have a large one sculpted in thus tying the face directly to ANH.)

Other then the crude finish having to be removed the CFO Vader helmet is a copy of the ROTJ screen helmets(Not directly albeit, but both the GS casting and screen helmets hark back from the same molds). You can not get any better then that for a ROTJ helmet. Im on the list for a finished helmet. Im just waiting on Mark to give the go ahead to send the payment.

Mark has researched the paint and the finish as much as he possibly can to make his helmets as accurate to the finished screen copies as possible. He has stated that he used the same original paint brand Ron Punter has used on the screen helmets.
I don't doubt the quality of the CFO ROTJ helmet, but if the finish of what was cast needs to be redone because of how poorly the item being cast was finished, I think calling it "cast from original" is misleading. It certainly isn't a warts and all cast of an original screen used helmet. Some skill and creativity of the person producing the CFO cleaned up version was introduced as opposed to the true casts that they produced in limited quantities.

It is a cleaned up cast of a helmet with Lucasfilm lineage which can't be said about many helmets.

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There are very few people out there that would be interested in purchasing a helmet that was directly cast from an original screen used helmet. They are beat all the crap, and not in very good shape these days. CFO helmets can trace their lineage directly to a screen used helmet, but Bookface and CSMacLaren have created a helmet that is as screen accurate as anything you can buy out there. I believe they used their sculpt in Rogue one as well.
 
Thank you once again to everyone who has taken the time to help give me advice with this. I really did try to do as much searching on the forums as I could about this stuff but the thread that eethan posted didn't show up in my search results. It did help give me more of a back story as to how the Quasimodo helmets were created. And he was right that I should take my time and investigate things more before making a huge purchase. Unfortunately I'm not allowed that luxury though. I'm a husband and father of two daughters. Usually any spare money I have after bills are paid and the pantry is stocked up I save for my wife and daughters. I rarely ever get to buy anything for myself. It's just my natural instinct to try and put my familys needs first. Here in the US it's tax refund season so I have a little bit more expendable income than I normally would. It just happens that right now I have a small window of opportunity to try and treat myself to something and have always wanted a really good Vader helmet replica for my Star Wars collection. So I thought I'd give it the old college try.

Everyone herehas been very helpful and has given me solid advice. There are lots of good options out there and a lot of it depends on personal tastes and what people are looking for. I am going to rule out the Anovos helmet as an option. So I have narrowed it down to the efx ANH helmet or a Bookface Darth Ugly or Quasimodo ESB helmet if he is willing to work with me on one. The CFOs from sskunky look very nice as well but there seems to be a waiting list to even be considered for one. I could sit and compare pictures and screen shots for days but everything looks different depending on what film you're looking at, what scene, lighting, angle, what helmet variation, original screen used helmet or promotional helmet .... that's why I was hoping some of you guys could help because there are definitely people on these forums that know way more about this stuff than I do. I'm sorry if I am bringing this thread way off topic. I really do appreciate all the help and advice you guys have given me.
 
I don't doubt the quality of the CFO ROTJ helmet, but if the finish of what was cast needs to be redone because of how poorly the item being cast was finished, I think calling it "cast from original" is misleading. It certainly isn't a warts and all cast of an original screen used helmet. Some skill and creativity of the person producing the CFO cleaned up version was introduced as opposed to the true casts that they produced in limited quantities.

It is a cleaned up cast of a helmet with Lucasfilm lineage which can't be said about many helmets.

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Its a 30+ year old prop. What 30+ year old prop doesnt need any kind of restoration work? Its no different then the actual screen used. They would need work done to make the new castings looking like the screen did 30+ years ago.

The helmet still has the exact same shape of the UK mold(how many other helmets can say that?), the shape, gemoetry is there. No major re sculpting was needed to be done. It was all there, only thing holding it back was the bad finish....like I said props that old more often then not need reworked for a restoration.

I look at the CFO helmet as a restoration done to an original helmet.
 
If you're looking for a helmet that you can purchase right away, the EFX is a beautiful helmet. Anything else is going to require about 6 months of waiting.
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Thank you for sharing your pic Brothervader. The efx helmet does look gorgeous and makes a beautiful display piece. I think I might be leaning more towards ordering one of those. I did try to contact Bookface and surprisingly he did respond to me. He said he would be willing to make up an ESB Vader helmet replica for me. I followed up to get more info. Then he went dark on me so I don't know if I did or said something to upset him. Or he could just be very busy as his work seems very in demand on the forums.
 
I have personally purchased items from Bookface. Sometimes he responds immediately, and sometimes it's a few days later. He's incredibly busy but he eventually always response back. You definitely can't go wrong with one of his helmets.
 
Unfortunately I'm not allowed that luxury though. I'm a husband and father of two daughters. Usually any spare money I have after bills are paid and the pantry is stocked up I save for my wife and daughters. I rarely ever get to buy anything for myself. It's just my natural instinct to try and put my familys needs first. Here in the US it's tax refund season so I have a little bit more expendable income than I normally would. It just happens that right now I have a small window of opportunity to try and treat myself to something and have always wanted a really good Vader helmet replica for my Star Wars collection. So I thought I'd give it the old college try.
Not my place to tell anyone else how to spend their money, but if I was in this situation, I’d stop to consider whether I could really afford any of these options right now. You mention the idea of a “small window” of time in which to pick up something you’ve always wanted- it’s definitely worth considering if the best option might be waiting and saving up some extra cash that isn’t going to be needed later for something else. Spending a significant chunk of change on something most other people won’t consider important can also cause a lot of familial/spousal tension, which is always worth avoiding.

I can say with confidence that in this hobby it sometimes seems like time is of the essence in obtaining something, but for the most part there will always be some new offering coming along that may even exceed what’s come before.

Good luck in your search-
 
Not my place to tell anyone else how to spend their money, but if I was in this situation, I’d stop to consider whether I could really afford any of these options right now. You mention the idea of a “small window” of time in which to pick up something you’ve always wanted- it’s definitely worth considering if the best option might be waiting and saving up some extra cash that isn’t going to be needed later for something else. Spending a significant chunk of change on something most other people won’t consider important can also cause a lot of familial/spousal tension, which is always worth avoiding.

I can say with confidence that in this hobby it sometimes seems like time is of the essence in obtaining something, but for the most part there will always be some new offering coming along that may even exceed what’s come before.

Good luck in your search-
Amen Brother!
 
Not my place to tell anyone else how to spend their money, but if I was in this situation, I’d stop to consider whether I could really afford any of these options right now. You mention the idea of a “small window” of time in which to pick up something you’ve always wanted- it’s definitely worth considering if the best option might be waiting and saving up some extra cash that isn’t going to be needed later for something else. Spending a significant chunk of change on something most other people won’t consider important can also cause a lot of familial/spousal tension, which is always worth avoiding.

I can say with confidence that in this hobby it sometimes seems like time is of the essence in obtaining something, but for the most part there will always be some new offering coming along that may even exceed what’s come before.

Good luck in your search-


Many thanks again to all who have took the time to offer to offer me advice. I should maybe try to clarify my situation a bit though it may be boring and meaningless to most. I'm not really a wealthy man but I do my best to try and take care of my family and always put their needs first. Most Americans know around this time is tax refund season and traditionally in my family it's a time to catch up on things, get my daughters things that they need, maybe book vacation for some quality family time, pamper my wife some and stash some money away for the girls and to have a little extra cushion in the bank. And we always agree to set a little bit aside so that we can treat ourselves to something cool that we would like to have or things that we need.

My wife is really awesome. She is also a Star Wars fan and she she knows that I'm a collector and she actually tries to encourageme to treat myself to things because I work hard and hardly ever do anything just for myself. And for many years I have considered purchasing a really good Vader helmet because it's something I've wished I could have since I was a kid. But typically what happens is after the pie has been cut up and divided everyone else has spent or reserved their slices while I try to save mine for something cool and then inevitably what happens is I end up spending my slice on the girls and my wife because I like to see them happy and always put their happiness before my own.

It just so happens that this year my return is a little bit more than we normally would get and it's been a really rough year for me. I won't get into any sob stories here and bore everyone but my wife is trying to encourage me to actually treat myself to something this year. But just because of my nature I feel slightly guilty for doing so. However if I were to shell out a decent amount of money on a good Darth Vader helmet my wife would not be upset with me and it wouldn't cause any marital problems. She would probably actually think it's really cool and admire it ( almost ) as much as I would. The limited window of time I was referring to is sort of self imposed only because I know that if I don't pull the trigger on something soon then I know I'll end up just saying, "oh well, I'll spend it on the ladies. Maybe try again next year" because that's what I do every year. When I said I had to do something before my wife blows through all the money I meant it in a humorous context. And I have been trying to take my time and do as much research as I can with the little free time that I have.

Im totally willing to wait 6 months for a trustworthy artist to do their craft after I have made payment for something. I can see that Bookface is very passionate about his craft and puts the kind of loving care, dedication and attention to detail in his work that only a real Star Wars fan would bother to do. And his work is very respected by a lot of collectors. So I definitely would be willing to try and save up a little extra for the extra mile of authenticity. I am a collector and prop enthusiasts and have been a reader of these forums for a long time but trying to take care of a teenager and a toddler and my wife takes a lot of time and energy so I don't have a whole lot of leisure time to keep up with everything on the boards so that's why I thought I would just ask the community for advice since there are a lot of folks on here who know a lot more about what's available out there and how they all stack up against each other. There are memebers who have many Vader helmets in their collection that they can compare to each other in person and might be able to give me some insight. That was my hope anyway. Everyone who has replied to me has given me some solid advice and it does mean a lot to me that you have taken the time to try and help me out. I was able to rule out the Anovos helmet from the running. Right now I'm divided between an efx helmet or scraping up a little extra money and getting a Quasimodo helmet. If there are any members who happen to own both that would be willing to share their opinions, insights, pros and cons etc. to both helmets that would be helpful. I apologize again if I have steered this thread way off topic.
 
I was in a quite same situation a few months/years ago. I always found that a beautifull Vader Helmet is always great on display and i always been fan of the character of Vader but like you, i'm not very rich and in the past, putting 700 or 800 $ in a prop or collectible was not a realist option.

I discovered the work of Maclaren more than ten years ago with Darth Ugly and always found their work amazing!
It right to say that it is always hard to choose a Vader helmet in the variety of proposals on the market for an untrained eye to say what is a good Vader helmet and what is not, but the work of Mac had always resonated in a special way for me.
I lost its trace during a few years and the desire of buying an helmet got put on the side.

But about two years ago i felt on the quasimodo project, and absolutly felt in love with the work of Mac and Bookface. I spent hours and hours completly glued on my screen and hypnotised by the perfection of the design, the realism and the unique presence of this helmet no matter of origin of molds or cast lineage... But beyond of the beauty, i think that what sitcked me out the most was the passion and the human adventure that gave life to these magnificients creations.
I contacted Mac just to congratulate him and have furthers informations. In our discussion he gave me the price range as i did not have idea and immediatly understood that for the moment it wasn't something i could afford.

I could have took an EFX PCR, that is for me the best Vader Helmet offer at this price, or an Anovos that seems preatty good but when i look at this last, i have the feeling that, like someone said very well previously, i look at Vader's cousin. Quasimodo is Vader...
So i passed on the EFX and Anovos and decided to save by knowing that a day, maybe, i could offer me one. But i kept in touch with Mac during several months, speaking of his work, the way he is creating the molds, discussing of the psychology of the character etc...

And about a year after, life gave me a helping hand. I knew that it was the time for me to order but even if i was member on the rpf, i did not have enough post. I recognize that, even if i read you very often, i do not post often because i'm french and English is not my language so i'm always afraid to be not understood and that it could be boring for you to read me...
I had a good feeling with Mac, he gave me the contact of Bookface. I contacted him, explained him all the good i thought of its work and took the time to explain him why i would be honored if he would accept to make an ESB helmet for me.

Sorry i was very long but all that was to say that between the time when i seriously considered buying a good 1.1 Vader replica and the moment i'll receive my Quasimodo ESB, it will happened almost two years...and no regret. My collecting journey has evolved a lot, such as my mind.
I saved, reduced my collection, sold all my SW figures, stormies and Vader included, focused on what was really essential and what wasn't because i think this sort of piece deserve it.
So take the time, mature your feelings and your choices, save if necessary and the time will come to enjoy and to maybe, you too, be part of a unique and exciting human adventure, more enlightening than a mass produced item...
It's just my personal feeling.
 
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Thank you shout out to Rondesmo for sharing your story and experiences with me. Without a doubt the Quasimodo helmet is the most beautifully crafted Vader helmet replica I have come across and I would absolutely love to have one in my collection. It is a little bit out of my price range but I am going to try and maybe sell some things from my collection and save up for one because I do feel the extra money is worth the excellence in craftsmanship and I believe in supporting artists who put so much care and dedication to their work. We are lucky to have artists like CSMacLaren and Bookface dedicating their time and talents to help make lots of Star Wars fans dreams come true. I hope to someday add my name to that list of happy fans.
 
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The Quasimodo is a very nicely sculpted helmet out there. A lot of hard work was put into it and I will not deny that. But there are more accurate helmets out there for around the same price.

JMC if he still makes helmets is a lot nicer for around $675. And if you can come across a Darth Stone helmet snag it up. Its the most accurate you can get in the 800-900 dollar range.

And if you really want to save your pennies and get the ultimate Vader helmet with direct ties to the production film mold that produced the screen used, CFO is the go to guy. He currently offers the most accurate ROTJ in my opinion out there.
 
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