When there's controversy, I try to argue both sides and hope the Force lies in the balance of the two extremes.
On one hand... saying it "definitely sounds VERY fishy" and "it does sound fishy" implies a belief there is an intention to deceive. Saying that you don't believe Bookface is "lying, per-se" indicates you still think what is said is a lie. For you to make this out to be a lie until disproven by a production member is, I feel, unnecessarily and baselessly authoritative given that you know well that the production member would violate a signed NDA by speaking out, and it could be said that your argument essentially takes advantage of this person's legally-imposed silence. As kind as this production member has been with me to tell me things, suffice it to say that he has had a remarkable career so far that he does not want to have trashed because fans are arguing over a piece of resin and baiting him to respond.
On the flipside, you could very well argue that I or Bookface are taking advantage of this person's silence. However, this would be nonsense. Simply look at our track record and my 10 years of educating fellow Vader fans openly here and on The Prop Den. Simply look a few pages back on this thread and note that I told people I didn't consider all Quasimodos as suddenly having a direct connection to the R1 prop. At the time of this writing, I've not even published the fact of Quasimodos use on my own Facebook page. You've also not seen Bookface boost his prices to gouge fans.
It is best if we simply stick to the facts and have a conversation without insinuations because we can get our emotions attached to Vader discussions and cross swords too quickly.
If you are okay with this, then I will suggest simply saying that it's improbable, but not impossible, that the studio used fan source. The logic is that the studio behind Rogue One would have had access to the LFL Archives and some form of 3D scan of an original Vader. I'll also contribute to that: we've seen a fiberglass casting of an OT at LFL in the documentary of the making of the ROTS Vader, so clearly they do have an OT source. Yet those studied in Vader have indicated the R1 helmet isn't direct from an LFL OT source (i.e. there are some who can eyeball a TM, eFX and SL and instantly tell them apart).
But let's take a step back and look at this topic more generally and objectively.
I believe that Quasimodo was NOT alone where the Rogue One production used another source (even fan source) instead of an LFL source.
- The same could be said for the armor. Yet the R1 on-screen armor's shape is inconsistent with the originals.
- The same could be said for the codpiece. LFL has a full ESB in the Archives they could have traced. Yet everyone notices the diaper.
- The same could also be said for the cape. The OT pattern revealed the chest more. The R1 pattern seems to be a larger percentage of a full circle, resulting in too much material that covers the chest armor and the robe.
- The same could be said for the TIE Pilots. To me, they looked slimmer overall than the originals.
[*]I didn't freeze-frame, but a Death Star Droid type of droid was briefly in the film and something looked slightly off about it.
- The Stormtroopers, as we know, are symmetrical, yet even though they mirrored one side, why was it that the side they scanned still didn't quite have the same awesomeness as an ANH or ESB original?
There are probably more examples. My personal theory is that the production members are SW fans themselves, and some collect replicas just like we do, and they needed to do things quickly and used what they had access to (i.e. their personal collections). Why all the trouble to laserscan a Quasimodo and then modify it? Well, the same could be said for Stromtroopers. The artists had the liberty to make tweaks to the Stormtrooper and idealize it. We're in a Hi-Def era with 4k already on the horizon, and the roughness of hand-finished props of yesteryear don't do well when magnified on the big screen. When something is laserscanned, an artist may have to re-topologize the surfaces and idealize them based on the production's visual standards. (It may save time simply working on one side, then mirror-flipping it to form the other half.)
So why wouldn't the production have access LFL sources for any of the above? Our assumption is that Disney's purchase of LFL included the Archives, but I've not been able to verify that this was part of the $4B deal. Some Googling results indicate the Archives are Lucas' private possession but do not provide sources. If this is true, Lucasfilm has to contact George Lucas for a separate arrangement for access to the Archives. (EA's Star Wars Battlefront shows that their team did gain access to the Archives, so we know access is possible). If Disney does own the Archives, then we'd to verify if they have a process or policy regarding property under one business unit being given access to another.
We are oblivious to all the issues the Production faced. I think the production did their best given what they had and what they did not have, and one crew member happened to own a Quasimodo.
If you've made up your mind there is deception, then please, by all means, disprove us by proving the Rogue One helmet was based on an LFL source. And although my intention is not to bother Brian Muir to settle an issue over - again - a piece of resin, he is also free to call me out if I am in fact a liar.
You don't have to agree with me, but hopefully, we can keep discussions factual and logical and enjoy a beer while at it! :cheers
