This project was particularly rewarding because we all look at Vader on the big screen, then look at our prop, and then sigh back at the big screen and go, "How the heck do I get my prop to look like THAT?" It has been an 8 year journey trying to achieve the elusive ANH Vader look and walking away from random eBay ripoff castings to sculpting the likeness myself. As much as the shape of how I'd like Vader to be seems to have finally begun coming together, it was bookface who made the dream possible with his meticulous and miraculous paintwork.
For those of you just tuning in with no familiarity with my prior work or Quasimodo V1, you can find a summary of the V1's creation here:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=209728&page=2&p=3258447&viewfull=1#post3258447)
Quasimodo V2 wasn't planned originally - more like random chance out of the quirky thinking of my random brain.
After Quasimodo V1 (ANH) came into being, Bookface asked me for an ESB and ROTJ, and sent me two ANH domes along with a Quasimodo faceplate. It was supposed to be a straightforward modification. Right around when I received them, I also happened to finally get the chance to study the eFX ANH Vader up close. Quite a handsome helmet. However, as much as I liked it, it still left me wanting. Various issues such as dome warpage really bothered me and detracted from "the look", and I realized the eFX could not be the end-point to my ANH collecting that I've wanted all these years.
Incidentally, a few Vader vendors have also been recasting eFX's product and also modifying it to create ESB and ROTJ helmets, and that fundamentally bothered me because it was a dishonest approach and not doing right by the fans. Recasters recast, however, because there is a demand, and clearly the eFX sets a new standard of accuracy, making it an appealing product to illicitly duplicate. Usually such recasting makes my work obsolete, because instead of studying screenshots for years and sculpting something meticulously, which is an effort that can take months or years, one can recast, which can be done in mere hours or days. As I compared Quasi V1 with the eFX, my brain started racing how I could resculpt Quasi to make it look like a dead-ringer for an eFX, and it would not be deterred by the threat of obsolescence.
I was enthused that the Quasimodo V1 structure was optimal to be made dimensionally and structurally similar to the eFX faceplate. So many years have I had only warped condition props to work on that I never had a good candidate to begin with. I made mental notes of 16 areas ranging from very subtle to more obvious, and then went to work. Bear in mind, V1 already had extensive work to 17 areas, so this marries two generations of efforts. My hope was to challenge the community into recognizing that it's possible to create something quite accurate without going the route of recasting an eFX.
(Above: WORK IN PROGRESS SHOT. eFX ANH Vader, photo courtesy of SithLord. Right: Quasimodo V2, resculpted from Quasimodo V1. Some modifications are under paint and appear gray or black. Note: two photographic distances.)
And thus, and much to bookface's dismay, a project of a few days turned into months of my O.C.D. taking over. Here's a breakdown
* Domecap
* Head overall
* Eyebrows
* Frown bump
* Eyelids
* Cheeks
* Whiskers
* Sensor pits
* Nose
* Nose bridge
* Mouth Triangle
* Inside of Mouth
* Teeth
* Neck
* Tubes
* Various bumps here and there
* Front profile silhouette
* Mounting system insert (done in the same style saying "By CSMacLaren and Bookface", etc.)
It was incredibly fun to see the results. I kept some of the Quasi V1 tells in the V2 so that with the well-studied Vader experts, they can identify my mask from other helmets.
Unfortunately, all that work on the mask created a new problem - the dome. In the world of Vader, things are measured in millimeters, and small differences somehow end up altering aesthetic balance profoundly. The V1 dome (ANH only) was no longer optimized for the masks's new dimensions. Doh!
The mask's proportions called for a larger front profile for a dome, which would require major work to widen the dome in a way that looked natural. As I had two ANH V1 domes, one became the ANH V2 and the other the ESB. Both are new sculpts over the V1 structure and are actually independent of each other. The ESB dome, which will spawn the ROTJ dome later, is structurally different than my new ANH V2, as its silhouette was based on studying over a hundred HD screenshots and tour helmet photos of ESB and ROTJ.
I hope you guys like it. This will likely be my final contribution of Vader O.T. helmets to the community, and I have given bookface all the masters. Quasi V2 (and the soon to come ESB and ROTJ flavors) also goes with the armor system I developed for bookface that also happens to work very well with the entry-level Darth Ugly. The bookface armor system allows regular guys to wear the armor and exhibit realistic posture, without the typical hunchback deformities or ill fitting as seen by various armor vendors.
Please remember that these efforts go to support a fellow SW fan with disabilities. I am only the sculptor, and not part of the financial or transactional picture. I'm contributing my labor of love and sculpting time to help a gal in need. Thanks for all your encouragement and support. I look forward to seeing your new Quasies!
