SL ANH Vader Helmet
- Thread starter SithLord
- Start date
Did you ever have this helmet molded?
I was curious to see it all decked out with lenses, tusks, grills, paint, and in color.
I was curious to see it all decked out with lenses, tusks, grills, paint, and in color.
Darth Niob
Sr Member
Lovely helmet:love
Is that a Sarge helmet?
Qui-Gonzalez
Master Member
Hehehehe...
No, that is the helmet SL scored from eBay (I believe) after a long, drawn out bidding war. It is rumored to have come from a LFL mold, I believe. Thomas (SithLord) can shed more light on the details if he feels like it. It is a might fine piece of Vader-in' though.
CSMacLaren
Sr Member
No, it's not a SgtFang. As nice as it is, the Fang doesn't hold a candle to this because this is a lot higher up the lineage tree towards the original.
vaderdarth
Master Member
That helmet is as close to an original screen used helmet as any you'll find. 
Dave
Dave
Yes actually it was molded...when is someone going to finish their helmet? I can't finish mine unfortunately... :lol
Well I mentioned before a little bit about where the helmet is supposed to have come from...so here's a bit more.
This particular helmet and mask casting was made at ILM in
1988, from very old molds, among the oldest, in the current LFL inventory. The molds themselves were reportedly taken from the screen-used Darth Vader helmet in 1977, and that is consistent with details seen on the screen helmet at that time. I hope to contact the person who made the molds at that time. Unlike what I had previously thought, the molds themselves were apparently made in the United Kingdom, and later sent to the USA. They were at one point temporarily housed at the Marin County Facility of ILM, at which time this pull was made. It is thought that the molds themselves were made during post-production of ANH(during pickups), but certainly before the promotional tour as there are signs of wear that the original helmet had that are consistent from the time during or after production, but not during the tour (from the time the suit went to Don Post Studios).
Incidentally, the so-called RPF ANH (or Darth Jones) Vader helmet, which has been known about for quite some time, is a younger (and fully finished) brother of the SL ANH as they both originated from the same mold.
Of course I should add that skepticism, criticism and questions are all welcome....as I know I've made my fair share lately as well. :confused
Well I mentioned before a little bit about where the helmet is supposed to have come from...so here's a bit more.
This particular helmet and mask casting was made at ILM in
1988, from very old molds, among the oldest, in the current LFL inventory. The molds themselves were reportedly taken from the screen-used Darth Vader helmet in 1977, and that is consistent with details seen on the screen helmet at that time. I hope to contact the person who made the molds at that time. Unlike what I had previously thought, the molds themselves were apparently made in the United Kingdom, and later sent to the USA. They were at one point temporarily housed at the Marin County Facility of ILM, at which time this pull was made. It is thought that the molds themselves were made during post-production of ANH(during pickups), but certainly before the promotional tour as there are signs of wear that the original helmet had that are consistent from the time during or after production, but not during the tour (from the time the suit went to Don Post Studios).
Incidentally, the so-called RPF ANH (or Darth Jones) Vader helmet, which has been known about for quite some time, is a younger (and fully finished) brother of the SL ANH as they both originated from the same mold.
Of course I should add that skepticism, criticism and questions are all welcome....as I know I've made my fair share lately as well. :confused
I was just about to say that it looks comparable to the Darthjones helmet and mask, so thanks for confirming their relationship.
This and the Darthjones helmet are undoubtedly the finest ANH Vader's out there in my opinion. Just awesome to see!
Thanks for the additional pics Thomas.
Chris
This and the Darthjones helmet are undoubtedly the finest ANH Vader's out there in my opinion. Just awesome to see!
Thanks for the additional pics Thomas.
Chris
Thanks, Chris, coming from someone who has been collecting Vader for so long that means a lot to me. I'll mention again how much your Vader display was an inspiration for me... :thumbsup
Although the photos show the helmet more generally, one can also look at very fine details in comparison to high resolution photos of the screen ANH mask. For example, here is a small area of one of the teeth inside the mouth triangle, note the two little bumps...it is really nice to discover details like this that I didn't appreciate before.
Although the photos show the helmet more generally, one can also look at very fine details in comparison to high resolution photos of the screen ANH mask. For example, here is a small area of one of the teeth inside the mouth triangle, note the two little bumps...it is really nice to discover details like this that I didn't appreciate before.
voice in the crowd
Sr Member
Beautiful pictures Thomas. It is a great Vader and photgraphs cannot do this piece justice.
Cheers Chris
Cheers Chris
