The Star Wars Prop Replica and High-End Collectibles Collecting Thread. - Page 17

Lil' Louie,

Your Star Wars room is extremely appealing.  Also, your photos of your Sideshow Vader are fantastic.  

I am glad I decided to hold off on purchasing, but this is CLEARY the best of the unmasked Vaders in spite of

what a few replica uber nerds say about them vs their home made ones that more often than not look like latex disasters from some 1970's zombie movie!

All,

I am back because there is news that will no doubt give Travis pause...and will hurt more than a few of us in the wallet.

For the first time ever, Lucasfilm is authorizing the ANH Darth Vader helmet, complete with all the distortions, aberrations, and oddities

that the original blemish-covered ANH dome as seen on the Tantive when Vader confronted Leia.

From eFx:

"This is one of the most exciting products that we have ever announced! The long anticipated original Darth Vader Helmet from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope . What makes this product so exciting (other than the fact that it is DARTH VADER !) is the history, the mystery and the lore behind the original prop. With the help of the Lucasfilm archives, we discovered a truly lost treasure! We actually found, what we believe, are the original molds made by Rick Baker of one of the original Darth Vader helmets from the long lost original molds in 1977! Incredibly, Lucasfilm allowed us to make a casting from these molds for our master pattern. Be sure to check out our "In Development" section to read more behind the development and lineage of this replica, coming soon!"

There are two versions being released: one that is "flaws and all" with the hand-painted,
brushed on gunmetal gray.  One can see how they

got all the way down to including the "C" scar and blemish in the right cheek:

ANH Film Still on left, eFx hand painted and brushed helmet on right:

The other one that still maintains all the distortions and flaws except

in the paint job, which is being called the "idealized" version, which can be seen here:

Note: eFx is clarifying that the billet sensor on Vader's right side will be blacked as seen in the film

and the billets on the prototype were put there in haste, on loan, for Comic Con knowing they were both

temporary and inaccurate.

Retail will be $899 and I imagine that is for the "idealized" one, which will be mass produced, but in limited quantities,

with the hand painted that that reveals flaws surely to have a smaller edition size and cost more since

it will be for the mega Vader Nerd who actually wants will pay more for one with more flaws applied by hand.

Here are more pictures to drool over:

FILM ACCURATE VERSION:

IDEALIZED VERSION:

Aside from the Master Replica's RoTS helmet,

this is the closest a commercial version of any Vader helmet has ever been.  

Even the incredibly anal types over at the Replica Prop Forum have been reduced

to arguing amongst themselves as to which details are correct and incorrect, which leads me to believe it it so

close as to be pointless to debating for anyone that does not own an electron microscope.

MY DILEMMA is whether to buy the "flaws and all" version or the "idealized" version

since I just paid a pretty penny for a ANH helmet that does have the brushed on paint job just like in the film.  

I guess I will wait and see how it looks to compare.

I imagine this one from eFx will sell out quickly.

I am hearing rumors that they plan to take pre-orders before the end of 2010.

thanks for sharing,great!

As an update, the eFX Darth Vader: STAR WARS: EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (Legend Edition, 250 in the total edition) sold out this (WED 4/20/2011) morning in 4 minutes!

I was lucky enough to get one.

Here are the details:

- MSRP: $999 (PLUS SHIPPING/HANDLING AND APPLICABLE SALES TAX
    - EDITION SIZE LIMITED TO 250 PIECES WORLDWIDE
    - EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE ONLY
    - CONSTRUCTED IN FIBERGLASS, ALUMINUM AND PLASTIC
    - MASTER PATTERN CAST FROM RICK BAKER'S MOLDS OF AN ORIGINAL ANH HELMET
    - ASYMMETRIC GEOMETRY
    - SCREEN ACCURATE TWO-TONED BLACK AND GUNMETAL PAINT SCHEME ON  FACE MASK
    - MACHINED ALUMINUM TUSKS AND METAL MOUTH/CHIN GRILLS
    - ACCURATE LENSES
    - FULLY LINED FACE MASK WITH ADJUSTABLE STRAPS
    - FULL SIZE eFX DISPLAY BASE (ACRYLIC COVER NOT INCLUDED)
    -  NUMBERED METAL PLAQUE
    - CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY/PROP STORY

 

The original iconic Darth Vader helmet, as seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was sculpted by Brian Muir based on the concept sketches by beloved illustrator Ralph McQuarrie. Even though there were 3 known castings made from the mold made from Muir's sculpt, only 1 helmet was used in the entire filming of A New Hope.

Our master pattern was cast from vintage molds in the Lucasfilm archives which are believed to have been made by none other than Rick Baker from the screen used Vader helmet back in 1977. What makes this a very special product is that the master pattern is NOT made from a digital scan, it is an actual, original casting. This means that this replica helmet will have direct lineage to the original and be as true to the actual filming prop as you can possibly get!

This helmet has the asymmetric geometry that many feel capture the true evil essence of Darth Vader.  The face mask will have the screen accurate brushed on two-toned black and gunmetal paint scheme.  The dents and scratches that were in the original mold have NOT been filled in or removed, thus remaining faithful to the original filming prop.

With this officially licensed Darth Vader Helmet, you will feel the seductive power of the darkside!  This helmet will arguably be the most important piece of any Star Wars collection.

The "idealized" (aka "Limited Edition") version goes on sale, Friday, April 22nd, at 9:00AM PST.

The Limited Edition (1000 copies) details:

 - MSRP: $799 (PLUS SHIPPING/HANDLING AND APPLICABLE SALES TAX
    - EDITION SIZE DETERMINED BY THE PRE-ORDER
    - AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AND OUR NETWORK OF AUTHORIZED RETAILERS AND INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS
    - CONSTRUCTED IN FIBERGLASS, ALUMINUM AND PLASTIC
    - MASTER PATTERN CAST FROM RICK BAKER'S MOLDS OF AN ORIGINAL ANH HELMET
    - ASYMMETRIC GEOMETRY
    - SCREEN ACCURATE TWO-TONED BLACK AND GUNMETAL PAINT SCHEME ON  FACE MASK
    - MACHINED ALUMINUM TUSKS AND METAL MOUTH/CHIN GRILLS
    - ACCURATE LENSES
    - FULLY LINED FACE MASK WITH ADJUSTABLE STRAPS
    - FULL SIZE eFX DISPLAY BASE (ACRYLIC COVER NOT INCLUDED)
    -  NUMBERED METAL PLAQUE
    - CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY/PROP STORY

The original iconic Darth Vader helmet, as seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was sculpted by Brian Muir based on the concept sketches by beloved illustrator Ralph McQuarrie. Even though there were 3 known castings made from the mold made from Muir's sculpt, only 1 helmet was used in the entire filming of A New Hope.

Our master pattern was cast from vintage molds in the Lucasfilm archives which are believed to have been made by none other than Rick Baker from the screen used Vader helmet back in 1977. What makes this a very special product is that the master pattern is NOT made from a digital scan, it is an actual, original casting. This means that this replica helmet will have direct lineage to the original and be as true to the actual filming prop as you can possibly get!

This helmet has the asymmetric geometry that many feel capture the true evil essence of Darth Vader.  The face mask will have the screen accurate two-toned black and gunmetal sprayed (as opposed to the brushed on Legend Edition) paint scheme.  The dents and scratches that were in the original mold have been filled in or removed, giving the helmet a more pristine appearance but still remaining faithful to the original filming prop.

With this officially licensed Darth Vader Helmet, you will feel the seductive power of the darkside!  This helmet will arguably be the most important piece of any Star Wars collection.

Here is the link to more information and to order (good luck!) http://www.efxcollectibles.com/Default.aspx?

eFX was founded by the same great folks that were at Master Replicas who made the Darth Vader ROTS helmet.

Here is to hoping they also to the Darth Vader EP V and EP VI Vader helmets...with EP VI being the reveal version.