First, I would like to thank everyone for their interest in our ANH Vader helmets. I really appreciate the passion and knowledge that many of you have shared with us on many of the forums.
I would like to share some insight into the prototypes that we had on display at Comic Con and will be on display at Celebration V in a couple weeks.
- These castings were made by our vendor in Asia. However, because of the time constraint, they had to take Gino's master, make the mold and the castings in only 4 days. Since this is the first time that they were casting the Vader helmet, they did not know and "understand" the helmet and address and refine any of the molding processes and techniques that would be required. For example in the mouth area, they wanted to help by cutting it out for us. They actually used a dremel with a large diameter bit to cut it out. That is why the mouth area seems a little "sloppy" and have the large radii in the corners! So rest assured that all of these issues will be resolved in the manufacturing development process.
- The same set of molds were used to make both versions of the helmets. In production, QC will ensure that the castings are consistent.
- The castings were then sent to Gino and he also only had 4 days to prep the castings and paint them in order to get them to San Diego in time for Comic Con. We received them in San Diego the morning of preview night! I think Gino did a GREAT job considering the limited time that he had. I know that he was "a little" frustrated that he was not able to "fix" the issues with these castings and make them perfect.
- 2 RPF'ers were kind enough to supply us with the tusks and the mesh. Both were sent directly to us in San Diego, so Gino did not get a chance to weather one of the tusks.
- Some of you questioned why we showed these helmets, knowing some of the issues. You have to remember the incredible exposure our products get at an event like Comic Con. And I understand that probably more than 95% of the people will not be able to identify the issues we discuss in the forums. In fact, most people (even Star Wars fans) do not even know that Vader's helmet was different in each episode. And then, when we fix all of the issues that us prop guys obsess over in final production, they will not even notice or appreciate the difference. I learned an enlightening lesson when I was at Master Replicas. We advertised the FX Lightsabers by character, episode, etc. However most people, believe it or not, simply identified and purchased them by the color of the blade, not even knowing that each character had a different hilt! (It was then that I realized that we are just a bunch of snobs!!! hahaha!)
We will be sharing pictures through the development process on our website and appreciate your patience as we work through the development process. I am confident that the final product will not only meet your expectations, but will be one of your most prized pieces in your collection.
Thanks!
Bryan
Good job, sir.
