How long does this entire process take?
Depending on your skill with paints and tools, I'd venture a guess and say somewhere between about 20 and 30 hours for the Don Post project depending on how meticulous you are, and whether or not you encounter any difficulties that require some re-work to be done. I have worked on some DP helmets to where it took me about 10-15 hours, but they were simple customizations.
For the Mystery Helmet, I spent nearly 55 hours.
Do you paint other people's Don Post helmets?
I've customized, refurbished, and painted others' Don Post helmets in the past, much to the satisfaction of their respective owners. I've also sold quite a few customized Don Post Fett helmets on eBay (where the buyers were very pleased).
If you are interested in having your DP helmet customized and/or painted, I do offer reasonable rates and a variety of options. That being said, I prefer to work on helmets between the months of May and September due to the fact that I can do most of the painting outside in fresh air.
I also have experience in repairing and restoring damaged DP and Mystery Fett helmets too.
If you are looking to have a DP Fett helmet customized, you can contact me HERE
Do you paint other people's Mystery Helmets?
I will do only minor work on a Mystery Helmet such as just the prep work (cutting, sanding and priming), installation of accessories (ear pieces, range finder and visor) or only the painting. I will not do a MH from beginning to end because it would require too much of a time investment on my behalf, and even a fair rate would be too high for most (around $500-$600).
I also offer repair services to damaged Mystery Helmets with cracks, dents, or chips.
What are the differences between the various DP Helmets?
Don Post Studios apparently had no quality control systems in place during their manufacturing run as so many variations were made available. The most popular DP Fett helmet is the early 1995 model. The plastic was fairly uniform and easy to modify as desired. 1996 started a whole slew of variations such as the “1996-W” where the thickness of the interior portion of the T-Visor area was about 3X that of any previous DP Fett helmets at that time. This of course poses a challenge when customizing and fitting a new lens. There were also two other variations in late 1996 that carried over to 1997 and 1998. I refer to one style as the DP 1996-N (for narrow) and the other as DP 1996-W (for wide). Both helmets had very different profiles, as well as rigidity of plastic. This production run also included molded weathering details in the green plastic around the dome and back of the helmet. This feature was not seen in previous DP Fett helmet styles.
As you likely already know, DP lost their license to continue manufacturing Star Wars helmets. Rubies acquired the rights to manufacture low-end Star Wars props and subsequently released their own version of the Fett helmet. To be perfectly honest, Rubies' Boba Fett helmet is absolutely horrendous in terms of size, quality, and overall design. They retail between $49.99 and $79.99 and in my opinion, are not worth a penny over $19.99. They’re too small for anyone older than 10 years, and are not worth the time, money or effort to customize. If you are in the market for a Don Post helmet, look to places like eBay or large specialty e-tailers that may carry some older stock such as Entertainment Earth. Be warned though: you'll pay above retail price at a specialty store! There are also caveats when buying from eBay which I discuss further below on this page.
What's the difference between the MR helmet and the Mystery Helmet?
The MR helmet is incredibly accurate considering the fact that it is not a direct cast from the original movie prop (it was instead scanned, presumably from a PP model from what I've read). The interior is finished and wearable, and has electronics in the RF. It was also limited to 1,500 pieces world-wide and will likely be the last licensed "authentic" Fett prop made available for some time (that is, until Windlass/Museum Replicas manufactures one).
The Mystery Helmet is a raw cast taken from one of the helmets used in the Classic Trilogy (there were pre-production helmets, hero helmets, and stunt helmets).
A lot of work is needed to get this bucket up to spec with the movie version, however, with quality work and a lot of patience, they can look absolutely fantastic in the end. Aside from that fact, the pride that goes into doing one of these yourself cannot be measured.
One final point to bring up is that the Master Replicas helmet is substantially heavier than a fully customized Mystery Helmet. If you plan on doing some extended ‘trooping,’ the MR helmet may make your neck sore after extended wear.
Which is better, the MR Helmet or the MH?
It completely depends on what you are looking for. If you don't want to spend 50+ hours on a DIY project, go with the MR helmet if you can find one. If you are a project-oriented person with a lot of patience, and want to join a costuming group such as the 501st, then I'd recommend the MH. Also keep in mind that if you are thinking about paying someone to customize MH, you could end up paying a lot more than you would if you bought a MR helmet. A high-quality job on a MH will likely cost you between $400-$600 (including the $250 fee for the basic helmet). You can buy a MR helmet for about $400 - and right out of the box, you are getting a good helmet with electronics built into the range finder. The MR visor could be better, but you could always change that at some point in the future if you wanted.
Be careful if you buy a helmet through eBay!
If you go with eBay, I HIGHLY recommend you do your homework. Be sure to check the sellers reputation, and I'd advise you to not bid on any Star Wars helmet from someone with under 150 positives (and no negatives). Be wary of any neutrals that are left too. Sometimes, those are the most truthful and most telling. Neutral feedback does not count against a positive rating. So, an individual could have a half-dozen neutrals and still maintain a 100% positive rating.
Also - don't be afraid to ask for additional pictures, including close-ups. If the seller is a good one, he or she should be happy to supply some extra images.
Furthermore, pay with PayPal in case you need to file a dispute. PayPal will protect you provided you follow their guidelines. Be sure to read all the fine print though, because a dispute can only be opened for a certain period of time before it requires 'escalation' and resolution. If you miss PayPal’s dispute deadlines, your case will be closed (even if it's not resolved) and will not be re-opened.
Also, never accept refunds by check, money order or wire transfer. Any refunds and correspondence should only be made through PayPal to ensure they have the transaction records as well. If you are negotiating a refund of sorts, be sure to impose a deadline to receive it - - and make sure that deadline is BEFORE PayPal's dispute deadline. That way, if you don't get reimbursed, you can escalate your complaint through PayPal, and you should receive a credit through them.
I say this from experience: I was scammed by a seller in who advertised a DP Fett helmet as being in "great condition" and was to be shipped via Priority Mail. He sent it standard mail 4 days after the auction ended, and I finally got it three weeks after the auction's closing date. What I received was a helmet that was severely damaged with Gorilla Glue residue on the ear cap, three cracks around the dome and T-Visor -- one so deep that it was right through to the interior, and all were covered in Krazy Glue.
I filed my dispute with PayPal, contacted the seller (of course, he pleaded ignorant to the damage) and we eventually agreed on a resolution for a partial refund.
He claimed he sent the refund check out, but I insisted on a refund by PayPal instead. The next day, I got my refund through PayPal, which meant he lied about sending the check out (which I never got - big surprise there). A Power Seller later told me that the scam-seller was likely trying to delay me to the point where my dispute through PayPal would have expired, and I would have gotten nothing once it closed. So this guy was guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation with his auction item, and again later when he lied about mailing a refund check. Because I got the refund, I left him a neutral feedback - - but he rightfully deserved something negative.
Going back to review his feedback rating before the one I left, the guy had 42 positives and one neutral (the neutral stating the item received was not in the condition described). He seemed pretty legit just based on limited feedback, but through my experiences with him, he was not very honest: 1) for misrepresenting his item, 2) for false advertising on the shipping method being used and 3) for lying about sending a refund check.
It was a lesson learned for me. I will always pay through PayPal from now on, and I will never bid on an item from someone with under 150 feedback rating (w/no legit negatives or neutrals).
If you are wondering if the guy had any pictures of his helmet posted on eBay, yes he did. However, he was pretty careful to use a low resolution camera with the helmet positioned in such a way that any damage could not be seen, and where the sun was reflecting off the dome thus obscuring any real detail. He knew what he was doing.
I don't buy the story he gave me about not being knowledgeable of the damage. His poor attempts at repairing the numerous faults all over the helmet were evident. I had forwarded high-res photos I took to both him and PayPal. There was no disputing the facts of my argument! PayPal had all the proof they needed.
So, if you use eBay as your source for acquiring a Don Post Boba Fett helmet, be careful, ask questions, and be sure that your purchase is protected through PayPal.
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