Modding a MR bucket?

Arakus

Hunter
After receiving my MR bucket recently, I was very tempted to scratch my ROTJ bucket and just use the MR for my Fett. I guess it would be a "SE Fett" as opposed to a true ROTJ.

Is anyone modifying their MR helmet? I noticed the visor isnt very dark and does not have the ESB green tint. Anything else I am missing? Thanks.
 
If those slackers ever ship my helmet, I definitely plan on modding the visor. I think it looks terrible. (n)
I know what you mean about shipping it. I called them yesterday and they said no later than March 31st.:angry This after they told me a week 1/2 ago that it would ship within two weeks. They could care less about customer satisfaction. I ordered in November, expecting it for Christmas. They also said that they had to produce more helmets because they oversold. I wonder if this means that the number that they are saying they limited the run to is a lie. Sorry for getting off topic, but I had to vent...again.
 
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Right there with you bro. I was supposedly one of the first 500 and haven't received mine yet either. Hey maybe they'll fix the visor problem before we get ours.:lol:lol:


Doubt it. :(
 
I don't think they did a bad job at all when it came to the helmet, I just don't know what happened when it came to the visor. They probably didn't expect many people to wear it and went cheap on the material used. However, I believe that a smoked visor was partially used on ESB, I can definitely see it's not green in a few HD screenshots. The unevenness of the visor along the Vertical-T probably won't be that hard of a fix, if I got the MR helmet I would consider modding it. Just remove the visor, assemble it on one side, let it dry, then have the other side push into it so it leaves an even Vertical-T.
 
I believe that a smoked visor was partially used on ESB, I can definitely see it's not green in a few HD screenshots.
You are right, I saw it two, I carefully checked the visor in every scene of TESB, defenetly they have chanched visors tint and darkness throughout making the movie.
 
However, I believe that a smoked visor was partially used on ESB, I can definitely see it's not green in a few HD screenshots.

I've gone through the HD film frame-by-frame, and it's unwise to make any definite conclusions about the color of the visor; it's also very difficult to prove the visor was green using only the film for reference.

First, because video color fidelity is completely unreliable. And secondly, even in HD, still frame resolution is insufficient for determining such a subtle difference.

Even in AOSW/C4 tour photos taken at a reasonably close distance to the ESB helmet, the visor could pass for being smoked. Only closely zoomed photos taken with flash conclusively show the visor is dark green.

Of course, if you have strong evidence to support your claim, I am more than willing to be wrong! :)
 
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In these HD Screencaps here, I just don't see any green hue to go along with the claim that the on set ESB visor was green. In picture 7, there is no visor in the helmet at all. We know that the ROTJ helmet had a smoked visor, but I believe after years of deterioration on the ESB helmet, such as aging and it being beaten up, the visor may have needed to have been replaced. The AOSW/C4 displays were put on 25-30 years after the original filming of the helmet, and we have seen the costume mysteriously change over time.

Visor1.jpg

Visor2.jpg

Visor3.jpg

Visor4.jpg

Visor5.jpg

Visor6.jpg

Visor7.jpg
 
In these HD Screencaps here, I just don't see any green hue to go along with the claim that the on set ESB visor was green.

You would not see any green hue on film given how poorly the helmet was filmed, just as the ANH stunt Stormtrooper lenses looked black or smoked but were green. This isn't even taking all the lighting gels and filters that were used on set that distorts color.

Take this tour photo for example:

c4-visor.jpg

The photo is higher in resolution than the screen caps you posted, the colors are more accurate than "post-processed" film color, and the visor still looks smoked and comparable to the first screen shot you posted.

Film is unreliable for color matching, and there are numerous tour photos of the ESB helmet, like the one above, that closely match the same "smoked" effect shown in your screen caps.

In picture 7, there is no visor in the helmet at all.

It's an easy mistake to make, but the visor is present in picture 7; the transparent parts (like the bottom) were matted out because Fett was filmed against blue/green screen for that scene.

The "missing" visor is a common myth (much like Han's disappearing jacket in the ESB carbon chamber scene), and it has been addressed and debunked in a few threads here.


We know that the ROTJ helmet had a smoked visor, but I believe after years of deterioration on the ESB helmet, such as aging and it being beaten up, the visor may have needed to have been replaced.

Tour photos do show that the ROTJ helmet has a smoked visor; that's been known for quite some time. However, your statement regarding the visor being replaced due aging or condition is purely speculative.

The AOSW/C4 displays were put on 25-30 years after the original filming of the helmet, and we have seen the costume mysteriously change over time.

There isn't anything mysterious about the "costume changes." Some changes are simply due to the tour costumes using alternate/ back up parts. There were at least 6 costumes made, and several of individual suit parts have shown up on tour.

LFL admits to reconditioning some of their props; however, I haven't seen any drastic or severe changes to the Fett parts.

In short, I haven't seen any conclusive photos taken during filming that suggest the visor was anything but green.
 
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I still stand by my belief that the on screen ESB visor is in fact smoked. The screenshots I have provided on the Executor and in the Carbonite Freezing Chamber lead me to believe this to be true. Whereas you can see Boba's neckseal behind a smoked visor, not a green one. In the Carbonite Freezing Chamber, we can see the blue background teeming through the visor; if this were green we would see the hue, instead pure blue.

My speculation is that the crack has everything to do with the visor being replaced. The crack probably destroyed the visor inside, since it was used for stunts in ROTJ. The monstrous crack seeping from the visor area that appears after ESB is my best guess to why it was replaced.

To me, the ESB/ESB helmet and the ESB/ROTJ/SE helmet are two completely different things. The helmet used in ROTJ and many promotional shots does have numerous differences, for one the noticeable extra scratches, the blue marker littered on it, and the large crack on the left side of the visor.

Saying that the lighting was bad and so on for the colour of the visor could also apply to these nouvous dings on the helmet. Perhaps they are all there, you just can't see them. The AOSW and the CIV costume have changed in themselves, such as the new never before seen, newly designed knee darts seen in CIV that was not seen in AOSW, I don’t believe that the lighting was bad in the original AOSW shots, also because that was behind a plexiglass case.

Stormtrooper helmets are also very different from the Boba Fett helmet. Boba Fett has an open helmet, whereas the Stormtrooper’s helmet is closed at the bottom. The open helmet of Boba allows more light to shine in. This allows us to see directly through the visor onto the background, unlike the Stormtrooper helmet. The Stormtrooper helmets we have viewed are unmodified at roughly 25-30 years later, the Boba costume was completely modified and changed in all sorts of ways.

As for ESB, ROTJ, or SE costume accuracy, I believe the only version that should have the green visor would be SE.

AoSW_2002-07-10_51a.jpg
 
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I still stand by my belief that the on screen ESB visor is in fact smoked. The screenshots I have provided on the Executor and in the Carbonite Freezing Chamber lead me to believe this to be true. Whereas you can see Boba's neckseal behind a smoked visor, not a green one. In the Carbonite Freezing Chamber, we can see the blue background teeming through the visor; if this were green we would see the hue, instead pure blue.

Your assumptions are incorrect. The tour photo I posted above shows his white neck seal without a hint of green; It looks almost exactly like the screen caps you posted.

The only time we can definitely see the visor is green is when it is photographed from a close distance with flash. Any other photographs that have light passing through the visor show the same smoky effect we see in the screencaps.

From your comparison, notice how the entire scene, including Fett's helmet, has a heavy blue cast. This is due to the lighting gels and Lowry's digitial color correction. You can see the helmet colors in the screen grab are very different than the tour photo for that reason.

My speculation is that the crack has everything to do with the visor being replaced. The crack probably destroyed the visor inside, since it was used for stunts in ROTJ. The monstrous crack seeping from the visor area that appears after ESB is my best guess to why it was replaced.

Other ILM Fett helmets, including fan-made helmets, have a crack in the same area; it's a weak point due to the helmet design.

Also, the ESB hero was not used in ROTJ. There are two ILM ESB-style stunt helmets that we have seen, and it is more than likely that one of those two helmets was used for ROTJ stunt scenes.

To me, the ESB/ESB helmet and the ESB/ROTJ/SE helmet are two completely different things. The helmet used in ROTJ and many promotional shots does have numerous differences, for one the noticeable extra scratches, the blue marker littered on it, and the large crack on the left side of the visor.

Saying the ESB and post-filming ESB helmet "two completely different" things is a gross exaggeration. There are additional, small sliver marks and a couple slightly damaged cracked spots—but not very many. The blue marker is just bizarre, but the sum of these differences doesn't make the helmet "completely different." It's fairly easy to spot the weathering and cracks that weren't present on the helmet during filming and to omit them from a build-up/paint-up if one is so inclined.


the Boba costume was completely modified and changed in all sorts of ways.

Again, this statement is not accurate. There are variations on each of the original six suits due to the progression of the costume's development. What we are seeing on tour is parts of six completed costumes that are now jumbled all over the place.

As for ESB, ROTJ, or SE costume accuracy, I believe the only version that should have the green visor would be SE.

As matter of individual preference, everyone is free to use whatever color visor they prefer. Though if one is concerned with accuracy, our best reference weighs heavily toward green visors for ESB and SE.

Here are two more examples of the post-filming (SE, if you will) ESB helmet showing what "resembles" a smoky visor (again, we know this visor is green):
esb-paradae.jpg
esb-promo.jpg
 
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they look the same, what's the big deal? I use a smoked one because that's what came in my helmet, even if it didn't I would still use a smoked visor because they're less harsh on your eyes
 
Gotta second what TD said and also say that the basic design of the Fett helmet is VERY weak and unstable without the visor and even with the visor in place it is very easy to crack the edge of the eye slots. I have done it on three helmets so far from applying too much pressure to the cheek areas.

GCNGamer, I applaud your speculation and imagination. However, there is a huge difference between speculating and pushing your opinions as fact. Saying something is "definitely" this or "definitely" that is a pretty slippery slope and can easily start the spread of misinformation.
 
regarding that comparison photo... if you color correct the exhibit pic to match the screen shot, the "clear" difference in visors is not so clear anymore at all.

AoSW_2002-07-10_51a-corrected.jpg


i don't have photoshop on my work computer, and while gimp is pretty cool, i'm not as good there, so the match isn't perfect. but it gets the point across.

color cast is a HUGE issue with photography. i try to use a custom white balance when i want to make sure i get things as accurate as possible, but the lighting can radically transform things.

and as far as the crack goes... that crack could easily have happened at any time after the movie was filmed. it has been 30 years and all ;)
 
And back to the original topic at hand, I just got my MR bucket today and I think its amazing for a mass produced helmet (mass produced as in anything not done by one of you guys, like an FP painted by Spidey- Fett. Beautiful work you do) I would like to get the pench taken care of but would dare not touch the thing because I would mess it up and hate myself forever. I was wondering on how you guys would be taking out the lining? With the way mine smells imagine that it is glued down to the point where you would ruin the lining and quite possibly the helmet. Any help would be great. Thanks guys.
 
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