Authenticity of Seller

[wyawya]

Boba Fett Mandalorian Helmet Kit ESB/ROTJ - Etsy

This Costume Hats & Headpieces item by GrimworksArmory has 349 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Spring Hill, FL. Listed on Apr 4, 2024

www.etsy.com

I'm wondering about this listing, seems too cheap to not be a recast or something. Tell me what you folks think, afterall you probably know a lot more about this stuff than I do haha.

 

[MinaFett]

Personally I would not risk it. There are plenty of reputable helmet makers on this forum.

Etsy is usually a good one to avoid.
Looks like a possible GMH/FPH recast to me.

 

[wyawya]

Personally I would not risk it. There are plenty of reputable helmet makers on this forum.

Etsy is usually a good one to avoid.
Looks like a possible GMH/FPH recast to me.

yeah, that's what I figured. Thanks for the input.

 

[Funkyred]

Will probably be a slush recast, the helmet interior will be poor quality and probably really thick in some places and transparent in others....... Avoid!

 

[toofastrobot]

That's one of our members here, I think. Grimstuff

Grimstuff's Scratch Build Journal (building, casting, painting)

Hey all, been lurking the forum for a while as I've been building my own bucket and been loving all of your guy's fantastic references and templates. After a good few weeks of work I think I've reached a point where my bucket is nearing a good draft point before casting, so I thought I'd...

www.thedentedhelmet.com

 

[wyawya]

That's one of our members here, I think. Grimstuff

Grimstuff's Scratch Build Journal (building, casting, painting)

Hey all, been lurking the forum for a while as I've been building my own bucket and been loving all of your guy's fantastic references and templates. After a good few weeks of work I think I've reached a point where my bucket is nearing a good draft point before casting, so I thought I'd...

www.thedentedhelmet.com

Yeah it's funny he doesn't have any posts about his helmets on here.

 

[MinuteFett]

Not a recast. It says it on the listing right there that It’s made from rafalfetts templates. So that’s a good thing. If you’re on a budget I recommend it but there’s a lesson, “buy cheap, buy twice”. So it’s all up to you.

Etsy and eBay are generally good to avoid. But there are some things on those sites worth it if you look hard enough. cruzer sells stuff on eBay and so does man of war, and I sell on Etsy myself. Just continue to do research and if in doubt, we’re all here to give our opinions and help out:

 

[tommyboy]

I sell on both ebay and Etsy under " Zero Cool Prop Shop" and I think these sites are fine if you do your homework on the "maker" like checking feedback to see what previous buyers have to say. Even here on TDH you should always see what the feedback says...if you are just starting out, buying a 2 or 300 hundred dollar helmet may not be the best for you. You will likely upgrade to multiple helmets from different materials and makers as you progress with your build!

 

[Grimstuff]

Oh hey, sorry for seeing this late, I've been away from the forum for a bit. Thank you for the mention toofastrobot

But yep that's my sculpt. As mentioned above it's based off the rafalfett templates and I consider myself to have a pretty high quality casting process that offers no bubbles, warping, or internal roughness. I also aim for an at least 3mm thickness throughout the cast. Any castings that come out with weak areas or other problems are marked as B-grade casts and not sold (I actually have a handful of these piling up though and might be doing a B-cast sale thread on here soon).

Of course though I do target my helmet as a trooping-level bucket, as imo all resin helmets are. I feel it possesses about 90% accuracy, I am missing some fine details like the wavy brow and physical damage scars that make up the final 10%. This was partly done intentionally as to prevent it from being too highly specific ESB fett and still allow it to be used as a base for custom Mandalorian kits.

Although I'm very flattered a few posters mistook it for a GMH/FPH recast, it's of course not and you should definitely look towards those (originals, not recast of course) or a Bobamaker if you do have the budget and want that near 100% accuracy with fiberglass. For a more budget range option though, resin helmets can be great if cast correctly and Etsy sellers can definitely be a solid source, but yes definitely do your homework. I'm of course biased, but I do feel my helmet is one of the higher quality options at it's price point. If anyone disagrees and sees something off though, please let me know so I can improve the sculpt more in the future.

Yeah it's funny he doesn't have any posts about his helmets on here.

I've mostly avoided a sale posting on here both due to not wanting to step on the toes of the already great sellers here, and also because I enjoy Etsy for it's simplicity of handling payments and all it's other features as a middle-man, but if there's interest I'd definitely be up for it.

 

[Misfit2]

Cast and helmet looks pretty good actually

 

[tommyboy]

I agree with you Grimstuff! I've been asked several times over the years why I didn't sell here on TDH and my reasons are exactly as you mentioned. Etsy has been good to me and seems to cator somewhat to cosplayers/makers if they are respecting IPs as best as possible!

 

[MinuteFett]

I agree with you Grimstuff! I've been asked several times over the years why I didn't sell here on TDH and my reasons are exactly as you mentioned. Etsy has been good to me and seems to cator somewhat to cosplayers/makers if they are respecting IPs as best as possible!

I agree 100%. Etsy has made keeping track of orders incredibly easy. Rather than making a list from PayPal payments. Also provides safety to customers in case of items not received or quality issues.