Minutefett's New ESB

Baruopa

Jr Hunter
What's everyone thinking about the new "ESB restored" helmet Minutefett's been showing off? I've got an RS on the way I was planning on restoring, but is this a better/more accurate alternative than what I could do with an RS cast? Do we know the lineage or generation of his helmet?
 
Definitely use the search bar. There is a significant amount of info here about MF's products from when he was still on the forums.
I'm aware, I'm talking about his newest product. He's posted some pics talking about it on social media, but it's not up for sale yet and I can't seem to find any thread about it on here or on BFB
 
I'm aware, I'm talking about his newest product. He's posted some pics talking about it on social media, but it's not up for sale yet and I can't seem to find any thread about it on here or on BFB
MF is not on here, Ill not go into the drama, that can be read in other threads. So all information that will eventually end up on here will come from "3rd sources". Dont know about BFB, but maybe we'll see something there. Id doubt it though. What Im hoping for is good discussions on the topic! EIther here or on BFB.

Regarding the lineage... That will likely be similar to the previous offerings. So likely G5+
That said... it is possible that, with all the G2s on the market, a G2 has been obtained to bring it up a coupel of generation levels. Then it could be as low as a G3. But again... I have NO proof of that whatsoever, only speculation.

Heres an old chart I made that I should probalby update but that shows the origins of the available helmets.

esb-helmet-lineage-chart-png.png
 
What's everyone thinking about the new "ESB restored" helmet Minutefett's been showing off? I've got an RS on the way I was planning on restoring, but is this a better/more accurate alternative than what I could do with an RS cast? Do we know the lineage or generation of his helmet?

Definitely use the search bar. There is a significant amount of info here about MF's products from when he was still on the forums.

MF is not on here, Ill not go into the drama, that can be read in other threads. So all information that will eventually end up on here will come from "3rd sources". Dont know about BFB, but maybe we'll see something there. Id doubt it though. What Im hoping for is good discussions on the topic! EIther here or on BFB.

Regarding the lineage... That will likely be similar to the previous offerings. So likely G5+
That said... it is possible that, with all the G2s on the market, a G2 has been obtained to bring it up a coupel of generation levels. Then it could be as low as a G3. But again... I have NO proof of that whatsoever, only speculation.

Personally, I am not sure it's necessary to go over it again, either here or at the other forum, because the ground is well covered and the man is not here, or there, to respond. I cannot see that it would add much worth to what is already available, just as it isn't for several others who are no longer with us.


I haven't seen any pictures of this new offering so it isn't possible to evaluate the alterations that Luis has made, and without actually holding it, it would be impossible to assess any generational issues that might be present. That said, I cannot help thinking that René is probably correct, and that it is likely to be at the G5 area, which is a point at which generational issues, such as shrinkage, can be noticeably present.

René is also correct about the proliferation of G2s that are about; in theory, it could be as high up the chain as G3, if the alterations were being made direct to a G2. It seems unlikely to me that anyone would have access to enough G1s to start sanding one of those down to make altered G2s. The only person who could answer you would be Luis, however; I suspect that the best answers about the qualities of his new offering will likely be from one of the seasoned commission painters once they have one in hand. Those guys see so many different casts that they are usually best placed to review and evaluate different casts next to one another; a Fett4Real, a Superjedi, or a Major, and so on.


I saw a Minute ESB copy, not cleaned up, when I met with John at Elstree for Steven's ear project. I do not know the generation, although I suspect it was G4+. As I stated in the ears thread, I was there to look at the ears, not the helmet, but it had clear generational issues. As we know, additional, better reference was later used to assist in concluding Steven and John's ear project.


Baruopa, what I would say in terms of going with someone else's alterations, and corrections, is this:

If you're starting with a G2 from RS, or someone else offering the same, then you're already as high up the chain with your project as you are likely to get in terms of lineage. While it's possible that someone has access to enough G1s to start tinkering with one, I think that a G2 starting point is the best any of us are ever likely to do. For what it's worth, I still cannot believe how amazing that is. To have such a close copy to the original hero helmet was once unthinkable. The fact it is even a point for discussion blows my mind. If you'd told me that any of us would have an opportunity at even a G5, which now we might pass on because much better things are available, just five years ago, then I'd scarcely have believed it. Whether it should have happened is now irrelevant; it has happened, and we are very fortunate.

Anyway, the reality is that a precast cleaned up copy is unlikely be better than G3. At that point the generational issues will be minimal, depending on the ability of the person making the copies, but will still exceed the issues with your G2. A fraction of a mm here and there, but why inherit it if you don't have to?

What you're really looking at then is convenience; do you find it more convenient and desirable to work from someone else's copy than your G2? The other issue here is that you will be working on that person's interpretation of the screen used piece. While it is known that there is better reference material of the prop in its current state than is currently widely available, the screen used reference material is likely on a similar level for most of us. Then the question is whether you think Minute, or anyone else, could do a better job than you in the restoration that you seek? There's no doubt that there are some very capable makers out there who are offering some nice helmets, but if they're working from the same reference as you, then who's to say their job will be better than yours... .

If I were in your position, I would make the alterations to the G2 helmet myself. Will you make some mistakes? Probably, but so what.
The truth is that you will probably be more aware, and more critical than anyone else is likely to be of the changes you make. Unless you make some absolute clangers then I think you will probably do just fine, and, if you asked, e.g., in a thread, then there's a whole board of people likely to offer you help and opinions.

More important than any of that; if you make the alterations yourself, and then paint it yourself, you will be invested in your prop replica in a way that you won't achieve were you to get a precleaned cast, even if you then got one of the top guys to paint it. The involvement of others in any of these steps might lead to an aesthetically more pleasing, and more accurate, result, however; if you did it yourself, then it will always be your helmet, and that is an extremely rewarding process.

I look forward to a discussion on the new offering, but I think you should go your own way; I always do.

Peace.

Andy​
 
He has photos of it on his Instagram. We know his previous offering was probably a G5+. Going through the comment section for any further detail, he says the new one is the best alternative to cleaning up a G2 SE cast.

In one post the helmet has metal ears attached, so you can see how well they fit. I'm assuming the master in the photos is a G2. but he also resculpted the visor gap on the brow.
 
I messages him asking about the cleaning/restoration process, what the base/master was, and what Gen the cast is, and he basically told me he won't talk about any of that, so not damming but certainly not helpful. One would assume if it was something like a Gen 3 that'd be something to brag about.
 
They’re most likely share the same lineage as a WFZ fugly as they come from the same mold at one point.

I would bet that these and the previous displayed ROTJ/Supertrooper helmets are cleaned up and master molded by FettPride.
 
I agree with Andy's wise remarks above. It can be satisfying to convert your own G2. Truly. However, I have one of the new helmets in question sitting on my desk right now. I know everyone is concerned about size and shrinkage (that's what she said), but I really like this new helmet. I did give MinuteFett notes as he was working on it, freely, for no financial gain or agreement for myself. Honestly, I'm really impressed with what he was able to do. The end result is easily superior to my own G2 helmet fix I did months ago. If you prefer the size of a G2 and want nothing less, then the new helmet is simply not for you. If you can tolerate a fractionally smaller helmet and can't fix your own G2 or don't want to pay someone to do it for you, you could do worse than this helmet. I may do some comparison shots at some point in my build thread if I have time.
 
I agree with Andy's wise remarks above. It can be satisfying to convert your own G2. Truly. However, I have one of the new helmets in question sitting on my desk right now. I know everyone is concerned about size and shrinkage (that's what she said), but I really like this new helmet. I did give MinuteFett notes as he was working on it, freely, for no financial gain or agreement for myself. Honestly, I'm really impressed with what he was able to do. The end result is easily superior to my own G2 helmet fix I did months ago. If you prefer the size of a G2 and want nothing less, then the new helmet is simply not for you. If you can tolerate a fractionally smaller helmet and can't fix your own G2 or don't want to pay someone to do it for you, you could do worse than this helmet. I may do some comparison shots at some point in my build thread if I have time.
Ord Mantell please set up a thread for those comparasion shots. And also... it would be very helpful if youd comment on them, too, for those of us that are not so trained to spot tinies differences.
Can you do a size comparasion?

Baruopa I do aggree with Ord Mantell ... What intwenothor said is very ve3ry true. Buying something is cool an all. But it is not the same thing as creating it yourself. Not by a long shot.
That said... I consider myself pretty good with my hands... And I couldnt have done what Ord Mantell did with his G2. It takes an exceptional amount of skill to do that! And courage. If I had to make a decision and would care about any of the drama at all, Id be deciding between Wasted Fett s Fugly or MFs ESB corrected. While a true comparison between the two would be very interesting, Id doubt that the difference would be groundbraking at this point.
 
To me, one looks a lot bigger than the other.
I was thinking the same thing, wondering/hoping it's just the angle. Really interested now in a comparison/review of it to see where it differs and where it succeeds. My whole issue with modifying mine was the worry that I might miss something or get something wrong. I 110% trust Ord Mantell, so regardless of the outcome of the review, I either get a checklist of things to look out for when modding mine, or great casting with the work and research already done. Accuracy is what I'm looking for, so I'm interested in seeing how well MF has captured it. The pics on his Instagram do have me a lil interested ngl heheh.
 
It's possible. Additionally, one has ears on it, which can skew perception, but looking at the dents, I cannot help but see a clear disparity in size. It looks smaller.
 
sorry this took so long. It's now more of a pain to remove the ears on my MCR with the chin straps installed.

IMG_2923.jpg

IMG_2934.jpg


some of the notable details:

The left cheek is now nice and clean, the vertical crack is all but gone as well as the multiple gelcoat dimples:
IMG_2924.jpg


on the right cheek, the gelcoat crack has been restored so that it appears more like in '79, when it was just the fiberglass underneath the gelcoat which had cracked, not the gelcoat itself.

IMG_2925.jpg


left eye repair is much cleaner than I did on my own helmet, and a good job was done rebuilding the inner beveling of the eye slit.
IMG_2929.jpg


the spider cracks and deformations to the dome are fairly imperceptible
IMG_2931.jpg


as compared to the job I did on my own MCR helmet below, under certain lighting you can still see the underlying damage. This is just really hard to completely iradicate. I went with a minimally invasive approach:
IMG_2932.jpg


Also he did an excellent job of dropping the left eye mandible to correct the left eye squint and restore the left eye to its former, more open shape.
 
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sorry this took so long. It's now more of a pain to remove the ears on my MCR with the chin straps installed.

View attachment 216537
View attachment 216538

some of the notable details:

The left cheek is now nice and clean, the vertical crack is all but gone as well as the multiple gelcoat dimples:
View attachment 216539

on the right cheek, the gelcoat crack has been restored so that it appears more like in '79, when it was just the fiberglass underneath the gelcoat which had cracked, not the gelcoat itself.

View attachment 216541

left eye repair is much cleaner than I did on my own helmet, and a good job was done rebuilding the inner beveling of the eye slit.
View attachment 216543

the spider cracks and deformations to the dome are fairly imperceptible
View attachment 216544

as compared to the job I did on my own MCR helmet below, under certain lighting you can still see the underlying damage. This is just really hard to completely iradicate. I went with a minimally invasive approach:
View attachment 216545
THANK YOU SIR, THIS is what I've been looking for! It sounds then like all of the details hold up? Are there any parts that fall flat? The size also looks pretty spot on? Do the ears one might get from MCR or RS fit perfectly on this then? Thank you so so so much!
 
I no longer have sets of the MCR ears nor the RS, but imagine they should fit fine. The Elstree ears fit it really well but it's my understanding they might be a hair smaller than than the others.
Would you recommend then to just go with this MinuteFett helmet or try and repair an RS? If accuracy to the 1979 prop is what I'm going for? Do you think I, being someone new to this, would be able to match/supercede what Minutefett has done? Or do you think what he's offering is the best we've gotten so far (as far as ESB restorations go)? Thank you again, your advice here means a lot!
 
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