fettpride
Well-Known Hunter
Hey folks ... do a search on ebay for
"Don Post Original mold Boba Fett Helmet"
Credit to Lufo1138 for pointing this out to me earlier BTW - Eric, if you see this, I can't PM you ... you turned something off. Tired of me already huh 
So I have a theory. Based on the photo's provided in the auction, it appears to be an authentic production mold for Don Post's classic vinyl helmets (DP 95, 96, 97). The vinyl casting process that was used - used alloy molds. This is a cast metal helmet mold that is mounted to a rotocasting frame. Taking that a step further ... there is a documentary that was made many years ago about the rise of Star Wars Pop Culture, and in the documentary they showed a clip of Don Post Studios rotocasting a number of Star Wars masks, including C3PO and Boba Fett. The roto molds look very much so like this one
But here's the fun part. All of these years everyone has wondered why Don Post Studios would have gone to the lengths they did making what we know to be the "Mystery Helmet" today, and never produce it?
My theory is, when they modified a PP2 cast, or whatever has been agreed that they used as a base to start (this part is unimportant to my point) ... they made a metal or aluminum lost wax copy, turned it over and welded it to a frame, which became the mold for their vinyl series of helmets. This might explain why the vinyl helmets were smaller in size than a Mystery Helmet?
I may not have it completely right, but I think it's in the right direction. Perhaps what we know to be the "Mystery Helmet" today, was never intended to be produced because it's sole purpose was to be used as a mold
It also might account for why the "Lava" helmet looked like a molten casting, much like the pictures we see of this mold in the aution. The outiside, although full of warts and blemishes from the alloy casting process, looks just like a Mystery Helmet, as does the "Lava". The inside of the mold in the auction, is washed out in detail, and would produce a general helmet shape much like the helmet that it is being pulled from, but smaller and not as refined ... just as the DP line of vinyl helmets were
Taking the theory one step further, either someone yanked a copy of the MH master that was used to make their multiple alloy molds, or ... someone took a direct mold from the alloy mold itself (this became the Lava), it was cleaned up and that became a Mystery Helmet. Perhaps there was never a clean "Mystery Helmet" lifted from DP Studios after all And dare I say, who ever dubbed the "Lava" helmet, had no clue that it was from a formerly "molten" master
Right, or wrong ... it's a neat theory
Best,
Chris
"Don Post Original mold Boba Fett Helmet"
Credit to Lufo1138 for pointing this out to me earlier
BTW - Eric, if you see this, I can't PM you ... you turned something off. Tired of me already huh So I have a theory. Based on the photo's provided in the auction, it appears to be an authentic production mold for Don Post's classic vinyl helmets (DP 95, 96, 97). The vinyl casting process that was used - used alloy molds. This is a cast metal helmet mold that is mounted to a rotocasting frame. Taking that a step further ... there is a documentary that was made many years ago about the rise of Star Wars Pop Culture, and in the documentary they showed a clip of Don Post Studios rotocasting a number of Star Wars masks, including C3PO and Boba Fett. The roto molds look very much so like this one
But here's the fun part. All of these years everyone has wondered why Don Post Studios would have gone to the lengths they did making what we know to be the "Mystery Helmet" today, and never produce it?
My theory is, when they modified a PP2 cast, or whatever has been agreed that they used as a base to start (this part is unimportant to my point) ... they made a metal or aluminum lost wax copy, turned it over and welded it to a frame, which became the mold for their vinyl series of helmets. This might explain why the vinyl helmets were smaller in size than a Mystery Helmet?
I may not have it completely right, but I think it's in the right direction. Perhaps what we know to be the "Mystery Helmet" today, was never intended to be produced because it's sole purpose was to be used as a mold
It also might account for why the "Lava" helmet looked like a molten casting, much like the pictures we see of this mold in the aution. The outiside, although full of warts and blemishes from the alloy casting process, looks just like a Mystery Helmet, as does the "Lava". The inside of the mold in the auction, is washed out in detail, and would produce a general helmet shape much like the helmet that it is being pulled from, but smaller and not as refined ... just as the DP line of vinyl helmets were
Taking the theory one step further, either someone yanked a copy of the MH master that was used to make their multiple alloy molds, or ... someone took a direct mold from the alloy mold itself (this became the Lava), it was cleaned up and that became a Mystery Helmet. Perhaps there was never a clean "Mystery Helmet" lifted from DP Studios after all
And dare I say, who ever dubbed the "Lava" helmet, had no clue that it was from a formerly "molten" master Right, or wrong ... it's a neat theory
Best,
Chris
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