Good evening, my friends! It is my great pleasure and privilege to present my review of the FPH2 - RotJ helmet by Fettpride. I hope that those of you that wish to add this helmet to your collection or upgrade your current RotJ lid will find it informative and useful.
As many of you know, although I am passionate about all things Fett, I am a card-carrying member of the RotJ helmet fan club. You don't have to be curious anymore....
So let's do this.
Like I did the last time, I'll be using this metric to measure the helmet:
DESIGN OF THE HELMET
ACCESSORIES
ATTACHING THE EARS
CRAFTSMANSHIP
FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT?
Sound familiar? It should be. I'm shooting for consistency, so here we go!
DESIGN OF THE HELMET: A+
The last helmet that I wrote up was the FPH2 - ESB. In my opinion, that helmet remains the finest on the market today. And because this helmet is somewhat of a relative, in that it is a Fettpride product, most of this section has already been written. The shape of the helmet appears very similar to the FPH2 – ESB. Excluding the beloved 'wavy brow,' the overall dimensions of the two helmets seem very close. I didn’t take out a measuring tape or anything, I’m just going by look and feel.
As the vast majority of us know (the uninformed can catch up by poring through the gallery), the RotJ helmet didn't suffer from the wavy brow. What we do know is that even though the brow on the other Fett helmets may be straight(er), they're still asymmetrical, a trademark of all of the Original Trilogy helmets. That telltale sign is represented here, demonstrating that this isn't a mirror-imaged version or anything of the sort. The nice thing is that, disregarding the embedded scratches that make this a staggeringly accurate representation of the RotJ helmet, this helmet will be an excellent base for any of the other 5 helmets (6, if we include the Super Trooper). The possibilities are endless. Although, for your information, THIS one will be RotJ.
ACCESSORIES: A+
I could almost cut and paste my entry from the ESB helmet here. As before, my helmet and all its accessories were packaged with care and concern, triple-layered in bubble wrap, and full of popcorn. The box Fettpride used had a large gash in it due to USPS, but although I was terrified when I received it, his packaging was more than strong enough to guarantee that everything was totally intact and very well-protected. I was so excited to get cracking on the helmet that I didn't photograph all of the accessories before I installed them, but here is what the helmet included:
1 set of ears utilizing the same fitment method as the ESB
1 aluminum rangefinder stalk (NOT hollow this time)
1 rangefinder topper
1 clear resin block for the topper
1 chin strap cup
1 hardware kit
1 set of resin dental drills
1 ALL NEW visor(!)
Fettpride has included resin copies of the #15 dental drills, along with holes sculpted into the key slots to accommodate them. Personally, I've already acquired these genuine parts (in anticipation of building a faithful RotJ helmet), but it's a great inclusion by Fettpride to provide them. The detail and precision on them is sharp enough that I might not use my genuine copies (who am I kidding, I will).
The second new and exciting inclusion in the kit is the visor. In the past, Fettpride has included a full welding face shield (in the accepted Shade 3 darkness). However, for this kit, Fettpride has included a specially-cut and beveled SMOKED visor. Not only is this screen-accurate, but the visor has been pre-cut, meaning that ease of installation has been improved upon immensely. We no longer have to cut a full face shield to size, now all we have to do is drill a few holes. The subtraction of that guesswork is much appreciated.
The remaining accessories are, unfortunately, not pictured, as I was eager to tear into this lid, but they're the same accessories that Fettpride has always included, most recently in the FPH2 - ESB. That means, as we’re used to with Fettpride helmets, we have everything needed to put the helmet together, right out of the box (with the exception of adhesive and a drill – and paint).
ATTACHING THE EARS: B
If there's one thing I hate about Boba Fett helmets, it's the damned ears. Every. Single. Time. It's not that it's hard, because it’s not. I just hate doing it. This time, there are no guide dimples to help. Now, once the screws are installed in the ears, it's simple. The veterans amongst us will have no problem whatsoever. But the rookies might be a little intimidated by the idea of flying solo on this. Take it from me, just drill, baby, drill. Mistakes will be hidden!
Luckily, assembling the ears themselves is easy, and identical to what we've seen before with the FPH2 - ESB. Guesswork on putting them together is eliminated by the fact that the parts have been engineered to fit together precisely. For our newer members, don’t be intimidated. You can do it!
CRAFTSMANSHIP: A+
After all, this is a Fettpride product, so we know what to expect. The craftsmanship is top notch. The gelcoat is thick and the helmet is sturdy. Like my FPH2 - ESB, the helmet achieves a level of thinness that makes it light and comfortable to wear, balanced against a thickness that provides maximum durability, while keeping details sharp. It's a perfect medium. As far as detailing, Fettpride has etched or carved all of the telltale signs of the RotJ helmet. Every nick and scrape appears to have be recreated faithfully, and a walk through the gallery confirms it. Looking at the larger picture, this physical damage will be very easy to fill in for the other Boba Fett helmets, and I think we're going to see a clamor for these by those interested in any of the others. This helmet is going to be far more versatile than the FPH2 - ESB, FP MR or even the GMH (and properly sized, as well)!
Because its size is so similar to the FPH2 – ESB, the helmets display very well with each other. I took a few quick measurements for the numbers game, and without ear caps, we have a width of almost exactly 10” across from ear to ear, and a depth of just a shade under 10.5” from mandible to keyslots, or front to back.
Once again, there's been a tag inserted into the fiberglass, which I’m told is protection against counterfeiting. I don’t like it. Fettpride shouldn’t have abandoned the numbered badges. This feature is irrelevant, I just thought I’d mention it. But the best part is that it keeps the interior clean, since space inside the helmet is a precious commodity.
FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT? A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is the special section. When it comes to Boba Fett costumers, there are more or less two camps: fans of the ESB helmet, and fans of the RotJ helmet. Or as I like to say, the Wrong Guys and the Right guys. When Fettpride announced the FPH2 – ESB, as great as that was (and is), the one sentence that burned into my brain was:
So I knew it would take some time. While I was waiting, I used the time to molest Jayvee’s 'lil' chunk of ROTJ love' paint up thread. I set off to collect the paints and get everything in order so that when I finally got the helmet, I could hit the ground running. I sent occasional messages to Fettpride to ask what the progress was, and I was shocked when he let me know that the very first of the lids were getting ready to go out. I was on cloud nine. It’s here and it’s spectacular! I am now the proud owner of what is already the crown jewel of my Boba Fett collection.
What’s even more wonderful about this helmet is its versatility. Because it lacks the ESB’s wavy brow, this helmet will become an excellent platform from which to fashion it as ANY of the other helmets. That multi-function ability means that many of us will be buying multiple copies. In short (or not), this helmet is worth your money in every way.
This is a helmet I’ve been dying for since I was three years old, and it’s here. I literally have nothing negative to say. It is faithful to the source material, expertly engineered and crafted, and is affordable. What more can we ask for?
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Now it’s time to paint this thing…
As many of you know, although I am passionate about all things Fett, I am a card-carrying member of the RotJ helmet fan club. You don't have to be curious anymore....
So let's do this.
Like I did the last time, I'll be using this metric to measure the helmet:
DESIGN OF THE HELMET
ACCESSORIES
ATTACHING THE EARS
CRAFTSMANSHIP
FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT?
Sound familiar? It should be. I'm shooting for consistency, so here we go!
DESIGN OF THE HELMET: A+
The last helmet that I wrote up was the FPH2 - ESB. In my opinion, that helmet remains the finest on the market today. And because this helmet is somewhat of a relative, in that it is a Fettpride product, most of this section has already been written. The shape of the helmet appears very similar to the FPH2 – ESB. Excluding the beloved 'wavy brow,' the overall dimensions of the two helmets seem very close. I didn’t take out a measuring tape or anything, I’m just going by look and feel.
As the vast majority of us know (the uninformed can catch up by poring through the gallery), the RotJ helmet didn't suffer from the wavy brow. What we do know is that even though the brow on the other Fett helmets may be straight(er), they're still asymmetrical, a trademark of all of the Original Trilogy helmets. That telltale sign is represented here, demonstrating that this isn't a mirror-imaged version or anything of the sort. The nice thing is that, disregarding the embedded scratches that make this a staggeringly accurate representation of the RotJ helmet, this helmet will be an excellent base for any of the other 5 helmets (6, if we include the Super Trooper). The possibilities are endless. Although, for your information, THIS one will be RotJ.
ACCESSORIES: A+
I could almost cut and paste my entry from the ESB helmet here. As before, my helmet and all its accessories were packaged with care and concern, triple-layered in bubble wrap, and full of popcorn. The box Fettpride used had a large gash in it due to USPS, but although I was terrified when I received it, his packaging was more than strong enough to guarantee that everything was totally intact and very well-protected. I was so excited to get cracking on the helmet that I didn't photograph all of the accessories before I installed them, but here is what the helmet included:
1 set of ears utilizing the same fitment method as the ESB
1 aluminum rangefinder stalk (NOT hollow this time)
1 rangefinder topper
1 clear resin block for the topper
1 chin strap cup
1 hardware kit
1 set of resin dental drills
1 ALL NEW visor(!)
Fettpride has included resin copies of the #15 dental drills, along with holes sculpted into the key slots to accommodate them. Personally, I've already acquired these genuine parts (in anticipation of building a faithful RotJ helmet), but it's a great inclusion by Fettpride to provide them. The detail and precision on them is sharp enough that I might not use my genuine copies (who am I kidding, I will).
The second new and exciting inclusion in the kit is the visor. In the past, Fettpride has included a full welding face shield (in the accepted Shade 3 darkness). However, for this kit, Fettpride has included a specially-cut and beveled SMOKED visor. Not only is this screen-accurate, but the visor has been pre-cut, meaning that ease of installation has been improved upon immensely. We no longer have to cut a full face shield to size, now all we have to do is drill a few holes. The subtraction of that guesswork is much appreciated.
The remaining accessories are, unfortunately, not pictured, as I was eager to tear into this lid, but they're the same accessories that Fettpride has always included, most recently in the FPH2 - ESB. That means, as we’re used to with Fettpride helmets, we have everything needed to put the helmet together, right out of the box (with the exception of adhesive and a drill – and paint).
ATTACHING THE EARS: B
If there's one thing I hate about Boba Fett helmets, it's the damned ears. Every. Single. Time. It's not that it's hard, because it’s not. I just hate doing it. This time, there are no guide dimples to help. Now, once the screws are installed in the ears, it's simple. The veterans amongst us will have no problem whatsoever. But the rookies might be a little intimidated by the idea of flying solo on this. Take it from me, just drill, baby, drill. Mistakes will be hidden!
Luckily, assembling the ears themselves is easy, and identical to what we've seen before with the FPH2 - ESB. Guesswork on putting them together is eliminated by the fact that the parts have been engineered to fit together precisely. For our newer members, don’t be intimidated. You can do it!
CRAFTSMANSHIP: A+
After all, this is a Fettpride product, so we know what to expect. The craftsmanship is top notch. The gelcoat is thick and the helmet is sturdy. Like my FPH2 - ESB, the helmet achieves a level of thinness that makes it light and comfortable to wear, balanced against a thickness that provides maximum durability, while keeping details sharp. It's a perfect medium. As far as detailing, Fettpride has etched or carved all of the telltale signs of the RotJ helmet. Every nick and scrape appears to have be recreated faithfully, and a walk through the gallery confirms it. Looking at the larger picture, this physical damage will be very easy to fill in for the other Boba Fett helmets, and I think we're going to see a clamor for these by those interested in any of the others. This helmet is going to be far more versatile than the FPH2 - ESB, FP MR or even the GMH (and properly sized, as well)!
Because its size is so similar to the FPH2 – ESB, the helmets display very well with each other. I took a few quick measurements for the numbers game, and without ear caps, we have a width of almost exactly 10” across from ear to ear, and a depth of just a shade under 10.5” from mandible to keyslots, or front to back.
Once again, there's been a tag inserted into the fiberglass, which I’m told is protection against counterfeiting. I don’t like it. Fettpride shouldn’t have abandoned the numbered badges. This feature is irrelevant, I just thought I’d mention it. But the best part is that it keeps the interior clean, since space inside the helmet is a precious commodity.
FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT? A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is the special section. When it comes to Boba Fett costumers, there are more or less two camps: fans of the ESB helmet, and fans of the RotJ helmet. Or as I like to say, the Wrong Guys and the Right guys. When Fettpride announced the FPH2 – ESB, as great as that was (and is), the one sentence that burned into my brain was:
That made me so excited! Of course, the very next sentence brought me back to Earth:HOWEVER, in case the first question is "It's labeled FPH2-ESB, does that mean there will be an ROTJ?" The simple answer is a resounding yes.
But it will be late in the year, if this year at all.
So I knew it would take some time. While I was waiting, I used the time to molest Jayvee’s 'lil' chunk of ROTJ love' paint up thread. I set off to collect the paints and get everything in order so that when I finally got the helmet, I could hit the ground running. I sent occasional messages to Fettpride to ask what the progress was, and I was shocked when he let me know that the very first of the lids were getting ready to go out. I was on cloud nine. It’s here and it’s spectacular! I am now the proud owner of what is already the crown jewel of my Boba Fett collection.
What’s even more wonderful about this helmet is its versatility. Because it lacks the ESB’s wavy brow, this helmet will become an excellent platform from which to fashion it as ANY of the other helmets. That multi-function ability means that many of us will be buying multiple copies. In short (or not), this helmet is worth your money in every way.
This is a helmet I’ve been dying for since I was three years old, and it’s here. I literally have nothing negative to say. It is faithful to the source material, expertly engineered and crafted, and is affordable. What more can we ask for?
I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Now it’s time to paint this thing…