Master Replicas Collectors Edition


 "Stunt" Stormtrooper Helmet

 

It was always in MR's plans to do a low-end Collectors Edition of the Stormtrooper but the idea was shelved in 2006 when the decided to concentrate on the LE. However when Play.com a UK online retailer came to them seeking a "special", MR was happy to oblige and revisit the idea. Fast forward to Christmas 2007 and the first of these helmets  finally shipped with this continuing through 2008 until stocks finally ran out. Thanks to MattB and Kroenen '77 for these pics. Note that these are no longer available HOWEVER E-FX has starting making them - we've got a preview of it here yipee!!

Despite originally saying that these would be a UK-only product, thankfully some of the HUGE volume of helmets MR made in China were sent to US retailers - so SW fans there could get them too.

Available at the time for £60 (or $120 given the almost 2:1 exchange rate at the time) and were aimed at the Rubies, Don Post mass-market and certainly compare very favourably with them - including the Don Post Classic Action helmet, one I've always liked.

Made of ABS its actually a FOUR part construction, and those parts are actually split up in rather an unusual way. The face plate is actually in two sections and splits just below the frown (if you look at the pic above you can see the join).

The mic tips are separate injection moulded pieces and include a metal mesh - so again its great that MR didn't skimp on that on what is after all a budget helmet. As an indication of how things have moved on, even the Don Post Deluxe helmet at 10 times this price didn't have mic tips that good!

Front-on It looks like they used the same symmetrical base mould used for symmetrical Shadow Trooper helmet.

From the rear it looks good. The bell shape is there and the trapezoid decals look correct. You can see the join between the rear section and cap. In the photo below the ear looks a bit odd, but more concerning is the decal on the side of the upper trapezoid - which looks too small for the indent its trying to fill. Otherwise the angle of the face looks good - giving it quite a mean look.

A shot of the inside reveals its four-part design. The eye lenses are thin acrylic sheeting (correct for the Stunt version). MR's added a bit of padding for the eyes as well as the roof of the helmet, and also added some kind of grill-like material for the teeth. Though not officially referred to by MR as the "CE" helmet - in effect this is what it is, pitched along side the budget priced Qui Gon CE Saber.

It sounds like there was some concern from collectors that these would be difficult to get hold of, however I do not think this will be the case given over 4,000 will be on their way from China over the coming weeks. The fact that they will be stocked by both a UK and US retailer means that they will most certainly NOT be in short  supply. In reality, given the current lack of interest in Star Wars I imagine both retailers will have stocks for quite a looooooong time.

So in summary I'd say its quite an acceptable helmet given the price point of £60/$120. It would be wrong to compare this with the Master Replicas LE helmet at almost four times the price, as this is clearly a budget lid. However a fairer comparison would be to pitch this it against the vinyl Don Post Classic Action or the Rubies/Don Post standard Vinyl helmets - and if you were to do this then this new helmet from MR would clearly come out on top, by a long way. Again thanks to Matt B and Kroenen '77 for the great photos.

..and below here are three comparison photos from Pete in Michigan comparing the FX helmet against a more accurate (though still far from perfect) Master Replicas CE helmet. Its when you see them side by side that you so just how inaccurate the FX was. Sure it was great at the time when it was all we could get but time moves on!

Finally a really useful photo from TK-2416 from Denmark showing the AP (with Black ESB frown), next to a TE2 in the middle and the cheap MR "CE" lid to the right. Really useful comparison.

Finally some shots from Darren B of his modified Master Replicas CE - which go to show what a really great looking helmet this can look - at a very affordable price.

As you can see the gap below the frown has been filled so is not so noticeable and the ears look much, much better. Its now an extremely good helmet for trooping and certainly up to the standard of the 501st.