I have been casually looking for a film-accurate Darth Vader helmet, but the sheer cost will probably keep me from ever buying one. Master Replica's vader runs around $900. The Don Post Classic Action can run from $200-400, and the Deluxe tends to run in excess of $1200. The lower quality Rubies Supreme Edition Helmet runs around $130. How much would you pay? All pictures are from www.starwarshelmets.com, which is by far the best source for Star Wars props. The top two are the Don Post Deluxe and Classic Action, respectively. Below that is the Rubies supreme edition and at the bottom is the Master Replicas piece.
I considered buying the MR dual edition helmet, but I realised there are more important things in life than just helmets...
I'd pay 50€ for one with sound if I had the money. lol I wouldn't use an "ordinary" Vader helmet, and some hundred euros are too much for me to buy something I'd never use. And because I'm a little girl that likes to play Darth Vader sometime I'd buy a helmet like that.
I have purchased a Don Post CA helmet for use with a Darth Vader costume. Since it is ABS plastic, it is ideal for costuming. I cannot post pictures, though, because they appear to be too large to upload. It looks just like the CA helmet pictured above. I will try to post pictures of the costume when it is completed (which should be this summer).
My uncle for halloween one time did a vader costume (which looked actually really cool). He made everything else from scratch but the helmet he bought was $500 US.
The master replicas version is different...It is a replica of the episode III Vader, who is like I said different. There were some changes made, to the shoulders so he moved a little more mechanical. The one Don Post offers is the episode V one. It stands more bulky than the episode III one, cause afteral both were made to fit the one who wears it and David Prowse is much more bulkier than Hayden Christensen. The Master Replicas one is in comparisson a lot more detailed than the Don Post one. There are also other pieces added like the neck piece which you can clearly see in episode V when the helmet is lowered in Vader's personal chamber, as Admiral Piett enters and sees the back of Vader's head. Me I'm interested in an episode III version and I would like to replicate it bit by bit. A friend of mine replicated the episode IV version, to every detail, but with one small detail change. Vader's vest is worn over his shoulder armour in episode IV, which was changed in episode V cause it was very uncomfortable to wear during fighting. So that is also a strange change from episode III to IV to V. Cause like in episode V, the version of episode III wears it under his armour, NOT over it.