Weta’s Narnia helm ambitions were made clear today with the pre-orders of five helmets from both Wardrobe and Caspian. That’s an impressively restrained edition size of a paltry 1250 for the entirety of their Narnia helm line, assuming this is all to be produced- which sounds like it to me from tone of the wording. Impressive.

Attractively priced at $55 a piece, the line-up includes:

• Peter’s Helmet
• Edmund’s Helmet
• Lord Miraz’s Helmet
• Centaur Helmet
• Faun Helmet

[[updated]] Weta has reassured us that the helms are indeed 1/4 scale like their LOTR brethren, and not 1/6 as the press release initially stated.

The work of sculpting these pieces was shared by Neil Schrader and Daniel Cockersell and the helmets are cast in metal and hand painted to make incredible replicas of the actual props that Weta made for the movies.

These helmets are available exclusively from the Weta website and selected shows. The edition of each helmet is limited to 250 worldwide, so get in now to make sure you get the helmets you want.

Weta Collectibles, who made the world fall in love with 1/4th scale headgear back in the SSW LOTR days, returns to the the business of making miniature helms with today’s announced expansion of their Dr. Who license. There are six helms lined up for the initial series. Personally, I’m just thrilled to see anything new from WC after what seems to have been something of a dry spell.

Even if you’re not a Who fan, it does have to warm your heart just a little.

• The full details at Wetaholics
• Updated- turnaround of the Sonataran helm

The Best Buy Exclusive Spartan Helm set arrived unexpectedly today, so I now can compare it to the Immortal Mask proper. For the uninitiated, the Immortal Mask is also exclusive not only to Best Buy, but to Comic-Con 07 as well. (oooo, the elusive double-exclusive!!) It’s also actually limited to 4000.

It was obvious from the first glimpse that the SH is not to scale with the IM, as I’d hoped. Bummer. But turns out, the two still make a nice display together. The IM is certainly the classier of the two, and the truth is, it’s the black velvet-lined display box that really makes it, mystifying it in darkness. The mask itself is extremely flimsy, very ‘plastic’ in feel– though you might never know it from looking at it. It reflects light gorgeously. You can remove it from the base, but I’m not sure why you’d want to. The SH is not removable from the base, though the whole thing feels much more solid and is heavier. I recall numerous bashes on the SH when the DVD launched last week. I don’t know what that’s about; it is certainly not a face-melter but it is respectable. You can’t expect much more for $35 DVD gift set. The pictures will let you judge for yourself.

Both are manufactured by Neca, with the Immortal Mask in my estimation roughly 1/3 scale, and the Spartan Helm 1/4.

Gondorian Helm Col. | Sculptors: R. Asquith, P. Fickling | Edition Size: 1000 | product page
::Sculptural Quality::

This collection consists of four helms (pictured above from left to right): Helm of Faramir, Fountain Guard, Citadel Guard and Gondorian Soldier. Three sculpted by Rebecca Asquith with Philip Fickling tackling the duties for Faramir. With its massive “winged” ceremonial feathers (done in metal, by the way), the Fountain Guard helm asks for serious attention– though all are spectacular in detail. The Gondorian gull wing motif is prominent on all, with the White Tree and Stars adornments logically reserved only for Faramir.

Curiously, Faramir’s Helm is the smallest of the four. I partly attribute this to simply being the inherent differences among two sculptors. On closer inspection you can see that by design, the helm has a less pronounced point at the top and lacks the substantial curved neck guard in the rear, all of which contribute to make the helm slight in appearance.

The Citadel Guard helm may be my favorite. It’s the most ornate piece of the set, yet still functional for battle unlike the extreme Fountain Guard. The intricate combination of tightly detailed embellishments and golden highlights make it a true stunner. The Gondorian Soldier piece is the most pedestrian of all, but still a wonderful design in its own right.

::Paint Application::

Extremely tidy application, especially where it counts- in all of the miniature inlays, the gold paint rarely strays. Really quite impressed by this. This solid attention to detail goes a long way to lending a sense of timeless quality to this set of helms. Folks aggravated by the distressed and battle-worn look of previous helms (such as Elendil and Isildur’s) can rejoice as the Gondorians are presented as well preserved artifacts.

::Parting Notes::

The helms come as a set- all housed in one box, sharing the same edition number. The right combination of desirability and execution will keep this set wildly sought-after for a long time to come.

Related:

• Gondorian Helm Collection product page at Sideshow Collectibles
• Elendil bust review
• Back to the Review Index