@Anchorhead

Yeah, the ROTS Vader is crap. And most Vader obsessives (like on the propden forum) feel that way too. As mentioned, the original helmet was VERY wonky and lopsided. Check out the real deal, and mirrored version below (ignore the third one, it’s a fan made photoshop)

The ROTS helmet is a 3D mirror image of half of the original that was then HEAVILY cleaned up and sanitized. The mask seems smaller in proportion to the helmet and the helmet itself is wonky. On the original, the transition from the upper dome part to the lower flared portion is a very crisp and sharply defined line. On the ROTS helmet it’s much more blended and less defined.

The paint is also different. The ROTS is uniformly black and, again, very clean. The original was supposed to be black, but they found it too hard to light properly so they changed it to a two toned black and gun-metal gray checkerboard pattern that actually looks much more menacing. And, as you say, the original is very weathered, beaten, and used looking which also lends to its menace.

Finally, the eye lenses are changed. The original had Amber (NOT red!) lenses with a bubble curvature. The ROTS has flat lenses that give him a look like a state trooper wearing mirrored sunglasses.

As for the OT helmets… The original is by far the best. The ESB is a slightly cleaner (in both sculpt and paint) vesrion of the original that still retains a lot of the original’s menacing presence. The ROTJ version is a much more sanitized version of the original with softer details, much shinier paint, and a far less menacing appearance and is easily the weakest of the three but still light years better than the prequel junk.