1/6 VTS VM053 Hypersonic Mission - Navy Test Pilot (Top Gun: Maverick Darkstar Pressure Suit)

[Asta]

Part list:
Detailed Head sculpture
Action body with over 30 points of articulations
Hand palms x2
Underwear
Hypersonic jet test mission full-pressure suit
Full-pressure suit helmet
Full-pressure suit gloves
Flight boots
Ejector seat boots pads
Full-pressure suit ventilating unit
Ventilating unit air tube
Ventilating unit oxygen hose
Checklist
Flag patch
Test mission patch
Food tube x2
Drinking bottle
Figure stand
1/1 Full size patch A
1/1 Full size patch B

 

[Gipetto0812]

Not bad. Sculpt is decent enough. But super odd that they went for this look from the beginning of the film, instead of the more iconic look that everyone wants.

 

[Asta]

This is a continuation of the pressure suit line they started under their DAM brand name:

No idea on accuracy of the Tom Cruise suit as I haven't got any interest in the film, but it looks similar to the S1034 Pressure Suit worn by the U-2 pilot, which was in use from 1996.

 

[Asta]

Not bad. Sculpt is decent enough. But super odd that they went for this look from the beginning of the film, instead of the more iconic look that everyone wants.

I kind of want this as I have the other three. I swapped the sculpts on all of them as they were more useful for other figures.

However, for me Tom Cruise isn't useful for anything, so I'd drop the visor to make him less distinguishable.

 

[Gipetto0812]

No idea on accuracy of the Tom Cruise suit as I haven't got any interest in the film, but it looks similar to the S1034 Pressure Suit worn by the U-2 pilot, which was in use from 1996.

Can’t find the best pics off hand but the suit looks pretty accurate to the movie based on these BTS photos

The helmet however isn’t accurate and appears to be too big

 

[Asta]

Can’t find the best pics off hand but the suit looks pretty accurate to the movie based on these BTS photos

View attachment 652391

The helmet however isn’t accurate and appears to be too big

View attachment 652393

VTS were lucky that the suit used in the film appears to be almost identical to the S1034 they already had the pattern for. It's harder to distinguish the details in black but there's some minor differences, plus being slimmer.

Looks like they cut a corner by re-using the old helmet.

I made a few quick searches for the suit used in the film, but only found superficial details based on early speculation.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Oh, this WILL be mine!

It looks pretty accurate to me. I have the other three U2/SR-71 figures, as well.

 

[Wor-Gar]

LOVE it!

 

[Asta]

Got some screen caps:

I haven't spotted a helmet that matches the one in the movie. However, since VTS used their old mould it means that the figure can pass for a real world representation.

This downloadable book from the NASA site is a great resource:

https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/683215main_DressingAltitude-ebook.pdf

 

[FlyAndFight]

Thanks for that link to the ebook. Excellent reference source for the real equipment.

 

[Marine Boy]

The helmet does look a little too big and it's missing the raised centre section on the lower edge, around the chin. The rest of the figure looks very good though.

 

[Asta]

The helmet does look a little too big and it's missing the raised centre section on the lower edge, around the chin. The rest of the figure looks very good though.

It's weird watching the film again, because his helmet looks too small, like a 1950s Mercury space suit helmet.

Don't know whether it was specifically designed for the film, and was slimmed down. It's simplified on the back as well.

 

[Asta]

It came to me yesterday what the slimmed down look of the Darkstar suit and helmet reminded me of...

Or maybe it's just that black is more slimming than yellow.

Firefox came out four years before Top Gun and, coincidentally, Clint's character name was Mitchell Gant while Maverick's was Pete Mitchell.

Clint's costume was more of a regular jumpsuit, as opposed to a bulkier pressure suit.

His helmet was the smaller HGU-20/P:

Trying to find a full shot of the costume with helmet, the only one that turned up was from an advert for the Atari arcade game:

U-2 pilot, Joel Leveille, described the David Clark S1034 pressure suit as "like wearing a big sleeping bag."

They're constructed from several layers of material: a comfort layer; a rubber layer to provide the airtightness, and a braided sleeve.

Every suit is tailored to the pilot, and costs around $250,000.

 

[Asta]

Finally found something on the Darkstar helmet/suit:

Costume designer, Marlene Stewart: "General Issue flight suits, uniforms, whatever, they're not great. I mean they're fine for, you know, the average person, but obviously for our hero, Tom Cruise, everything was custom made. All his uniforms, all his flight suits were cashmere lined,. We wanted to get the scale right, better quality fabrics... of course, the space suit for the Darkstar was all custom made and had to be fully functioning like a real space suit...reproducing an iconic image that everybody knew...and getting it to look like all the designs, that they fit Tom perfectly... everything was custom made."




https://webcache.googleusercontent..../movietalk/90255260&cd=22&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
https://www.instagram.com/ironhead_studio/?ref=Instagram Panda&hl=fi

The Jose Fernandez built Darkstar helmet:

Jose was also the person who put the helmet on Tom in the film:

lorenzo_lofat​

Jose is that you put it on him in the film? I thought that was you. But am I mistaken?@ironhead_studio?

ironhead_studio​

@lorenzo_lofatyup


The socket that's missing on the back of Fernandez' helmet is referred to as "Take-Up Assembly".

I had to search to find what that meant: "take-up assembly to more positively position the pilot's head within the helmet."

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp75b00159r000400140040-9



So, the suit and helmet were inspired by the real thing, but due to the necessity of movie magic were custom designed so that "they fit Tom perfectly."

That same movie magic that allowed Maverick to survive ejection at Mach 10.3.

Or allowed him to steal the Iranian F-14, because according to the Goofs on IMDB "The connectors for the F-14 and F-18 oxygen masks are very different. So Maverick and Rooster wouldn't have been able to connect their air hoses or radio mics, and would have had to shout at each other (if that has even worked). This would also mean their G-suits would be inoperable."

 

[sky_captain]

Looks like a cross between Cruise and Ben Shapiro.

 

[JESUS YUGUEROS]

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Part list:
Detailed Head sculpture
Action body with over 30 points of articulations
Hand palms x2
Underwear
Hypersonic jet test mission full-pressure suit
Full-pressure suit helmet
Full-pressure suit gloves
Flight boots
Ejector seat boots pads
Full-pressure suit ventilating unit
Ventilating unit air tube
Ventilating unit oxygen hose
Checklist
Flag patch
Test mission patch
Food tube x2
Drinking bottle
Figure stand
1/1 Full size patch A
1/1 Full size patch B

hi. its possible to buy it now???? where can I find it??? Thanls so much. [email protected]

 

[Asta]

hi. its possible to buy it now???? where can I find it??? Thanls so much. [email protected]

I don't think it's up for pre-order anywhere yet.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Finally found something on the Darkstar helmet/suit:

View attachment 653122


Costume designer, Marlene Stewart: "General Issue flight suits, uniforms, whatever, they're not great. I mean they're fine for, you know, the average person, but obviously for our hero, Tom Cruise, everything was custom made. All his uniforms, all his flight suits were cashmere lined,. We wanted to get the scale right, better quality fabrics... of course, the space suit for the Darkstar was all custom made and had to be fully functioning like a real space suit...reproducing an iconic image that everybody knew...and getting it to look like all the designs, that they fit Tom perfectly... everything was custom made."




https://webcache.googleusercontent..../movietalk/90255260&cd=22&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
https://www.instagram.com/ironhead_studio/?ref=Instagram Panda&hl=fi

The Jose Fernandez built Darkstar helmet:

View attachment 653126View attachment 653127View attachment 653128View attachment 653129

Jose was also the person who put the helmet on Tom in the film:

lorenzo_lofat​

Jose is that you put it on him in the film? I thought that was you. But am I mistaken?@ironhead_studio?

ironhead_studio​

@lorenzo_lofatyup


The socket that's missing on the back of Fernandez' helmet is referred to as "Take-Up Assembly".

View attachment 653130


I had to search to find what that meant: "take-up assembly to more positively position the pilot's head within the helmet."

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp75b00159r000400140040-9



So, the suit and helmet were inspired by the real thing, but due to the necessity of movie magic were custom designed so that "they fit Tom perfectly."

That same movie magic that allowed Maverick to survive ejection at Mach 10.3.

Or allowed him to steal the Iranian F-14, because according to the Goofs on IMDB "The connectors for the F-14 and F-18 oxygen masks are very different. So Maverick and Rooster wouldn't have been able to connect their air hoses or radio mics, and would have had to shout at each other (if that has even worked). This would also mean their G-suits would be inoperable."

Another excellent bit of research, Asta! Thanks!

 

[MeatHookGekko]

The helmet does look a little too big and it's missing the raised centre section on the lower edge, around the chin. The rest of the figure looks very good though.

For films, the helmets like this have to accommodate the proper lighting, audio and offer enough "display" area to see the actor's face and recognize it for viewers. Probably also other custom elements to help with ventilation and cooling ( for the actor's comfort and to stop the fogging effect, etc, etc)

People who get a lot of plastic surgery and other treatments like botox ( Cruise clearly has had some work done), often tend to get puffy faces from all the "adjustments" So the helmet has to not squeeze his face together and make him look like he's pudgy.

Jessica Henwick ( the only good thing about Iron Fist and Matrix 4) is stunning. She's hot as hell. But look how a helmet mashes her face together.

From the 1/6th side, I can see how VTS wants to keep the helmet roomy, so it creates future options to reuse the mold again and again, to accommodate different kind of head sculpts besides Cruise. No one knows what other licenses and films will be made in the future, good to have those options in the back of one's pocket.

This is a great looking figure IMHO, it's a bit out of my range at this point, but glad it's an option for others here who want it.

 

[JESUS YUGUEROS]

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Part list:
Detailed Head sculpture
Action body with over 30 points of articulations
Hand palms x2
Underwear
Hypersonic jet test mission full-pressure suit
Full-pressure suit helmet
Full-pressure suit gloves
Flight boots
Ejector seat boots pads
Full-pressure suit ventilating unit
Ventilating unit air tube
Ventilating unit oxygen hose
Checklist
Flag patch
Test mission patch
Food tube x2
Drinking bottle
Figure stand
1/1 Full size patch A
1/1 Full size patch B

Hi. Someone know how can I buy it?... How to order? Thanks.