I always thought of it as a less accurate replica myself already when I first discovered it and this whole community in I believe 2009. I never bought my blank the following year because of that I thought of it as the most accurate or the fact that it was a very popular replica either, it was simply because of the fact that I absolutely loved the look it had, and I thought it had a special, unique look even. Today it is in my top 4 favorite NAG’s and a blank I am going to finish myself has already been placed with Nik a couple months ago. But as a very accurate replica however I’d Imagine it no longer holds up for the majority of collectors either.
To understand the fame of the H78, you have to understand its history. The H78 was literally THE game changer when it came to Myers mask replicas. Prior to the H78, few had realized that to make the best replica of a Myers mask, all you had to do was trace the steps of the original: take a Kirk mask, rip off the side burns and brows, paint it white, and mist the hair. The H78 popularized this technique in Myers mask making. Now, the practice of Kirk conversion is pretty much the standard when it comes to a Myers mask replica. I remember when I first started collecting Myers masks, I pinned a picture of an H78 to my desk that I found on Google. It was a reminder to myself of what I wanted to work UP to. I didn’t want the dinky Don Post mask I bought at K-Mart for $10 bucks, I wanted a REAL replica. The day I bought one off of eBay was one of the happiest in my life as a Myers collector. I’ll keep my copy in my possession until it turns into a messy pile of hair and latex.
The H78 needs to be converted properly to take advantage of its proportions. Mike [AHG] has done some of his most insane work on H78’s. Have a look in the gallery. Here’s mine: AHGH78
You are reeaallyy brave! There are plenty of masks that I think are off, but I’m too afraid to say anything in fear of the entire hobby turning against me lol. There are some copies of some certain masks that gets praised and fetch really high prices that I’ve never understood. But I love the h78, though. Not accurate by any means, but I like the look.
I feel that way at times about the kh dw. Please don’t flame me. But to ME it does look like the hero years later and beat up but not like the 78 hero. At least in my eyes
The H78 was a great mask , for its time. This mask along with Psycho were the best 1 -2 masks available, when I first joined this hobby in 2008. Affordable masks, that is.