My brother was a member of the 501st: UK Garrison, and being made by Shepperton Studios by the legendary Andrew Ainsworth (the original builder of the storm trooper armour), I had very high expectations. MADE BY ANDREW AINSWORTH THE ORIGINAL CREATOR. With the disorientated vision through the acrylic eyes, the actors kept falling over and bumping into things, and so a plain sheet of green acetate was used instead. Andrew made about 27 of the helmets in HDPE (21. As it was also a little hot, moulded sheets of plastic were turfed out on the front pavement to cool down. Cast from the original 1976 moulds, the original range is the most accurate replica of the on-screen stormtroopers. The helmet would, therefore, be able to filter noxious gases and the armour be so flexible that it could have actually grown on the character that way - much the same as an armadillo has natural armour. Shepperton Design Studios is an England-based manufacturer of Star Wars replica props and memorabilia that was sued by Lucasfilm for copyright infringement.. Shepperton Design Studios [ A. AINSWORTH FILM PORTFOLIO ] prev / next. ...Nick could now ask me to make the Stormtrooper a reality. I started to make the helmets and sold around 19 of them to Star Wars fans in the US.". Original Armour. Let’s start with the bottles - modelled on the authentic stormtrooper helmets designed by Shepperton Studios, of course. 17 Feb 1976: Nick visits Elstree to show Lucas the final prototype Stormtrooper helmet made by Andrew. Every product we make is overseen by Andrew Ainsworth, the original creator. Everything is a compromise in manufacturing and so Andrew decided that the characteristics of HDPE that would allow the mouldings to spring off undercuts would outweigh the shrinkage and painting problems - after all, it was only a prototype. Andrew set about making the moulds in a completely different way to that of clay sculpting. Andrew recalls "The concept drawings from Ralph McQuarrie suggested that the Stormtrooper was a futuristic being that had evolved through continuous genetic modification, and perhaps able to operate in adverse pungent climatic conditions. SHEPPERTON DESIGN STUDIOS WE PRODUCE THE MOST AUTHENTIC REPLICA HELMETS + ARMOUR FROM STARWARS [A NEW HOPE 1976]. *apart from the Battle Spec helmet which is partly CNC machined. In 1976 prop maker Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios created the original Stormtrooper helmets and armour for the first movie. Made of HIPS it has a glossy white appearance and SDS has always voraciously maintained that it is … Twickenham is in an old part of South West London. His first attempt was to make 'blister' eyes, by sucking cast acrylic sheet through a frame the shape of the Stormtrooper's eyes, resulting in a menacing eye that could also - just about - be seen through by the actors. With accurate detailing and a down-to-earth price,Fabricated in white flexible ABS perfect for the wear and tear of costuming & trooping events. FAQs. Nick then introduced Andrew to Mollo, who was obviously impressed with the work as he asked Andrew if he could also make 5 new helmets based upon the Navy helmet and helicopter pilot helmet which he had brought with him. Small Frown [Hand Painted] Five pieces of the armour, shoulders and shoulder bells were recorded as being developed and supplied as late as 5 April 76 (Mollo's sketchbook page 329) and other parts of the moulds that were made from wood, bore no possible connection to any clay original. Shepperton Studios, the original creators of the Star Wars Stormtrooper helmets for the first Star Wars film have designed the bottles, modelled on the original, authentic designs, for these officially-licensed gins. We've including castings from Sterling sub-machine gun parts which were used for the original props. Andrew Ainsworth remembers his first Star Wars meeting, 23 January 1976. Feb 28, 2018 - A super-accurate E11 Blaster, with the level of originality, detail and quality you expect from Shepperton Design Studios - SDS. There is no content for this region. 25 Feb 1976: Nick's diary records one word against Star Wars: "PANIC". After an appeal in The Times (read online here), Andrew received offers from leading barristers to represent him in the case. This worked okay but it was slow and required complicated tooling. The items we retained from film productions were our property and it was our business to reinvent them or sell them again for the production of lesser movies or maybe ads.". This meant that many of the first batch that went to Tunisia for the desert scenes were all shapes and sizes. Skip forward 32 years to Lucasfilm claiming in court that the red helmet was made at the Studios by Liz Moore and hence all copyright belonged to Lucas. Andrew, on the other hand, was new at the game and willing to carry the can, trusting that Nick was a man of his word. 0. In 1976, Nick Pemberton, a successful scenic artist and puppeteer and Andrew Ainsworth, a recently qualified Industrial Designer from Ealing Art School, lived a couple of buildings apart on Twickenham Green, England. This was the entry in Nick’s diary from 25 February 1976… Nick was away and Mollo called a rush meeting with Andrew at Nick`s to ask him to attend a meeting the next day at Elstree Studios to discuss the production of the armour. Nice. The night before the hearing, both sides laid out their respective sets of armour in court and both barristers Mr Bloch QC (Lucas) and Mr Wilson QC (Ainsworth/SDS) inspected the respective sets of armour. These companies come together to form a unique cluster and centre of excellence for the entire creative industries, supporting productions on and off the lot. In any case, to achieve a complete plastic prototype, several separate moulds were required to produce parts that could be joined together to make a complete helmet. I was sadly disappointed. Nick's diary records that on 29 Jan 1976 - less than a week later - Mollo was back again to check over the work so far. Shepperton Studios is not generally open to the public for tours. A rubber trim leftover from Andrew's car production fitted the forehead joint perfectly and another one finished off the bottom skirt of the helmet. This Battle spec Full Armour set by Shepperton is expertly made and the most authentic set available. Lucasfilm sued Andrew in the United States and a California court awarded $20 million in damages against him. 19 Feb 1976: Mollo had a 9.30 am meeting at Nick's and ordered 50 Stormtroopers and 40 Rebel Pilot (X wing) helmets. Some items, such as the legs, were, in fact, re-tooled three times to satisfy Lucas, several months after Brian Muir recorded working on the clay effort. The trick was to get them to a near state of fitting and continually vacuum form material over them, adjusting the sculpt each time until a satisfactory fit was achieved. Andrew achieved this by his unconventional 'trial and error' method of sculpting and manufacturing which was ultimately successful in creating a helmet that Lucas preferred over any other. Lucas chose Nick’s red clay Stormtrooper mock-up... Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class Large Letter. Whilst Nick was on his guided tour, Lucas was inspecting the various alternatives that he had for the Stormtrooper head. In his sketchbook (page 213, 12 Jan 1976) it states discussing with Nick the Stormtrooper helmet, gun & holster, Jawa mask and Tuscan raider. Later Stormtroopers, therefore, showed slight variations from the first batch. it did not take long to mould all the armour needed to meet the shoot date in Tunisia, however, the initial 'Sandtroopers' were cleaned up a little before the crew came back to shoot the rest of the film. Glimmer Armour . During its early existence the studio was branded as Sound City History 1930s–1960s. Andrew’s large vacuum forming machine had a 15 ft x 3 ft bed that could accommodate all the moulds in one hit. His large 15ft long vacuum forming machine punched out plastic kayaks and fish ponds on a regular basis, and surprisingly enough it was located in the front of his Victorian sweet shop on the Green at Twickenham. On 6 Jan 1976, Nick had a meeting with George Lucas to discuss the Stormtrooper helmet and other characters. In court, in a short dramatic court statement by Liz Moore's boyfriend (John Richardson), it was established that Liz Moore only ever used grey clay. The Pinewood Studios Group is home to over 250 independent businesses globally, providing expertise, equipment and support to the film, television, video games, advertising and photographic industries.. Andrew recalls "We were back in the house in Twickenham which we'd rebuilt after the fire. This sets the scene for Lucas' uphill battle to fulfil his dream...a fantastic achievement given the circumstances and lack of resources. Shepperton Design Studios Stormtrooper Helmets and Armour: SDS Stunt Helmet: in 2004, the first helmet Andrew Ainsworth made from his newly-reformed Shepperton Design Studio's company was the Stunt helmet, which was the most commonly seen helmet in ANH (50 Stunts as against just 6 Hero's). Original Stormtrooper / Shepperton Design Studios Our Story One day a good friend of mine had an enquiry for a futuristic military character. The mic tips were initially quite a crude moulding and so these were tweaked a little too. Nick was approached by the Star Wars 'buyer' to make various helmets and ancillary items for the film. Jun. At Shepperton Design Studios we are committed to producing the highest quality helmets, armour and props available. Back to Armour. Picture insert), but had to shot blast and spray them to get them white. He could not use Nick`s mock-up in any way as it had no features such as surface, eyes or face. Andrew's plastic kayaks incorporate a cunning feature that formed an undercut for the cockpit combing by leaving behind in the moulded part a pre-made insert. Many people’s efforts are edited out as the only thing that matters is the visual impact of the final piece and its 'fitness for purpose'." Our E11 Blaster includes all the features of the most complicated blaster used in ANH. Shepperton Design Studios . Later that evening (23.06 pm, 8 April 2008), the SDS camp received a formal letter from the Lucas camp which read: Dear Sirs. You can see more about how the original armour was created in our video, below. Nick and his staff worked intermittently on Mollo's requests and Nick had a couple of further meetings with Lucas to discuss the direction it was all taking. In the end, Andrew made 50 of the Stunt helmets and everyone would have been slightly different, so it's only helmets made from the original moulds that will conform to the original screen-used helmets. The film studio's Liz Moore produced one made in grey clay. (Nick always used red clay as it was cheaper; the Studios' Art Department always demanded the best fine grey clay. Description Reviews (0) Size Guide Description. A super-accurate E11 Blaster, with a superb level of originality, detail and quality. Invoicing straightaway was a standard tactic for Nick. Producing a prototype with all these features would be a challenge, given the non-paying, speculative nature of the job. Once a set of moulds had been developed. By the 20 Jan, Nick was ready for his third meeting with Lucas at the Studios. Now it was time to move from prototype to production... After I made the initial Stormtrooper prototype I was introduced to John Mollo, Costumer Designer for the film. UK. The production moulds were the sculptures - they were positives,negatives and reverse engineered. The Studios operate a free shuttle bus service to local underground and mainline stations for all Pinewood and Shepperton staff, Studio tenants, production staff and visitors. Based on the original Stormtrooper Stunt helmet, this Battle spec helmet is made using modern production processes but retains the feel and soul of the original. Ref #0231. Being an experienced operator in the film business, he knew the routine and foresaw the potential pitfalls of getting paid. "Andrew Ainsworth describing his approach to sculpting the Stormtrooper helmet mould in 1976. As Nick recalls, 'the film was just another no-hoper'; he was also very busy at the time on a large puppetry job for Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle. (Andrew!). Andrew's task was to take his friend Nick's clay model and Ralph McQuarrie's concept drawings and sculpt the moulds which would form the iconic white plastic helmets worn by the Stormtroopers in ANH. Andrew's Victorian sweet shop was not always large enough... As Andrew reflects "There are many stages and processes along the way to make a movie. Optional Extras E11 Holster + $ 89.00. The premises were tight for this sort of plant, and so finished mouldings were often stacked in front of the shop before shipping (see below). This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. I make each helmet by hand using the original moulds* I made in 1976 for ANH. We are writing to confirm what was said by Mr Bloch QC to Mr Wilson QC this evening, namely that we will not be seeking to establish for the purpose of these proceedings that the dimensions and design features of the replica props being produced by the Defendants differ in any material respects from the props which Mr Ainsworth produced for Star Wars: a New Hope, and that consequently, we will not be calling Ms French. 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