John Barry (Production Designer) told Nick that they were at a bit of loss as to how to make the armour. There is no content for this region. All these years later, Andrew produces genuine, authentic replicas using the original moulds, as close as it is possible to get to the original film props. The surface of the character was to be hard and protective, but flexible with a smooth, slick finish. During its early existence the studio was branded as Sound City History 1930s–1960s. Being an experienced operator in the film business, he knew the routine and foresaw the potential pitfalls of getting paid. In 1976 prop maker Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios created the original Stormtrooper helmets and armour for the first movie. 0. Almost without my knowledge, they were dispatched to Christie's for a Christmas auction. In an ideal world, the finished product should be manufactured without any seams or joins, and so rotational moulding process would probably be most suited. After an appeal in The Times (read online here), Andrew received offers from leading barristers to represent him in the case. 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. 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. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. The better quality Stunt helmets came on stream later when the white ABS used for the armour came in. Shepperton has been home to some of the world's best-loved films and TV shows. Small Frown [Hand Painted] Andrew Ainsworth won each of the copyright claims made against him leaving him free to continue producing and selling his authentic replica helmets in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world excluding USA. Andrew's plan was to make them in a better quality white ABS plastic at a later stage. Once a set of moulds had been developed. Work Experience. This Andrew did and they remain good friends to this day. 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. Lucasfilm has attempted to discredit Andrew Ainsworth as the original creator of the Stormtrooper helmet moulds used to create the helmets for ANH. The helmets we make today are from an ABS material that accurately conforms to the original moulds and in addition, has an Acrylic high gloss surface that protects the ABS from UV degradation. Lucasfilm then looked to enforce the American copyright ruling in the UK and brought the case to the High Court in London. Sporting Composites LTD T/A Shepperton Design Studios, 76 The Green, Twickenham, Middx, TW2 5AG. Shepperton Studios is not generally open to the public for tours. In any event, John Barry gave Andrew a further sketch which portrayed a Stormtrooper with canvas type ammo pouches as per a soldier from the Vietnam war. Original Stormtrooper / Shepperton Design Studios Our Story One day a good friend of mine had an enquiry for a futuristic military character. This was the entry in Nickâs 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. Andrew continues "We mean exactly what we say 'The Original Maker, The Original Moulds'. Section through the helmet showing the large undercuts in the design. We are confident that our customers will treasure these helmets for years to come. At a meeting at Nick's with Andrew, Mollo asks Andrew to visit Elstree the next day to discuss the production of the armour. It was an artistic and creative environment in which to work, surrounded by film and television studios, theatres and famous landmarks which heralded the early days of rock music. 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. The HDPE material was difficult to mould and, although it would form large undercuts okay, the shrinkage and distortion when releasing from the mould was terrible. The 35 mouldings that go to make up the armour were developed over a period of time, with visits to the studios where Lucas vetted the latest developments. Shepperton Design Studios [ A. AINSWORTH FILM PORTFOLIO ] E11 Blaster. Andrew sculpted the moulds to take into consideration the post trimming and assembly. SHEPPERTON DESIGN STUDIOS WE PRODUCE THE MOST AUTHENTIC REPLICA HELMETS + ARMOUR FROM STARWARS [A NEW HOPE 1976]. Back to Armour. 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. About Us In 1976 prop maker Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios created the original Stormtrooper helmets and armour for the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope. I made no sketches, no models, no engineering drawings.I sculpted the production moulds directly, using my own blends of resins, fillers and metal dusts. Original Armour. Shepperton Design Studios Original Stormtrooper Armour [ A. AINSWORTH FILM PORTFOLIO ] Menu. Shepperton Studios was built on the grounds of Littleton Park, which was built in the 17th century by local nobleman Thomas Wood. He could not use Nick`s mock-up in any way as it had no features such as surface, eyes or face. While Lucas was considering the red and the grey clay mock-ups, Nick was taken on a guided tour of the Studios' Art Department. Andrew met with the production crew headed by John Barry, the Art Director, who explained to Andrew âWe have been working on this film for three months and all we have to show for it is thisâ as he held out one of 3CPO's eyes. This worked okay but it was slow and required complicated tooling. Read on below... On 20 January 1976, Nick Pemberton, local scenic artist and colleague of Andrew Ainsworth, went to the Studios and presented Lucas with a red clay helmet mock-up. By chance, at that time, Andrew was producing a line of fish ponds and rock cascades (see below), which were made of a khaki stone coloured HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) sheet material. Condition is "New with tags". This sets the scene for Lucas' uphill battle to fulfil his dream...a fantastic achievement given the circumstances and lack of resources. In addition, there was a note to get a couple of samples from the USA - a US Navy helmet and a helicopter pilot helmet. Pinewood Studios Group. Description Reviews (0) Size Guide Description. Similar to the effect of a lion's mane, the helmet had now become more menacing and suitable for the threatening, military position the concept drawings had depicted. Andrewâs large vacuum forming machine had a 15 ft x 3 ft bed that could accommodate all the moulds in one hit. Yep, the very same studio that produced and created the originals for the very first Star Wars film back in 1976. 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. Mr Richardson, the boyfriend of Liz Moore - who worked for Lucas at the film studio - gave evidence to Mr Wilson, counsel for Andrew Ainsworth and Mr Bloch counsel for Lucasfilm, sitting before Mr Justice Mann in the High Court, London. 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. 32 years on, the source of the initial clay helmet mock-ups was a key piece of evidence in the Court of Appeal, London when Lucasfilm brought (and lost) a case of copyright infringement against Andrew. The drawing suggested a silver, metallic look. Later Stormtroopers, therefore, showed slight variations from the first batch. Andrew saw no evidence of any armour being made, but Nick had said that he had seen some grey armour being worked on, probably in the same style as the grey clay helmet from Liz Moore. Dispatched with Royal Mail 2nd Class. Moulded sheets of plastic cooling on the pavement. Vat Number: GB787 5643 70, Company Number: 4400426 sales@originalstormtrooper.com Surely any futuristic, finely tuned, the military character would have significantly enhanced vision. Andrew made 50 Stunt helmets and every one would have been slightly different, The original HDPE helmets on the pavement at Shepperton Design Studios. Shepperton Design Studios . There was no official order or order number and Andrew had already created the prototype on a speculative basis so if it all went 'pear-shaped' Andrew would not have a leg to stand on. Learn More, Service Status: All in stock orders shipping normally, Happy New Year #Staysafe. Shepperton Design Studios Original Stormtrooper Original E11 Blaster 0 out of 5 ( There are no reviews yet. ) Trial and error was the order of the day, a process that was also used to achieve the maximum undercut with the HDPE plastic sheet. 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.". Andrew made 50 sets of armour in all and as they were quite versatile in fit, they were used over and over again for not only ANH but also the sequels. 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. Andrew did not have the means to defend the case, recalling that "taking on Lucas on his home patch is not a good idea". This material is very tough and flexible, although difficult to mould without severe shrinkage and impossible to paint. Andrew said he could, and the Art Dept at the Studios abandoned any further work on the armour and moved on to Darth Vader. After a couple of long days working on the prototype, Andrew showed Nick the results and on the morning of 23 Jan 1976, John Mollo visited Nick to view the result. Many peopleâs efforts are edited out as the only thing that matters is the visual impact of the final piece and its 'fitness for purpose'." In 1976 prop maker Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios created the Original Stormtrooper helmets and armour for the first movie and the Stormtrooper became one of the most popular characters in global popular culture. 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. Ref #0231. I was sadly disappointed. 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. At this meeting, Nick was given a guided tour of the Art Department and he observed the grey clay sculpting being done on the armour. To achieve this they had to be sculpted independently of each other. $ 389.99. © Copyright 2015-2021 Sporting Composites Ltd All rights reserved. After finishing with the film business and requiring valuable space, Andrew decided one day in the early eighties to have a clear out. Closes 15/01/2021. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Lucas, being a pragmatic director, accepted the new style as it enhanced the overall slick futuristic appearance of the Stormtrooper. The armour grew in stages; matching it to himself as the dummy, Andrew cut and remoulded parts and adjusted the moulds until the parts fitted together in a coherent manner. Cast from the original 1976 moulds, the original range is the most accurate replica of the on-screen stormtroopers. This manufacturer made authentic Star Wars replica props and memorabilia, based in England.The company was founded by Andrew Ainsworth, who was asked in January 1976 to manufacture first the helmets, then the body armour for … Head of Health, Safety, Sustainability and Compliance. Actually not too far away, Surrey to precise. As it was also a little hot, moulded sheets of plastic were turfed out on the front pavement to cool down. I hope the exposure of the court evidence dispels this myth once and for all. Lucas' claim was totally dismissed. Jun. 17 Feb 1976: Nick visits Elstree to show Lucas the final prototype Stormtrooper helmet made by Andrew. 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. 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. Original Stormtrooper Ultimate Combo Deal, Original Stormtrooper Battle Spec MK3 Helmet, Original Stormtrooper Armour - Battle Spec MK3 - The Pay As You Go Saga Edition, Original Stormtrooper Armour Battle Spec MK3 Combo Deal, Original Stormtrooper Armour Battle Spec MK3 Mega Combo Deal. We are happy to report that the moulds are in excellent condition after their near 30-year sleep in the props store. The photo shows Lucas inspecting a grey helmet, as sculpted by Liz Moore at the Studios and beside it, the one Nick had presented in red clay. Highest quality helmets, armour and props shepperton studios stormtrooper stock and available for next working day dispatch unless otherwise.! 4.89 out of 5 9 customer reviews|Add a review $ 1,450.00 $ 1,350.00 small Frown [ Hand Painted ] Design... 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