Original Helmets

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Andrew`s Stormtrooper helmet

It was clear from Ralph McQuarries prints that the Stormtrooper was from another galaxy yet processed characteristics of a human form.

Andrew`s interpretation was ,that at no cost could it be seen that there was a human actor in the costume .The helmet had to have severe undercuts around the neck to disguise any aspect of a human head.

It appeared that the character had come from a world with a toxic atmosphere and so Andrew planted breathing filters in exaggerated nostrils that extended and wrapped around the back of the helmet.

Conceivably a sophisticated being could have 3 dimensional vision like a fly and so Andrew created blister like eyes that also enhanced the sinister look of the character.

Sculpting several sets of moulds and eventually arriving at a front and back vacuum formed shape that would join together to form a complete Helmet, Andrew was niggled by the untidy joint. To solve this problem he created an earpiece that incorporated a communication device depicted by 4 bars by the ear.

STUNT Helmet

Early helmets used for the desert scenes were made from High Density Polyethylene, that Andrew was using to make fishponds & rock cascades- tough but no paint would stick to the khaki coloured material. A more suitable white ABS material that Andrew got made for the armour was used for later helmets.
The helmets were light and strong enough for the actors to perform well, however the blister eyes restricted the vision somewhat.
The actors playing the stunt scenes had problems with the restricted vision and so to solve this Andrew replaced the blister eyes with green acetate, a readily available material used for light filters in the film industry.

HERO Helmet

After Andrew had made 50 helmets that were used by the stunt actors, John Mollo asked for 6 extra ones for the close-up shots with the Hero’s.

Mark Hammel and Harrison Ford were the hero`s, they were paid more and so persevered with Andrews original design of helmet with the blister eyes., Although Mark Hammel, did complain in the film that "I can't see anything in this helmet."