Nick Pemberton was contacted by the 'Buyer' for Star Wars to supply helmets, masks, belts and similar artefacts. He was a scenic artist with a union ticket and working as an outside contractor to the film and television industry. Nick took the job on without knowing how he would create these futuristic, slick characters - but as he recalls, I know a man who can...

This was Andrew Ainsworth.

Andrew Ainsworth lived a couple of doors away on Twickenham Green and was building up an Industrial Design business manufacturing his own products. Some of these used vacuum formed plastics and Andrew had built these forming machines to his own design - meaning that complicated mouldings were possible.

Nick had several meetings with George Lucas at Elstree Studios and with the help of a concept drawing from Ralph McQuarrie, arrived at a clay model that Lucas accepted as the way forward. On returning from Elstree, Nick left the clay model in the car overnight which froze since it was January and ended up in a crumbled mess!

A Ridley Scott film made at Shepperton Studios. Andrew developed the iconic “Face Hugger” with fine plasticised skin. The impression for the tail was taken from a snake skin. A pneumatic compressed air actuator was used to pull & push the finger wires. Resulting in crab-like walk and ability to clamp onto any unsuspecting being - gruesome...

Giger`s concept of a monster that was translucent, showing all internal organs, was always going to be challenging in the time scale! Andrew developed a material and moulding process using the same material from the “Face Hugger” concept but ultimately time had run out - Ridley Scott said OK, let`s go without the monster, it might even add to the suspense!

Brian Blessed played a main character as Prince Vultan, dressed in a spectacular costume with enormous wings and feathers made by Andrew and his crew.

The production company was Starling Productions Ltd, using Shepperton Studios as the main production studio, and the famous Italian director Dino de Laurentis. Andrew created the Hawkmen's helmets, wings, vast backdrops, rugby footballs and even scale models to create the illusion of Hawkmen in flight!

A John Boorman film, shot in Ireland at Ardmore Studios, Bray, Co Wicklow. With Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson in starring roles.

There was a demand for many, many weapons and so Andrew devised a production method to make swords on a truly epic scale.The lads employed as film extras in Ireland really gave value for money, their enthusiasm for accurate battle re-enactment was second to none. To avoid them actually killing themselves, Andrew created flexible battle weapons that allowed the armies beat the sh*!t out of each other.

After working in the movie business during the late 70's, Andrew Ainsworth spends the next 25 years successfully designing and producing watersports products. He recalls "We were back in the house in Twickenham which we'd rebuilt after a fire. I was being hassled for school fees (how life changes). On top of the wardrobe were a few remnants of a past era - yes - Star Wars characters.

Almost without my knowledge, they were dispatched to Christie's for a Christmas auction! Even I was surprised when they fetched £60,000. With the school fees paid and the phone vibrating itself off the wall with enquires...

While at Shepperton Studios Andrew meticulously kept all the moulds with protective skins moulded and left on them until further use.

“We used to sell the same props, or derivatives of, several times over as new production companies came and went... This was standard practice and in fact, the prop stores are without a doubt the most fascinating insight into movie history. The word ‘prop’ means property and the items we retained from film productions were our property - it was our business to reinvent them, or sell them again for the production of lesser movies or maybe ads.

In 2004, Andrew began producing replica ANH Stormtrooper helmets. Each helmet was handmade by Andrew using the original moulds. The movie memorabilia market had really grown in popularity by then and there was a great deal of interest in authentic replicas. "I started to make the helmets and sold around 19 of them to Star Wars fans in the USA".

Lucasfilm subsequently sued Andrew in the United States and a California court awarded $20 million in damages against him. Andrew did not have the means to defend the case in the USA, recalling that "taking on Lucas on his home patch is not a good idea". The upshot was that Andrew stopped selling his Stormtrooper helmets in the USA.