Goldin's at it again. Trying to auction off a Star Wars prop..
- Thread starter Galilei
- Start date
let's see After the Christie’s auction that introduced the community to AA/SDS almost 25 years ago, I actually visited SDS while vacationing in England around 2003ish. This was well before his fall from grace occurred.
If this is the helmet with the corrugated rear lower tube (I can’t tell), the story he told me at the time was that these helmets were supposedly prototypes for ESB (not ANH). I do not know if he was solicited by someone associated with the production to do this, but his goal originally was get rid of the ears and make changes to the top/back to allow easier removal from the buck. He said his idea didn’t really work out because the corrugated hose he used in the mold buck (to make the rear tube corrugation) wouldn’t last under the heat. Ultimately the helmet was never adopted.
Again, I’m not sure if he did this on a whim or there was an ask of some sort. The way AA has conducted himself over the years, at this point I’m not sure you can believe anything he says. Provable fabrications have a way of ruining your word.
If this is the helmet with the corrugated rear lower tube (I can’t tell), the story he told me at the time was that these helmets were supposedly prototypes for ESB (not ANH). I do not know if he was solicited by someone associated with the production to do this, but his goal originally was get rid of the ears and make changes to the top/back to allow easier removal from the buck. He said his idea didn’t really work out because the corrugated hose he used in the mold buck (to make the rear tube corrugation) wouldn’t last under the heat. Ultimately the helmet was never adopted.
Again, I’m not sure if he did this on a whim or there was an ask of some sort. The way AA has conducted himself over the years, at this point I’m not sure you can believe anything he says. Provable fabrications have a way of ruining your word.
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Here's the back of the helmet.
You know... I've always wondered WHY AA didn't just team up with Lucasfilm licensing 20 years ago to make authorized helmets and armor? Yes, there would be the LFL tax but they would have helped to promote AA's work, and maybe even helped in other areas? It may be that his small fabrication space and equipment would not allow for large runs, and there would be limited quality control?
My incomplete understanding is: Some of the original 1976 Stormtrooper (and TIE pilot) bucks were used by AA in his new business venture, but perhaps modified from their original state? And not all of the trooper armor came from AA's molds... some was from other sources?
I'm not an expert on the AA topic or stormtroopers by any means, but talking only the faceplate (since the rest is 100% not screen accurate), it has a lot wrong with it compared to the movie helmets. I think the opinion from the community at the time was that it appeared an ANH faceplate buck was cleaned up and modified to make this faceplate. From a piss-poor memory, the undercut on this one is less and its missing some tells in the teardrop. Anyway, I think the problem for SDS/AA is that when they introduced their stormtrooper helment "from the original moulds" it was very apparent that nothing matched the screen helmets. This was especially true of the back of the helmet - the lower tube (bulge) on his offering ran almost straight across vs having a drop in the middle that the screen helmets have. It was very obvious that his claims were just not truthful, with regard to this and other helmet offerings.
Even with all that, I think what really soured the community most with regard to AA was during the LFL court case where he tried to claim he was responsible for creating the stormtrooper ie it was his sculpt. If you can find it, I would recommend that you watch the video he presented in court showing his 'sculpting' methods - basically slopping bondo and using an angle grinder to sculpt. It is laughable, and very sad he would attempt to take any credit. Anyway, his claims pissed off a ton of people people because Brian Muir (who sculpted Vader) knew for a fact that Liz Moore (his coworker working as a scultper for the studio) was the artist responsible. Unfortunately, Liz Moore had passed away a long time ago, so Brian had to testify to these facts in court. I believe she was also responsible for the threepio sculpt as well (among others?)
There is a lot more to this story and others know way more, but this is why so many have such a low opinion of AA. I think Lindsay Muir created a Facebook page called The Darkside of SDS to keep all of this information alive.
With regard to these 'prototype' helmets.....I actually own one and have had it for over 20s years. I have zero doubt they were made back around the time of the productions and the story AA told me (ESB prototype) fits more with the reality of the details we see in these helmets vs his claims regarding it being an ANH prototype. Just my opinion of course but hard to know because of his story changing.
Even with all that, I think what really soured the community most with regard to AA was during the LFL court case where he tried to claim he was responsible for creating the stormtrooper ie it was his sculpt. If you can find it, I would recommend that you watch the video he presented in court showing his 'sculpting' methods - basically slopping bondo and using an angle grinder to sculpt. It is laughable, and very sad he would attempt to take any credit. Anyway, his claims pissed off a ton of people people because Brian Muir (who sculpted Vader) knew for a fact that Liz Moore (his coworker working as a scultper for the studio) was the artist responsible. Unfortunately, Liz Moore had passed away a long time ago, so Brian had to testify to these facts in court. I believe she was also responsible for the threepio sculpt as well (among others?)
There is a lot more to this story and others know way more, but this is why so many have such a low opinion of AA. I think Lindsay Muir created a Facebook page called The Darkside of SDS to keep all of this information alive.
With regard to these 'prototype' helmets.....I actually own one and have had it for over 20s years. I have zero doubt they were made back around the time of the productions and the story AA told me (ESB prototype) fits more with the reality of the details we see in these helmets vs his claims regarding it being an ANH prototype. Just my opinion of course but hard to know because of his story changing.
RBJ
Sr Member
Some good info here;
www.originalprop.com
Star Wars "Prototype" Stormtrooper Helmets - Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource
Over the past several years, one issue that has been discussed among hobbyists from time to time relates to questions about Stormtrooper helmets characterized as “prototypes” and attributed to the production of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. A number of hobbyists do not believe these...
www.originalprop.com
Some good info here;
Star Wars "Prototype" Stormtrooper Helmets - Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource
Over the past several years, one issue that has been discussed among hobbyists from time to time relates to questions about Stormtrooper helmets characterized as “prototypes” and attributed to the production of the first Star Wars film, A New Hope. A number of hobbyists do not believe these...
Agree....good stuff
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