Original ANH Stormtrooper helmet and Armor - Just the Facts

[Brian Muir]

As the colour of the clay sculpt of the Stormtrooper helmet was not discussed in depth in the Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth court case, I feel that the facts should be revealed. Ainsworth has now re -written his version of events for the 6th time (5 amended statements being presented as the truth was produced) using the true facts that I put forward in my one and only statement. He has not only changed the facts as they happened but has changed his website from Shepperton Design Studios to www.OriginalStormtrooper.com

No-one knew about the clay helmet that had been sculpted for the production until I informed Lucasfilm lawyers of its existence. After searching through their Archives a photo was found in the Gary Kurtz Archive. The clay helmet I saw outside the Art Department was the same colour as the clay that Liz and I were using on the film.

Ainsworth is now using a colour distorted photo of the clay helmet to try to show it as terracotta as Pemberton (who was incorrectly credited for sculpting the helmet) said he only worked with terracotta as it is cheap.

Again Ainsworth is trying to cheat Liz Moore out of the credit she so richly deserves for sculpting the helmet.

Photo of me in 1976 using the same clay to sculpt the Death Star Droid as Liz Moore used to sculpt the Stormtrooper helmet

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Thanks for keeping on this. You can't stop a liar from lying, but you can stop others from believing a liar. The guy has dug in too deep in his lie to stop now - that's usually what happens when the dollar and pound sign flash before their eyes, then truth be damned.

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

I stand by my opinion that this overhyped pond puller is a reprehensible human being. We just have to make sure more people know he is a liar.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Why he keeps laying claims to the helmet sculpt or presenting false information is beyond ridiculous. He's not laying any claims to the armor, yet that doesn't stop him from selling that, so from a practical business sense... why maintain the lie?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

You tell a lie so much, you start believing it, I guess. It gives him some sense of validity to those who are not in the know. I get the feeling that the group of people NOT in the know is getting smaller all of the time. I would like to see just one thing Ainsworth actually sculpted. Putting a crinkly vacuum hose on the back of a stormtrooper does not count.

 

[Brian Muir]

Why he keeps laying claims to the helmet sculpt or presenting false information is beyond ridiculous. He's not laying any claims to the armor, yet that doesn't stop him from selling that, so from a practical business sense... why maintain the lie?

He is laying claim to the armour Carsten even though the Judge gave me full credit for it in court and said that the timeframe Ainsworth gave was ludicrous. Ainsworth also stated in court that he did the armour with no imput from the Studios. Now he has stated on his website that he had meetings with John Barry which is the first time he has ever mentioned John. He has used the information I gave in court and rewritten his 'history'.

From his website :
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.
Andrew met with the production crew headed by John Barry, the Art Director, who explained to Andrew ‘We have been working on this film for three months and all we have to show for it is this’ as he held out one of 3CPO's eyes.
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.
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. He asked Andrew if he could make the armour in time for the first shoot in Tunisia, less than a month away. Andrew said he could, and the Art Dept at the Studios abandoned any further work on the armour and moved on to Darth Vader.

 

[Brian Muir]

Quote from Ainsworth's new website:

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.
Andrew met with the production crew headed by John Barry, the Art Director, who explained to Andrew ‘We have been working on this film for three months and all we have to show for it is this’ as he held out one of 3CPO's eyes.


By the time Ainsworth says he was involved on 25th February 1976 Liz Moore had been finished on the film for 3 weeks and had sculpted several versions of C3P0 helmets and a few different suits. The finished C3P0 suit had been agreed on and I'd even carved the suit up and done minor alterations - by the time Ainsworth came to the Studio it had all been remoulded and the finished suit was being cast. This shows how delusional Ainsworth is.

 

[anakin]

From AA - 2005

"I’m aware of the interest in the issue regarding the composition of the original helmets. Let me be categorically clear on this point. The vast majority of the Stormtrooper helmets we produced were made from a batch of white ABS we ordered in after being given the go ahead by the Studio (as a relevant point the ABS order size was so huge it took us a long time to clear – long after the project was complete). My team here who worked with me on the original film are also absolutely clear on this issue. Irrespective of our own clear memories of the project it is inconceivable to suggest that we could have produced the glossy body armour in one material, with the helmets in another.

Especially a bumpy, painted material whose finish was so poor on the eye. Quite simply our contacts on the film would not have accepted them and quite rightly so! I am sure that some of the Polythene helmets probably did end up on screen, such were the demands for the film at that time, however I am absolutely positive that the vast majority were ABS and these would have taken a colossal pounding during filming. This point, along with the fact that it was industry practice to destroy all scenery and costumes/props such as this when filming completed, probably goes some way to explain why there are now problems locating original ABS helmets.

It is a shame that so many of the supposed question marks raised over my current production have come from the very people who have had the benefit from capitalising on my original work over the past years. This I find quite complimentary and wish them the best of luck with their endeavours. However, I cannot help who I am and I cannot help that my production of replica helmets come from the original moulds and the original hands that made the screen-used items in the first place.


I will continue to bring back all the characters we worked on at Shepperton Design Studios, and as an artist derive immense satisfaction from the joy that this project brings to so many.
Wishing you a Happy New year
Yours sincerely
Andrew Ainsworth
Director. (Managing)


"You tell a lie so much, you start believing it" - absolutely!.......jeez, even to quote George Costanza..."It's not a lie, if you believe it."

 

[ghostryder]

Someone should build her a tribute website...

 

[SFPROPS]

Are there people out there that really buy Ainsworth's fables?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

He is making sales, so....yes.

 

[Eugene613]

Yep he keeps making the stuff.

 

[gizmo]

It's sad that such a turd had something to do with making something we love so much. Thanks for setting things straight Brian. :thumbsup

 

[defstartrooper]

Why he keeps laying claims to the helmet sculpt or presenting false information is beyond ridiculous. He's not laying any claims to the armor, yet that doesn't stop him from selling that, so from a practical business sense... why maintain the lie?

Couple of reasons spring to mind, first and foremost for those casual fans who stumble upon his site and are unaware of all the facts then it's good marketing to talk up his involvement and on the surface gives validity to what he says he is selling.
Secondly i'm sure LFL will attempt to appeal and if he changes his story about his involvement it gives them ammo in the case.

On a side note Brian are there any photos of the alternate C3PO helmets and suits Liz sculpted ? it would be awesome if there was.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Ah... you guys a're right. Sorry to add to the confusion.

Yeah, it's a shame all the old concepts and alternate sculpts weren't used to populate the prequels.

 

[EvilRocketeer]

Thanks for posting this information.
I heard about the lawsuits awhile back ago and I cant believe he would try to take credit for some-one elses work.

I dont think his sales reflect people's opinion on the matter...Maybe, they know he is a dirty liar, but they want the most accurate items around town..

 

[geordietrooper]

but they want the most accurate items around town..

even though they're not ( the most accurate items around town ) :love

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

See what I mean, EvilRocketeer? His stuff is NOT the most accurate in town. This is what I mean about people buying into his line of crap. I am hardly a Trooper guy, but if I recall, his armor is a poor recast of someone else's suit.

 

[SFPROPS]

He is making sales, so....yes.

I can't imagine why.

You would think that the casual buyer would get one of the nice EFX helmets, seeing how they are nice, licensed and don't really cost an arm and a leg.

If they aren't educated about what they are buying, you'd think that if they'd ask around for what was the most accurate and reputable, someone who was knowledgeable would steer them away from Ainsworth and his scam.

I have nothing against someone making a living, even someone making a living discreetly bending the rules in regards to copyright and intellectual property to a certain extent. I just can't imagine doing that, and having to lie about what it is you are selling to your customers and I don't think that given the vast amounts of evidence in this case, that he's doing anything other than telling lies in order to get people to give him money (fraud, the last time I checked.)

 

[SFPROPS]

On a side note Brian are there any photos of the alternate C3PO helmets and suits Liz sculpted ? it would be awesome if there was.

I thought I've seen some of these published somewhere? IIRC, they were even more reminiscent of the Metropolis robot. More feminine.