Original ANH Stormtrooper helmet and Armor - Just the Facts

Yeah, having searched through the old Den threads there has never been an inconsistency regarding the color of the two sculpts in the court picture. Any discrepancy is purely from AA's site.
 
Just wondering... what are the pieces on the table between the two helmet sculpts!? Is that trooper armor pieces or just random stuff?
 
Brian, was the clay produced in England and that was its natural color with no coloring added? I remember digging around in the mud in London as a youth, and easily running into clay that was the same color hue as what you were working on.

Yes Mac the clay was supplied by English potteries and there is no colour added but we always refer to it as 'grey clay' even though the colour can look brown - here are some photos of differents jobs I've done over the years and with different lighting the colour changes. John Richardson was therefore correct in referring to the clay Stormtrooper sculpt done by Liz as 'grey clay' as that is the only clay we all worked in.

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Harrods Food Hall - Fish Display
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Coat of Arms (1975)
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Fireplace (commissioned)

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Harry Potter - in Ministry of Magic
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Kensington Palace Gardens, London
 
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By the Gods Brian...those sculpts make your work on Vader look...let's just say you can definitely see your skill set, how it has improved and it is awesome.

I'm not taking anything away from Vader, but that fish display and the fireplace piece blow Vader away in my eyes.
 
Just wondering... what are the pieces on the table between the two helmet sculpts!? Is that trooper armor pieces or just random stuff?

Not sure what those parts are :confused as the photo was probably taken mid February they may have been early prototype C3P0 parts
 
By the Gods Brian...those sculpts make your work on Vader look...let's just say you can definitely see your skill set, how it has improved and it is awesome.

I'm not taking anything away from Vader, but that fish display and the fireplace piece blow Vader away in my eyes.

Thanks for the comment Qui :thumbsup - I was lucky enough to have served a 4 year apprenticeship in the film industry from the age of 16 but from the age of 20 to 23 I worked for a London based company sculpting prestigious work for the Crown Court, London Stock Exchange, Churches, House of Lords and many more.

This is an example of the skill set I had before I worked on Star Wars

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Brian your credentials have never been in question, wow, great craftmanship, when you were sculpting Vader, you must have thought you were being demoted!
 
Well no wonder they went to Ainsworth and Pemberton, Lucas had absolutely NO talent in-house.
What an arrogant ass.
Brian, your work is stunning!​
Two things that stand out to me are the raised scales on the Harry Potter serpent, and how attractive. subtle and feminine the faces are on the Fish Display girls.​
 
Thanks for the comments but I put these photos on to show the fact that these are all what we call 'grey' clay and this work was done over a period of 35 years and I'm still using the same clay
 
Stormtrooper Armour - FACT

Armour sculpted in clay by end of January 76 / early February 76 by Brian Muir using Ralph McQuarries paintings and input from John Barry.
Clay sculpt moulded and cast in plaster and detail sharpened by Brian Muir– remoulded and cast in fibreglass for tools for vacuum forming.
Several suits vacuum formed at Elstree Studios by Tashy Baines but after problem with vacuum forming machine ( either breakdown of machine or shear volume of set work) the tools were sent to Ainsworth for vacuum forming

Court Judgement - Judge's opinion Ainsworth's version of events regarding sculpting of armour

I do not accept Mr Ainsworth's evidence on this point. I think that his factual case is born of a combination of loss of recollection over time, and his propensity to claim credit for greater creativity than he in fact demonstrated. I find that Mr Muir's evidence is correct in relation to the design of the armour. That means that many man hours, over several weeks, were spent producing a design for the armour. That design was approved by Mr Lucas. Even if it could not be reproduced in-house, the fruits of the design exercise (plaster casts and fibreglass tools) were available. It is inconceivable that that would not be provided to any contractor charged with fabricating the armour. It would otherwise have represented wasted effort, and there is no reason why it would not naturally be provided. Furthermore, there were positive reasons why it would be.

The whole design and appearance of the film was closely controlled and supervised by Mr Lucas. He had approved the armour as finalised by Mr Muir. Anything new would have to obtain fresh approval, and there was no point in seeking that when approved designs were to hand.
The idea that Mr Mollo and others would hand over the armour project to a third party and invite them to start again (albeit from drawings) strikes me as being faintly absurd. If that were done, one would have expected a series of prototypes, and a pattern of discussions, approval and modification, taking (probably) weeks. It is highly unlikely that Lucas would have just taken and approved whatever Mr Ainsworth produced. There is no evidence of any such course. Mr Ainsworth said that he had made about 14 sets of armour by 5th March. That left nothing like enough time for him to make up some sets and have the sort of discussion that the design values of the film would require. He cannot have just worked up some immediately acceptable armour from the McQuarrie paintings. He must have had some real designs to duplicate. He was unable to give a convincing description of what the extra drawing with which he said he was provided (the only descriptions he was able to give did not demonstrate it to add anything useful to the McQuarrie drawings, leaving one wondering why he would have been provided with it).
I find that he was provided with the Lucas tools, or useful casts, from which he made his own tools (I accept he did that) which produced copies corresponding to what Mr Lucas had approved (the clay originals) and ultimately the McQuarrie drawings.
 
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Stormtrooper Helmet -FACT
Pemberton approached to produce a Stormtrooper helmet and other various bits and pieces in January 76. Helmet started 20th January 76 (Pemberton’s diary) – blue/grey painted helmet incorporating components i.e. canoe helmet and Morris Minor ashtray grill produced by Nicola and possibly others.

Mid February 76 (after armour sculpted ) Brian Muir noticed a grey(NOT TERRACOTTA) clay sculpted Stormtrooper helmet outside Sculptor’s Studio at Elstree Studios. Liz Moore had left the film at the end of January 76 after sculpting several prototypes of C3P0 and had nearly finished the approved version of C3P0. She joined her boyfriend, John Richardson, in Holland and he had set up a studio for her there. Liz sculpted the Stormtrooper helmet in grey clay, which was the helmet Brian Muir saw outside the Sculptor's studio.
Before Brian Muir’s involvement in the court case there was never a mention of a clay helmet’s existence by Pemberton or Ainsworth. After the Lucas lawyers were informed by Brian Muir of its existence, the photographic evidence was discovered in Gary Kurtz’s archives.
The reason neither Ainsworth or Pemberton did not mention the clay helmet before this discovery was the fact that they NEVER saw the clay helmet. Pemberton ( or his employees) produced the blue/grey PAINTED helmet that was rejected. The clay helmet sculpted by Liz was approved by Lucas and it was moulded and cast in fibreglass at Elstree Studios to produce the tools for vacuum forming. After many phone calls and long discussions with plasterers in recent weeks, that were involved in the production, I found out that Charlie Gomez, one of the most talented and respected plasterers in the film industry was responsible for moulding the helmet and producing the tools for Ainsworth to pull on.
 
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Pemberton's Diary - FACT[/B]

Ainsworth would have you believe that there is a wealth of information and hidden detail in Pemberton's diary of 1976 - but here are all the relative details pertaining to Star Wars.
Please note - according to entries : Ainsworth not mentioned until 17th February 76 and was not involved until 25th February 76 when he had his first meeting with Mollo

Pemberton’s diary entries

January 6th Nick - Elstree Star Wars 3.30
January 12th Nick to Elstree 9.30
January 15th Nick went to Wembley for Star Wars – bits and pieces – home at 6ish
January 17th Nick Star Wars all day
January 18th Star Wars all day till 11.30
January 19th Nick worked on helmets till 11.30
January 20th Nick went to Elstree with various bits and pieces for Star Wars
Got clay – worked til supper – returned – working on armature etc for Star
Wars till 10.15
January 22nd Nick 2.30 went home and worked on Star helmet til early hours of the morning
January 23rd Man from Star Wars came in to see helmet
January 26th Nick worked on Star Wars – Nicola - Star Wars 8 ½
January 29th John Mollo here a.m. Ok’d most
Nick went to Elstree afternoon
Nicola and Nick both went to Elstree 2.30
January 30th Nick – Star Wars head had frost bite – sculpted new head shape
January 31st Nick - Star Wars
February 2nd Nicola – Modelling – repairing Star Wars head damaged by frost 7 ½
February 3rd Nick – bought aluminium for Star Wars – fibreglassed Star Wars
Luli – worked on Star Wars head – helmet – 8
Nicola – worked on bits and pieces for Star Wars – 8
February 4th Nick -Sculpting on Star Wars
Luli – Star Wars 8
Nicola –Star Wars 8
February 5th Nick to John Barry – Elstree and working on helmets for Star Wars
Luli – working on Star Wars helmets 9-4.30
February 6th Nicola – Star Wars 5 ½
Luli – Star Wars 1
(Star Wars budgeted to today)
February 9th Nick – John Mollo here 9.30 to discuss money
Luli – Star Wars and Park Village canvas inv (invoice?)
Nicola – Star Wars 9.30 – 5.30
February 10th Luli – pm Star Wars
February 12th Nicola – Star Wars – 8
Luli – Star Wars – 4
February 13th Nicola – Star Wars
February 17th Nick to Elstree a.m. stormtrooper helmet – came back – budget up with Andrew
February 19th John Mollo here 9.30 am – ordered helmets and invoiced them
February 25th Andrew/Mollo re Star Wars panic
February 26th Andrew --- Elstree – Star Wars
March 1st Nick – home to finish helmets – Tusken Raiders
March 3rd Andrew came in re Star Wars dis – agreement
March 16th Nick – sculpting head for Star Wars
March 17th Nick – sculpting Star Wars head
March 19th Nick – carved head for Star Wars
March 26th Nick – Star Wars helmet Andrews place exploded at night!
March 27th Nick – cast Star Wars helmets and had long chats with Andrew
March 29th Nick – working on Star Wars helmets

Court Judgement - Judge's comments on Pemberton's diary regarding inclusion of Ainsworth


. The first is Mr Pemberton's diary, which records not only his activities (in general terms) but also some of Mr Ainsworth's. It was not explained how Mr Pemberton's diary came to record the latter, but its accuracy in this respect was not challenged.
 
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Ainsworth track record of claiming credit for the following artists work


Star Wars

George Lucas - Ainsworth claimed his own original designs got the film financed
Ralph McQuarrie - Ainsworth claimed the original concept design as his own
John Barry - sidelined - John Barry was NEVER mentioned as having any involvement in ALL Ainsworth's 5 statements ( until his new version of events on his website using my information)
John Mollo - Ainsworth had the audacity to state in his sworn witness statements that John Mollo drew his design sketches after Ainsworth had designed the helmets - he retracted this information just before he went on the stand.
Brian Muir - Ainsworth claimed to have sculpted the armour and my work was of no use to him although the armour produced from plaster casts he claims to have seen were just as were seen on screen. His only involvement was to pull plastic on the moulds produced by Elstree Studios
Liz Moore - Ainsworth claimed to have sculpted the moulds with no design other than his own vision
Studio plasterers - Ainsworth instructed his barrister to pose the question to me - ' Now plasterers - they only do walls?' But the talented plasterers have often shown Ainsworth to be the talentless fool that he is.

Alien - judge's comments from Ainsworth's sworn statements
'He also demonstrated a tendency to take credit for things that he was not entitled to in other ways. In his first witness statement (and not corrected by any subsequent witness statement) he said that he created a costume and a particular artefact for a later film called "Alien". His witness statement clearly stated that they were used in the film, and the purpose of the evidence was to establish his credentials as an important prop maker. In fact the position was that the costume was not used at all (and he was aware at the time of the making of the film that it would not be) and the artefact was not used in the final cut of the film (which he realised when he saw the film at the time). His statement was therefore untrue, and plainly so. Furthermore, he did not acknowledge that there was anything wrong with his witness statement in this respect. He was either being dishonest about that, or he has a strange subjective view of the truth which calls into question his reliability as a witness in relation to such matters'

Ainsworth still claims to have made the suit - it is very clearly documented in Giger's book that Ainsworth was incapable of producing the suit. The plasterers had to make further moulds and reproduce the suit in latex.
The suit was sculpted by Eddie Butler and produced by the plasterers.

Cadbury's Smash Robots

Court Judgement - Judge's comments

Again, he claimed to have "designed" in 1977 certain Martian characters used in a well-known advertisement for Cadbury's mashed potato. While he was able to produce an invoice for the fabrication of some characters in 1977, which might have been similar characters, the original advertisements went out 2 or 3 years before that. He said that he did not know that there were prior adverts or prior characters, and no-one had shown him any designs at the time he was instructed in 1977. Nevertheless, he said that his designs were the same or virtually the same as those in the prior advertisements. In my view that can only have happened if he saw those prior designs, which would in fact make sense – if (as I find) in 1977 the producers (or their agency) wanted more of the same characters, why would they not demonstrate what they wanted reproductions of?

Outland

Court Judgement - Judge's comments


Another example concerns his evidence about a space helmet that he helped to design and which he fabricated for a later film called Outland. He discussed this with Mr Mollo before producing it. Until a short time into his cross-examination, he stoutly maintained that Mr Mollo never showed him any drawings in relation to his (Mr Mollo's) requirements. In cross-examination he was forced to admit that he did get drawings from Mr Mollo. His attempts to play up his part, and to play down Mr Mollo's part, in the creation of this helmet is a good example of his viewing events through his own Ainsworth-tinted spectacles.

Ainsworth's own lawyers

Having taken on Ainsworth's case on a NO WIN NO FEE based on all the lies Ainsworth had told them, they thought they were in for a big payday with the copyright ownership of toys etc. They too were duped by his stream of fabrications.


Summary

Ainsworth continues to lie about the sequence of events regarding the Stormtrooper Helmet and Armour. He has used information brought to court by me and others and twisted it to his own advantage on his new website and Facebook page.
He sees no problem in lying and cheating as long as there's money to be made and in his terms 'Well it's business'
 
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I am so sorry for you and everybody else that Andrew Ainsworth has stolen their history from. I really hope that people can now at last be educated with the facts. I was very surprised that AA has still so many loyal believers as proven by the facebook page and also by the number of sales he continues to have. It is about time the public knew this history. RPF,FISD etc are not reaching the public in this regard I suspect, hope things change in the future.John D.
 
Brian, I was curious....

What was the final vacuform plugs made from?

Also what was the disposition of the molds to have been after all the suits were done? Were they studio property that was to be either returned or destroyed?

I would guess that in the haste to get the movie made all those molds nobody really cared about or kept track of.
 
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Great information, Brian! This will be very helpful once Ainsworth starts his new facebook discussion pages on the subjects he has stated are planned. I can hardly wait...

TK765 - It is my growing understanding that molds were made of the clay sculpt, then cast in plaster. The details were sharpened on the plaster casts by Brian, and then new molds were made of the sharpened plaster casts, from which the fiberglass tools were cast.

I received Brian's autobiography "In the Shadow of Vader" as a Christmas gift from my girlfriend, and have enjoyed it thoroughly. If you are interested in seeing more of Mr. Muir's work, and gaining a better understanding of the creative process and how it is translated to the screen, I would highly recommend getting a copy of this book.
 
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