Origins of the AA/SDS Armor

[voice in the crowd]

I personally like the look of the hand plates and shoulder bells but that is just my opinion.

Thanks also to GH for the kind offer of good pics I look forward to seeing them.

Does anybody feel that any of the armour pieces are spot on to the original?

Cheers Chris.

 

[Apollo]

Originally posted by rigormortis@Nov 17 2005, 03:47 PM
Temporarily broke, but you only live once.

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Amen Bro. Be happy in today because you never know what tommorow will bring.

Congrats on the Purchase.. :cheers

 

[Clutch]

Originally posted by rigormortis@Nov 17 2005, 01:53 PM
That's because I bought it.  

I do have the pics from the thread, but would be happy to post pics when it arrives.

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Oh, I didn't realize that sold threads were removed. I thought they just naturally dropped of the edge of forumland.

 

[troopermaster]

Originally posted by TK1874@Nov 17 2005, 09:33 PM
Does anybody feel that any of the armour pieces are spot on to the original?

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In my eyes I don't see ANY part of the AA armour to match the original ANH armour.

That's not to say it's not a nice replica,because it is and that's all it is IMO.I think only the shoulder bells look close,but not spot on.For me it's as plain as day that this suit has been recast from another replica.Too many tells and too many ROTJ tells.I could go into detail,but why even bother.You either like the AA for what it is or you don't.You will see what it really is when the comparison pics show up.

-Paul.

 

[Ghost Host]

Maybe that's why mine hasn't shown up yet... :lol

Originally posted by ANH trooper@Nov 18 2005, 01:32 AM

You will see what it really is when the comparison pics show up.

 

[troopermaster]

Well,I actually met Andrew today at MEM and we had a bit of a chat.I also took some pics of his armour which I will post soon.

He told me he has been working out some problems with the armour and will be shipping to US next week.

I gave the armour a thorough going over and it is without a doubt a recast IMO.He told me that he didn't have the original moulds as they were 'knackered' but what he did have was the 'skins' which were vacformed over the moulds to protect them in storage.

He was actually very nice and gave me info about vacforming techniques and how to make the bubble lense properly.Told me all about the plastics which were used and best glues to use too.

I asked him if he would come on these boards but he wasn't interested :unsure

Pics to follow.

-Paul.

 

[HDPE]

Hey Paul

Did you show him pics of your armor?

 

[voice in the crowd]

Originally posted by ANH trooper@Nov 27 2005, 12:45 AM
I asked him if he would come on these boards but he wasn't interested :unsure

Hi Paul,

Sounds like you had a good chat with AA and you sound surprised he was quite a nice guy. Sometimes I think some people would have you believe he had horns and a tail :lol

I would love for AA to have a chat and debate on his 1976 work and pick his brains for any small pieces in the jigsaw of ANH that we don't already have but I don't think it will ever happen.

I can understand fully well why AA wouldn't want to come on these boards. I know some people would be very cynical and say he wouldn't want to face his critics and he would be exposed as the demon of the prop world etc etc. I think however his reasons are plain I think the truth is he just doesn't have the time or the interest to do so and he clearly doesn't have to. He isn't a big Star Wars fan he is a business man who done a job back in 1976 for 6 weeks then forgot about it until he was approached to ressurected his work.

AA/SDS is either loved or hated on these boards depending on peoples own perception of him. One thing for sure AA/SDS has generated more discussion (good or bad) than any other topic I have seen on the RPF.

Just out of interest in your opinion (which I hold in high regard) when you say its a recast do you mean of another prop makers armour or a recasting taken from the skins that protected the moulds? (I had heard some story similar a while ago but didn't know how credible it was)

Also spill the beans on any vac forming tips he gave you His technique on the lenses especially.

Also great question HDPE STORMY did you show him your work and if so what were his thoughts?

I look forward to seeing your pics

Cheers Chris.

 

[exoray]

Just out of interest in your opinion (which I hold in high regard) when you say its a recast do you mean of another prop makers armour or a recasting taken from the skins that protected the moulds? (I had heard some story similar a while ago but didn't know how credible it was)

Well since it has several tell-tale signs of ROTJ armor and not the ANH he had his hands in I would go with the recast of some one elses work, be it a ROTJ suit or a fan made parts...

And once again we have the ever changing story of origins of the molds from AA when he is confronted...

So at least now we can say we have AA's word that this suit isn't from the original molds... So we can look down other avenues for it's origin, because IMO it's HIGHLY unlikely that it from these "skins" or any other direct ANH armor...

 

[troopermaster]

No I never shown him any pics of my stuff as I didn't have any and I didn't even know he was going to be there.I told him I would email some to him and he sounded very interested.

I was not suprised he was so nice and I never thought otherwise,maybe I just typed it wrong?

I also think that he did not these 'skins' as his suit share's too many ROTJ details and other fan made parts.I too don't blame him for not coming on these boards as he would only get bashed to death.He is making armour and that is that,you either like it or you don't.

I was suprised how hard the armour was.It did have a bit of flex but nowhere near what the movie suit's had.He said that was down to the acrylic capping,but the ABS did have a 'higher' rubber content.

 

[LDR]

I spoke to AA a while ago when he first showed his armour at either London or the NEC and i asked him about the lenses as i was iterested in making my own...still no got round to it though. He was a very nice and friendly guy.
He said to me he used a mold with the eyes cut out, then held the lense plastic over this mold and had something that blew the shape, becuase of the holes in the eyes of the mold the only part of the lenses that shaped would be the bubble.
So from this i presume quite thin lense material is used. Rather than the thick stuff seen on a lot of other helmets.
I know some people use a shape to push the lense through the eyes, but obviously not AA.

LDR

 

[troopermaster]

AA told me that he had like a negative mould for the lense and he would set the vacuum pressure low so the acrylic was only sucked so far inwards.He said a positive mould would ruin the visability on the lense.So the actual bubble lense doesn't touch any mould at all,just the one-piece frame.Neat trick.

 

[Darbycrash]

Originally posted by voice in the crowd+Nov 26 2005, 07:31 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(voice in the crowd @ Nov 26 2005, 07:31 PM)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-ANH trooper

@Nov 27 2005, 12:45 AM
I asked him if he would come on these boards but he wasn't interested :unsure

Hi Paul,

Sounds like you had a good chat with AA and you sound surprised he was quite a nice guy. Sometimes I think some people would have you believe he had horns and a tail :lol

I would love for AA to have a chat and debate on his 1976 work and pick his brains for any small pieces in the jigsaw of ANH that we don't already have but I don't think it will ever happen.

I can understand fully well why AA wouldn't want to come on these boards. I know some people would be very cynical and say he wouldn't want to face his critics and he would be exposed as the demon of the prop world etc etc. I think however his reasons are plain I think the truth is he just doesn't have the time or the interest to do so and he clearly doesn't have to. He isn't a big Star Wars fan he is a business man who done a job back in 1976 for 6 weeks then forgot about it until he was approached to ressurected his work.

AA/SDS is either loved or hated on these boards depending on peoples own perception of him. One thing for sure AA/SDS has generated more discussion (good or bad) than any other topic I have seen on the RPF.

Just out of interest in your opinion (which I hold in high regard) when you say its a recast do you mean of another prop makers armour or a recasting taken from the skins that protected the moulds? (I had heard some story similar a while ago but didn't know how credible it was)

Also spill the beans on any vac forming tips he gave you His technique on the lenses especially.

Also great question HDPE STORMY did you show him your work and if so what were his thoughts?

I look forward to seeing your pics

Cheers Chris.

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[/b]

My question is if he was using the skins for the cast why don't they look even close to the original. I know the guy is a pretty nice guy in person, but it seems most seem to overlook the ever changing stories of where these casts came from. Where are the real origins.

 

[Apollo]

Gee so they are not from the orginal Molds. :rolleyes

Glad I did'nt order a set.

 

[Ghost Host]

Still glad I did...

Originally posted by apollo@Nov 27 2005, 11:09 AM
Gee so they are not from the orginal Molds. :rolleyes

Glad I did'nt order a set.

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[Apollo]

:lol

 

[tk5378]

Originally posted by ANH trooper@Nov 27 2005, 08:07 AM
AA told me that he had like a negative mould for the lense and he would set the vacuum pressure low so the acrylic was only sucked so far inwards.He said a positive mould would ruin the visability on the lense.So the actual bubble lense doesn't touch any mould at all,just the one-piece frame.Neat trick.

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If anyone has a copy of the Thurston James book, The Prop Builders Molding & Casting Handbook, there is a section on making vacuumformed "domes" by making a "cube" with a circular hole on the top and putting it on top of the vac-table. Using low level suction from the vac table the plastic is pulled down into a dome...this technique ought to work (though I have yet to try it) the same for making bubble lenses. Make a template (ie, a faceplate that's been reinforced but the eyes left cut out) and then gently pull the plastic through the holes to the desired bubble. I'm going to try this one day soon...I'll post a full step by step if it works out right.

 

[jeezycreezy]

Originally posted by Brak's Buddy@Nov 11 2005, 09:03 PM
I still find the short stem at the top of the ab plate box very disturbing and am surprised that no one else seems to find that a big deal...

I'm similarly disturbed by what it suggests.

I also find it disturbing that AA has gone from "all the moulds are there/we reworked them a little" to "the moulds were knackered; we used the vacuuformed skins". It doesn't bode well for my hopes that at least some of this armor might be from original molds.

And, wow. This thread really lost steam after the initial responses. Oh well. Hopefully it'll pick up when we get some more pix.

Cheers.
TJ

 

[Darbycrash]

Your preaching to the choir. I don't understand why more aren't concerned about this.

Originally posted by jeezycreezy+Nov 29 2005, 10:28 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeezycreezy @ Nov 29 2005, 10:28 AM)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Brak's Buddy

@Nov 11 2005, 09:03 PM
I still find the short stem at the top of the ab plate box very disturbing and am surprised that no one else seems to find that a big deal...

I'm similarly disturbed by what it suggests.

I also find it disturbing that AA has gone from "all the moulds are there/we reworked them a little" to "the moulds were knackered; we used the vacuuformed skins". It doesn't bode well for my hopes that at least some of this armor might be from original molds.

And, wow. This thread really lost steam after the initial responses. Oh well. Hopefully it'll pick up when we get some more pix.

Cheers.
TJ

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[/b]

 

[vaderdarth]

I'd bet big $$ that it's simply a lack of any interest in the SDS/AA subject matter in any capacity. It's got a negative connotation due to the incessant flame wars of the past. Most folks just want to live in peace and simply maneuver around this subject. That's why only a select few have interacted in this thread to begin with. I wouldn't get my hopes up for a huge outpouring because you can see that the number of folks that have posted here (most are repeat posters) is not even a statistically significant number of the overal RPF population. The people who have posted are by and large the same folks from every previous AA/SDS discussion. A great many of the other folks believe that since AA made the first suits, anything following those are recasts of his work. To each his own. We could say that we've noted one another's opinions and concerns and pursue whatever else makes us happy. This board has alot more to offer than AA/SDS. That topic is just as stalled as it was during the first flame war. The apparent bewilderment about that very lack of interest, frankly bewilders me, especially after all that's transpired here.

Peace,
Dave