Star Wars "Prototype" Stormtrooper Helmets

[jdebord]

I know there has been much discussion about the "prototype" Stormtrooper helmets, from time to time, usually in connection with and secondary to other topics/issues.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has anything to contribute or dispute with regards to a lot of information I've compiled for an article on the subject:

Star Wars "Prototype" Stormtrooper Helmets

Feel free to post a Reader Comment to the article, post here, or e-mail me with anything of interest.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

WOW!

Great work Jason bringing together all the info out there on this subject - well done!

I think the vast majority of people see these as effectively nothing more than early replicas, but your article may prove useful for convincing the remaining few.

Cheers

Jez

 

[Lord Abaddon]

Wow!!!! :eek

I'm going to have to read through that Jason, looks incredible!

 

[bubba fett]

Holy cow! That is an awesome page you have set up!! :thumbsup

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

I may be wrong, but wasn't this "prototype" helmet made AFTER the fact?

 

[kodofett]

Very cool photo I give it an Sabers up.

 

[SithLord]

Amazingly thorough research....terrific job. :thumbsup

Question...there's that original unfinished helmet photo that AA took. It doesn't have ears and the left eye lower corner is really sharp...like a corner not like a soft bend. You see this on a couple of the prototypes, yet not on the screen helmets. Why? What is even more strange is that Liz's sculpture has a more rounded profile to that lower "corner" of the eye...more like ski goggles.
If the prototypes were recent why do they share a characteristic of a helmet AA photographed in 1976 yet a characteristic that screen helmets don't have?

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

I may be wrong, but wasn't this "prototype" helmet made AFTER the fact?

You're not wrong - that is the view widely held.

Cheers

Jez

 

[GINO]

I think we should move away from calling these helmets "prototypes".
Every time we do, we are inadvertently reinforcing inaccurate information.

Something short and to the point.
1. "AA modified" helmets
2. "AA altered" helmets
3. "unused concept" helmets
4. "hose-back" helmets

I like #4 the best. What do you guys think?
If you come up with something better, post it.

 

[defstartrooper]

#3 But i don't see the need the need for unused, just concept helmet is fine.

 

[GINO]

#3 is okay, but I'm afraid it can be confused with ORIGINAL concept helmet. Could be confused for meaning prototype.
To alleviate the confusion, you'd have to say "post ANH unused concept" helmet, which is accurate but way to long.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Why not "AA replica concept"?

 

[defstartrooper]

They aren't replicas though they're original made by him.

 

[JoeR]

They aren't replicas though they're original made by him.

How so? They were not made for production .....

 

[defstartrooper]

How so? They were not made for production .....

Yeah and they aren't replicas of production pieces, they're a completely different style of helmet.
To be a replica it has to be a replica of something.

 

[bigbaddaddyvader]

"Serrated Neck Helmet" I think covers it although "hose back helmet" is also apt.I agree with GINO in that using the term concept in a name for these could be misleading and imply it was part of production.Just because it was made by AA does not make it original.These were NOT made for the production.These were NOT intended for use IN the production.These were NOT prototypes for the screen helmets and as such can not be labelled as original in any sense.
Bottom line here is that they are NOT production originals although as can be seen they are consistently marketed as such.I have been offered these on numerous occasions over the past couple of years and when I tell the owners that they are not original pieces they refuse to listen and say they will continue to sell them as original which has happened as recently as last week with a private sale.
This is highly problematic and Jason has done a great job with this article and highlighting this issue.By my reckoning there has,through dealers and auction houses,been something in the region of $60,000 realised on these pieces although this does not take into account prices realised through private collector-to-collector sales.Quite shocking.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Yeah and they aren't replicas of production pieces, they're a completely different style of helmet.
To be a replica it has to be a replica of something.

It is a replica of a stormtrooper helmet, but it is altered to make it into a kind of concept helmet. The basic stomtrooper look is still in the finished piece.

 

[defstartrooper]

Concept to me means exactly the opposite to production, think about concept cars at car shows they pretty much never go into production and even the ones where the concept does go further the final model is never exactly like the concept.

 

[bigbaddaddyvader]

Yes but in terms of a film's production process a concept is considered as an original piece.

 

[defstartrooper]

Yes but in terms of a film's production process a concept is considered as an original piece.

Again not completely.
Many props evolve, the original concept piece is not always used in production it can be refined, changed sometimes quite dramatically.

Ralph McQuarries artwork is a concept the design is far from the production design.

Liz Moores sculpt is a concept it differs in a number of ways to the production piece.

These helmets are concepts based upon an existing design they differ from the production pieces in a number of ways.

Post production concept yes but concept is what they are , they're not replicas.
Sure there are similarities but the design is different.

You wouldn't call an AT-AT driver helmet a TIE replica would you ? even though it's the same helmet just dressed differently, post ANH.