SW Bossk's flightsuit: Found !!

[Bossk]

I'm not sure if you have seen this page.

Say Hello Spaceman

A Cultural History

sayhellospaceman.blogspot.com

Thanks, Imgill! No, I wasn't aware of it but glad you informed me. One of the images on the blog finally shows a feature which has alluded me for the decade I have been portraying Bossk -- which is a good view of the curiously "baggy posterior" of at least the older, yellow version of the suit. It looks like this was the entry point to get into the suit, and in the one image it looks like it wasn't zipped up which made it look even baggier! The early USAF version has a similar, heavy rubberized zipper, but across the chest, and this area is always concealed by the white vest so I thugh the Windak opened the same way, but now it seems it was in the back. I am frankly quite amazed how rare these suits seem to be, and wonder what happened to the ones bought by the British costume warehouse that rented them to these film productions. Oh, and though I had seen this image before, it seem larger on the Blog, and may explain why the close up of Bossk remained on the cutting room floor - for his fake rubber arm has slipped out of the gusset of the space suit, and ruined the shot! This exact thing has happened to me too, until I made a velcro band completely around the sleeve.

 

[lmgill]

Thanks, Imgill! No, I wasn't aware of it but glad you informed me. One of the images on the blog finally shows a feature which has alluded me for the decade I have been portraying Bossk -- which is a good view of the curiously "baggy posterior" of at least the older, yellow version of the suit. It looks like this was the entry point to get into the suit, and in the one image it looks like it wasn't zipped up which made it look even baggier! The early USAF version has a similar, heavy rubberized zipper, but across the chest, and this area is always concealed by the white vest so I thugh the Windak opened the same way, but now it seems it was in the back. I am frankly quite amazed how rare these suits seem to be, and wonder what happened to the ones bought by the British costume warehouse that rented them to these film productions. Oh, and though I had seen this image before, it seem larger on the Blog, and may explain why the close up of Bossk remained on the cutting room floor - for his fake rubber arm has slipped out of the gusset of the space suit, and ruined the shot! This exact thing has happened to me too, until I made a velcro band completely around the sleeve.

It's a fun blog. Many references I have not seen elsewhere.

Many pressure suits have "Baggy butts". This is because they are cut / patterned for sitting in a cockpit, not for standing, and you need extra rise (distance from crotch to shoulder) for sitting. Pressure suits can't stretch, they have to be made from non-stretch material, so this extra material bags when standing.

I built prototype suits for SpaceX and Elon wanted the suit to look "Bad Ass!" (His words, in our contract.) Due to this sitting issue, the prototype had a baggy butt. One of the notes from Elon, is he thought the suits butt was not attractive. During our review meeting, I pointed out to Garret Reisman (astronaut in charge of development) that I felt we met the contract, as we had made a suit with a "Bad Ass".

Also, like the Windak suit, many pressure suits have a zipper that runs from the nape of the neck, through the crotch to the bellybutton. This is to allow you to get into the suit, given the helmet disconnect needs to be in a fixed position. The Mark IV and mercury suits has multiple zippers, including a spiral zipper around the waist. The Apollo A7Lb has one around the waist, and one from waist to collarbone.
I know that at least one of the Windak suits is in a friends collection (he may have more than one), but I too have been curious where the rest of them ended up.

 

[Bossk]

It's a fun blog. Many references I have not seen elsewhere.

Many pressure suits have "Baggy butts". This is because they are cut / patterned for sitting in a cockpit, not for standing, and you need extra rise (distance from crotch to shoulder) for sitting. Pressure suits can't stretch, they have to be made from non-stretch material, so this extra material bags when standing.

I built prototype suits for SpaceX and Elon wanted the suit to look "Bad Ass!" (His words, in our contract.) Due to this sitting issue, the prototype had a baggy butt. One of the notes from Elon, is he thought the suits butt was not attractive. During our review meeting, I pointed out to Garret Reisman (astronaut in charge of development) that I felt we met the contract, as we had made a suit with a "Bad Ass".

Also, like the Windak suit, many pressure suits have a zipper that runs from the nape of the neck, through the crotch to the bellybutton. This is to allow you to get into the suit, given the helmet disconnect needs to be in a fixed position. The Mark IV and mercury suits has multiple zippers, including a spiral zipper around the waist. The Apollo A7Lb has one around the waist, and one from waist to collarbone.
I know that at least one of the Windak suits is in a friends collection (he may have more than one), but I too have been curious where the rest of them ended up.

Great information! Many thanks! With your knowledge of real astronaut suits, I recall that a similar chest box to the Windak one was on the Mercury astronaut suits, with cables going up to the helmet ring and down the legs and to the back. Do you know what the lower cables activated? Having never seen the back of the Windak suit Bossk work, I just attached the cables to the back of the waist belt. The vintage USAF environmental suit I used for Bossk also doesn't stretch and has thick black rubber planchets around the waterproof zipper, neck and cuffs. This is probably why people thought I had an original Windak suit. My first thoughts when researching the suit was NOT a made up prop, but that it was was a modified diving suit, given the yellow rubberized fabric, taped seams, black rubber and valves on the legs, metal neck ring, etc.. I understand that Windak made diving suits for the Royal Navy as well, so thought the earliest "yellow" Windak pressure suits may have been based on their earlier diving suit technology and started out using the same materials. The blue version with the taped seams on the inside, and a softer looking exterior fabric seemed like a more modern version to me.

 

[lmgill]

The cable that attaches the webbing strap, runs up to the helmet disconnect, through cable guides and continues to a fitting on another webbing strap in the back, This is a hold down for the helmet. In this picture you can see the adjustment buckle and the small pully wheel the cable runs through.

Pressure suits and dive suit are very different. The have opposite functions. Dive suits keep water out (dry suits) and deep hard suits keep water and pressure out (every 33 ft of sea water adds 14.7 psi.) High altitude pressure suits keep pressure in. Up to 4.5 psi. or as high as 9 psi for the new xEMU.
This cable keeps the helmet from rising over the persons chin when the suit is pressurized. and can be lengthened for standing or shortened for sitting. The cable guides at the helmet, allow for head tilt while pressurized.

 

[DownInFlames]

I'm not sure if you have seen this page.

Say Hello Spaceman

A Cultural History

sayhellospaceman.blogspot.com

Very cool pictures and good read, thanks!!
I noticed in the pictures that there is a white rectangular thing just below the chest metal box in some of the suits.
You can see it in the ESB Bossk picture but it´s not there in the ROTJ picture.
If you look at the older black and white pictures you can see the same white rectangle in one of the yellow suits and one of the blue suits but all the others don´t seem to have it.
Your thoughts?

 

[lmgill]

Very cool pictures and good read, thanks!!
I noticed in the pictures that there is a white rectangular thing just below the chest metal box in some of the suits.
You can see it in the ESB Bossk picture but it´s not there in the ROTJ picture.
If you look at the older black and white pictures you can see the same white rectangle in one of the yellow suits and one of the blue suits but all the others don´t seem to have it.
Your thoughts?

It looks to be just a wear strip, to keep the wire rope from rubbing the suit cover layer.

 

[Bossk]

The cable that attaches the webbing strap, runs up to the helmet disconnect, through cable guides and continues to a fitting on another webbing strap in the back, This is a hold down for the helmet. In this picture you can see the adjustment buckle and the small pully wheel the cable runs through.
View attachment 1357337
Pressure suits and dive suit are very different. The have opposite functions. Dive suits keep water out (dry suits) and deep hard suits keep water and pressure out (every 33 ft of sea water adds 14.7 psi.) High altitude pressure suits keep pressure in. Up to 4.5 psi. or as high as 9 psi for the new xEMU.
This cable keeps the helmet from rising over the persons chin when the suit is pressurized. and can be lengthened for standing or shortened for sitting. The cable guides at the helmet, allow for head tilt while pressurized.

Ah, so on the Windak suit, that also has cables coming out the bottom of the chest box and go around to the legs to the back actually go all the way back up to the helmet to stabilize it when inflated? With no clear images showing the back of these suits that was a mystery. If you know how that would have looked please let me know as I would like to add this to my suit. So would the handle on the chest box of the Windak suit both disconnect, as well as stabilize the helmet? On the pressure versus diving suit, I realize the function is different, but because diving suits are traditionally made of a yellow waterproof fabric, and Windak make both diving suits and pressurised flying suits, I thought the earliest, yellow Windak suit as worn by Bossk might be made out of the same material as the diving suits that the company already made, as it seems to have the same outer "taped" seams characteristic of diving suits. The "blue", seemingly more modern Bo Shek suit has the taped seams on the inside, better secured with the double row of stitching and what looks like a more comfortable, less stiff fabric than the yellow, glossy, rubbery looking fabric of the Bossk suit.

 

[lmgill]

I'm not sure of the function of the box on the chest, but is has to do with adjusting or releasing the helmet hold down cable. As far as fabric, do not know.

 

[Under Pressure]

Six years later and I still haven't seen the back of an original Windak suit to understand the whole "butt-pack" set up that can be briefly seen in the Cantina panorama scene where's Bossk's iconic suit is being worn by a regular human complete with its helmet. Although it was mentioned that Bossk's suit was used in Dr. Who, I have since found images of Several "yellow Bossk", and "Bo Sheck Blue" Windak suits that were used in the old Sci Fi movie "First Men in the Moon". I still remember seeing that movie at the theater as a young child.

I think I can be of assistance

 

[Stormy320]

That’s impressive

 

[lmgill]

I think I can be of assistance

The front of the Windak suit.

 

[Bossk]

I think I can be of assistance

Great image and many thanks! This is the first "contemporary" photo I have seen of an actual surviving "yellow version" of the Windak pressure suit, as opposed to either period photos of RAF personnel wearing it, or film stills. However this one is of the front as well, like nearly all images we already have, and as Imgill previously mentioned. This appears to be taken in a museum or private collector's storage facility though, so if you still have access to this suit, I am sure many people here would like to see images of the back of it, and particularly of the very baggy "seat" area of the suit, which has remained so elusive in the past, and someting I do not think any of the costumes has properly captured thus far.. One new thing we can learn from this original suit from this image though, is that the "flag type patch" one the suits rented from a prophouse for Star Wars, First Men in the Moon and Doctor Who, were put on the suits to conceal the Windak Comoany logo patch positioned in the exact same spot!

 

[Under Pressure]

I will be able to take some more pics when back in the UK, assuming travel bans will be lifted soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this:

Windak

To my knowledge there were only two Windak high-altitude pressure suits ever made. This unsuccessful space suit is arguably now one of the most important Sci Fi costumes in history. In 1964 both su…

everexcollett.wordpress.com

and this:

65 idee su High-Altitude Windak Pressure Suit (1962) R.A.F. | tute spaziali, tecnologia del futuro, idee di fotografia

22-set-2017 - BoShek independent Corellian pilot - Star Wars A New Hope - Mos Eisley Cantina by Baxter, Woodhouse and Taylor Ltd. . Visualizza altre idee su tute spaziali, tecnologia del futuro, idee di fotografia.

www.pinterest.de

 

[Under Pressure]

Ok, here we go! Enjoy the pictures of the Windak Pressure Suit, including a rare view of the back as promised: