SW Bossk's flightsuit: Found !!

Good stuff, Pete! There are definately some differences between the blue suit on display and Bossk's version, but I am really hoping the one you are going to see will clear up the "fanny pack" mystery. I strongly suspect the cables that come out of the U-joint and go to the back, are associated with the fanny pack, which pobably is a parachute.

The Mueum suit appears to be identical to the suit worn by "Bo Shek", while Bossk's suit appears to be an older model without visible outside stitching but with exposed, tape covered seams. The mustard yellow color and black rubber around the neck ring suggests it was made much like a deep sea diving suit, and in fact, early aviation pressure suits were simply converted diving suits. On the 'Blue suit' the tape would cover the seams on the inside to insure pressurization, much like the USAF suit I converted for my Bossk impression.

Museums often have much of their collections in storage, so perhaps you will find one of the yellow Bossk type with the taped outside seams stored in the collection.

Although it will be hidden by the vest, of major interest will be how the suit was entered.

Close up details of both front and back of the white Anti-G vest will also be of great interest to all of the X-Wing pilot fans, since this item would have been copied from the Windak as well.

Keep up the good work!

Dan
 
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Ok, a bit more info on this hunt. The person I'm talking to at the science museum has been a huge help rooting through various departmants. I asked if there was any possibility of getting closer to the suit than just through the glass, photographing, measuring etc, but alas the dept head said that as the piece is currently part of a display that was not possible (I thought as much, but thought I'd ask anyway!)

On another lead, there is a picture archive at the museum which may have some pics of this suit before it went into the display, still following that one up, I may have to pay a licencing fee to get hold of the photos, and they may not want to release them anyway, I'm not sure what that depends on, lot's of 60s top secret military info? We'll see.

One more thing I've managed to get hold of is an inventory of the related items that are currently in storage (which I may be able to get my hands on). No pictures, but looking through the names/dates etc it doesn't look like thers's anything relevent to us in there. If anyone would like to have a look through the speadsheet to see if I missed anything, PM me your email address and I'll send it over.

It looks like I'll get to London on Monday the 8th April to take photos of the suit on display.

Cheers

Pete
 
Pete this is some great stuff. Looking forward to some more details. This is what the RPF is all about to me.
 
Tambo Fett said:
Pete this is some great stuff. Looking forward to some more details. This is what the RPF is all about to me.
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No worries!

I'm sorry to say that these little leads have all dried up, no photos of our suit, and no other specimins of interest in storage. We'll have to make do with "through the glass" photos I'm afraid, until someone finds another Windak, or this one comes out of it's glass prison.

I'm still planning on getting to the London on Monday to see if we can get any more angles.

Cheers

Pete
 
Pete, many thanks for the detective work!
Really looking forward to those pics!
The pics I posted are from the suit you will see on display I believe.

Best,

DIF
 
OK guys, here's a link to a photobucket album I've just made.

I'm sorry to say that the suit is pressed right up agaist the back wall, and there's only glass on the front of the cabinate, it's solid wall on the sides so there's no angle to get photo's of the back.

I tried to get close ups of all the little details, the two "sockets" on the thighs for example, and the little clamps that hold the gloves on. Some of these shots are more sucessful than others!

The helmet is the same as BoShek's, so I've tried to get as much info on the greeblies on that too.

And I'm not sure if the "flack" vest is exactly the same as the X-wing pilots, but I tried to get as many shots of that too, just in case it is the right one. Lots of nice detail on the intricate stitching and webbing.

The only scale/size reference I can be certain of, is that the webbing straps on the shoulder brackets of the flack vest are 1 inch thick.

I hope this is of some help. I don't think there's much more info we can get out of this particular suit.

Cheers!

Pete

Windak4.jpg
 
Get shots. Too bad we still can not see the back... oh well you did your best. thanks again for the work.
 
Great Job Pete, though a shame you couldn't get a back, or even side view. One thing your photos do seem to prove though, is what I thought all along, that the suit did not have a long, verticle opening like a typical coverall. The entry point is obscured by the vest, but probably a horizontal opening much like the USAF suit I modified.

Bossk's suit is probably an older model, and the close up photos show tape covering the stitched seams. The USAF suit, is like this suit, with the tape on the inside, though I turned mine inside out so it would have the outside taped seams like Bossk's.

I have now seen a video clip that does confirm Bossk has some kind of "butt pack", which is why seeing the back of this suit is so important. I think it is for a seat parachute, but with the parachute removed. This also explains the wide gray harness Bossk wears.

I am sure the X Wing white vests are copied from Bossk's, but made to look more high tech with the control boxes added. But to be 'screen accurate' for Bo Shek or Bossk it is necessary to copy the oriignal vest exactly, since this is what they are using, whereas the X wing vests are less complex copies of this vest, so the simpler prop is the right vest for them. . The control boxes on the chests ares clearly different on the Bossk and Bo Shek suits. One is for a left handed pilot, and one is for a rght, and the shape/size of the boxes are quite different as well.

We are now at a standstll until we can see the back of a Windak suit. Thanks for the great attempt. Surely there must be more than one of these in Britain. I wonder if the prop house that supplied Star Wars still has the suits that the Bo Shek and Bossk actors actually wore?l
 
terryr said:
There's a mechanics ratchet on the chest. Weird.
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Yes, but you don't see that on Bossk's suit. The is a handle that pulls metal cables that pop the helmet off, and posibly opens a parachute. I think the little ratchet was added becaus they lost the handle. I used an old army wall locker handle for my bossk.
 
By sheer coincidence I happened to be watching the surviving bits of a "lost" Doctor Who serial ("The Wheel In Space") and lo and behold these type of suits get quite a bit of play. :)

dwwheelinspacesuits.jpg
 
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.
 

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