sskunky Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Hi Troopers, I have been reading/wading! my way through a lot of threads and posts on this fantastic forum and there seems to be a lot of theorizing on the mystery surrounding the Famous Bumpy Cap 'n' Back of the TE/TE2 buckets. I think I may be able to clear this up for anyone that is interested. Many people think it is shot in the molds , degrading molds etc etc. bad pulls , the list goes on. I have spoken to Andrew Ainsworth about this and many of the Helmets used in the film were repainted many times for each shoot. Some of them had up to 30 layers of paint on them by the end of the film! They had huge problems getting the paint to stick to the original green/khaki HDPE that was used at the beginning of the first run of helmets. I kid you not , I quote "but after a while we didn't seem to care what the paint job looked like as long as it stayed on the bloody things!!!" We even painted them with a 6" paint brush at one stage! which is where the bumps came from. So you see there was no shot in the molds or bad molds it was just layers of really badly applied paint and lots of layers, hence the bumps. It was particularly noticeable on the helmets that went to Tunisia as they had to touch them up alot whilst on set. I hope this clears up the mystery of the bumps? Please let me know your thoughts on this. If anyone has any other mysteries about the armor or helmets please ask away and I will do my best to find out for you. Bye for now. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billhag Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 So you see there was no shot in the molds or bad molds it was just layers of really badly applied paint and lots of layers, hence the bumps. It was particularly noticeable on the helmets that went to Tunisia as they had to touch them up alot whilst on set. I hope this clears up the mystery of the bumps? Please let me know your thoughts on this. If anyone has any other mysteries about the armor or helmets please ask away and I will do my best to find out for you. Bye for now. Mark. Mark Interesting hypothesis Sir! But I don't know if that would explain the bumps on molds that were taken from the inside of an helmet (unless they painted them as well ). I would love to hear the thoughts of others on the subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrestonva[TK] Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Very interesting, once again proving that we here at the FISD put far more effort into our costumes/props and hassle over the small details than the original manufacturers ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riveting Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 that is an Interesting hypothesis Sir Can you ask AA what his thought's are on the reason for having tear dimples too?? looking forward to hearing more on this subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firebladejedi[TK] Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Personally i think you can take anything AA said with a city care road gritter full of salt and i dont think he will really be the guy to ask about the helmet mold as he didnt design them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonitekid Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Personally i think you can take anything AA said with a city care road gritter full of salt and i dont think he will really be the guy to ask about the helmet mold as he didnt design them... QFT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Mark, Don't fall for any of AA's crap. All the bumps show up in all the same places, on all the helmets. Some are more pronounced than others, but they do match up. The marks are 'in' the formed plastic and not 'on' them. If you took a mould of the inside of all the stormtrooper helmets they would have these bumps mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sskunky Posted December 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Thanks for your input. I still don't understand why no-one believes what Andrew says? Do any of the people who say don't believe Andrew actually know him? Or spoken to him? I'm not protecting him in anyway but I still am at a loss to why he gets slagged off so much? Yes he was taken to court by GL and won to a certain extent which would suggest to me that there must be some truth to his claims. He has said that he sculpted all the original molds and that there is a guy called Matt something or other that put a great deal of malicious rumors out there about him that a lot of people seem to have taken for gospel. This guy has been dropped from a certain number of forums for just this reason. He also wanted to go into business with AA at one point but was dropped from that too which would also suggest to me that there is some bad history between the two. hence the rumors! I don't pretend to know a huge amount about this subject but it seems strange to me that the one person who made all of the original Stormtroopers for the films gets so much bad press? Remember you are all wearing a copy of something that Andrew originally made. I don't want this to get all nasty and argumentative again as so many of these posts seem too. All I wanted to do was shed a little light on a subject that seems shrouded in mystery and maybe help give a little info to those who are interested. Too many of you seem so quick to jump on the "lets slag off AA given any opportunity" I didn't want this to happen again as it has to so many of my posts. He really is a very likable guy and hugely helpful to me anyway with any questions or problems I have had with the Stormtrooper subject. If any one has something constructive to add please feel free but not if it is just to say don't believe anything I hear. Thanks guys, Mark.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firebladejedi[TK] Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 The only thing i wil say Mark is do your own research and come to your own conclusions, like the rest of us Liz Moore sculpted the helmet and Brian Muir sculpted from the neck down. AA did little more than actually vac form the suits and painted the lids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billhag Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 May I say in Mr.Ainsworths defence, and on a positive note that he does make some darn good Pedoloes and fish ponds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonitekid Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 The only thing i wil say Mark is do your own research and come to your own conclusions, like the rest of us And you might want to staretoff by reading this mate: http://rpf.exoray.com/LFL_vs_SDS/UK_decision.html Its a long read, but well worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Jax Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Let's go for the short version: Every statement made by AA is soon contradicted. By himself. Within minutes. He makes statements about materials used that experiences fans KNOW were not. He claims that layers of paint...no..........they were cast from the INSIDE. Even the courts of the UK decided in no uncertain terms that he changed testimony to cover his claims and not recite history. He didn't sculpt a single mold used. "Matt" knew far more about stormtrooper costumes than AA did. Slice that anyway you want, AA can't be the original maker when you don't recall one detail correctly. AA is covering his hide, as with so many disreputable people in this scandal he will put on a big smile so people will talk about "what a great guy, so nice" that he is. He can be as nice as he wants, he's still lying. This isn't a bandwagon, this is what happens when something is finally seen as TRUE. AA and his flunkies have led campaigns of slander on critics trying to get details and claims straight, so you won't find much sympathy for the "Poor guy." JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stukatrooper Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 And you might want to staretoff by reading this mate: http://rpf.exoray.com/LFL_vs_SDS/UK_decision.html Its a long read, but well worth it Blimy Matt a book at bed time but i might just read all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sskunky Posted December 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Calm down guys, I was only trying to help those interested in the bumps . As Andrew Vac Formed the helmets and and painted them I thought he might be able to shed a little light in this mystery. I thought I would share this info wether it is correct or not with anyone that might be interested. He doesn't know I am a member of this forum. I just slipped the subject into a conversation and that is what I was told. I am sorry there are a lot of bad feelings towards this man but my intention was just to share some new info I was given. I will indeed read all of the court decision and maybe learn a bit more about this. Cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Jax Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Understood, and I apologize for my fervor. We appreciate the will to share info, but know that you have picked possibly the worst source of info in the hobby. Repeating his statements AND telling them as absolute truths just won't help anyone, no slight to you. He lied to you, take it into consideration as to his niceness. JJ Calm down guys, I am sorry there are a lot of bad feelings towards this man but my intention was just to share some new info I was given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Nobody believes AA because he has lied so many times. I have met AA a few years ago at Memorabilia (05-06?) and he was a very nice chap. If I didn't know better, I would have swallowed every porky he spewed. He was a very likable and chatty, and told me lots of things about how he came to make the armour he produces. When I asked him why every peice of the suit had ROTJ tells he said " the moulds were made from vac formed skins" which were used to protect the original moulds. Everyone knows that AA had nothing to do with ROTJ and that the 'skins' were infact TE or GF armour parts, and I think they can be seen hanging in his workshop! It has been proven that Liz Moore sculpted the helmet and Brian Muir sculpted the body armour. Brian even told me this personally when I met him a year after meeting AA. AA simply formed the plastic and maybe assembled the helmets. I am not sure if he assembled the armour or if was shipped to the studios in vac formed sheets, but judging on how he assembles the armour he makes today, he really has no clue. You have been lied to just like everyone else mate. No-one is agro over it. It's just a shame he keeps on lying <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 May I say in Mr.Ainsworths defence, and on a positive notethat he does make some darn good Pedoloes and fish ponds Ahh...Mr No Stripes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFA Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 Special edition...... Sorry couldn't resist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 And Mark, read past the tone of these posts to the substance. It wouldn't matter how many coats of paint on the outside, or how they were applied; the new moulds were struck from the inside -- where no paint was -- and nothing that was on the outside of the bucket would have made a bit of difference. So either AA didn't quite cotton to what you were asking, or made something up on the spot rather than saying he didn't know what you were talking about. Either way, his answer doesn't jibe with observed phenomena. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 I still don't understand why no-one believes what Andrew says? Because most of his claims have been proven false or irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingpieces[501st] Posted December 1, 2008 Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 I still don't understand why no-one believes what Andrew says? remember that kid that cried wolf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sskunky Posted December 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2008 OK so I think we have established that what AA says and has said is not what it's all cracked up to be. Maybe we will never know the exact history to all this as it has been lost over time and I should take what he says with a pinch of salt. That said he did still form the originals and he should at least get some credit for being a part of what is so close to all our hearts. We all enjoy building, wearing and looking at what is a fantastic bit of cinema history and design . Whoever created the Armor or molds etc is not really that important, what is important is that we enjoy doing what we do. I believe that is escaping the real world and immersing ourselves in something that had a huge impact on us all as children and that has stuck with us. I know there are alot of people that get very protective about the Stormtrooper subject but it is a hobby and they are still only characters from a film. It's not real, It's not real, It's not real............ Sorry I have to remind myself sometimes. It is an addictive thing this prop building lark, I have made Lightsabers, blasters, armor and buckets and I think I get a little obsessive about it too. Or at least my wife thinks so anyway! Luckily my daughter is still a bit young ( 13 Months ) to get embarrassed by her fathers Star Wars Obsession I am a still a boy with more (a little more) money and a few more wrinkles! Mark. I will take on board what has been said and I have become a little wiser thanks to all you knowledgeable people. This is why I love this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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