ANH suits.

[Rolf]

I just wanna make a topic about the ANH suits.

As we know the HDPE stunt helmet was spray painted white, but we are not sure about the ANH body armor.

I guess we have to spray paint both the stunt helmet, and body armor to make our replica ANH suits screen accurate.

And spray paint the complete armor white, when its assembled. Whit the strapping system and all.

The RS ANH screen used suit was first used as a Sandtrooper, as you can see as the 3 dot on the belly etc.

And later used again as a ANH Stormtrooper, here in action:

And here the proof, the RS belt from there screen used suit:

The RS ANH suit and HDPE helmet.

The RS screen used ANH armor was spray painted white two times, first as a Sandtrooper, and then a new paint job as a ANH Stormtrooper:

Here you can even see the spray paint drips run coming in from... from the top of the chest from the out side paint job:

And spray paint dust on the strappings as well:

HDPE ANH stunt helmet:

Looking a these LFL archive pics of screen used ANH suits, it also looks like they was spray painted white as well.

You see a different shade on the out side vs. the inside.

Paint coming off inside the shins, looks like small air stains on the for arms taken whit flash pic etc.

Same white shade as on the rivets as on the armor.

Looks like small air painted stains + look as the strips, they are totally white on the sides, no glueing to be seen, there it could be a white paint job as well:

Looks painted, also on the strap:

Marks, hard to make marks like that on pure ABS, but more easy on a painted surface:

Paint coming off inside the shins:

Looks to me we see some full spray painted ANH suits from back then 1976.

Whit both spray painted whit HDPE helmets, and also painted ABS body armors as well.

Only strange thing is, that the ANH hero helmets was pulled in ABS just like the ANH body armor was.

But the hero helmets was not painted white.

As we know all the Sandtroopers have only spray painted white HDPE stunt helmets on, no hero helmets.

The ANH Stormtroopers had the both stunt and hero helmet version on.

So maybe all the Sandtrooper´s, and ANH stunt Stormtrooper´s was spray painted, both helmet and armor.

And only the hero ANH stormtrooper´s was pure ABS, whit no spray paint job on helmet and body armor.

Thats why we are not 100% sure if the ANH body armor was spray painted or not, i guess because only some of the ANH body armors was.

ABS ANH hero helmet (mouth 6 holes sculpt):

HDPE ANH stunt helmet (mouth 10 holes sculpt):

I got two full ABS RS suits, and will get RS HDPE helmets to them as well.

But i´m not sure i will spray paint, both the ABS body and helmet.

I guess i will keep my RS ANH suits as non painted white ABS, and have HDPE helmets to them as well.

But at the same time, i´m still thinking about beat my suit up good.

And make it look old and 70´ screen accurate used.

Spray paint the body armor, and HDPE helmet.

Let it take dirt and scratch paint coming off, marks, cracks and all, make the canvas and white elastics dirty/used.

But its also a bit of a hard choice when we/i got a perfect white and strong RS ANH suit...

But again, picture what a beauty you could make/have if you copy all the so called "flaws" on it and 70´ beat up your RS ANH replica up to 100% screen accurate look.

If i do not spray paint my RS body armors here, i hope, and will like to do it later on a new kit.

And make all the flaws on it, and beat up good for top screen accurate looks.

But for now it will also be cool to have the suits as ABS body armor and helmet, and extra helmets as painted HDPE.

My RS ANH kits in white 1,5mm ABS:

RS HDPE helmets:

Troop on

[iconoclasta_88]

****!! I just wrote a very long reply and lost it!!!

It makes me mad!

In no mood to reply just now.

Will be back a bit later!

But this is an awesome thread!

Saludos.

[DirtyBoy]

Absolutely!!! Awesome thread thank Rolf

[RETNUHHA]

Very interesting Rolf, near the return edges on the butt piece and kidney plate are those rivits?

[inglorious trooper]

saw you talking about this the other day on the F.I.S.D. and was really interested!

i hope to recieve my R.S. armour in the next week so it got me thinking about painting the lot.

but after quite a bit of consideration ive decided i dont think i could bring myself to paint such

an amazing piece of craftmanship unless i could afford 2(which i cant)

that being said maybe at a later date i would love to do a cheaper set.

would be great to see if you decided to do one yourself mate.

just wondered if you had spoke to Rob to see what hes got to say on the matter?

awsome thread by the way,interesting stuff bro!!

[Rolf]

saw you talking about this the other day on the F.I.S.D. and was really interested!

i hope to recieve my R.S. armour in the next week so it got me thinking about painting the lot.

but after quite a bit of consideration ive decided i dont think i could bring myself to paint such

an amazing piece of craftmanship unless i could afford 2(which i cant)

that being said maybe at a later date i would love to do a cheaper set.

would be great to see if you decided to do one yourself mate.

just wondered if you had spoke to Rob to see what hes got to say on the matter?

awsome thread by the way,interesting stuff bro!!

Thanks bro.

I got two full RS sets here, so i could do a pure ABS version as not painted helmet and body armor.

And the other one painted ABS armor, and painted HDPE helmet.

The ones i got now are as a Sandtrooper, and Stormtrooper. But i only need a RS knee and three ab sandy dot, then i got two of them RS sandy´s.

And could do a even more screen accurate sandtrooper replica, then the pure ABS version.

Rob and i have talk about it, and he told me there RS screen used ANH suit was painted two times.

I love then ANH stunt Stormtrooper as well, not as much as the Sandtrooper never. But i still like to have a RS Stormtrooper i think.

So if i should spray paint my RS ABS body armor as well, i guess i need a third RS body armor...

But still... its tempting to choose only going the sandy way, and maybe get a Stormtrooper later.

I will think about it, as i do not swim in money here, and all ready got two full RS suits.

Maybe i just keep them as not painted ABS Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper suits, and just get one or two extra HDPE helmets. One for the sandy for sure

[inglorious trooper]

totally understandable,it can turn a little bit expensive this hobby of ours!

cant wait to see someones w.i.p. hdpe helmet,im sure they will be awesome!

[Scootch]

They're excellent looking kits bro. Whatever you do with them I know it will be fun.

[iconoclasta_88]

OK... here I am in a better mood and with a few spare minutes to retype my reply...

So, this is a very interesting thread. Lots of great info and references no doubt. And Rolf, your Sandtrooper knowledge and commitment never stops amazing me. You and your contributions make this hobby better and more enjoyable for sure! Thanks bro for inspiring us...

I do have two questions and a theory:

1. Is it confirmed that the Armor that Matt got pictures of at the LFL archive was used only in ANH, or also in ESB and even ROTJ?

That would give us lots of extra insight if only it could be confirmed in which movies it appeared. Also, would confirm or deny many theories we might have.

2. Is it confirmed that Simon got his ANH armor just as it was while shooting and that he did not modified it any other than what has been stated? I mean, this armor was used and modified by a kid and then stored for several years. Do we know if it never went under any kind of restoring during those years, Either by production or private owners.

We know he painted the black details on it, but, anything else we should know?

And now my theory starting with my premise:

I dont think original Sandtrooper ABS armor was painted white, only the HDPE helmets.

All whats next is only a theory, no facts to support it other that those seen on screen...

The armor seen on the LFL archive pictures is painted white no doubt, and also is the RS armor... but, those are TK armor... not TD. Even the RS armor appears to have seen some action during main shooting at Elstree (thats also where they found it at the trash bin if Im not mistaken). But there are several shots of the armor as a TK, even if it looks TD too.

Also, the LFL archive seems to be a TK and if it was used in ANH and then stored, chances are that it was also used in ESB, where all armor went through upgrades and restoring. Didnt they?

So... I can imagine that new shiny armor went out to Tunisia for shooting Tatooine Scenes. It was painted with sand and dirt, scratched and damaged... so when they went back to England, a coat of white paint was in order. Same would have happened prior to fiming ESB.

Also, There are a few shots where you can tell that the white on the Sandtrooper armors is not the same white of the helmet. Either cause it is a different material, shade or paint. And considering that the TD armor was actually not 100% finished due to production rush, it doesnt shound too crazy that the white ABS armor was not painted.

And a final issue...

Most armor knowledge we have based on real props, is taken from Stormtrooper armor and props. Not Sandtrooper. Mostly because all TD stuff was refurbished to become TKs for the next scenes... So maybe we will never know for sure.

Anyway, that is what I think.

If anyone has any info or reference to confirm or deny this, it would be awesome!

What do the prop experst like TM have to say?

Any info I may not be aware of?

Thx a lot bro!

As I said, this is an awesome thread.

Saludos

Juan

[Rolf]

Thanks for the kind words bro, i´m no top pro in the old saga knowledge.

And now living whit a small child alone, and seeing my girlfriend, its even more hard to find time to catch up knowledge and proof for me.

But i try as good as i can.

If i was living in the US, or UK i guess i could dig deeper into the knowledge.

Trying to come near the archive my self etc.

Lucky i have been close to TM for years, and learn a lot from him.

Beside that i got most knowledge from Jez on starwarshelmets.com, forums like FISD, and our beloved MEPD here

Moving on to your questions, i have no prof, and just guessing like your self here.

I will try tok show a few pics, as pics are all ways good for proof.

1. I´m not sure, as the pics of TE/Matt are too far away to see if all the helmets are only ANH, and not spray painted over for ESB use.

Even as we know the EBS stunt helmets, had a black mouth, and not as many stripes in the tear drops etc:

ANH HDPE painted over as ESB:

But all the helmets from he´s LFL archive ref cd only shows ANH helmets:

Same day, also looks spray painted as well:

2. RS told me there only thing they have done to it, is the black painting details when Simon was a kid.

And it have been spray painted two times, and has first been used as a TD, and then later as a TK:

The RS suit have been in the family of Simon´s since then put away in a ceiling, and first got to see the light here again many years later.

Hard to tell if the ABS Sandtrooper armor was painted back then, or first for later use as ANH Stormtrooper´s.

Only thing we know for sure is the HDPE helmets was painted.

Maybe the painted HDPE helmet have a different shade vs. the ABS armor. Maybe not painted armor, i´m not sure:

Here another LFL archive pic, where we also see a Sandtrooper, but whit ANH Stormtrooper belly 4 dots:

I remember i have heard some called the HDPE stunt ANH Stormtrooper´s back ground suits, and the ABS ANH Hero helmet and suits was the front suits to be filmed.

We know the ABS ANH hero helmet was not spray painted white, but i´m not sure about the body armor.

To me it looks like it was not painted, but as a pure ABS suit.

I also think i remember a small post on FISD years ago TE/Matt talk about there was a few stunt helmets in ABS.

But i have never seen, or read any proof of that. Only painted HDPE helmets as far as i know.

Here the ANH hero Stomtrooper:

Thats all for now

[inglorious trooper]

hey rolf,

some nice pics mate!

just looking at the first pic,the armour on the left,second shelf down looks to me like it

only has one snap on the crotch plate like the RS suits!

[Rolf]

Thanks bro

You might be right:

Looking at this pics it have two on the same shelf, but Matt might have move them around

[troopermaster]

Great topic Rolf!

This is something I tried to prove a few years back but there was never enough evidence to support my theory of the ANH suits being painted. Since then, I have changed my mind abut them being painted and now believe all the original ANH armour was unpainted white ABS. This is mainly because I have found glossy ABS in 1.5mm that looks to be an identicle match to the screen used armour and there is no reason to paint it.

We know the stunt helmets were painted, that is a given, and we also know the hero helmets were not painted. So, if the hero helmets were not painted and match the armour, it stands to reason the armour was unpainted too.

Moving onto Simons suit, he told me he spray painted it years ago but is was already painted which accounts for the two coats. But, just because it was painted before he got it doesn't automatically mean it was painted for the use on screen. Chances are the suit had been used for promotional purposes or TV appearances just as many props do after being used in the movies. It is also a mis-match of several sets of armour so it is likely it was never used on screen in the way is is today and probably cobbled together from whatever was left over from filming.

Some of your evidence you have put forward is not totally correct. You say Simons suit was reused as a Stormtrooper in the Tantive raid but that is not true. Only his belt can be identified and the same belt is worn by a hero trooper in the Tantive raid (seen marching behind Vader when he enters Tantive IV).

The armour you say is a Sandtrooper in the archives with a 4 button plate is actually a regular Stormtrooper that has lost his centre button plate. The shoulder straps are a bit of a giveaway

Chances are some of the armour was painted after ANH. They may have painted the ESB armour ready for filming? They may have painted several suits for promotional use? What I do know is that Simons ANH suit was painted. The recent ESB MKII suit that was auctioned had some ANH parts mixed in with were painted and John's ESB MKII suit has some ANH parts mixed it with that are also painted. That said, it doesn't prove they were painted for use on screen and no one really knows the history of the original suits before an owner comes into posession of one.

I would like to be able to offer you some better proof of them either being painted or not being painted, but the truth is I really don't know and until a new set of ANH armour comes along that isn't painted, then we are all just guessing.

[Rolf]

Thanks for posting bro, through the years you have been right all the way.

So i guess, we still keep the spray cans away from the body armor, and only spray paint the HDPE stunt helmet white for making a accurate ANH replica suit

[troopermaster]

Don't let me stop you trying to get the evidence Rolf. I am only giving my opinion and in no way trying to shoot you down. I strongly believed it was painted for a long time, and some photos of the armour in the archives does look as if it is painted and it very well may be. But that doesn't mean they were all painted for the use in ANH and it is going to be hard to prove they were.

Keep trying my friend. You never know

[troopermaster]

Here are some photos where I tried to show where I thought it shown paint coming off the original armour.

This one shows the ANH forearm next to an SDS and I still think this looks painted.

[inglorious trooper]

my 2 pence,

leave for now and then can always be painted at a later date if any proof arises,

for now i think they werent painted,but would be quite happy to be proved wrong!

[Rolf]

Don't let me stop you trying to get the evidence Rolf. I am only giving my opinion and in no way trying to shoot you down. I strongly believed it was painted for a long time, and some photos of the armour in the archives does look as if it is painted and it very well may be. But that doesn't mean they were all painted for the use in ANH and it is going to be hard to prove they were.

Keep trying my friend. You never know

Thanks bro, i will keep on searching my friend

I´m not sure but maybe its like this:

None of the ANH suits was spray painted, only the HDPE stunt helmet was, the ABS hero helmet was not painted, but pure 15mm ABS just like the ANH body armor.

Star wars ANH was a success, so they made ESB. Reused the ANH suits, but gave them all a spray paint job, we know for sure they spray paint over the ANH stunt HDPE helmets for the ESB Stormtrooper use, so maybe they also spray paint over the ANH scratched body armor as well to make them look fresh and new for ESB.

That could easy be the answer to why we see some painted ANH suits in the LFL archives, because they are spray painted ESB suits...

ANH ABS hero Stormtrooper: