In October, there was a significant amount of buzz, discussion, and questions about a Stormtrooper helmet presented to hobbyists publicly and described as original and attributed to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. These debates resulted from the owner of the helmet, “JoeR”, initiating discussions about the newly acquired piece on several original and replica prop hobby discussion forums.
I was personally intrigued about the unfinished and incomplete state of the piece, as I had never before seen such a helmet in the marketplace or any private collections characterized as made for or used in the original Star Wars trilogy.
My curiosity was compounded a number of other factors:
- The Andrew Ainsworth (Shepperton Design Studios) developments with “prototype” helmets circulating in the marketplace and the unlicensed replica helmets “cast from the original 1976 moulds” and “from the original maker” that resulted in multiple lawsuits with Lucasfilm in both the United States and the United Kingdom (see Market Watch | Stormtrooper Helmets).
- Of course, authentic Star Wars props and wardrobe pieces command some of the highest market values in the hobby.
- More, thousands of fan-made replica Stormtrooper helmets and armor have been produced by replica makers over the years – many direct copies of authentic helmets in private hands – and it is one of the most studied props by replica enthusiasts.
As such, the marketplace for original Stormtrooper props specifically is uniquely and inherently problematic, requiring additional due diligence for collectors contemplating the purchase of any helmets purported to be authentic and made for and/or used in the films.
Several of the forum discussions last month that were about this unfinished helmet were quickly taken off topic and/or closed, curbing further dialogue about the actual provenance and details of the piece and its incomplete and unfinished state.
While this same helmet was offered for sale privately to an acquaintance of mine just five or so days after the initial announcement topics were started, it has today been offered for sale openly and publicly on the Movie Prop Forum, at a claimed monetary loss of thousands of dollars, and including a Prop Store of London Certificate of Authenticity.
Consequently, I seek to summarize some of the available information and to restate some of the outstanding questions.
As always, I feel it is appropriate to raise questions about any pieces offered for sale to the marketplace. I also plan to catalog Stormtrooper helmets that come up for sale on an ongoing basis for the very reasons stated above.
Anyone with anything productive and on topic to contribute is welcome to publish their own “Reader Comment” following the article.
Related Online Discussion Forum Topics
On October 6, 2008, the owner of the helmet, “JoeR”, announced his new acquisition across several original prop and replica prop discussion forums, some of which lead to side discussions and arguments of debatable merit.
Below are links to the related topics that I have found (some require membership/registration to view):
Replica Prop Forum – “Original Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper Helmet”
Replica Prop Forum – “Is this passing off a replica trooper helmet as original?” [LOCKED]
Movie Prop Forum – “Another Original Jedi Stormtrooper Helmet Surfaces…” [LOCKED]
The Prop Den – “Original Jedi Stormtrooper Helmet…”
Star Wars Propaganda – “ROTJ Helmet” [“JoeR” Quit Forum]
Today, the helmet was offered for sale on at least one of these forums:
Movie Prop Forum – “FS: ROTJ Stormtrooper Helmet” [LOCKED]
Questions/Observations
The helmet is “unusual” in a few significant ways – both in terms of the helmet itself as well as it’s public “debut” and related events.
Below is the photo presented by the owner in one of the original discussion topics:
Below is a comparison between the “JoeR” helmet (LEFT) and a Return of the Jedi helmet that is part of the Lucasfilm archives (RIGHT, photo courtesy StarWarsHelmets.com) to compare and contrast and as a point of reference:
Below is the same comparison with labels on points that are unfinished/incomplete on the “JoeR” helmet:
The “JoeR” helmet is unique from all other original Stormtrooper helmets I am aware of primarily because it is in an unfinished and incomplete state:
1) The “chin”, “mouth/frown”, and “ear caps” are unpainted (the finished helmets are painted black, black, and gray and black respectively)
2) The “mic tips” – the “tusks” below the corners of the “mouth” – are not present (the ones included are replicas)
3) The unique decal/stickers are not present, and do not appear to have been previously applied
4) The helmet also appears very clean and “new” in the photos, compared with other original helmets I have seen and photos I have seen of original helmets
However, the very complex and intricate interior helmet liner and strapping system is present, and appears consistent with confirmed authentic examples – I received a photo of the interior that Jez of StarWarsHelmets.com took during his hands on examination (and also spoke with him about his review at length via telephone in early October).
With regards to the unpainted details, I find it very unusual that the production would go through the complex and laborious process of installing the helmet liner and strapping system (I have examined original helmets first hand as well as reviewed photos of additional helmets employing this system). While I will refrain from publishing photos, it appears that it would be one of the more challenging aspects to replicate.
As a note, I know nothing about the source of this piece (which seems to have changed from “extra” in the original announcement to “crew member” following initial discussions on the forums), but I would imagine if someone were intent to pass off a replica as an original, painting the “chin”, “mouth/frown”, and “ear caps” would be simple to do, so this could be one argument in support of the notion that it was made for but perhaps not used in the production.
By the same token, if this was indeed produced for the film, I do not see why they would go through the trouble of installing the helmet liner and strapping system but not take a few minutes required to paint the helmet. A wide variety of possible explanations exist – from it being an unfinished and unused piece to it being made post production from left over parts – but such assessments would not be possible without the history and source of the piece being made known and taken under consideration.
I am not aware of any shots in the film in which an unfinished helmet is identified as such on screen.
It is also my understanding that the unique decal/stickers used on the original helmets are very custom and have not been accurately reproduced by replica makers. These are not present on the “JoeR” helmet offered for sale.
The public, discussion forum-based “debut” is unusual, based on the following observations:
1) The owner initiated concurrent topics on several online forums, and prompted a public authentication by Stephen Lane and Brandon Alinger of The Prop Store of London and Jez Hill of the Star Wars Helmets Archive
2) The subsequent affirmative authentication by Stephen Lane in two of these topics failed to make any disclosure as to whether Prop Store previously sold the piece in question or was in any way involved in any related transaction or the prior history of ownership
3) Some of these online forum topics were closed, curbing open discussion about the helmet
4) A new topic was initiated on the Star Wars Propaganda forum, with the owner expressing a desire to answer questions about the helmet regarding provenance and authenticity – the owner provided some information (some conflicting), avoided certain questions, and ultimately announced that he was quitting the forum, and that he would forward to only myself and Jez (who already examined the helmet “hands on”) information about provenance and provide photos (neither of which I have personally received from the owner)
5) The issuance of a Prop Store of London COA, with no disclosure about Prop Store’s role in previously owning or selling the piece – to my knowledge, Prop Store does not offer third party authentication services
Below are the questions I posted on the Star Wars Propaganda discussion forum topic that were generally never addressed prior to “JoeR” abandoning his membership and participation:
- In what year was this helmet first discovered?
- Were you able to verify the extra’s work in the film?
- How did an extra end up with an original helmet?
- Are there any examples of confirmed authentic helmets that are in an unfinished state like yours?
- Do you have any screencaps from the film showing unfinished helmets?
- Why does the strap appear worn, but the rest look brand new?
- Does the sculpt match any confirmed authentic examples (i.e. from the same mold)?
- Does the sculpt match the ROTJ helmet Brandon used to own?
- Does the sculpt match any of the replicas cast from originals?
I did receive a short e-mail with a limited amount of information from “JoeR”, but I did not request permission to share this, and the majority of my questions were left unanswered. I also spoke privately with several hobbyists about this piece at the time of these discussions in October and learned some additional information (not all consistent), much of which is not noted here.
Public Assessments as to Authenticity
Below are public assessments of the helmet from the public RPF topics noted above. It is my opinion that all three of these individuals are extremely knowledgeable about original Star Wars props and wardrobe (more so than myself to be certain).
Stephen Lane, The Prop Store of London
10-06-2008, 11:30 PM
I have personally handled and closely inspected this helmet. In addition to this I have had other knowledgeable Star Wars collectors, who have Trooper helmets in their collections inspect this helmet.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is a production made piece. There are multiple ‘tells’ on this helmet that perfectly match another ROTJ helmet (not Joe’s previous helmet) that we had in hand at the same time and that matches other ROTJ helmets that we compared it to.
I can also confirm, having handled Joe’s previous helmet, that these items have absolutely no relationship with one another what so ever.
Stephen
Brandon Alinger, The Prop Store of London
10-07-2008, 09:47 AM
Hi guys,
I began researching this helmet a few months ago. While I have not seen it in person, I have seen a number of photos different/better than those posted here.
Everything I have seen on the piece is consistent with other Jedi helmets I have seen in person, aside from the obvious missing paint and decals.
I have been researching the possibility that such a helmet could have been used as a deep background piece on the docking bay in Jedi. I have found evidence of one helmet without the rear decals, but no evidence thus far of one without the frown/front decals.
Also, I believe a theory was put forth at one point that all the Jedi helmets used in the UK had foam linings and those used in the US had the hard hat linings. I have also now seen evidence of the hard hat linings being used in the UK. I can’t explain the differences between the two linings used in the film. Perhaps they simply ran out of hard hat liners at some point.
Regards,
Brandon
Jez Hill, Star Wars Helmet Archive
10-07-2008, 01:39 AM
All,
Joe came round my house on Saturday with the helmet and I took the opportunity of examining it and documenting it as much as possible with countless photos and video footage.
Now to be clear on this I have consciously not gone on record as to whether I think this helmet is “Original” or not. Now that is not to cast any aspersions over it, however the road to authenticating an original prop is a long one and frankly after an hour and a half with this particular helmet is not long enough – hence the photos and video. Essentially, in my personal opinion, more work would be required if I was going to buy this helmet
The process I normally adopt when verifying a helmet consists of several strands. The initial examination I had was interesting since it showed that the helmet DID have a number the tells I was expecting from an original helmet. In addition it did NOT have some of the errors, mistakes and limitations that a replica helmet has.
However the fact that the helmet has no paint detailing – nor the very detailed and revealing decals – will clearly impinge on this process. In addition the presence of non-original mic tips (which Jo was very open about) also does not help the process. Again, this is not to cast doubt over the helmet but to try and explain the difficulties in authenticating what is essentially an “unfinished” prop – it is exponetially difficult.
I understand from Joe’s comments that he also has some historical provenance information from the helmets on-set previous owner at Elstree. I have not seen this information but would clearly find it interesting since it adds tremendous weight to the argument. I also suggested that he contact another RotJ helmet owner (who is also UK based) since getting the two side-by-side would be a tremendously useful, and interesting exercise.
Note that I have no financial interest in the helmet whatsoever, nor would I ever receive any payment for helping someone verify a helmets provenance. Like everyone here I want to ensure that we correctly identify “original” helmets and am happy to contribute my time and effort to this process. I therefore suggest that people commenting should stick to facts as much as possible and avoid circumstantal evidence and name-calling.
Cheers
Jez
Of the three assessments, as I read them, only one – Stephen Lane’s – seems to offer an unqualified opinion that it is certain to be made by the production. By my own personal standards, even if it is not used on set or filmed, if it was produced or even partially completed at the time of production, with an intention to be used, it would qualify as “original”. But I would personally like to see some clarity on behalf of the owner – now seller – as to its role in the film (i.e. “unusued”, “used on set”, etc.) with supporting information as to that determination, but that is his prerogative as far as how he elects to do business and market his item for sale.
These parties are obviously under no obligation to provide any further information, but given that the piece is openly for sale and for reasons already explained at the start of this article, I feel it is appropriate to memorialize this information and outstanding questions as a current and future reference to those who have interest in such pieces. I have also heard privately that at least one other unfinished/incomplete Star Wars helmet (a Tie Fighter helmet) was mentioned as possibly available from the same unnamed source, so these developments have an impact on the state of the marketplace and the authentic helmets already in private collections.
Jason De Bord