fan made stormtrooper helmets



GF (Follano) Stormtrooper Helmet and Armor ("Type 2")

The original FX Helmet and Armor was sculpted by GF or "Follano" and is the most commonly seen trooper Armor. However in 2001 (?) GF was able to get hold of a set of castings (from an original ROTJ Suit and ANH helmet) from a fellow prop-maker and he was subsequently able to produce the movie-accurate Armor and Helmet you see below. This page is devoted to the newer "Type 2" styling, if you want to see the previous style then check out the FX page. With its curved brown lenses and three "teeth" either side of the frown it's a great copy of the ANH "Hero" look. Follano like TE, Gino/CRProps and Oakley based their designs on real movie originals and because of this they're much more accurate than the traditional FX/GT. However as the helmet is smaller, its less easy to wear - less room for fans etc. and this along with the price is why most 501st members go instead with the F/X suit.

Above GF Helmet and Armor displaying the low brow "Hero" look as worn by Luke.

This is my old helmet. Below is another couple of shots showing off its gleaming white ABS surface.

Here's the ANH "Hero" Look with a lowered brow. The interesting thing about the original helmets, and can be seen on the Follano copy (which is actually quite sanitized), is how unsymmetrical it is when you look at it. When Don Post made the deluxe (and statue), they addressed this by duplicating one side as a mirror of the other and the helmets suffers as a consequence. Human faces are not symmetrical so why should troopers be?
Click here to see a 3D Photo of the GF/Follano Helmet (see also 3D Armor pics lower down) Comparisons this helmet against the AA/SDS here Plus new Comparisons against the MR Stormtrooper here

Above are photo's from an early Gerardo Follano (GF) helmet, this one #11, now owned by Blaydrunner who had it converted from an ANH Hero (i.e. 3 teeth and curved lenses), to an ANH Stunt (4 teeth and flat green lenses). See lower down for photos of Blaydrunner's and Steve the Swede's complete GF Armor.

Above, This is a really great comparison by Drew of his GF's and shows how different it can look. On the right is a typical "hero" look, whereas on the left he's created an excellent "Stunt" look. I have to say that that is really impressive and shows how good the GF is. Check out his Armor lower down too.
If you manage to get hold of a GF/Follano kit off ebay, then this is what you get. There's a bit of work involved before it can be viewed as the finished article, and you may also need to cut out the eyes and teeth before assembling. Made of vac-formed ABS its a similar finish to the FX (different shape)



Here's two photo's (above) from Steve the Swede's collection. For those of you who don't know him, he's a very clever chappy and prop-maker who provides modifications and some solid re-spraying. These are both Follano's, the left replicating the ANH Hero look, the right a standard ESB Stunt. Look elsewhere on this site for some of Steve's other great work including stunning X-Wing Pilot and Boba Fett (see the Fett design tutorial).

These three images above and below are Keith's GF helmet. Keith, never one to turn down a bit of a challenge has done a great deal of work on this helmet and produced one of the very best GF helmets. He's done a lot of work on the ears, replaced the aerators with 100% movie-accurate ones, and completely resprayed it after sanding the whole thing down.

I especially like what he's done with the lining, which is actually strips of pipe cladding

Above and below, a couple of new photos (Jan10) from Shiv of his GF which he recently acquired

The GF has always been a great helmet and the armor is also fantastic. These newer ones also have the more accurate Hovi-Mix style mic tips too!

GF/Follano to Screen equivalent Comparison

I've composed the following images to show that this helmet is still quite close to the original.

Above, a "hero" trooper notices the Obi-Wan/Darth Vader duel in the docking bay. The original screen cap is on the left with an overlaid GF helmet on the right

Above and below, a comparison shot of Luke's Hero helmet. Screen grab above, Follano below.

Go here for a comparison of the Hero(GF) and Stunt (Gino/CRProps) Helmets

GF/Follano Armor
Its a copy of an original screen-used suit, the mould having been cleaned up to produce a sleek screen-accurate look. Like the FX it's vac-formed ABS, but unlike the FX it's movie-accurate as its an actual copy from an original (actually RotJ), as opposed to a new sculpt by an artist. However most of the 501st troopers you see around the World use the FX which though not screen accurate, has a significantly larger helmet leaving lots of room for fans etc.


Below, Armor with Chris Kings old Han Solo head made by the extremely talented Chewie15

I've stuck it on my old mannequin and I think it looks superb. I need to work on the arms a bit, I've changed "his" right arm so he's holding the helmet so its just the left that needs a bit of work.

above a b/w shot in more moody lighting. I could do with changing his neck rings as well
Click here to see a 3D Photo of the GF/Follano Armor

Above and below right are images of Blaydrunner's GF suit (ANH Stunt), numbered just 11.


This one above is owned by Steve the Swede, and there's some more images of the helmet on a number higher up this page

Above, Drew's sent me pic of his GF, in his case he's done an excellent job at creating both a stunt and hero look from two GF's. There's an excellent comparison shot higher up.

I've just received these great new pics from Drew of his GF Stunt on its new poseable mannequin. He's looking at turning it into a "proper" Sandtrooper - time to get your paints out then!



Above, a couple of images from Tommi in Germany of his excellent GF Armor bought a few years back.


Above, some great pictures of CyberAnt's (Tony RB) new GF Armour, with his excellent self-made E-11. Check out Tony's Site (Blast 'em) on the Links page.

Above and below are a few pictures of GF Troopers in action at the July Memorabilia in UK. Many thanks to John/Clone Warrior for the use of these photo's



and finally a nice close-up of the helmet (note teeth grilling added)

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