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Original RotJ Stormtrooper
Helmet and Armor

Every now and again something REALLY special comes along. An opportunity that's just "too good" to miss and I'm happy to say that such an opportunity presented itself to a good mate of mine John, here in the UK.

To be fair it didn't exactly "present itself", more it was the result of a significant amount of detective work but the upshot of all this is that John is now the proud owner of an almost complete ORIGINAL Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper Helmet and Armor.

Myself and a few other guys were fortunate to be able to visit him and have a look at it close-up and we were all 100% convinced that it was an original set. Though its incredibly hard to say whether it was screen-used or not, it is a real possibility.

Where else could I start but the helmet. And what WONDERFUL condition it is in. Made of white ABS it has yellowed a little over the last 22 years but only a little. As you can see everything is intact including the mic tips which appear to be resin casts of a Hovi Mix (i.e. the same as the ANH/ESB helmets) although I could not see the "Hovi Mix Pa" markings.

Below, here's what an original Stormtrooper looks like after a night on the town!

Notice how the armor has a lip around all the edges to the armor. the detail in the armor itself (such as the chest/abs piece) were not as detailed as the ANH/EBS armor, although remember that the RotJ Stormtrooper was effectively a recast of an original ANH/ESB set.

I'm not sure what material was used for the edging but expect that it was a "found" piece, rather than something that was specifically made for the costume. The Armor was complete except for the forearm pieces and hand-plates. However, the set came with the original boots, black under suit and an original resin blaster!

Above and below another couple of shots of the helmet. As you can see the decals on this helmet look VERY similar to the ESB decals (see the Christies ESB pics added recently) and the blue tube decals has blue and white sections (i.e. its not blue, then a gap and then blue again).

A close-up inspection of the area around the "tears" suggests that the RotJ helmets were cast off an HDPE/Fishpond ANH helmet and not an ABS. If you look hard you can see the slight "pinching" of this section. Though at this stage this cannot be nailed 100% it IS a strong indicator of its origins. This photo also show the eye detail and specifically the green hue of the bubble lenses

And below the frown. You can't see it from this shot but the ends of the frown are squared off (some were rounded, some squared).

Below a few more shots of the suit in its entirety. Note the brow trim was slightly out of position for this photo. You can see the harness straps on the inside too.

Below the legs, shoulders and upper-arm sections.

Below the resin blaster which also looked in great condition.

..and finally the oxygen canister/Thermal Detonator (whatever it is)

Below a great shot of John wearing his purchase - you can almost see him grinning on the inside!

and below a close up of the lower body section

Our thanks to John for showing off his fantastic new acquisition. You can be sure its being well looked after in the bank vault where its stored!

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