Elstree Precision Co Ltd Hero Metal Ears Project

[sutt_hero_rotj]

Always loved that video of them explaining the various parts of the suit.

 

[RafalFett]

Always loved that video of them explaining the various parts of the suit.

Luckily for Ben Burtt (who was a bit overwhelmed by all those features and gadgets), he was helped out by Norman Reynolds, the person who was responsible for drawing the blueprints and supervising the making of the actual suit using concept images of Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston. According to the Star Wars Costumes book he hired Jan(et) Stevens to model the armor, the gauntlets and the helmet, John Mollo to design the soft parts (which were made by Berman and Nathan for both ESB and ROTJ), Brian Archer to do the model of the jetpack with timber and plywood using a mock up that he (Norman Reynolds) made from cardboard and foam core; the suit was assembled by Brian Archer and Nick Allder, with help from George Block (fiberglass parts of the Supertrooper weapons and the right gauntlet plug block) and Bob Dickinson (electronics and flamethrower functionality).

 

[RafalFett]

Steven and John, that rangefinder/ear bolt look great... Wait, the whole setup look great!

 

[boba87fett]

New helmet has landed in the UK and is out for delivery. This helmet was cast in TC 1630 with fiberglass in June of 2020 and has the following measurements:

Length: 10 4/16" (-2/16" or -3mm from the ESB Hero)

Width: 9 3/4" (-1/16" or -1.5mm from the ESB Hero)

This helmet has significantly less shrinkage than the first helmet that was sent to Elstree, which was cast in gelcoat resin with fiberglass.

 

[intwenothor]

That's a good thing.

 

[scottjua]

More progress!

John finished the bolts a few days ago. He recreated the Whitworth thread pattern of the period.

View attachment 192974

And as of today, the bolts are completed & fitted.

View attachment 192975
View attachment 192976

On the brass bolt... I had a problem with my FPH2 ears from Machinecraft in that, there wasn't enough threaded material to compensate for the thickness of the helmet fiberglass... so the brass bolt wouldn't thread into the front plate/range finder stalk cover...

These look flush on the back... with no thickness of helmet material space...???

 

[Keegan]

The entire area around the bolt gets cut out of the fiberglass. The bolt just tightens against the backside of the ear.

 

[KaanE]

The entire area around the bolt gets cut out of the fiberglass. The bolt just tightens against the backside of the ear.

 

[scottjua]

AHHHHHH I see now... carry on. Lol ^_^

 

[Strider]

New helmet has landed in the UK and is out for delivery. This helmet was cast in TC 1630 with fiberglass in June of 2020 and has the following measurements:

Length: 10 4/16" (-2/16" or -3mm from the ESB Hero)

Width: 9 3/4" (-1/16" or -1.5mm from the ESB Hero)

This helmet has significantly less shrinkage than the first helmet that was sent to Elstree, which was cast in gelcoat resin with fiberglass.

Nice! That could make it likely that the ears will fit both the Gen2 as well as the Gen4 (if done with TC or Epoxy).

 

[KaanE]

I do not know about an epoxy one out of the box. Epoxy shrinks around 2% while TC is 0.002 inch per inch (0.2%) (from memory). Maybe you would need to enlarge the platforms on an epoxy one. Anyway, boba87fett could deny or confirm my theory.

 

[Strider]

I do not know about an epoxy one out of the box. Epoxy shrinks around 2% while TC is 0.002% (from memory). Maybe you would need to enlarge the platforms on an epoxy one. Anyway, boba87fett could deny or confirm my theory.

Maybe there are different kind of epoxies but the ones I know have a shrinkage of 0,01 percent. I haven't seen any number given by TC, they only speak of 'low' shrinkage in their product video.

 

[KaanE]

Maybe there are different kind of epoxies but the ones I know have a shrinkage of 0,01 percent. I haven't seen any number given by TC, they only speak of 'low' shrinkage in their product video.

I have the technical data. It says 0.002 in/in.

 

[RamSkirata]

Very reassuring, also for my own plans, that a less shrunken helmet is going to be the basis. Also props boba87fett for actually ginving real measurements regarding the shrinkage! ANd especiall to also give them in mm for us guys across the pond that have no clue what those strange fractions of inches are

 

[ShortFuse]

I wished we would go full metric. It’s so much easier. Lol

 

[ShortFuse]

 

[boba87fett]

While John has been patiently waiting on the final helmet to arrive for prototyping, he has been busy working on a little side project.

Hand drawn diagrams of the current ears project!

 

[RafalFett]

Awesome!

 

[Funkyred]

Sooooooool oLd SkoOL.......rotering pens and Technical tables

 

[RamSkirata]

While John has been patiently waiting on the final helmet to arrive for prototyping, he has been busy working on a little side project.

Hand drawn diagrams of the current ears project!

View attachment 193444
View attachment 193445

I hope this doesnt sound like too dumb a question... but what is this for, apart from looking really really cool?