Boba Fett’s inception is almost as mysterious as his
character. What is known is that the unique Mandalorian armor he wears was designed and then fabricated in England well in advance of the filming of Star Wars:
Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
Joe Johnson, the production illustrator and designer, began work on Fett’s
helmet shortly after ILM relocated from southern to northern California. Lucasfilm archival photo reference shows Joe working on the “hero”
helmet, which was later worn by actor Jeremy Bulloch during principal photography. It is likely Joe also prepared a back-up helmet,
which resides in the archive, as its paintwork closely matches the scratches and technique of the “hero”.
To create the Master Replicas Boba Fett helmet our engineers laser scanned an
original helmet in the archives, perfectly capturing the shape and subtle nuances of the face and dome and output a master pattern from which
all our production molds were made.
Over the years the “hero” helmet has sustained additional scuffs and scratches
from its many world tours and exhibitions. Using extensive photographic reference, we worked with a talented artist to recreate the “hero”
helmet paint scheme as it appeared in 1979 when it first went before cameras at Elstree Studios.
