Disneyland - Disneyworld Stormtroopers

[Blaze]

 

 

I'm guessing their armor is custom made and not anything the 501st is using.

Has anyone considered finding out how the Disney armor is built and held together and making a blueprint for the rest of us to follow?

It seems their armor holds up to almost anything, including dancing, without falling apart or flapping out of place.

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In this video (at 1:07) you see the forearm appears to be held in place by straps since it dangles. No foam in there?

Edited February 23, 2022 by gmrhodes13
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[Verne]

Maybe FON will be able to post some informations.

 

He had a stormtrooper armor from Disneyworld (the old style). It seems it was from LFL molds (like the Tour Suit)

 

So maybe these new armors were made from molds taken from the first style.

[tkrestonva[TK]]

The Disney armor was made by an outfit called Hanger 18 Studios, commissioned by Disney and approved by LFL. It was made to be wearable in the heat and humidity of central Florida and to allow a freedom of movement that the kits used by the 501st generally don't, all the while meeting Disney's safety requirements for its cast members.

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I couldn't tell you anything about the internal strapping, it mignt even be proprietary information that Hanger 18 Studios isn't willing to share. However, I believe they're active on the Replica Prop Forum (RPF).

Edited February 3, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[Murray1134[501st]]

I've heard that Disney and/or LFL (not sure who footed the bill for the suits) paid a pretty penny for those. Rumour I heard over at the clone boards was that the Rex suit they debuted this year was somewhere in the area of $5,000 - $10,000.

 

It would be interesting to get an up close and personal look at the suits to see how they differ (materials, construction, etc.)

[littledragon88[TK]]

Here are two pictures we took from the Star Wars Exhibition in sweden featuring the LFL Tour suit, it's quite beaten up, but it is the same type of suit used in Disneyland. I walked passed this suit when working with the Exihibition with the garrison, it was laying in a big cardboard box, from what I could recall, the chest was really heavy and stiff, I am almost certain it was fiberglass..

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

Blaze said:

Has anyone considered finding out how the Disney armor is built and held together and making a blueprint for the rest of us to follow?

It seems their armor holds up to almost anything, including dancing, without falling apart or flapping out of place.

you see the forearm appears to be held in place by straps since it dangles. No foam in there?

 

 

As for straping just stick to what TM has provided, very simple, and great. I can do just about anything in armor except touch me toes. i can do a mean salsa,samba and merenge. never had one piece of armor fall off. Plz feel free to test this around ( remember things arnt set in stone).

Not to mention that if u look at the early Threads ( around when FISD first Started) there are many,many many ( did i mention many) Strap system pics, mods and tuts. here are a few pics ( some are TM others i dont remember whos , but all of them are in the FISD forum with many other pics)

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Like i said look in the earlier threads, theses pics are just the top of the iceberg. 99% of every possible question u could have has been answered in the forum at some point in time, it like the Kama sutra. there isnt a new "Move" that hasent been done before

Edited February 3, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[carbonitekid]

That looks suspiciously like a leather belt in those tour suit pics.

[troopermaster]

That looks suspiciously like a leather belt in those tour suit pics.

 

Whatever they use, the whole costume is a million miles different from the screen used costume.

 

From what I remember of these costumes, they were originally made LFL for MGM and they used an ROTJ to makes moulds from, not the actual LFL moulds. The armour was cut up badly and reshaped before the moulds were made, resulting in the weird shapes. Then, new suits were made based on these LFL costumes and again, they were reshaped and resculpted to make what you see today.

 

IMO, the old armour was better looking since it had closer lineage to the original ROTJ compared to the new version.

[littledragon88[TK]]

Although the Disney armor doesn't look that screen accurate, I'd say it is far better looking than the Rubies. The helmet is not that bad..and it looks OK. It's actually reminds me of the FX.

[carbonitekid]

Although the Disney armor doesn't look that screen accurate, I'd say it is far better looking than the Rubies. The helmet is not that bad..and it looks OK. It's actually reminds me of the FX.

 

 

I hit the John earlier today and "made" something that looked better than the Rubies.

[littledragon88[TK]]

LOL

[trooper18938]

I have also seen the Disney suits down in FLA a few years ago.... they were the same, but the eyes and the cheeks were cut out r and covered w/ black mesh - presumeably for ventilation... I have old style camers pics, and will try to scan them in a few weeks. There were 2 types of helmets, one w/ seperate cap/back ala FX, and one single pulled cap/back. The rubber blasters they carried had "LFL" on the butt end.

[dinanm3atl]

Wow Joey the photos of the 'setup' you posted is very nice! Thanks a bunch!

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

Wow Joey the photos of the 'setup' you posted is very nice! Thanks a bunch!

Glad u found them helpfull, but dont thx me, theses were contributions by other members of the FISD, and like i said theses are only a few of the meny that are in the forum.

[Scott M.[TK]]

The kits are NOT very screen accurate, but they work well for the environment. Steve (TK-4999), Margaret (TK-Margarita) and I spent some time last year during SWW really looking at the kits.

 

The picture Joey has seems somewhat accurate, but there are discrepancies.

 

1) There is a strap that runs UNDER the boot from the calfs or greevies.

 

2) The tube stripes are black, not blue

 

3) The chest armor also straps under the arms with elastic (also white)

 

4) I believe the ab buttons are black, but the bucket is a combo of ANH and ROTJ.

 

5) The chest is an odd shape

 

6) Yes, the belt is more leather/vinyl looking

 

Please know this is in now want meant to be a slight on the kits or Disney!!! The kids there love them, and only a 501st member would ever notice the difference, but they are there. We are sometimes the WORST critics when it comes to kits, and this can be an issue, especially when talking to someone who simply does not care or is not that educated in the armor.

[TxRadio]

Please know this is in now want meant to be a slight on the kits or Disney!!! The kids there love them, and only a 501st member would ever notice the difference, but they are there. We are sometimes the WORST critics when it comes to kits, and this can be an issue, especially when talking to someone who simply does not care or is not that educated in the armor.

 

Well said Scott!

[GosHawk[501st]]

TK-2126_MD,

 

where is TMs post with those strapping pics?

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

TK-2126_MD,

 

where is TMs post with those strapping pics?

 

??? some were in the first 1/3 of the Threads...( 3 or more yrs ago) u could look for TM, go to his profile page and hit "all threads" first take a look and if dont find it then hit all posts and look for titles refering to strap system. sorry i cant be any more pricise.......

[Star Wars Helmets]

troopermaster said:

Whatever they use, the whole costume is a million miles different from the screen used costume.

 

From what I remember of these costumes, they were originally made LFL for MGM and they used an ROTJ to makes moulds from, not the actual LFL moulds. The armour was cut up badly and reshaped before the moulds were made, resulting in the weird shapes. Then, new suits were made based on these LFL costumes and again, they were reshaped and resculpted to make what you see today.

 

IMO, the old armour was better looking since it had closer lineage to the original ROTJ compared to the new version.

 

I agree, even though the old helmet had those "goggle-eyes", I still think they look better than the new ones.

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Cheers

 

Jez

Edited February 3, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[Bernard]

Lots of incorrect information in this discussion. The Disney Stormtrooper armour is made by Costume Armour in Cornwall, NY. The owner of Hangar 11 worked for us at the time and is responsible for many of the molds and suits created for Disney but his company does not make the armour.

 

 

Here is a link to some of the items we have made:

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The original set of 20 Stormtroopers was made at a very low cost to get our foot in the door. Since then we have made armour for Clonetroopers, Darth Vader, Zam Wessel, Darth Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald and Captain Rex and Rex's blaster. We also made the headdress for Queen Amidala.

 

The Rex armour was just a Clonetrooper with a few adjustments and additions. Disney was not willing to pay for a completely accurate version. We always want to go for the most accurate version but Disney often is not willing to pay for the new molds. They also make demands that we mix styles between the episodes. On top of that there are stringent requirements for durability and comfort for the performers which sometimes compromises design.

 

We do all the sculpture, mold making, vacuum forming, assembly and painting here at our shop. We are not allowed to sell the armour directly due to the involvement of Lucas Licensing. The suits are formed in Kydex T, which is a PVC/acrylic blend. It is similar to ABS but stronger and fire retardant.

 

I do have photos of the assembly of the parts that I would be willing to share. Just let me know what parts you are interested in and I will post them.

Edited February 3, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[tkrestonva[TK]]

Thanks for the corrections, we do our best to maintain accurate information and updates are always welcome. Some assembly photos of your Stormtrooper costumes would be absolutely fascinating.

 

Also, care to head over to New Member Introductions and tell us a bit about yourself?

[Bernard]

Assembly photos posted in gallery.

[Murray1134[501st]]

Thank you for the info. I've always wondered about the story behind those disney suits.

[NAZGÛL]

Here are two pictures we took from the Star Wars Exhibition in sweden featuring the LFL Tour suit, it's quite beaten up, but it is the same type of suit used in Disneyland. I walked passed this suit when working with the Exihibition with the garrison, it was laying in a big cardboard box, from what I could recall, the chest was really heavy and stiff, I am almost certain it was fiberglass..

 

I also went to that exhibition, but I never saw any of those troopers. Weird, wonder why?

 

They did have a Vader that looked like the Disney Vader.