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A screen-matched hero TIE fighter pilot helmet from George Lucas' Star Wars: A New Hope. Imperial TIE fighter pilots wore their standard-issue helmets during the film's various dogfights, including the sequence where the Millennium Falcon escaped from the Death Star, and the climactic battle above the Death Star's surface. Imperfections and intentional distressing to the chin, forehead and cog decals screen match this helmet to the one worn by the only Tie fighter pilot seen during the attack on the Millennium Falcon. It is also the only helmet that features this silver hand-painted "Mohawk" detailing, which runs from the top of the forehead to the crown, and a serial code painted across the front.

Designed by John Mollo, with inspiration from Ralph McQuarrie's concept art, the helmet is a composite of the Imperial stormtrooper helmet and the Rebel pilot helmet. Only 14 TIE fighter pilot helmets were made for Star Wars, far fewer than the stormtrooper helmets. Two of these were repurposed for use by AT-AT pilots in The Empire Strikes Back, with the remaining helmets subsequently reused for Return of the Jedi.

The helmet is constructed from separate black vacuum-formed ABS plastic sections for the faceplate, dome and communicator ear pieces, with a single transparent grey-tinted vacuum-formed plastic lens installed within to fill the eye recesses. Instead of the face plate 'tusks' used on the stormtrooper helmets, two holes are present for the insertion of plastic tubing, used to connect the helmet to the chest pack. Black-and-silver Imperial 'cog' decals are applied to the crown, while the chin, mouth and "Mohawk" are hand-painted in silver. The interior includes an elastic chin strap and foam padding. The helmet exhibits intentional distressing to appear battle-worn, with additional scuffs and scratches from production use. A small hole is present at the right corner of the mouth, and there are minor cracks by the left earpiece and across the crown's centre panel. Dimensions: 40 cm x 32.5 cm x 30 cm (15 3/4" x 13" x 11 3/4")

Estimate: £300,000 - 600,000 M



View all lots from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977)

View all lots from STAR WARS - ALL ITEMS