I am glad for this news as the Original Puppet is just the best looking and most scary version and looks the most real.
I like the Wampa moving Arm prop which matches the Original Puppet too which is in the film and is in one of the trailers and a deleted scene but I think it is really effective.
The whole part where the Wampa attacks Luke is weird though even in the original theatrical version and the special edition. There is one of those Music fade cuts there suggesting a missing scene could be there.
Mark Hamill did one of his great interviews joking about that he did not know that the Wampa’s arm was going to come off when he waves the lightsaber as the Wampa Approaches. He is telling the truth because I don’t think that shot was meant to go with the Wampa’s arm being loped off. What I think is the weird thing is that posture Mark Hamill is standing upright. In the Comic book Luke rolls out the way on the ground and swipes at the Wampa. And it’s that rolling out the Way that I think is what is missing and the whole Wampa suit costume was not needed for the arm being sliced off as only the Lightsaber and the moving arm prop were needed for that moment that we would have actually have seen it loped off.
After the Wampa’s arm is cut off we then cut back to luke back on the ground again getting up. (from Rolling out of the way).
So you have 2 versions of the sequence mixed together neither being fully complete with different Wampa’s.
Is there any truth to the Wampa eating Luke’s Taun Taun in terms of the theatrical cut who knows? Not me but perhaps the head puppet was used in close up for this? you only need a head and a arm to show the Wampa eating. It’s certainly an interesting piece of cinema… I am most curious about what magic could be done on this.
I want to see the version that used mainly the head and the arm basically we are yet to see it.
But I think the sequence went something like this.
Luke rolls out the way and swipes Lightsaber at the arm prop >>>> Close up Head puppet in Pain >>>> Arm prop falls on floor>>>> Luke get’s up and legs it.