First Non-Promotional Rubies Pics

I blogged about the forthcoming Rubies Supreme Stormtrooper armor here, and you can see some of Rubies' official promotional photos on the excellent starwarshelmets.com. A fellow costuming fan happened upon the chance to see and feel a real prototype that's making the rounds at trade shows and here's a few photos they were able to snap before being asked to stop:






Does this off-the-shelf armor look warped to you? Well, the truth is that a lot of the armor in the Lucasfilm archives is warped, and as such, this Rubies suit isn't too far off from what you see in Return of the Jedi (with the obvious exception being the awful helmet). Our source says, however, that the material this suit is made from is very pliable and not the typical hard ABS, styrene or fiberglass that most fans are used to or would expect. What doesn't help Rubies' argument is the way this suit is poorly assembled and displayed on the mannequin. There are other issues with the belt, unpainted abdominal buttons, and drooping neckline on the chestplate, but the bottom line (so far) appears to be that this costume is not nearly worth the suggested retail of $850.00 US.