Rubies Supreme Edition Stormtrooper

Here are some comparisons between a T*E and the Rubies.

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/compare2.jpg]
[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/te_vs_rubies.jpg]

They're not the best comparisons but I tried selecting similar camera angles and distances.

However, as you can see, the Rubie's is a very awkward shape. It can potentially be improved upon with a lot of resculpting, as the proportions seem like they may be off, and the face definitely needs a significant rework.

 

Someone would be better off getting going with the Master Replicas CE helmet. Ebay has them for about $99 + S&H.

- Bill

 

I agree. I don't mean to sound negative, but the whole suit is not worth investing in from a modification standpoint. The chest piece is disproportionately small compared with the ab plate. It should, at the very least, overlap it. It reminds me of a fisherman with those rubber pants that go way past his bellybutton, but he happens to be wearing a tank top. There is too much of a gap between the shoulder guards/bells and the chestplate's shoulder straps. The shoulder guards should overlap the bicep/tricep armor.

The guantlets are too thick like Anime-style armor and should taper more towards the wrists.

It's possible, I suppose, for a highly creative fan to still acquire this, get a CE helmet, and then make a new chestplate out of Wonderflex. It would be impractical to modify the armor.

I suppose the helmet could be resculpted, but I'm concerned about how tall the skullcap is. To make it more accurate, one might have to cut it down at the base by at least 0.5" (a very rough estimate judging from the tiny photos) and then finding a way to weld the domecap back to the rest of the mask. Ouch.

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/5315_3.jpg]

In the image above, you can see what I was talking about. The chestplate is too small. It's not sufficiently covering the back. The neckline is also much too deep, and there is too much spacing between the shoulder guard sand the chest armor. The ab plate looks wider at the waist than the chest armor. The chest armor appears even shorter in the rear! From this angle, the shoulder guards look very triangular shaped, and they should be more rounded out.

Now, there may be exceptions.

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/48d0_1.jpg]

Just to be fair: it may all have to do with your height and torso length. This individual here managed to get his chest armor to overlap the ab plate quite well. I can't guess at his height from this photo alone. He's narrow-shouldered en ough to whwere teh shoulder guards are overlapping the chest armor's straps. However, notice the shrugging effect. There's now a big gap between the shoulder guards and the bicep/tricep pieces (so consider a tradeoff). However, someone of these physical proportions could probably get away with just making new and larger shoulder guards with Wonderflex and be done with it.

So... your mileage may vary.

Accurate armor gives people a lot more leeway. It's understandably expensive too but well worth it. If you buy this and decide it's not flattering to your body, selling it may be a challenge because fans are armed with much more information on accurate props nowadays.

 

Wow, that just looks horrible. Yeah, just get a fan sculpt, it'll save you time and money in the long run, and avopid the embarrassment of looking like a piece of white plastic poodoo.

 

The thing is- those of us who have spent lots of time studying the movie costumes can spot the inaccuracies a mile away. However, the more casual fan or costumer may well miss these things and snap these "replicas" right up.

And then we have the following problem:
Say Random Joe or Jane sees the Rebel Legion or 501st trooping at an event and thinks it looks like a lot of fun. They decide they want to join, and plunk down the money for one of these costumes without knowing about all the flaws. Then they try to join and are disappointed when they get turned down.

To hopefully prevent this, might I make a suggestion to any Rebel Legion/501st members on the board? If you guys don't have something like this already, perhaps a writeup on your respective sites aimed at prospective members might help. Perhaps describing the various mass produced Star Wars costumes and explaining why that rubies supreme Vader or Stormtrooper won't be accepted. It might save some potential members a decent amount of cash and frustration.
I imagine it would suck mightily to spend $1000+ on a costume only to have it turned away for being inaccurate.

 

And to add insult to injury, the licensed costume would be rejected in favor of unlicensed fan made ones!

Huzz

 

We certainly could do that, I suppose. But any of us who belong to this forum that we all have to pay our dues. What I mean by that is that we all had to research our costumes and find the sources for our costumes and start acquiring pieces.

I am a GML in the 501st. I certainly don't mind sending people in the right direction. As far as GML's go, I am the most proactive that my garrison has ever had. Not patting myself on the back, just stating a fact.

While, I am not opposed to sending someone down their path, that individual does have to take some measure of ownership in their research of the costume. That is why all garrison and legion officers are listed on their respective sites - so that should anyone have a question, any of us can field the answer.

- Bill

 

I still think an intro page for prospective new members would be a good thing.
Perhaps a list of "Things you should know before buying a costume" could be part of that. Along with some links to good research sites to get newbies started. That way, the newbies still have to do some work, nothing is being "handed" to them. But it could save them the trouble of a very costly mistake. They'll still have lots of homework to do, but at least hopefully they will not be wasting their money on a rediculously expensive "licensed" piece of bantha fodder.

 

Most forums have that, this one included. It is the FAQ. The thing is if a newbie costumer doesn't take the time to email a garrison officer to be pointed in the right direction because they didn't take the time to look them up, what makes you think they are going to read a simple warning message, or FAQ, for that matter?

We could clutter this forum alone will all kinds of useful information, in regard to resourcing for costumes (oh, wait, we already do!), but in the end it won't matter if some lazy newb isn't willing to go wading through all of the information, or ask the specific questions to get pointed in the right directon.

We give these newbies so much information, all we ask is that they sift through it, like everybody else. It is their own fault if they made the mistake to buy a crap costume set like this, instead of doing their own consumer research.

You can say we should do this, we should do that for these people. I say, we already do. Most of the time they are just too lazy, too ignorant, or simply too stupid to heed the advice that is ever given to them.

The failing isn't in the garrison for not educating these newbie costumers in getting pointed in the right direction, the failing is in themselves.

- Bill

 

In my humble opinion,any person who pays about $1,000 for a Stormtrooper costume that is also licensed by LucasFilms Limited, would not be unreasonable in their expectation that such a costume ought to be accepted by the 501st.

Indeed, I fully expect that anyone who were to buy this costume with that reasonable expectation and who then discovered that it is not acceptable, would be quite justifiably upset with LucasFilms and also with the 501st.

Further, such a person could argue that any organization blessed by LucasFilms Limited should only accepted costumes that are licensed by LucasFilms Limited.

Why not avoid all that and give peopple fair warning? I'm quite shocked by the comment that "Most of the time they are just too lazy, too ignorant, or simply too stupid to heed the advice that is ever given to them".

Huzz

 

Okay... I went out and bought one. It came in no frills clear packaging sandwiching the helmet and a piece of card board which had a blue background, the SW logo, the Rubie's logo, and "Storm Trooper". The reverse side described it as No. 2868 which suggests the model number.

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_01.jpg]

The helmet is four pieces. A front, a back, and two ears that hold the front and back halves. The helmet is smaller than an accurate prop.

There are definitely some similarities between this and the old Don Post Classic Action Stormtrooper:

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/rubies_vs_dpca-1.jpg]

Shown next to a TE helmet for size comparison.
[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/rubies_vs_te_02.jpg]

The Rubie's can take an adult sized head. The opening is enough for an adult sized head, but they sculpted the opening large in proportion to the TE (right). The TE is screen-accurate in size. It's opening is relatively small, so you have to put it on at a 90 degree angle, and then once your head is through, you turn it 90 degrees to align the front to your face. Because the Rubie's has a generous opening, it means greater air flow but people can potentially see the bottom of your head more easily, even with a good seal.

Additional shots:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_02.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_03.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_04.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_05.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_06.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_07.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_08.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868_09.jpg

 

Did some further analysis. The Model 2868 is similar but not identical to the Supreme. The 2868's head is two halves. The Supreme's head (not counting the ears) is a one-piece construction and a slightly different paint scheme to the mouth. The eyes are darker (the 2868's lenses are very difficult to see through and could make a fish go blind). Lastly the blue stripes on the 2868 is a sticker that is placed into a rectangular depression. I'm not certain that the Supreme has that feature.

[image=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b138/csmaclaren/Stormtroopers/Rubies/2868-vs-Supreme.jpg]

 

As I said, we do give them warning. We do have FAQs posted. In my three years of costuming, this is the mentality that I have come across when it came to people looking for Star Wars costumes. So only get interested around this time of year so they can look cool for Halloween.

I'm sorry that the quote offends you, but it is a universal truth in our hobby. We put up all kinds of disclaimers all the time. What more do we need to do, that hasn't been done already? There isn't much left to do when everything has already been done on their behalf. At some point, they do need to take responsibility for their own research.

Just because something is officially licensed, doesn't mean that they should be accepted in the 501st. Rubies puts out a series of costumes, by that logic those cheesey-looking storm trooper costumes that are nothing more than a material print should be accepted based on the fact they are an officially licensed vendor. Make sense? Of ccourse it doesn't. So why make the same assumptions about this?

- Bill

 

You'd be better off to get rid of those bubble lenses.... flat are easier to see out of, even if they aren't as accurate.

- Bill

 

just get yourself a FX kit like i did.

 

Bill - I think that folks who buy the inexpensive Rubies costumes that you find at places like Wal Mart for about $50 or less, well yes I would have to agree that anyone expecting that to get into the 501st, well that would be silly.

But anyone who shells out $1,000 for one of those Rubies Stormtroopers is going to expect that it ought to get into the 501st. The logic of the costuming un-initiated would likely be - it was very pricey - its LFL Licensed - it must be good. And ``my buddy Huzz bought a Master Replicas Darth Vader licensed helmet and its okay for the 501st so my trooper armor should be too...... But how would the poor noobie know the Rubies is a bad buy.....

Oh yeah - I have a MR CE Lid too that I may one day pair with FX or other armor.

Cheers!

Huzz

 

First off CSMacLaren I've seen many of the 501st armour some great some poor the poor mostley due to fitting problems. I have an FX kit and a new rubies supreme and the rubies armour is better than most i've seen fits better and is quality ABS . the picture of the rubies supreme at the Comic-Con show at first glance I noticed it was put on wrong, both the arms were put on backwards and some straps were put on wrong I questioned if they can follow simple instructions. The helmet looks good, but way to heavy, it's not the picture above however one peice cast like the orignal to heavy. I am 5'11" and 185 pounds this suit also comes in two sizes standard and XL if you are my size or a little larger standerard is perfect and with minor strap mods and a UK or MR, or better helmet the suit is awsome. To END this is a great set up and will only help the 501st in my opinion I have been a reader of this forum for months and have great respect for this forum and the 501st don't be so quick to bash that we are not sure of. may star wars fans live for ever....

 

AramysStrael,

What garrison are you in? I need people like you in our local. After all the things I did to upgrade the Supreme like fix and repainted helmet, Change lights around, Add a new aluminum correct belt buckle, the correct parts on the chest box and new correct shin armor and very nice correct leather gloves. They still wont accept me. I just laugh and continue to do it for the fans. Like you said They "know its Vader" .

 

Bill - let me say it this way. If you spend a ton of $$$$ on a Mercedes Benz C300 or a BMW Z4, you figger its a much better car than a Chev, right?

And it is.

But in the case of the Rubies trooper, folks are buying the expensive rig. And they expect that its better than fan made stuff.

That's all I'm saying - its just a natural assumption that even reasonable folks would make!

Cheers!

Huzz

 

.

 

I found a workaround, but it won't help for costuming. I painted the interior black and rear-mounted the lenses, and they look SO much better. One could argue, "Well, Mac, you can't see through the lenses then!" Well, the lenses so distorted one's vision that they were impractical in the first place. It's possible to glue them from the inside but in such a way that you create cracks you can look through. I also think the foam padding is a bit too thick for an adult-sized head as the eye holes end up in front of my eyebrows. For youner kids, it could be the ticket.

 

How would a poor noobie know the Rubies is a bad buy? That is what hitting the respective forums is for. Asking questions, not being a blind lemming is how they would know.

Research is key. You don't go buying a a reliable car without doing some sort of research, right? So why would you drop 1K on a costume without doing the same?

To give the argument that because it is an LFL approved item isn't enough for one to justify dropping that kind of money on a costume. A fiscally responsible person is going to want to make sure that it is acceptable for 501st approval. They ought not make assumptions. Like I said, you don't assume that a car is going to be reliable becaue it is sitting on a car lot. You know it will be based on whatever information is made available at the lot and other information you, as a consumer, dig up for yourself.

The point is that consumers need to take respnsibility for the decision they make and not pass the buck on to someone else because they made a bad investment.

You pretty much made my argument for me. What makes that Mercedes better than the Chevy is based upon a set criteria that is an industry standard. I'm sorry, but to say that because something is authorized merchandise from the franchise, therefore it must be solid to get into the 501st is ridiculous logic. It is unrealistic and irresponsible, at best.

Bottom line is that Rubies is putting out a product for 1K and the quality is severely lacjing. One could get a TK kit for less (depending on what other extras they want to add), and it will look more accurate than the rubbish that Rubies puts out.

Rubies is no stranger to putting out merchandise that is less than desireable. Look at all of their helmets that they have put out over the years - the difference was that those helmets were a little easier on the pocket book, but the problem was thatsevere modifications were always necessary to make them work for 501st standards.

Personally, I think it is best to find a kit made of the quality materials and put it together, solid. You will get a better looking kit for less money!

And to answer the other question: I am the current GML for Cloud City Garrison, located in Oregon/SW Washington.

- Bill

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree!

But hey - if you read Consumer Reports, you'll find that the Mercedes Benz C300 is NOT a recommended car.....

Huzz

 

Well, to far for me to join you garrison..LOL
I'll just have to hope that with the subsequent changing of the guards in our Rochester NY 501st I'll get someone like yourself.
I guess it will happen when it happens heck I've only been trying for 3 years..LOL It always surprises me that they won't accept me as a member but when there short a Vader I'm the one they call...Funny...

I'm 39 yrs old have 3 completed costumes a Royal Guard on the way a great wife, 2 great kids 2yrs and one 7 mos, nice house, good job, so my skin can be really thick. Like you said Bill its really all for the kids and they really get a kick out of it.

 

I'd be eager to see any photos you'd have of the Rubie's armor worn correctly. Perhaps indeed the fitting can be adjusted and things worn properly. How many pieces comprise the full torso? But even with it worn properly, I'm concerned the neckline of the Rubie's armor is quite low, as that would not be screen-accurate.

When you say the Rubie's Armor is better than most you've seen, are you referring to just the fitting or more? What other makes of helmets and armor have you seen? TE/TE2 armor, for example, was created from molds taken off of an actual production helmet and armor and thus I feel it's a decent standard and basis of comparison. The FX helmet is too large and inaccurate by comparison, though its plenteous size accommodates fans for those who troop outdoors. The FX armor and helmet are fan-sculpts and have no lineage to the originals.

You saw the side-by-side comparison I shared between a TE helmet (right) and the Rubie's. The Rubie's just doesn't have the screen look like the TE does.

I hope that you don't feel I'm bashing someone's Holy Grail just for pointing out deficiencies in design. Not everyone acquires these items just to join the 501st or to go costuming. My interests are primarily 1:1 scale props and life-sized setups.

For the money, I admit the FX isn't a bad alternative, but not everyone is "in the know" of what's available, and they may find that if they have an option to acquire something far more screen accurate than the FX and the Rubie's - if they save up, the TE/TE2 would certainly satisfy their acquisition goals.