While heavily inspired by
Mad Max, Bob Ringwood's costumes for
Solarbabies were of a more futuristic flair. The titular 'Solarbabies' sports team of the title wear a set of futuristic padded sports armor covered in blue, red and pink spraypaint in different patterns.
Their enemies the Scorpions wear more intimidating, gunmetal-coloured armor with masked helmets.
The
Mad Max influence is seen clearly with the denizens of Tyretown, clad in the usual tattered leathers. Tyretown's guards are interesting in that they feel like a precedent for Ringwood's cut-up tire armor designs for
Demolition Man a few years later, as they sport armor that is similarly made up of torn up rubber tyres!
One aspect that aged badly is the Native American tribe all played by white actors. The tribe's outfits seem to be made up of cut-up patterned fabrics arranged into either very revealing tops, such as the fit sported by Ivor (Terence Mann), or cloaks.
By contrast the 'Eco Warriors', another group of wasteland nomads, wear costumes inspired by Bedouin garb, though with baggy sleeves, deep collars and patterned lining and large panels over the waist.
The Eco Warrior costumes feel a bit similar in design to the Fremen outfits Ringwood had designed for David Lynch's Dune a few years earlier
More outfight 'futuristic' are the uniforms worn by the prison orphanage's staff, such as a briefly seen teacher wearing a prim beige dress. The orphanage's guards wear odd looking jumpsuits with lighter yellow mesh patches, worn with caps.
A futuristic suit was made for Sarah Douglas as the scientist Shandray. This also feels similar to one of Ringwood's
Dune designs, namely the dress made for Lady Jessica.
The uniforms of the 'E-Police' wear predominatly blue leather, with the commander Grock (Richard Jordan) wearing a blue leather uniform with ribbed panelling over the shoulders and cuffs.
The soldiers under him wear motorcycle outfits that have been altered with extra panelling, though I don't know if the leather pants and jackets were off the rack or custom-made. You can see the greeblies stuck on what are obviously bought motorbike helmets!
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