Evan's first reaction was...
Holy shit! Lü Bu!
The armor's overall lines were smoother. At first glance, Evan could not see any actual plating, only decorations. Christina seemed to have been influenced by the Adeptus Custodes' imposing armor. Some ornaments had been carved and added at the last minute, making the suit look even bulkier.
The armor had been fitted with a helmet-locking mechanism. If the adamantium helmet took a heavy blow, the thick gorget would absorb all the force, leaving Evan with perhaps a little impact vibration. Thus, the thick pauldrons were not actually as tall as they looked; the piles of decorations merely made them seem that way.
The reason Evan thought of Lü Bu was still those two pheasant plumes. Christina said they contained scanning equipment, and the higher their position, the better, so she had made them thaaat tall.
Throughout Evan's university years, whenever he turned on the television and saw those two things, he knew the absolute pinnacle of combat power was about to appear.
I'm wearing this?
Evan pictured what would happen after he really saved the Emperor while wearing this armor.
He would drop to one knee upon meeting the Emperor and declare, "I have wandered adrift for half my life, lamenting only that I never found a worthy lord. If you would not spurn me, I would gladly take you as my adoptive father."
Fast-forward to the part where Sky Piercer specialized in skewering adoptive fathers.
The helmet, at least, lacked the protruding "dog head" design of Indomitus-pattern Terminator armor, because Christina adhered to one principle.
Space armor was completely sealed anyway, so why did the opening for your breathing system have to be on your face?
Run a tube to it, and you could put the opening on your