The Armour Archive

One of my current projects. Might actually be my hat for Pennsic.

Ugo better look out
You did a fine job. Wolf face plate + 10.

Nice! Do you have a pic with it mounted on the helm?

I have not finished making the helm yet. Will post completed pics when done however

Well damn...that's definitely some hot shit right there.

This guy really didn't work out on a spangenhelm. Just didn't look right. Going to try it as a visor on a basinet.

accdntprone wrote:This guy really didn't work out on a spangenhelm. Just didn't look right. Going to try it as a visor on a basinet.

If you want it to look right ON a spangen you probably want it to look right IN a spangen. Go with a a blockier nasal and robust rivets and have the browband OUTSIDE of the forehead with the nasal coming down to at least eye level (but not out onto the nose). The cheek fur could be inside or out. Then cut 2 small holes in the forehead and re-mount the ears up there. If you get the proportions right it will look like a wold wearing a spangen helm rather than a wolf face ONE a spangen helm.

That said, it's a mostly modern aesthetic for an animal mask anyway. When you see medieval 'lion head bascinets' or similar, the lion/wolf/whatever is typically being worn over the helm with the persons looking out the mouth. On rare occasions you have animal grotesques in late period armor where the animal face is in the visor but below the eye slot. I can't think of any medieval (European) examples where the person looks out through the animal eyes. (And I post this knowing full-well someone will track down an exception for me.)

Otherwise it's too nice a piece to shove onto a helm it doesn't work with well.

Sean