Critique My SCA Kit

[Varukh]

For a year and a half that is one amazing kit!

[tim_Belcher]

late 10th century/early 11th rus viking, varangian

i know the belt. my belt broke and i had to go back to my old standby. axe is oversized and getting corrected. shield wants a linen cover and art on the face

[aidanhroarsson]

Submitting some pics of my kit in various representations of a Norse Varangian Guardsman...
Critiques are welcome! Enjoy!

[aidanhroarsson]

One more!

[Varukh]

Aidan...I kinda hate you...but it is a jealous hatred for having a really cool kit.
Those gauntlets are kick ass!

[Swete]

I think you are doing a great job, aidanhroarsson. However I do find that I like the first, and third iterations the most. The second, while good looking, has the silhouette of a more Scacian kit (owing mostly to the cut of the tunic and coloring).

[aidanhroarsson]

Thanks for the comments!
Since the first pic, I changed my arm armour away from the bauzies I had to a more streamlined vam/elbow combo. And since the second pic, I decided to wear long sleeved tunics to hide them. I'm thinking of using the splinted greaves again, especially with the maile shirt.

[Vilhelm550]

14th Century Swede taking Part in a Pas de Armes. My wife made the Black Prince style Jupon in my family heraldry, as well as the torse, so I can take no credit for my appearance. She makes me pretty.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

[MJBlazek]

That looks FANTASTIC Vilhelm! Is the jupon painted or applique?

[Vilhelm550]

Thanks! My wife made the jupon, as well as a banner, matching dress, and repainted my shield. The jupon is brocade gold and blue velvet triangles, and the fluers are painted. It's lined with black linen, and has a pointed kumihimo cord with a mix of my wife's and my colors.

[Henrik Granlid]

There's nothing to fix there, it looks plain good.

One COULD consider adding crenelations to the tabbard or Gambeson, but only if you feel like extra frills (yes, intended )

[Vladimir]

I want to play.

Strangly, I don't have a good, clear pic of my current rig. So, you have to imagine these two put together.

I'm second from the right, in the brass.
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos ... 4436_n.jpg

and
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos ... 7810_n.jpg

My old hidden leg harness was actually better in appearance, but far more difficult to deal with. I had to put my leg armour on in complete privacy. Hard to do when you are only day tripping and don't have a tent. Currently trying out different ways to deal with the legs. Really want to get a set of armstreets splinted greaves, or a set of those old merctailor brass and blued steel.

[bhaiduk]

I want to play.

Strangly, I don't have a good, clear pic of my current rig. So, you have to imagine these two put together.

I'm second from the right, in the brass.
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos ... 4436_n.jpg

and
https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos ... 7810_n.jpg

My old hidden leg harness was actually better in appearance, but far more difficult to deal with. I had to put my leg armour on in complete privacy. Hard to do when you are only day tripping and don't have a tent. Currently trying out different ways to deal with the legs. Really want to get a set of armstreets splinted greaves, or a set of those old merctailor brass and blued steel.

I'm no expert, but I would suggest adjusting your lamellar so that it sits an inch or two higher. Right now it seems to be sitting on your hips rather than your natural waist and shoulders. Also, the straps that hold your lamellar shut are kind of flopping all over. Perhaps shortening the straps or finding another way to keep them nice and tidy.
Other than that and the greaves (which you already mentioned), I love your kit. The helmet is sexy, and I love the trimmed mail. Is that cloth or leather? Does it get dirty? Do you have a close up of how it attaches?

[Vladimir]

The trim is tooled leather. Its a vine pattern that leafs left and right alternating up the vine. Its hard to make out because its green on a black background. It is stitched onto the maille with artificial sinew. I don't have closeups, but I'll check and see if someone has a camera this weekend.

Inch or two higher might be doable, and the straps are a definite improvement point.

I finished lacing it and strapping it about 2 am or so so prior to an event. May have even been this event. I find longer straps easier to deal with, but I might be able to shorten them without significant problems.

The helm is custom from Cold Steel Armoury. I'm not even sure if they are in business anymore. Got the aventail for a steal, 80 bucks.

Edit

As of this passed weekend there is now a complete pic of the kit. I've always been concerned that my homemade gauntlets jump out. But they don't seem to distract as much as I thought they did.
http://www.bogpages.com/SCA-photographs ... 297-X2.jpg

[branmacairrt]

Ok here it goes this is my first attempt at a 9th c. Irish. i posted in the i wanna be board but i figured Id post here as well.

[Vladimir]

Is that Nkante?

[MJBlazek]

looks like him

[branmacairrt]

yes it is

[branmacairrt]

i have since painted my shield and working on liene and ionar

[Ceawlin Alreding]

Bran- the thing that REALLY sticks out to me is that your belt seems to be sitting very high on you. (Oh, and it's a ring belt which aren't really medieval. A plain buckle would be a great improvement. There are folks who sell really nice period buckles, but even just a plain buckle looks so much better than a ring belt. Or, if you are handy, you can make a tongue for the ring on your existing belt and -Viola- sorted! Maybe the big goon in the purple you are fighting could help you with that. )
Seriously, I'm no expert, but that's what drew my eye. Maybe blackening the bars -or wrapping them with a flat, black tape- of your helmet to make them less noticeable. It's a very nice kit. So much nicer than what I started in. Well done, you!

[Henrik Granlid]

He's the guy in white and he's going for the ninth century which is smack dab in ring-belt period

[MJBlazek]

I would really appreciate documentation of that. It would save friends of mine money on belt buckles.
All of the evidence I can find shows tongues.

[Henrik Granlid]

I'll speak to an archaeologist specialising in the Viking period (and doing reenacting) about ringbelts and if he's got any good sources

[branmacairrt]

What I've found is buckles are correct I'm trying to work one that. Also a thinner belt or a tablet woven one tied.

[Peikko]

I've yet to see any evidence for the "SCAdian ring belt"...and frankly I doubt I ever will.

[MJBlazek]

Until someone invents the time machine that is

[Peikko]

Until someone invents the time machine that is

...and on that day I'll admit they exist. Not.One.Day.Sooner

[Murdock]

please ditch the ringbelts people

[Giles de Nablus]

Here is my hard kit so far... Hospitaller just before the turn of the 12th century...

my kit.jpeg (52.73 KiB) Viewed 7508 times

[Micah Nelson]

New Viking Kit: (Started it in July)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee26 ... 2c1167.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee26 ... 69a043.jpg
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee26 ... a17733.jpg

I'm thinking longer, divided tunic. Obviously, I need a chainmail hauburgeon, and a more hidden gorget. What else am I missing?

[Haldan]

What else am I missing?

Spray Paint for the Gaunts?



Haldan

[Micah Nelson]

Saving up for stealth'd ones. Paint will get chipped off all over everything.

[MJBlazek]

Here is my hard kit so far... Hospitaller just before the turn of the 12th century...

my kit.jpeg

This looks pretty good so far.
The only question I have, and this may be my own unfamiliarity with the era, Was the white cross really put on everything?
You have it on your surcaot, your gauntlets, your belt, your helmet.

[Giles de Nablus]

Not really... i got a little carried away...

[Harry Marinakis]

Critique My SCA Kit

I just finished putting together a kit - finally no more sport armor!

Although I working towards a kit from 1350, my kit is loosely based on the brass of Sir Miles Stapleton (1364).



I already know that my boots aren't right, but I needed some substantial footwear for support for fighting. I plan to make a pair of greaves to cover the boots, made of black leather with vertical rows of copper rivets to simulate splint greaves.

Period shoulder protection would be single, smallish leaf-shaped shoulder plate on each side, but that's not enough protection for me so I have a full set of spaulders.

Also plan to make a surcoat.

I'm also not wearing hosen in these photos.

I made the coat of plates from 5 oz. oil-tanned leather. There are two pieces: front and back. The front and back are joined over the top of the shoulders, which allowed me to tailor the coat so that it fits the anatomically slope of the my shoulders. I also added plates to the dags for more protection of my groin and lateral hips.