The Armour Archive

I am posting this for my Knight, Sir Alexander Britehelmston. He wanted to post pics of his 2 kits for review. ( he also told me to put my pics here too, which I dunno why, but I do as I am told )

His Old Kit:


His New Kit:


My New Kit: (which is just like my old kit, but ecru colored gambeson and gamboised cuisses instead of black)






Please post reviews.

Oh and Sir Lex, if this is not what you meant for me to put this, tell me where i need to move it to!!


in Service,
Aidan

After seeing this kit in person, I have to say that it was the best kit for this timeperiod I have seen since I started fighting down here. It was really interesting to see him and his two companions (their names escape me at the moment) all showing up looking resplendant both on and off the field. When you see him next, tell him the guy with "no" armour says hi.

The kit's gorgeous, but the shield style just doesn't fit.

Any chance he could move to a small heater or buckler? That would be more correct. And droppping the corazina just sorta screams to me "naked chest!" but, it's not a jaring thng.

As far as yours, I have a few ideas what period it could be from- what are you aiming for? Don't wanna go off one way when the suggestions should go another.

The squire and the knight are both wicked awesome, as usual.

First let me say it looks great, so my comments are very to the point. The second suit without a solid chestplate under it simply does not appear to have the right shape. It looks too flat and now unlike visual references from the period.

I have to agree that the shield also looks misplaced with the armor.

Overall grade- certainly in the "A" range though.

Alaric

That style of shield looks wrong, but is NOT wrong. The teardrop and kite styles of shield remained popular in Italy for as long as shields were used. It looks wrong because we are being brainwashed by certain looks and combinations of gear that we consider "correct" and "period". Sure, the correct ones are correct, but they are not the only ones that are documentable.
Almost every knight worth his salt campaigned in Italy as some point.

I really liked Alexander's first kit. Why doesn't he want to wear the rigid body armour anymore?

I also understand that similarly shaped teardrop shields were used in eastern europe throughout this entire period, but so rarely do I see someone trying to portray someone from that area, or taking the time to note a campaign in Italy, that I mentioned it.

My error is in assuming that most people don't know of these exceptions to the usual.

Alaric

Josh Warren wrote:I really liked Alexander's first kit. Why doesn't he want to wear the rigid body armour anymore?

I agree.I think the first harness looks nicer in general(in the pics anyways...can't tell about the arms in the first image so well) but the second one is certainly something to be proud of as well.

He REALLY needs on of Sir Vitus' wooden shields. That aluminum one just doesn't fit. Shape is cool but the it wobbles when you hit it it.....

Hey Lex! Wanna play with some Axes?:twisted:

Haldan

Thanks for the comments guys. I am still building the second kit. It will have a Churburg segmented breastplate when finished. I have not given up my corizina. I suffered a mild heat stroke at Border Raids last year and decided to lighten the load until I can train up to speed.
The kite shield is still used throughout the 14th century and is visable in many manuscripts. I based mine off a detail from the Address from the town of Prato to Robert of Anjou. It can be seen on page 73 of AAOMK. It even has my name on it.
Haldan, the shield in the first kit is indeed aluminum but my new one is 1/2 inch birch and I would love to axe duel with ya
Lex
p.s.
Good squire. I am computer illiterate but I meant to post in the post one pic of your fighting gear thread already started. No problem though.

oops... I misunderstood...

no... wait..

I have a better answer.

Seeing that you are MY Knight, I couldn't bare the thought of 2 such wonderful rigs as yours being buried 12 pages deep into a post. So I started this thread solely for your 2 rigs.




Sir Vitus -
Thank you for your kind comments. Due to back problems (that I pretty much have always had, just was good at hiding it until I finally had to give in to surgery) I have always had to try to make rig as period as I could while keeping the weight down. That has always been a sad point for me, because I really want a super spiffy hard rig. Since the day I first met you I have always looked up to your style and finesse on the field, and to have you compliment me on my meager attempts is quite flattering. Thank you!

Humbly In Service,
Aidan

Britehelm wrote:. I have not given up my corizina. I suffered a mild heat stroke at Border Raids last year and decided to lighten the load until I can train up to speed.

Ah. This I can understand and sympathize with. I hate wearing my own full plate at Lilies, for example. I've got a lighter mail-and-brigandine kit for hot weather.

Guys, let me tell you, pictures really don't do Sir Lex's (Britehelm) rig justice. I have drooled I mean admired his rig up close. It is one gawjuss set up. But more important than that, he has dispelled the idea (at least in Meridies) that you have to wear sports armor to fight well. He's a superb fighter and I really like watching him fight. I am hopeful to spend time with him at Knights Gambit and other events later this year so he can kick my *&^ I mean show me some pointers.

Tim

Re teardrop shield,

Can he ditch the quite ugly shield basket, as he has a splendid gauntlet on his right hand, I presume he's an equal for his left?

If the stickers could go from the back of the shield that would be good too.

Too many beautiful presentations are let down by the back of the shield.
they are seen more often than you might think.

gettin better Lex ole buddy

As for the chest the C 13 is way way over represented in the SCA, there's what one historical example. The solid globose seems to have been much more common. I'd go with that... which i did.

I also note the distinct lack of vambraces and rebraces or any aparent arm defenses outside the couiter.

I like the new visor lines but the "droopy" eyes looked more period to me. I use the straight eyes too though.

From the pic
Cant tell if the greaves are closed
can't tell if you changed your pauldrons (the old ones were fine just can't see in the pic)
can't tell whats aluminum.
cant' tell if you have proper hosen on (your not still wearing trouserers like some kind of Anglo-Saxon "caveman" are you)

The coat is a vast improvement over the yellow cotton shirt. I like the cut. Did Eve make it for ya?

"I suffered a mild heat stroke at Border Raids last year and decided to lighten the load until I can train up to speed. "

Everyone suffered a mild heat stroke last Border Raids. But for some reason they refuse to fight at any time other than the absolute hottest part of mid day in JULY in Meridies in the middle of a shadeless field.


Baby crying more later

Robert of Canterbury wrote:Re teardrop shield,

Can he ditch the quite ugly shield basket, as he has a splendid gauntlet on his right hand, I presume he's an equal for his left?

If the stickers could go from the back of the shield that would be good too.

Too many beautiful presentations are let down by the back of the shield.
they are seen more often than you might think.

Robert,

A very true statement - I like Sir Vitus' suggestion of using veleveteen or canvas to cover the back.

As for the sticker issue, I really wish that there was a better way to show that you have been inspected for an event. Nothing like spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on a suit of armor and all the accessories and then getting a bright orange sticker the size of a postcard stuck to your shield or, even worse, your helmet!

The first shield has gone the way of the Doodoo...gone. As he said, the new shield is birch. Not too bad when the only negative is a beat up shield.

Y'all should see the "armour" that he and I both started out with. I will get a pic one day and post it. You've come a long way baby! Now we just need to get in 11th century gear for Hastings. It won't hurt...mostly...mua...ha.ha.ha.ha!

Aidan's armour has come a ways too and is ever improving. And after seeing that pic that I believe Freiman posted, you are not the smallest fighter.

One day we will get a pic of Sir Lex and us ever humble squires together and post.

Cris

And you've got to start putting on all your armour

The you get to the mail shirt and stop. Then you put on this little cerevell with a nasal?

Put your cuiesses and curiass on!

Wear that _whole_ harness!

Is that for me Murdock?

Where's the love, my so called brother in blue?!

Cris

It's purely out of concern for your saftey.


It shows great bravery to fight in just your haubergone against the acurrsed French but there's a practicality to the _rest_ of the harness.





poke poke

poke




he he

Damn cops no sense of humor











Seriously if yall are trying to get a package deal on air fare to Hastings lemme know.

I need Norman shoes a belt and the mail and i think thats bout it from looking at Regia/Fitzroi and such. I guess i'll buy a weapon and maybe a shield there. Ship em back??? I have a hanwie practical but i doubt that'll pass.

i do have 2 Regia style spear heads, nasal helm and bout 85% of the clothes. Stilly trying to find an 10/11th century gambeson pattern. SOFC has one thats late 12th i think. Probably go to Plantagenate after Gulf Wars to get my shoes.

I'll go if we can afford it that soon after the new house in Wisconsin.

Well I don't have pics from the beginning... but I do have a pic from Gulf Wars X. What a difference 5 years makes.

The bopsy twins.

And I have a pic of all of us, taken last year at GW. I just gotta find it.

That pictures bad...mmmkay!

C

found it, but i am just goingto link it rather than display it in the post - its really large and the quality is not so great. I needto work on it at home - I don't have the stuff to do it at work.


Lex and his Squires



-Aidan

He's right that pic is bad



NO GREAVES!!!

Hey Aidan, I don't think the picture is whats bad...those are some ugly mugs.

-Ulrich

Ulrich wrote:Hey Aidan, I don't think the picture is whats bad...those are some ugly mugs.

-Ulrich

Bwhahahahahahah

I needed that

Tim

Is it just me or do the bobsy twins demigreaves look like the edges are rolled

Ulrich, I'm crushed you don't find me attractive. Whatever will I do? That is a seriously awful pic. Bad squire! No donut! We have come a long way. I will try to find pictures of the old spun dome and known world barrel helm. That was ugly.
Lex

Yes i beleieve the edgeds were rolled


and i forgot to point out the army boots





forrr shhhhhaaaammmmmmeeee