Forum > Mandalorian Armor Planning

Armour tips for the bigger Mando

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Saz:
Hi all,

I'd just like to start this thread by addressing the pretextural awkwardness of being "Big" by defining what being a bigger Mando means, I think a lot of members skirt around the issue to avoid offending people. I am a big guy, so I'm not so afraid to be open and honest about my size and hopefully break the last social taboo and talk about it, I also encourage you all to talk about it and put your ideas and discoveries forward.

I used to be a pro wrestler, so I weightlifted for a while to get my body big, once I stopped, well, my belly speaks for itself, but that's ok, regardless of my size, I am a costumer and kids don't really care.

What I do want to do is address some of the problems I see with other larger members, so let's drop the embarrassment and talk about costuming from a factual sense.

First thing to do is drop any sort of ideal apart from the CRLs, this is a CUSTOM Mandalorian site, you are not expected to fit in with social norms, you're not movie canon, so you are perfectly fine the way you are, you are aiming to become a member of a club where your individuality and contributions are respected. So stop comparing yourself to someone 2 sizes down from you and design your kit so it compliments your form.

Now, I do not claim to be the be all and end all of looking good in a kit, but I am happy with 90% of the photos of me because I believe my kit works for me and my size so that it is comfortable and moves with me.

This is me out of kit:



I am the guy in the Mercs shirt (naturally). I also happen to be standing next to the skinniest guy in the world, just to accenuate that I have a belly and wrestler's shoulders, my girlfriend loves me, I am walking to tackle my ever growing weight to beer ratio and I'm ok with it!

This is me in armour:



You may not agree with me but I look a little less beer belly and more rugged in the armour.

So, to help you bigger guys and gals, here are some tips that I think will help you to look good in your armour.

1. Girthbelt or a sash is essential, it smooths out the line where your gut overhangs your pelvis, it's a "thinning" tactic that has been used in posh dressing for centuries.

2. Make sure your gutplate (and vest) cuts off at your navel. I've noticed that some guys try to cover the expanse of their guts with larger plates, believe it or not the navel cut away working with the girthbelt or sash actually slims you.

3. You can modify plate design to slim you too. Niabi's kit shows you a way that you can also use armour plates to perform the same function as the girthbelt:



Note that Niabi's plates still follow the convention that the gut plate ends at the navel, he has also shaped the plates to trick the eye into following a thinner contour of his body.

4. Modify your collar plate for comfort and to make your shoulders look bigger. What I am saying here is that your plates can fool people into seeing your body in a different contour, you look (and feel, let's face it, we all want to look good in our armour) better. I cut the edges off my collar plate as they were sticking into the muscle where the pectoral meets the shoulder. Niabi's smaller collar plate makes his shoulders look bigger to the eye.

5. A cloak can hide love handles and back fat:

Here's me in armour:



and here's a picture where my cloak got snagged behind my jet pack, revealing my true girth...



I am so going to need therapy after this...

As you can see a cape can help hide the rear and help with the illusion of looking smaller than you really are.

6. Remember that Boba Fett wasn't really seen at the sides, he was a "front on" cool guy. There are very few shots of Boba side on, as most of his effect was front on, in fact the attraction of men is the front on view, so ensure that your front on view works the best it possibly can.

Anyhoo, those are my tips, if anyone's got further ideas, I know I'd be interested in them.

Ok, now for the ground rules:

1. I am opening this debate to frank discussion, if you are uncomfortable with your size or talking about it, then this thread may not be the best place for you.

2. Having said that, this club thrives on mutual respect and members should still be mindful about people's feelings when talking here.

Have at it guys!

Byrek Avery:
I think that you look great in your armor. It hides the size well. This thread will be great for the larger mandos.

Also, what about darker plates? Black is slimming, correct?

K'raysh Cadera:
Yay for us fatties!   :laugh:

Bubba D. Fett:
Another thing to look out for is having a good fitted flight suit/coveralls for your kit, nothing too tight or too loose.

Hondo Karr:
Great idea Saz, I went ahead and stickied it.

Another thing to consider as a big guy is rather than trying to hide it, embrace it.

Im 6'06" 280lbs. and I carry my own fuel tank. I have alot of real estate to cover or leave blank in a costume. I have tried a variety of armor ideas. I started with medium coverage, moved to light, back to medium/light then back up to medium. All that time I always felt uncomfortable as I felt "naked" in my armor. I spent so much time trying to hide my size.

Then I had an epiphany... I went heavy armor. I embraced my real estate to make myself a walking costumed tank!

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