Cultures > Mandalorian

Mandalorian Armor

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Reconsgt:
Mandalorian armor or Beskar'gam


Throughout Mandalorian history, three major features remained constant in Mandalorian Armor design:

The wearer was protected from the majority of all blaster fire. Armor made of actual Mandalorian iron, which could also deflect blaster bolts, made it lightsaber-resistant.
The helmets almost always possessed a T-shaped visor and a sophisticated heads-up display (HUD).
Mandalorian warriors decorated their armor to reflect personal accomplishments, clan affiliation, or simply personal preference. They often repainted their armor to reflect rank, clan, and possibly the current terrain. They were also known to paint their armor in the traditional colors that represented specific causes the individual might currently be undertaking. The colors, however, did not always have a specific meaning. Sometimes they were just colors that the particular Mandalorian liked. Some Mandalorians wore pieces of armor to honor relatives, both dead and alive. As of the Clone Wars, these colors were known to have significance:

Gray=Mourning a Lost Love
Red=Honoring a Father
Black=Justice
Gold=Vengeance
Green=Duty
Blue=Reliability
Orange=A Lust for Life

Mandalorian armor was traditionally made out of almost indestructible Mandalorian Iron (beskar), but this was rare and expensive, so many Mandalorians, such as Jango and Boba Fett, opted for less durable materials instead, such as durasteel or duraplast. The Galactic Empire mined much of the beskar off of the surface of Mandalore, so for a time it was nearly impossible to get any. However the Yuuzhan vong blasted craters deep into Mandalore that were later found to have opened up several new Beskar mines. The name for the armor in Mandalorian, beskar'gam, meant Iron skin, or Iron carapace(for Mando members without normal skin), because the Mandalorian Iron was a crucial part of the armor design for milennia, until just before the Clone Wars. The secret of producing armor made from Mandalorian iron was kept within the Mandalorian clans for years. Some Mandalorians would also wear capes on the outside of their armor.

 
Boba Fett's armor.The classic Mandalorian design could also be seen in the armor of clone troopers, and evolved from the basic clone trooper and commando Katarn armor specs to those of the armor of Imperial stormtroopers. The ARC clone troopers and a few commanders wore Kama, the long almost skirt-like extensions from their waist, which were parts of older Mandalorian armor design and often contained pockets for hidden weapons.

There were a few special suits of mention from the Galactic Civil War. Some of the most famous were worn by the bounty hunters Boba Fett and Jodo Kast, although unlike traditional Mandalorian armor theirs were made from durasteel. Rumors also told of possibilities of crafting a set of Mandalorian armor in the dreaded Death Watch Bunker on Endor. Montross wore his armor while dueling Jango Fett on Kohlma, unfortunately the Bando Gora clawed him to death despite his armor.

During the Clone Wars, Jango Fett's death showed a design weakpoint in the armor that would later be fixed around 40 ABY with the addition of a neck-ring, or collar piece, to protect the neck from rapid beheadings.


Mandalorian Shock Trooper Armor was a catch all term for the various armor styles worn by the Mandalorians throughout the years, including the Neo-Crusader armor used during the Old Sith Wars, and the supercommando armor worn by the True Mandalorians, the Protectors and the Death Watch during the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War.

Boba Fett, Jango Fett, and Jodo Kast were three noted individuals who wore Mandalorian Shock Trooper armor. The careful layering of segmented armor plates ensured mobility, which further increased by wearing a jetpack. The Mandalorians began to see the value of extra weapons mounted on the suit, so simple dart shooters, grappling wires, wrist-mounted rocket launchers, wrist blades, and flamethrowers were added to the overall design. All known Mandalorian helmets were the same in the inclusion of a T-visor. The armor worn by clone troopers in the early battles of the Clone Wars was loosely based on the armor of the Mandalorians, because Jango Fett was the template for the clones. It is also possible that Boba Fett colored his armor after the shock troopers

UnitedStatesDemocrat:
Was Fenn Shysa another bearer of the beskar'gam?

Reconsgt:
Based on the time line I would say yes,  it was after the Empire formed, when Mandalore was essentially strip mines of Beskar, I can't be certain though

Tamer:
Very interesting reading Wayne. It would be cool to see the different armor styles worn by different Mandos.

UnitedStatesDemocrat:
I believe I can help with that, Tamer.  From left to right, they are ordered as Crusader, Neo Crusader, and Death Watch affiliation.

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