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[H0B0]

Hey there, guys.

I've just introduced myself to my prospective local clan and I am now pooling ideas and concept for my first armor build (and rest assured, I'll pester you with questions along the way) ^^

So, my first and foremost question is the following: I'm a pretty large guy (around 300lbs at 6'), however, the main mass is concentrated around the gut (thank my great-gran and grandmother for their cooking ^^) - my arms and legs are pretty normal sized. It's basically a beer belly

That means it would look really awkward for me to wear the regular armor pattern since the ab plate would curve outward quite a bit - I'd look like I had a small table attached to my armor (great for beer nights at the cantina, but...).

As I've seen quite a few more stocky guys wearing their armor, how did you avoid to look like an armored dumpling with a rocket on its back?

A friend of mine suggested to build some sort of "heavy" armor, building the armor plates in layers with a thicker base armor and then smaller additional plates, and then simply thin the whole thing to "accomodate" the belly... but I'd rather not think of what the Approval Team would think of that...

[Sgtmac]

Im working with similar issues.  i made a solid curiass tpe front and added my plates to that.  it limits my arms crossing a bit, but still workable.  and so far no ones shot my idea down.  I was also told look at Legacy style(think Roman Lorica).  several guys in the bigger frame range did legacy as it lets ou add as many plates as you need.  Whatever you run with, good luck. 

[Lem'zig Dee]

A lot of larger folks choose Legacy style armor.  Some choose Modern.  You can look fantastic, you just have to plan. You may need to combine different size templates to get the look right, and that's ok.  I have seen a lot of folks larger than you are with amazing kits.  You have to create the illusion.  I'm a woman who wears an androgynous style kit.  I had to use larger chest plates and bend them in such a way to give the illusion that they are flatter than they actually are.  Then I used a smaller ab plate to add to the illusion.  Plan it out, test it with paper or cardboard...then go for it!

[Kol Varek]

Ditto to what Lem said. As I was told by my mando mentor (because my friend at the time is around 350-400) Legacy works well on big guys. With the right planning though, you can make anything work. My best advice is to keep talking with the members of your clan or stronghold.

[H0B0]

Thanks for all the answers, guys. I'm pretty smitten by Dresdon's metal armor, the guy looks like a mountain in it. I'm not sure if he's muscular-bulky or just shows signs of extreme good living (and eating), but it seems a good starting point.

I'm going over my concepts with my local ("local" here meaning "in another country") clan mates and will post them here once they've been fleshed out a bit more.

[Gel'ren Drask]

Thanks for all the answers, guys. I'm pretty smitten by Dresdon's metal armor, the guy looks like a mountain in it. I'm not sure if he's muscular-bulky or just shows signs of extreme good living (and eating), but it seems a good starting point.

Dreson is pretty average actually, aside from beefy arms from cold forging metal constantly.

As Kol said,  Legacy looks good on heavier set Mandos.  I suggest the Drake style Legacy plates, the regular ones look like you're wearing a barrel no matter your size...at least I think so.  That's not to say that standard plates don't work either.  Just try to cover the gap between the bottom of the vest and belt with sashes or girth belts.  And from personal experience...don't wear a black vest with a tan/cream without a good gap filler.  It makes the belly more noticeable and I haven't had a new vest or wider sash done up yet so I'm constantly fiddling with my sash and belt to cover the belly and I'm not even a big guy.

[Kol Varek]

I think that pointy plates like Dra'ke and Ohl'd Vart would exaggerate any features. I would do banded layers like nar'kosis. Look into the alternative era WIPs and just take your time looking at different methods of legacy armor if that's the ideal path for you.

[Kris Jasra]

Banded with a very slight downward V slant. The V creates the illusion of thinning, but you want it to be subtle.

Bulk the shoulders - you want to add to the upper torso, so pauldrons or segmented shoulders. Bicep plates with things added to them - weponry, medpack, small knives etc, and gauntlets with larger attachments - so flamethrower, rocket launcher etc. They'll all draw the eye and give the illusion that all of you is that big and bulky and at a glance, bigger shoulder and arms gives the impression of muscle mass and once that impression is in a head then the belly is instantly less noticeable (I love psychology).

Don't bulk out the waist too much - go for the 2 waist items as girth and a plain belt with drop holsters and the Boba style dropped thigh pouches. Also add weaponry to your ankle/shin. All of this works the same way as the arms - bulks the legs and adds to the illusion of them being heavy while thinning the waist.