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[Henble Bal]

Good afternoon, all.

This is by no means an attempt to put anyone down, or stamp on anyone's creativity. But something has been bothering me since I saw a costumer building a "weathered and damaged" lightsaber "trophy" for their costume. I will try and make my point without rambling... much. And I promise I will get to the canon part... eventually. 

How it started was this: In my mind, all I can hear is Obi-Wan Kenobi reminding a young Anakin Skywalker that "this weapon is your life." So why on earth (or any other planet) would a trophy lightsaber be "weathered?" They would be in pristine condition unless damage was caused to it during the battle in which the Jedi in question lost their lightsaber. Even General Greivous carried "trophies" that were all in excellent condition...

The response I got, was that the individual envisioned his character taking a lightsaber from a dead Jedi, and it remained on his Mando's belt where it got banged around and beat up over the span of many battles. That was when it hit me.

Mandalorians are warriors. WARRIORS. (Yes I know they are also pacifist)

The characters we have seen to date in the films and in the lore are cunning and tactical thinkers. They employ a variety of open and concealed weapons and tools. All of which must be maintained to work flawlessly when they are needed. So, to carry a bunch of clunky trophies on their belt or whatever seems to be anything but tactical. As a Marine, I know I didn't carry anything I didn't need, as it would weigh me down and be cumbersome in combat. So here it is, and I may be expelled from the order for saying/asking this:

Other than Boba Fett, (and to a minor extend from what I have seen of the new "Mandalorian" character's armor) the Mandos I have seen in canon are all in pristine armor. Even Jango. The armor is extremely well maintained, as it should be to function properly. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE weathering armor and accessories. It is a lot of fun and looks really cool in some instances, but where in the Star Wars Universe do we see examples of Mandalorian warriors neglecting their armor?

Likewise, I am not a fan of the "executioner" helmets. Frankly I find them a bit cheesey, but to each their own. But where are they seen in canon? That is a legit question because I have absolutely no idea? Are they seen in the comics?

Again, not meant to offend anyone. Seriously on my mind lately. Just looking for thoughts and answers. I think my next build is going to be a pristine, shiny set of armor straight out of the forge! LOL. Everything tight and form fitting. LOL.

Thanks eveyone for putting up with my rant!

[Straka Zulu]

I can see where you're going with this.  Trophies are just a bit of flavor, something to show that your character has been around, and done things that should impress or intimidate an onlooker.  There are warrior cultures here on Earth that will wear teeth, bones, or some other trinket that shows what that person has overcome, either on a hunt, or in a battle.  The same can be said for Mandalorians.  Using your General Greivous example, he didn't have those sabers for very long, and so they didn't get any wear and tear.
For Mandalorians, it is a cultural taboo to use a lightsaber,  as they frown upon Force users, even amongst their own. Tarre Vizsla is the only confirmed Jedi from that society.

Weathering falls into this same category.   Yeah, Boba and this new Mandalorian have beat-up looking armor.  But they also are walking away from whatever encounter caused that scrape or dent. So, that can also be an intimidating factor.  Sometimes,  you want to preserve that moment that almost killed you.

Now, as for the Executioner... that was originally a custom build for Lonewolf1183, a former member of my clan, Rancor.  He wanted something that would set him apart from the rest of the T-visors, yet still feel like it belonged to that universe.  It wasn't until a few years later that he started to make them available to the rest of us.  If you were to go to his Facebook page,  Lonewolf Customs, he has a video about the history of the helmet.  He even sets the record straight,  saying it IS NOT A CANON PIECE. It is his original design. 

[Mi'ix]

This part of the forum is for people seeking to attain  brigade status for their kits in the canon division of the MMCC Brigades.

Your post would probably be served better and get more attention if it were posted in the Lounge.

[Henble Bal]

Wasn't sure where to post to be honest.

Again, not bashing. Just not understanding how things fit into canon. I guess I still don't get all the rules and requirements.

[Mi'ix]

All good.

Just trying to direct you where your post will have the most discussion.

[BearCubsTeacher]

Isn't it possible that, while I'm sure every Mandalorian upkeeps his/her armor impeccably, that a brief dirt storm or some marsh-wading recent event, has left a suit of armor in a mess? Maybe once said weathered/dirty/roadworn warrior returns to their keep/ship, they'll shower, don a clean flightsuit, and spend the rest of the day polishing their armor and arms?

As for the trophy- I like what you're saying- so whenever I see a Mandalorian carrying a light saber trophy, I'll make sure to ask them "Oh, you just killed a Jedi? Are you on your way to a pawn shop with that thing?"

[jethroskull]

Ask a Nam-era Marine about trophies...

[Kerricane]

we see a lot of characters taking trophies in star wars. clones taking droid fingers. trandos taking wookie pelts. a lot of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and especially mandalorians are transcient, not really settling down or having a home outside their ship. and as we see in the mandalorian, it's not hard for that home to be lost. you keep the things that are most important to you on your person.
now, as for lightsabers, my assumption was that a mandalorian would typically break the lightsabers they took from jedi. i can see a few reasons behind this:
a lightsaber is important to a jedi. if you haven't killed them, what better way to both disarm them AND break their spirit than destroying their most prized possession.
when you're walking around on some planet, a broken lightsaber is a pretty clear sign that you've killed a jedi, and are not to be messed with. finally, the empire is gonna come down on anyone walking around with a functional lightsaber. at best, some stormtroopers are gonna confiscate it from you. at worst, you've got a squad of purge troopers after you for it. but a broken lightsaber is both worthless and harmless. you're not going around slicing people up with it.

[jethroskull]

clones taking droid fingers

Apparently against regs... just rewatched the TCW episode where one of Slick’s squad gets busted with “illegal battlefield trophies.”

[reguillet]

I like the idea of a mando breaking lightsabers as soon as they defeat the Jedi/ previous owner. In The clone wars micro series Kai Adi Mundi uses the force to take a lightsaber off of Grevious and fight with it. I would be pissed if I took a light saber as a trophy... just to have some other “enemy sorcerer” take it off my belt and kill me with it.