Easy way of how to tell: Have your best friend hack at you with a sword while wearing armor in question. If you are still alive, congratulations! It works fine. If you instead find that you are dead, the armor did not work as intended, and you should immediately demand a refund.
Well.....that sounds like the character for me. My outta shape 49 year old "bare" ass …? Everyone on the battlefield is gonna *RUN LIKE HELL* ! (or die laughing)
GermanCurl I've always wondered how that really will be, as this is arguably the second century with fully reliable records. They only started measuring global temperature in the 1800s. Is the distortion of history still just as potent with extensive, detailed, and accurate records? Rather than a few hundred freelance tapestries, and half destroyed remains, we have multitudes of government documents stored in servers and file cabinets.
Metatron, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that it has been a pleasure watching your channel grow, your ability as a content creator grow, and your hair grow.
Why isn't anyone interested in Brigandines? They were pretty common and they are cool. If you can't afford a suit of plate armour, that would be a decent alternative.
I'm pretty sure that it would be easier to make a semi-decent brigandine yourself, with limited tools and expertise. You need leather, steel and some tools for cutting and rivetting (brass will do). If it came to sculpt a breastplate yourself and heat-treat it, then most would have to give up. Honestly, it something that would be tempting to give it a try. However, for a good quality brigandine, you would need to shape the plates, which would allow you to use bigger plates, while keeping a good fit.
7 languages, daily videos, massive historical knowledge, practice martial arts, plays bethoveen on Piano. Anybody thinking Metatron is actually really a demi god ?
As someone who is very familiar with game animations and character modeling... metal armor bending and twisting is due to one reason. Money. It is more expensive to rig plate armor to animations made for the body naked/clothed body than it is to just rig it the same as a naked/clothed body. Character models/armor/clothing are all done the same way and all use the same animations. There is a "skeleton" they are vertice weighted to and the skeleton has bones. These skeletons and bones are generic representations of our real skeletons. Lets take a breastplate for example... or the torso of a person. You will have a pelvis bone where your pelvis is then 2-3 or more spine bones that connect to a neck bone So for example you have Pelvis_01 as the center point for your skeleton and it is In the center of the character models pelvis. Above that is Spine_01, on the character model it is around belly button high. For the character model and rigging generically the vertices directly between those two bones should be weighted equally to both of them and the vertices closer to a bone should be weighted more towards that bone. So if Spine_01 and Pelvis_01 twisted in opposite directions equally the model will deform accordingly with the vertices weighted to each equally not moving and the ones weighted more for one bone following that bone more. Add 2 more spine bones to the skeleton and rig the basic character model to it and you can get the bending and twisting one sees in a game. For armor though it would need to be weighted to just one spine bone for the whole piece and that my friends is going to create clipping if the animation is to look natural or all unique animations to prevent clipping. So choice here, either all new animations for armor or magic bendy metal? Clipping is unacceptable because it would be at every single joint and making the models so that isn't an issue requires more time and testing each animation, new animations for armor are not exactly cheap, Fem Shep in Mass Effect 3 had the same running animation as Male Shep and both of them used armored running animations even if you were running about on the Citadel in civilian clothes. Animations are expensive to create and AAA titles will reuse animations in the hopes that nobody notices. Bendy metal or spend hours adjusting a model to not be bendy or pay for new animations? Bendy metal all the way because it is the cheapest choice and most game players either don't notice or they expect it and accept it.
It is not making double animations but that you would have to make a complete collision/physic model to get armour without either clipping or bending. Mass Effect has those weird stiff animations many people dislike to hide it, while other games use ridiculously thick armour to hide clipping somehow.
The physics/collision model is usually part of the skeleton with rare cases for unusual shaped items like wings or oversized pauldrons used by just one armor. The full skeleton is also usually separate from the model and used together when loaded in the game. As for Skyrims plate armor they rigged it just like the nude body model just the same as they did for all armor and clothing. I believe they used a Skin Wrap modifier in 3DS Max and cleaned up any clipping after. That skeleton has 3 spine bones and a pelvis that all effect twisting and bending of the torso and they are weighted to all 4 bones rather than skip the middle spine bone so twisting and bending is less dramatic and the most would be at the belt on the model.
If you're doing 11th-13th Century I'd strongly recommend getting a good nasal helmet, you can see, hear and breathe much better than in a great helm, even if it isn't fitted to you, and you can use it for the whole period while great helms changed significantly (no full-faces at all before the 12th, backplates before the mid-13th, change in shape over the course of the 14th).
And i find some of your arguments unconvincing and shaky in evidence, but i do so because i am a sceptical person. Try adding references to what you consulted, or make a website where you put up photographs of treaties you researched so you can refer to them and share, that creates credibility and credibility will invite lazy film casters like flies to shit, i mean honey. ;P Otherwise its somewhat informed fun chat and hearsay, not a work of knowledge.
I'm not trying to insult Metatron, but gaming companies would be better served by true experts in medieval armor like Tobias Capwell (curator of the Wallace colletction) or Ian LaSpina of Knyght Errant yt channel.
The best thing about buying maille that's too big is that if you're handy you can tailor it to the shape of your body like the real thing would be. You can tailor something smaller, but it's really hard to make it bigger, plus you'll have some bits left over you might be able to use or put aside for repairs.
As a fan of early medieval Europe, particularly Scandinavia, it has been a pleasure to stumble across your channel. As a Norse reenactor and SCA heavy fighter; I've taken immense delight in your debunking videos, as they address many of my own irritations with cinema and misconceptions of armor and historic combat. History is a constant learning experience, so thank you for you input and subject matter expertise.
Sure, he got poke in the eyes and taken his armour off all the time. He wouldn't mine you borrow it, so he can show off his tattoo. I understand no one would want mine, who want to carry 12 weapons all the time but never allow to use them.
I'm a budding collector of 15th and 16th century European armour, and videos like this are very useful. I can't afford the best stuff around, being on a shoestring budget and all, but knowing what to look for means I know what sort of shapes, patterns and materials. I currently own a 15th century armet helmet, made by Windlass. I love it and it, thankfully, fits me perfectly. But it's worth mentioning that a friend of mine tried it on and found his head was too big for it, so I struck lucky there. My next investment is a pair of gauntlets (15th century gothic articulated with plated fingers and a few personal modifications) but this time I'm having them made custom by an armourer and fitted to my exact measurements. Had to measure every single joint of my fingers! (Both circumference and length!) I'll be purchasing a cuirass after that, again from a custom armourer. Some advice for people like me: You can get custom tailored plate at lower prices if you go for mild steel and thinner gauges, as opposed to stainless steel or tool steel. My helmet is 18 gauge mild steel and was fairly cheap for the kind of helmet it is. Just be aware that these will, of course, compromise functionality, so keep in mind what you want to use the armour for! Great video by the way, Metatron.
A suit is a suit. Whether it is made from fabric or steel, tailoring is the difference between a fine suit or a horse blanket, and suit of armour or an iron maiden. The only difference between armourer and a bespoke tailor is the medium in which they work.
i went to my local grocery store and found what said traditional Italian pizza, it was completely covered in cheese, pepperoni, and dear God pineapple.
*sigh...* But Metatron, armor is a disadvantage for SO many reasons. Didn't you read that article? By the way, you saying, "Hello Elizabeth", "Hello John", threw me off a little. My sister's name is Elizabeth, my real name is John. Are you watching me? Is that you in the bushes out th- wait no, that's just the neighborhood hobo.
What if metatron is an immortal hobo who has been watching humans for his entire life which is why he knows so much about rome ? *Because he's an italian right*
That's gotta be the dumbest thing I've.. ever... wait a minute, what you say.. it- it makes sense! That's the only way he could possibly know so much about Rome! Maybe he found the pasta of youth.
I heard the dome on the belly is also to have a cushion of air. So that when you're hit in the belly, the armor has space to bend and push back before it hits your belly. So in a way, your whole armor is pushing back against the attack, instead of just he part where you're hit.
I know I am late Metatron Sensei. But I love your historical explanation videos. I am also very much in love with your piano performances! Please keep playing music for us! Maybe even if you record enough music, use some for background music for a video? :)
Segmentata was really some brilliant stuff. The Romans stumbled into mass produced steel armor in an age of largely iron armor, the outside of the bands was turned into steel from heat treatment while the inside of the bands was made up of softer iron. This allowed them to flex more and absorb blows. Shame logistics kneecapped its production and prevent it from spreading.
Metatron, I want to thank you a lot for these videos. I do light contact re-enactment as a Teutonic crusader (circa late 12th century) and am considering starting on a decent set of light contact Legionary armor and gear and want to thank you for the information you have given me here and elsewhere especially regarding how to distinguish good (functional) armor from bad.
Metatron, Raf, mate, I know you said you love learning and whatnot but my GOD where did you get the drive to learn several languages, goddamn PIANO, history of multiple countries and whatever other interests you haven't revealed to us yet? I find that truly incredible as someone who barely has the drive to get out of bed and record, you're a goddamn inspiration
Man, I know that you're all about that Roman and Japanese stuff but you explain things very well and if you see my comment and choose to listen to it, I'd love to see a thing about what we know if Irish armor from Celtic times going into post Celtic.
Mail without padding doesn't protect you much against penetration, btw. The gambeson was the main thing that made a suit of mail near-impervious to arrows. War bows at the time could sometimes penetrate the mail, but not the gambeson. Without the gambeson, the arrows that the mail did stop could just drag your mail into your own skin. The wound would be less likely to be lethal, but you'll still bleed and risk infection.
This is why experimental archaeology is important. Nothing finds out what it was actually like back then till you live and perform tasks the same. Informative and insightful.
Properly tailored mail with historically accurate rings/patterns can actually be FAR MORE expensive than a suit of plate armor. When getting into re-enactment or historic interpretation, start with soft kit, and ignore everything else. If it's made out of the proper materials/hand sewing/no cut corners, it's still going to be EXTREMELY PRICEY. Save up for hard kit later.
Maybe now, but back then how do you think they managed to make all that plate, plate that was the same thickness and temper , all these geniuses never get into how all this plate was made , any idea how much a power roller has to squeeze on metal to turn it to plate , that's why male armour over a padded gambon would work better and easier to fix
It feels so weird, this video coming out at the exact time I contacted a Roman legion renacment group about joining in on the fun... Great video by the way.
Wanted to like a second time after your comment about maintenance being an integral part of the re-enactment. Plus, armor is a sizable investment; it only makes sense to give it due care.
Wow you are truly a renaissance man! Lovely playing. You should perhaps just have a second channel dedicated to music? Just you casually playing and talking about different pieces and the history behind them. Or just play as upload it!
Good video Metatron. Warriors of all eras had to maintain their equipment, even the modern war fighter. I suspect the soldiers of the future will have to do the same. Love your videos. Keep it up
Ease of maintenance is, in my eyes, the biggest advantage mail has over plate (and hamata over segmentata). Mail just maintaines itself with use, and damage can easily be rapaired with spare rings (or even some wire in emergencies). That and, well, mail is usually a lot easier and quicker to put on. If I was t re-acquire my current armor kit from zero, I´d definitely go for mail instead of the partial plate I have now.
I'm glad you specified that the padding is goat skin and not just padding your armour with goats, because I was thinking that stuffing a goat under chainmail was going to be an issue. It would be an issue getting it to stay still and killing it would get blood all in the armour. Not very pleasant.
You can also use a microcrystalline wax like renaissance wax. I try to get 14 or 16 gauge mild steel that's been tempered and heat treated. Springsteel is the best in my opinion but armorers will charge an arm and a leg for using that kind of steel. Look at places like Steel Mastery or ArmorySmith for some really high quality custom reproductions that are also HMB ready. But always make sure you start with a proper gambeson. It's absolutely vital for the comfort and fit of your armor. A quality set with all the items needed. Including the chausses, belt, sword, shield, pouches, rondel, gloves, shoes. Everything, usually will run around $3500.00 to $5000.00 for a quality set.
it was a pleasure to watch, and i like your statement about maintenance of equipment. even today's soldiers maintain their equipment after fielding it :D
I always wondered how the Roman general muscled torax works. If you look at Augus statue, for example, his armor goes all the way down to his belly. Maybe it's because the Roman emperoe doesn't need to bend:)
For me who started for years ago in very young age. I started with the civilian version of the 12th cent. I started with pants and doublets and shoes and belts and thibgs like that. When I discovered the joy of HEMA I was going to a Gambeson/ Aketon and then a good helmet. So I advanced my armour over the years. Making a personal chainmail. Which toon me a lot of time, but was totally worth it. And now after years I am a proud owner of a well and tight fitting late 15th century armour. Alla tedesca. Because I really love the german culture in armour but love the italian elements in it. So to everyone who wants to get kn this theme. It will cost you time, it will cost you a lot of money and it will cost you a lot of pain and a long way if progress. Start low and then you can raise.
This video is great on so many levels. I wish I could afford to be a reenactor...late Roman Republic in particular. Also, the part about reeinacting a knight by giving a little cousin 20 euros to polish and oil up your armor made me laugh pretty hard.
Some remarks: 1. in antiquity were iron breastplates used with on it glued leather or linen!!! 2. the harnas/ full suit of armor was developed in 1360aC and came to full development and quality around 1420.
good lead into a video on properly maintaining armour & weapons ? I remember my brother 1st getting into collecting swords had no idea, oc there are many videos on the subject but I doubt another would hurt & it can be an interesting subject in its own right imo.
This problem happened regularly with police hard "turtle" style armour. Sitting in the car used to almost garrotte you. Then it was changed to a softer style with trauma plates. Heavier, but much better to wear for 8 to 12 hours every day.
I love historical reenacting, speacially camping with historical equipment... I'm starting with a WW2 Afrika Korps soldier and also making a Gaucho, they were the people from South Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, altough this will be hard to copy properly beyond clothing, because the ALWAYS had horses, so all the equipment is too heavy and big to carry on foot...
European chest plate also are never supposed to touch your chest because if someone smashed it using a mace or a weapon with a lot of blunt force it would smack the plate in to your chest and possibly brake it (even a gambeson would not absorb all the energy)
I was hoping you'd tell us about poorly made historical armour. I really like the idea of highlighting all the crappy armours that must've been made over the millennia. Even good armourers have apprentices and cost-cutting competitors.
Bruce campbell has a permant scar on his chin for exactly this reason 4:13 during filming "army of darkness" while wearing some armor it stabed him in the chin during some stunts where he got knocked down and rolled around.
when you asked the rhetorical question of how do you know that the armor that dwarf was wearing was fake, I thought hm...it could be that his crotch isn't protected, he's got metal gauntlets, pauldrons(which don't protect his neck), and metal boots. The problem is that he's not as protected as he could be, and his face is unprotected. I sure learn a lot from you, Shadversity, Lindybeige, and Scholagladiatore. Good job. :)
awesome video as always but have you ever thought about doing a video comparing the mobility and other factors between modern armor (like military and police use) versus knight or medieval or roman armor?
Easy way of how to tell:
Have your best friend hack at you with a sword while wearing armor in question.
If you are still alive, congratulations! It works fine.
If you instead find that you are dead, the armor did not work as intended, and you should immediately demand a refund.
+Gam'ekfa Toc Duujek Prancing Bull (Veyraa vol Ceyrsilde)
Unsurprisingly this is probably one of my favorite artists of all time.
I bet.
Why my best friend wants to hack at me? Othello isn't that kind of person
+Ser Ravinger Bare
"If it's stupid and works, it's not stupid"
--some dead dude
Don't forget to test with a 50 BMG. You wouldn't want your armor to be weak to bullets do you ?
"Good Armour VS Bad Armour - How To Tell Them Apart"
That's easy, just look at their stats.
I found this Armor called he-man its special ability is weeeb destroyer and it has 69420 defense
Reznx tss it's nothing, i've got a pommel that have 230'000 dmg. Oh wait, wrong channel xD
Stuff Stuffings lol
Which is better? A Dragonplate Armor or a Daedric Armor?
Granite or rune?
the cheapest re-enactment would be some celtic tribes: go to battle with a sword and shield - naked
I would aim for celtic chieftan re-enactment personaly :) With beautiful bronze sword and montefortino with crest on top.
And spike your hair up, and wear blue paint as well.
Well firstly my hair wouldn't hold spiked xD and secondly I would wear a helmet :D
But yeah I would definetely paint myself!
I hope you are joking... cant tell...
Well.....that sounds like the character for me.
My outta shape 49 year old "bare" ass …?
Everyone on the battlefield is gonna *RUN LIKE HELL* !
(or die laughing)
In 2000 years there will be UA-cam channels discussing about historically accurate military uniforms from the 21st century! XD
GermanCurl In 2000 years people will probably even forget about Earth.
GermanCurl
Because we live as cavemen again?
and people will over-analyze call of duty and debate about the techniques seen in it.
FUCKYOURSELF GOOGLE I Will go in the future and slap that persone in the face
GermanCurl I've always wondered how that really will be, as this is arguably the second century with fully reliable records. They only started measuring global temperature in the 1800s. Is the distortion of history still just as potent with extensive, detailed, and accurate records? Rather than a few hundred freelance tapestries, and half destroyed remains, we have multitudes of government documents stored in servers and file cabinets.
Metatron, I think I speak for everyone here when I say that it has been a pleasure watching your channel grow, your ability as a content creator grow, and your hair grow.
BangGlorious I can agree.
Yes, yes, and yes!
I think Metaton will become world famous one day and I wish him good luck He's my favorite youtuber
fucking Hel yes
+Michiko Hamasaki His hair is more immersive now, he looks so Roman
Why isn't anyone interested in Brigandines? They were pretty common and they are cool. If you can't afford a suit of plate armour, that would be a decent alternative.
Unfortunately due to the difference in economies, good brigandines are actually sometimes *more* expensive than cuirasses of the same quality.
I'm pretty sure that it would be easier to make a semi-decent brigandine yourself, with limited tools and expertise. You need leather, steel and some tools for cutting and rivetting (brass will do).
If it came to sculpt a breastplate yourself and heat-treat it, then most would have to give up.
Honestly, it something that would be tempting to give it a try. However, for a good quality brigandine, you would need to shape the plates, which would allow you to use bigger plates, while keeping a good fit.
Because they look boring.
Look at the witcher: Selkirks armour, Feline-armour...
With a bright colour gambesson and died leather, they can really look fancy.
But they still are in danger of looking like studded leather.
"If you're not sure about your size you should go for a little bit bigger" I think that's where codpieces come from.
Here's an easy way.
If you're wearing bad armour and in battle, you wont have to worry about it for long.
11:50 Translated: "Let's do a little break, because I need to show off" jk :P
7 languages, daily videos, massive historical knowledge, practice martial arts, plays bethoveen on Piano.
Anybody thinking Metatron is actually really a demi god ?
A renaissance man through and through apparently.
I believe the only thing he fucks is the fabric of space time to have the time to do all that he does.
Everything is possible when you're under the influence of the 3 P's. Pizza, pasta and por.........ridge.... yeah... porridge...
Metatron is the voice of god!
oh my god this video is so sexist all he talks about is mail armor
Underrated ^^^
I don’t know.. he talks a lot about /Breast/plates! 😉
Oh-
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh
@@pepaphantom that would be "femail" armour. 😏😏
As someone who is very familiar with game animations and character modeling... metal armor bending and twisting is due to one reason. Money. It is more expensive to rig plate armor to animations made for the body naked/clothed body than it is to just rig it the same as a naked/clothed body. Character models/armor/clothing are all done the same way and all use the same animations. There is a "skeleton" they are vertice weighted to and the skeleton has bones. These skeletons and bones are generic representations of our real skeletons. Lets take a breastplate for example... or the torso of a person. You will have a pelvis bone where your pelvis is then 2-3 or more spine bones that connect to a neck bone So for example you have Pelvis_01 as the center point for your skeleton and it is In the center of the character models pelvis. Above that is Spine_01, on the character model it is around belly button high. For the character model and rigging generically the vertices directly between those two bones should be weighted equally to both of them and the vertices closer to a bone should be weighted more towards that bone. So if Spine_01 and Pelvis_01 twisted in opposite directions equally the model will deform accordingly with the vertices weighted to each equally not moving and the ones weighted more for one bone following that bone more. Add 2 more spine bones to the skeleton and rig the basic character model to it and you can get the bending and twisting one sees in a game. For armor though it would need to be weighted to just one spine bone for the whole piece and that my friends is going to create clipping if the animation is to look natural or all unique animations to prevent clipping.
So choice here, either all new animations for armor or magic bendy metal? Clipping is unacceptable because it would be at every single joint and making the models so that isn't an issue requires more time and testing each animation, new animations for armor are not exactly cheap, Fem Shep in Mass Effect 3 had the same running animation as Male Shep and both of them used armored running animations even if you were running about on the Citadel in civilian clothes. Animations are expensive to create and AAA titles will reuse animations in the hopes that nobody notices. Bendy metal or spend hours adjusting a model to not be bendy or pay for new animations? Bendy metal all the way because it is the cheapest choice and most game players either don't notice or they expect it and accept it.
It is not making double animations but that you would have to make a complete collision/physic model to get armour without either clipping or bending. Mass Effect has those weird stiff animations many people dislike to hide it, while other games use ridiculously thick armour to hide clipping somehow.
Although sometimes it looks like the devs are taking the piss.
Looking at you Skyrim female Steel Plate Armor.
Visions of Dark Souls 2 Havel's Leggings...
Seriously, wtf is going on with the ankles?
The physics/collision model is usually part of the skeleton with rare cases for unusual shaped items like wings or oversized pauldrons used by just one armor. The full skeleton is also usually separate from the model and used together when loaded in the game.
As for Skyrims plate armor they rigged it just like the nude body model just the same as they did for all armor and clothing. I believe they used a Skin Wrap modifier in 3DS Max and cleaned up any clipping after. That skeleton has 3 spine bones and a pelvis that all effect twisting and bending of the torso and they are weighted to all 4 bones rather than skip the middle spine bone so twisting and bending is less dramatic and the most would be at the belt on the model.
The problem isn't that it's bendy, it's that it's a skintight steel catsuit.
If you're doing 11th-13th Century I'd strongly recommend getting a good nasal helmet, you can see, hear and breathe much better than in a great helm, even if it isn't fitted to you, and you can use it for the whole period while great helms changed significantly (no full-faces at all before the 12th, backplates before the mid-13th, change in shape over the course of the 14th).
My shaman gave me a magic armor so i charged the brits.
I died.
If they didn't paint crazy patterns on your body with blue woad paint, then you got ripped off m8!
RIP
Blue is lucky!
Matteus Silvestre
Shoulda just went with purple to be sneaky an cunnin
or is it cunnin an sneaky...
(Am I getting my Ork colors right?)
@@johnfraire6931 It workz coz da blue makez you smarta an' da red makez ya go fasta.
Have game creators ever consulted you on the production of any historical or medieval fantasy game? I think they definitely should!
unfortunately no, I don't think I'm famous enough for that :D
Metatron they should. I may ask a few things once I get around to making a series or game.
And i find some of your arguments unconvincing and shaky in evidence, but i do so because i am a sceptical person. Try adding references to what you consulted, or make a website where you put up photographs of treaties you researched so you can refer to them and share, that creates credibility and credibility will invite lazy film casters like flies to shit, i mean honey. ;P
Otherwise its somewhat informed fun chat and hearsay, not a work of knowledge.
I'm not trying to insult Metatron, but gaming companies would be better served by true experts in medieval armor like Tobias Capwell (curator of the Wallace colletction) or Ian LaSpina of Knyght Errant yt channel.
+MrVvulf: Cant agree enough with this. Both Tobias Capwell and Ian LaSpina are far more knowledgeable on the subject.
The best thing about buying maille that's too big is that if you're handy you can tailor it to the shape of your body like the real thing would be. You can tailor something smaller, but it's really hard to make it bigger, plus you'll have some bits left over you might be able to use or put aside for repairs.
Imprecise, you just have to find the breastplate stretcher
As a fan of early medieval Europe, particularly Scandinavia, it has been a pleasure to stumble across your channel. As a Norse reenactor and SCA heavy fighter; I've taken immense delight in your debunking videos, as they address many of my own irritations with cinema and misconceptions of armor and historic combat. History is a constant learning experience, so thank you for you input and subject matter expertise.
My gold cloth is pretty good, but I am 243 years old shrunk into an old man with purple skin. Still waiting for Athena's call, so I can wear it again.
My hair is almost as long as you pupil's hair old man :D
My pupil brought me noodles years ago. Now bring me some Pasta and I will each you my skill.
Ok but I want the green armour :3
Sure, he got poke in the eyes and taken his armour off all the time. He wouldn't mine you borrow it, so he can show off his tattoo. I understand no one would want mine, who want to carry 12 weapons all the time but never allow to use them.
I'm a budding collector of 15th and 16th century European armour, and videos like this are very useful. I can't afford the best stuff around, being on a shoestring budget and all, but knowing what to look for means I know what sort of shapes, patterns and materials.
I currently own a 15th century armet helmet, made by Windlass. I love it and it, thankfully, fits me perfectly. But it's worth mentioning that a friend of mine tried it on and found his head was too big for it, so I struck lucky there.
My next investment is a pair of gauntlets (15th century gothic articulated with plated fingers and a few personal modifications) but this time I'm having them made custom by an armourer and fitted to my exact measurements. Had to measure every single joint of my fingers! (Both circumference and length!)
I'll be purchasing a cuirass after that, again from a custom armourer. Some advice for people like me: You can get custom tailored plate at lower prices if you go for mild steel and thinner gauges, as opposed to stainless steel or tool steel. My helmet is 18 gauge mild steel and was fairly cheap for the kind of helmet it is. Just be aware that these will, of course, compromise functionality, so keep in mind what you want to use the armour for!
Great video by the way, Metatron.
Great point about daily maintenance of armour and equipment. I feel this is something most people overlook or forget about.
A suit is a suit. Whether it is made from fabric or steel, tailoring is the difference between a fine suit or a horse blanket, and suit of armour or an iron maiden. The only difference between armourer and a bespoke tailor is the medium in which they work.
i went to my local grocery store and found what said traditional Italian pizza, it was completely covered in cheese, pepperoni, and dear God pineapple.
Damnit, Bobby! Pineapple on your pizza?!
Boy ain't right.
Hank Hill69 heresy
Heretic Pizza
HERESY! Burn it! In your oven! And eat it quickly!
Was it thin crust though? That's all I care about when I hear anything style anything.
*sigh...* But Metatron, armor is a disadvantage for SO many reasons. Didn't you read that article?
By the way, you saying, "Hello Elizabeth", "Hello John", threw me off a little. My sister's name is Elizabeth, my real name is John. Are you watching me? Is that you in the bushes out th- wait no, that's just the neighborhood hobo.
What if metatron is an immortal hobo who has been watching humans for his entire life which is why he knows so much about rome ?
*Because he's an italian right*
That's gotta be the dumbest thing I've.. ever... wait a minute, what you say.. it- it makes sense! That's the only way he could possibly know so much about Rome! Maybe he found the pasta of youth.
But pasta wasn't introduced to Italy until long after the fall of the Roman empire, so he's most likely just a boring mortal like the rest of us.
he could be a highlander
they're incredibly common names
historian, linguist, teacher, musician, warrior, gamer. is there anything you cannot do well?
Fly.
I heard the dome on the belly is also to have a cushion of air.
So that when you're hit in the belly, the armor has space to bend and push back before it hits your belly.
So in a way, your whole armor is pushing back against the attack, instead of just he part where you're hit.
I know I am late Metatron Sensei. But I love your historical explanation videos.
I am also very much in love with your piano performances! Please keep playing music for us! Maybe even if you record enough music, use some for background music for a video? :)
Segmentata was really some brilliant stuff. The Romans stumbled into mass produced steel armor in an age of largely iron armor, the outside of the bands was turned into steel from heat treatment while the inside of the bands was made up of softer iron. This allowed them to flex more and absorb blows. Shame logistics kneecapped its production and prevent it from spreading.
Metatron, I want to thank you a lot for these videos. I do light contact re-enactment as a Teutonic crusader (circa late 12th century) and am considering starting on a decent set of light contact Legionary armor and gear and want to thank you for the information you have given me here and elsewhere especially regarding how to distinguish good (functional) armor from bad.
Metatron, Raf, mate, I know you said you love learning and whatnot but my GOD where did you get the drive to learn several languages, goddamn PIANO, history of multiple countries and whatever other interests you haven't revealed to us yet? I find that truly incredible as someone who barely has the drive to get out of bed and record, you're a goddamn inspiration
He is italian. Italy basically gave 2 big cultures in of the world, both with the same ideea: perfectible human being, a person good at everything
GMT!
He's pulling a Massive Hyper God-Tier Flex on us! RUN!
He is immortal and is living longer than any one of us
"Always have to oil your armor after each use"
*chuckles in corazzina*
Man, I know that you're all about that Roman and Japanese stuff but you explain things very well and if you see my comment and choose to listen to it, I'd love to see a thing about what we know if Irish armor from Celtic times going into post Celtic.
The armor at 2:27 belongs to Tobias Capwell (Sides) and Ian LaSpina (Center) respectively.
Mail without padding doesn't protect you much against penetration, btw. The gambeson was the main thing that made a suit of mail near-impervious to arrows. War bows at the time could sometimes penetrate the mail, but not the gambeson. Without the gambeson, the arrows that the mail did stop could just drag your mail into your own skin. The wound would be less likely to be lethal, but you'll still bleed and risk infection.
That piano playing was very impressive! A man of many talents!
I love those spontaneous into-camera transitions, it makes the video even more entertaining
It would be hard to fit a goat between my shoulder and the armor.
It's worth it, trust me.
Well real armour is custom fit so...
This is why experimental archaeology is important. Nothing finds out what it was actually like back then till you live and perform tasks the same. Informative and insightful.
14:07
>Goat *skin
Are you saying an entire goat wouldn't work?
HOLD MY BEER
I'm loving the piano sections. Good technique, good tempo, good expression. It sounds great, man!
Properly tailored mail with historically accurate rings/patterns can actually be FAR MORE expensive than a suit of plate armor.
When getting into re-enactment or historic interpretation, start with soft kit, and ignore everything else. If it's made out of the proper materials/hand sewing/no cut corners, it's still going to be EXTREMELY PRICEY.
Save up for hard kit later.
Maybe now, but back then how do you think they managed to make all that plate, plate that was the same thickness and temper , all these geniuses never get into how all this plate was made , any idea how much a power roller has to squeeze on metal to turn it to plate , that's why male armour over a padded gambon would work better and easier to fix
this guy is awesome he speaks many languages, plays piano, has swords and armor at his home and knows how to use them.
I enjoy the random humor that exists on this channel!
Every time I watch one of your videos, it puts a smile on my face!
This is so useful for concept artists trying to understand armour logic, thanks Metatron
Loved the music break. Really enjoying your content more and more. Keep it up my friend.
It feels so weird, this video coming out at the exact time I contacted a Roman legion renacment group about joining in on the fun... Great video by the way.
Hai pubblicato questo video il giorno del mio compleanno! Grazie per il regalo!
ahah prego! :D
Great video I'm so happy your channel is growing at such a rapid rate
thank you metatron. I am a Roman reenactor in lorica segmentata and this is great info for me. thank you!!!
Metatron is probably the only UA-camr that puts cool random stuff in his videos.
Thank you Metatron for the information shower, appreciate it!
Does a decent suit of armor need to be able to take a pommel throw, should your opponent decide to end you rightly, or is that just pure overkill?
I feel like Skallagrim would enjoy the "end them rightly" reference on a Metatron video.
BladeAddict Suit of armor is not proper terminology. It is a Victorian-era anachronism.
I think the only personal armour that could survive a righteous pommel ending is a tiger tank. And then only from the front.
great video Mr Tron.! greetings from Nicaragua .
How do you do your intro? One second you're not on the screen, and the next, there you are! It's amazing, really.
Indeed impressive information, the editing is top notch too!
Wanted to like a second time after your comment about maintenance being an integral part of the re-enactment. Plus, armor is a sizable investment; it only makes sense to give it due care.
Excellent work on the piano a talent worth sharing
Never stop playing it will do something to ur soul
Wow you are truly a renaissance man! Lovely playing. You should perhaps just have a second channel dedicated to music? Just you casually playing and talking about different pieces and the history behind them. Or just play as upload it!
Good video Metatron. Warriors of all eras had to maintain their equipment, even the modern war fighter. I suspect the soldiers of the future will have to do the same.
Love your videos. Keep it up
I like the musical interlude. Nice touch.
thanks for uploading all of these videos on armour, planning on buying some for my own
Ease of maintenance is, in my eyes, the biggest advantage mail has over plate (and hamata over segmentata). Mail just maintaines itself with use, and damage can easily be rapaired with spare rings (or even some wire in emergencies). That and, well, mail is usually a lot easier and quicker to put on. If I was t re-acquire my current armor kit from zero, I´d definitely go for mail instead of the partial plate I have now.
wow those piano skills caught me off guard, awesome.
I'm glad you specified that the padding is goat skin and not just padding your armour with goats, because I was thinking that stuffing a goat under chainmail was going to be an issue. It would be an issue getting it to stay still and killing it would get blood all in the armour. Not very pleasant.
haha i loved the bit with the piano, very nice!
Thank you for this. Very informative for us newbies.
You won me over with your appreciation for classical music!!!!
"[Armour maintenance] was imperative."
That's some really strong Latin pun voodoo there.
You can also use a microcrystalline wax like renaissance wax. I try to get 14 or 16 gauge mild steel that's been tempered and heat treated. Springsteel is the best in my opinion but armorers will charge an arm and a leg for using that kind of steel. Look at places like Steel Mastery or ArmorySmith for some really high quality custom reproductions that are also HMB ready. But always make sure you start with a proper gambeson. It's absolutely vital for the comfort and fit of your armor. A quality set with all the items needed. Including the chausses, belt, sword, shield, pouches, rondel, gloves, shoes. Everything, usually will run around $3500.00 to $5000.00 for a quality set.
Just found your channel, absolutely love it. Thank you.
you got skills man you should do like a midnight sweet dreams vid where you just spin some smooth melodies out
I learnt heaps the video was nice and easy to understand loved it
it was a pleasure to watch, and i like your statement about maintenance of equipment. even today's soldiers maintain their equipment after fielding it :D
I always wondered how the Roman general muscled torax works. If you look at Augus statue, for example, his armor goes all the way down to his belly. Maybe it's because the Roman emperoe doesn't need to bend:)
Very good video Metatron. Thank you.
Went for Armor; got music too. Subscribed.
For me who started for years ago in very young age. I started with the civilian version of the 12th cent. I started with pants and doublets and shoes and belts and thibgs like that. When I discovered the joy of HEMA I was going to a Gambeson/ Aketon and then a good helmet. So I advanced my armour over the years. Making a personal chainmail. Which toon me a lot of time, but was totally worth it. And now after years I am a proud owner of a well and tight fitting late 15th century armour. Alla tedesca. Because I really love the german culture in armour but love the italian elements in it. So to everyone who wants to get kn this theme. It will cost you time, it will cost you a lot of money and it will cost you a lot of pain and a long way if progress. Start low and then you can raise.
You have earned a new subscribed. Good video!
This video is great on so many levels. I wish I could afford to be a reenactor...late Roman Republic in particular. Also, the part about reeinacting a knight by giving a little cousin 20 euros to polish and oil up your armor made me laugh pretty hard.
I'm glad to hear that, thank you for watching!
Some remarks: 1. in antiquity were iron breastplates used with on it glued leather or linen!!! 2. the harnas/ full suit of armor was developed in 1360aC and came to full development and quality around 1420.
Nice video!, very complete, would you make one about scaled armor and lamellar armor?, please would be really cool.
a video on a coat of plates, from fit & build to usage? possibly comparison to modern body armor?
Amazing as always, thanks!
good lead into a video on properly maintaining armour & weapons ? I remember my brother 1st getting into collecting swords had no idea, oc there are many videos on the subject but I doubt another would hurt & it can be an interesting subject in its own right imo.
BRAVO! fantastic playing
My grandfather would have loved you.
"A brief break" when he could have just edited
This problem happened regularly with police hard "turtle" style armour. Sitting in the car used to almost garrotte you. Then it was changed to a softer style with trauma plates. Heavier, but much better to wear for 8 to 12 hours every day.
Thanks for your video, take care!
14:06 And the image of a Roman legionary with a bleating goat under his pauldrons will never leave my brain.
I love historical reenacting, speacially camping with historical equipment... I'm starting with a WW2 Afrika Korps soldier and also making a Gaucho, they were the people from South Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, altough this will be hard to copy properly beyond clothing, because the ALWAYS had horses, so all the equipment is too heavy and big to carry on foot...
Thanks mate! Love your vids
Mainly mail armour is the best phrase i’ve ever heard.
European chest plate also are never supposed to touch your chest because if someone smashed it using a mace or a weapon with a lot of blunt force it would smack the plate in to your chest and possibly brake it (even a gambeson would not absorb all the energy)
I was hoping you'd tell us about poorly made historical armour. I really like the idea of highlighting all the crappy armours that must've been made over the millennia.
Even good armourers have apprentices and cost-cutting competitors.
Bruce campbell has a permant scar on his chin for exactly this reason 4:13 during filming "army of darkness" while wearing some armor it stabed him in the chin during some stunts where he got knocked down and rolled around.
This was quite a great video.
when you asked the rhetorical question of how do you know that the armor that dwarf was wearing was fake, I thought hm...it could be that his crotch isn't protected, he's got metal gauntlets, pauldrons(which don't protect his neck), and metal boots. The problem is that he's not as protected as he could be, and his face is unprotected. I sure learn a lot from you, Shadversity, Lindybeige, and Scholagladiatore. Good job. :)
Whoa whoa whoa! You make videos but can play piano like that? That was a breath of fresh air.
awesome video as always but have you ever thought about doing a video comparing the mobility and other factors between modern armor (like military and police use) versus knight or medieval or roman armor?
Language , History , Martial Arts , Music is there anything the Metatron isn't good at?
I doubt he's as good at being lazy as I am!
lol
_cough_ having the right light conditions for his camera and color corection of his clips. You asked... don't look at me...
:)
Juggling with chainsaw, two living tarantulas and a rotten pineapple maybe?
Don't forget roasting feminists.