Mandalorian Armor - Blog Posts

Mandalorian Armor, a simple guide

Oh dear. Several months late, but here we go. This will be a broad term overview of mando armor in canon at the moment, not an exhaustive list. Feel free to skip “materials & history” if you’d just like some more concrete guidelines and refs! 

(Remember to click on the images for a better look!)

Material & History

A Small Intro Course

Mandalorian armor is supposed to be made out of beskar, an alloy (and yes all beskar is an alloy in disney canon (at least as of May 2021), like steel for example. Yes even “pure” beskar). The secrets of how to make it is limited to the Mandalorians, and the materials used to make it are most likely limited to Mandalore or the Mandalore system. It’s been in confirmed use as an armor material for at least 900 years & can take straight blaster bolts or hold off the circulating energy blade of a lightsaber for short periods of time, possibly until the beskar heats up enough to loose its integrity, but the heat would most likely cause serious damage to the wearers body before that.

Beskar armor is most often inherited, passed from generation to generation and reforged to suit the current wearers needs. It’s seen as passing down the history, the battles and the will of those who have worn it before and making it your own. However the material is rare, possibly because the mines have run dry ages ago (old EU), or because war and/or the New Mandalorians stopping production. The Empire interfering by taking over Mandalore and trying to get their hands on as much beskar as possibly and then later “glassing” the planet while hunting its only known creators surely did not help either, in any case.

This means that not all Mandalorians had access to the material, or at least large enough amounts to make a full suit of armor. This lead to the make of “impure” beskar that can take less of a brunt & armor made of other metals such as durasteel. This is most likely what makes up the majority of Din’s kit, beyond the helmet and possibly the chest piece, when he’s introduced in S1 and he still wears pieces that might be one of these materials as of Season 2. 

Characters like Sabine Wren, Bo-Katan Kryze and Boba Fett all inherited their armor from their aliit  (clan/family) through several generations and it’s most likely already pure beskar based on its age and how it reacts to blasterfire.

The armor is most often painted and there are various designs and colors that indicate personality, achievements or allegiances, but that would have to be another post. (Would anyone like a post on Mandalorian armor fashion? Because I have thoughts)

Helmet

Let’s start from the top. The helmet, aka the bucket. The buy’ce.

In the “modern” era it’s usually a helmet with a rounded top and some kind of cheek indents. It has a T (or occasionally closer to a Y) shaped visor that obscures the wearers face. It also contains a large amount of technology that allows for various visual filters, binoculars, built in comms and audio enhancers (allowing for near perfect 360° hearing in the old EU, as possibly shown by Din Djarin in the new), among other things. The earcaps seen on most modern styles of helmet allows for various specialized attachments, like rangefinders.

The styles of the helmets vary between clans and eras, but there’s a few distinct modern bases that are pretty easy to identify as Mandalorian and worn by all major Mandalorian characters. 

The Boba Fett, based on the original helmet as seen in the OT, and worn by basically every male character with various types of cheek indents, ridges and the like. Some are thinner or longer, but the base of the design is still very clearly the OG Boba Fett helmet. T visor, sharp slope indent that takes up the entire cheek, long ear caps & a brow ridge.

Visual Reference

The Nite Owl, based on the helmet worn by Bo-Katan and the Nite Owls in TCW. It has a cat eyed Y visor and a more of a cut out cheek indent style, or simply a less severe smaller curve under the visor ridge (the area painted red on Boba Fett’s helmet). 

Visual Reference

The Kast, is the rarest so far only seen on Rook Kast & the Maul-aligned female Mandalorians. It slopes slightly inwards below the uniquely shaped T visor and has no ear caps.

Visual References

And finally, some mandalorian helmets with slightly more unique shapes and/or shape combinations that put them outside the general easy to identify pile.

From left to right, The Armorer, Paz Vizsla, Pre Vizsla and Fenn Rau:

Chest, Neck, Back & Shoulders

As with everything else, there are various styles for these pieces of armor, but here are some basics.

Breastplate

Most commonly visibly segmented into three big parts, two on the chest and one below, with a small diamond shaped heart piece in the middle. The heart piece design can also been seen on Mandalorian clothing and architecture. In The Mandalorian these parts are generally attached together to give the armor a more solid look, but they are still distinguishable. Before the fall of the empire several female mandos favoured a more solid two part design that interlocked with their neck piece and had a thin rectangular bar instead of a classic heart piece. During the clone wars women of the faction supporting Maul (mostly clan Kast and clan Saxon) used a semi-connected two part design with six smaller pieces trailing down the stomach, three on each side. There are also various other designs with solid one part chest pieces, but most at least have a variation of the heart piece in the middle, as seen on Paz Vizsla. 

The chest piece usually does not go below the navel, for bending over reasons.

Neckplate

Either two pieces on the side of the neck, or a longer single piece that goes in front of the neck & sits over the collarbones. Both of these variations are usually semi connected to, or line up with where the backplate ends.

Shoulders

Bell type, like Din Djarin & Axe Woves wear. The Classic, aka the style worn by Boba Fett, Ursa Wren & most grunts. And finally a slightly rounded middle ground, smaller than the Bell but sits over the shoulder and is often favored by female characters like Bo-Katan, female Mauldalorians & Sabine Wren.

Backplate

Usually as long as the chest piece, used to protect the back and to mount jetpacks, and other useful things, on.

Jetpack

Technically not a piece of armor, but sometimes armored. Comes in various sizes and styles.

Visual References

Vambraces & Handplates

Vambraces

Both forearm protection and weapons. Developed to give a Mandalorian that extra edge when fighting stronger opponents. To that goal, they’re often fitted with various attachments such as flamethrowers, retractable blades, shield emitters, repulsors, grappling lines, magnets, missiles and various types of darts, including the whistling birds seen in The Mandalorian.

Handplates

It’s a plate that goes on your hand. Nothing more, nothing less. Can of course be fitted with various other weapons, as long as they fit.

Visual References

The Codpiece, Buttplate & Hip Plates

Ah yes. Well.

All pieces are usually worn tucked underneath and/or attached to the waist sash/girth belt/belt.

Codpiece

Look, it’s a codpiece. It’s there to protect your sensitive parts. There are less bulky variations for people who can do without the extra space. Those are often segmented. Some wear more of a lower stomach plate. Others don’t bother, or only wear theirs when they might need it since I imagine it can be a bit uncomfortable to wear day to day.

Buttplate

It’s a plate that goes over your butt. And I mean just above, not on. Din has one, Boba has one. It’s a thing. Why? Because bruising you tailbone hurts like hell.

Hip Plates

They’re plates that go on your hips. Only confirmed sighting has been on Din, but we’ve also got some good shots of them because of this so I put them in anyway.

Visual References

Thighs, Knees, Shins, Ankles & Feet

Varies from completely covered to almost no armor at all. On one end you’ve got Jango Fett, and on the other you’ve got Boba Fett. Ironic, in a way.

Thigh plates

Generally sit either on the front of the thigh or on the outer sides. The outward style thigh plates are more form fitting and allow for holsters to be mounted directly onto the plate, this was popular during the Clone Wars era. The front facing plates are often different sizes, possibly depending on your dominant hand/how you prefer to hold your weapon of choice.

Knee armor/pads

For knee protection, unless you’re like Boba Fett, then they’re also dart launchers. In the old EU the darts were laced with neurotoxin, but that seems to have been removed for new canon. Sit nebulously in the knee region.

Shin, Ankle and/or Boot plates

Over your shins, ankles and feet, for all your literal ass kicking needs. Comes in various types including but not limited to: boot caps, ankle plates, shin guards and of course full on greaves.

Visual References

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So there you have it! A broad overview of Mandalorian armor. This has been in my drafts for months at this point so I’m not going to go over this again so you’ll have to excuse any weird phrasing or misspelt words. And how messy the visual ref sheets got. (I’m also considering putting together something for different eras & allegiances based on design, accessories, paintjobs, etc, but that will have to be another day.)

(Also, feel free to tag me or @ me or whatever on your art! I love seeing the different ways people design their mandos!)

My Mandalorian oc, Jaemi (she/her), a badass armorer, but also a complete goof who can't talk to pretty women without getting flustered (good thing she has a helmet, ig).

Jaemi is Mandalorian Nightsister? Idk how else to describe it. She was taken away by pirates at a young age as a sort of peace offering, and she wasn't really wanted anyway because she couldn't seem to grasp magic nor had any interest in it. I forgot what age she was, but it was young. Anyway, some Mandos ran into the pirates and ended up coming across Jaemi and adopted her, to make the story short. Jaemi is fully aware that she is from Dathomir, though she does not remember anything about it from when she was a child. So she shows her respect for her heritage through her facial tattoos inspired by the Nightsisters, and designed her armor to resemble their clothing as well.

Drawn: June 6, 2023.

ten credits says when din finally paints his armor it'll be purple because he's not like other mandalorians

Mandalorian Armor, a simple guide

Oh dear. Several months late, but here we go. This will be a broad term overview of mando armor in canon at the moment, not an exhaustive list. Feel free to skip “materials & history” if you’d just like some more concrete guidelines and refs! 

(Remember to click on the images for a better look!)

Material & History

A Small Intro Course

Mandalorian armor is supposed to be made out of beskar, an alloy (and yes all beskar is an alloy in disney canon (at least as of May 2021), like steel for example. Yes even “pure” beskar). The secrets of how to make it is limited to the Mandalorians, and the materials used to make it are most likely limited to Mandalore or the Mandalore system. It’s been in confirmed use as an armor material for at least 900 years & can take straight blaster bolts or hold off the circulating energy blade of a lightsaber for short periods of time, possibly until the beskar heats up enough to loose its integrity, but the heat would most likely cause serious damage to the wearers body before that.

Beskar armor is most often inherited, passed from generation to generation and reforged to suit the current wearers needs. It’s seen as passing down the history, the battles and the will of those who have worn it before and making it your own. However the material is rare, possibly because the mines have run dry ages ago (old EU), or because war and/or the New Mandalorians stopping production. The Empire interfering by taking over Mandalore and trying to get their hands on as much beskar as possibly and then later “glassing” the planet while hunting its only known creators surely did not help either, in any case.

This means that not all Mandalorians had access to the material, or at least large enough amounts to make a full suit of armor. This lead to the make of “impure” beskar that can take less of a brunt & armor made of other metals such as durasteel. This is most likely what makes up the majority of Din’s kit, beyond the helmet and possibly the chest piece, when he’s introduced in S1 and he still wears pieces that might be one of these materials as of Season 2. 

Characters like Sabine Wren, Bo-Katan Kryze and Boba Fett all inherited their armor from their _aliit  _(clan/family) through several generations and it’s most likely already pure beskar based on its age and how it reacts to blasterfire.

The armor is most often painted and there are various designs and colors that indicate personality, achievements or allegiances, but that would have to be another post. (Would anyone like a post on Mandalorian armor fashion? Because I have thoughts)

Helmet

Keep reading

Mandalorian Jetpacks

Happy Fett Friday! SO glad the lore now allows Mandalorian Jetpacks to fly for longer periods of time.

Even though I ❤️ playing Star Wars Bounty Hunter way back in the day, I absolutely HATED how you were granted only mere seconds of flight time before your jetpack would shut off & force you to land so that it could re-charge/ cool-off from overheating.

In Attack of the Clones, after Jango Fett eliminated Zam Wesell with a Saber Dart, his Jetpack allowed a very quick escape from Obi-Wan & Anakin. And it was a QUICK escape. Unlike in Star Wars Bounty Hunter, Jango didn't fly for a few seconds, then land to let his Jetpack recharge, then fly for a few more seconds, then land again, then fly a little bit more, then once again land, and then….

Hell, he never would have made it out of there if he had to do keep doing that slow-ass shit…

This is what happened. Jango took off. The sound of his Jetpack igniting drew the attention of Obi-Wan & Anakin. They observed Jango flying up higher & higher, furthering the distance between them so rapidly the Jedi realized that a pursuit at that point would be futile.

That's why it felt good to finally see Mandos airborne for extended periods. Throughout The Mandalorian TV series Boba Fett, Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, The Armorer & many other Mandalorians propelled themselves through the air & kicked shebs. During the Battle of Mandalore, it was so awesome to witness waves of Mandos that flew high above Mandalore, engage the Empire in battle & take back their homeworld. Because Mandalorians are stronger together....

….THIS IS THE WAY…! 😎

Phase-I Clone Trooper Armor

Although the Phase-II Clone Trooper Armor always got a lot of love…The Phase-I Clone Trooper Armor was always the best design to me due to the Phase-I Armor's likeness to Jango Fett's Mandalorian Armor.

From the Phase-I Clone Trooper Armor. To the Phase-I Clone Commando Katarn-Class Armor. And especially the Phase-I ARC Trooper Armor with its numerous Mandalorian influences (Helmet mounted Rangefinder, Kama, Jetpacks, Wrist Rockets, etc.)

Phase-I Armor for the Win...!

The Return...Of Boba Fett!

(AKA The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 6 Chapter 14: The Tragedy)

Boba Fett! Back from the dead! Back in his Mandalorian Armor & Back in business!

This episode was SO dope! Boba Fett's battle with the numerous Stormtroopers & their Transport Ships was epic! He was kicking shebs even without his Mando Armor. But when he detonated one of Din's Grav Charges on the Stormtroopers. Then landed behind that one dazed & confused trooper. And rose up slowly for that reveal. His iconic Mandalorian Armor being donned once again by its rightful owner. You knew right then and there it was a wrap for all of those Stormtroopers. Game over, man!

It was so dope to finally see Boba in action. And NOT on/ in a book, novel, graphic novel, magazine, newspaper, cartoon, evening news, comic book, computer/ video game, trading card, poster, talk show, coloring book, sticker, iron-on, public service announcement, t-shirt, pajamas, baseball cap, infomercial, the back of a cereal box, fan- made film, TV ad/ commercial, the internet, Youtube video, reality TV show or social media….

No. This WAS Official. Legit. Bonafide. On-screen. Live action. In living color. As I watched The triumphant & long-awaited Return of Boba Fett I was struck with so many emotions: surprise, elation, excitement, pride, fulfillment & vindication. And it didn't happen on some obscure series that Star Wars fans weren't paying any attention to. Boba Fett's historic comeback occurred in the spectacular Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian. During its exciting second Season. The best Star Wars TV show (at that time).

During Season 2, Temuera Morrison really brought a lot to the table playing Boba Fett. If they plan on letting Tem return as Boba in the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu film, I hope they let him bring that same vibe, energy, vigor, action & battle prowess displayed in The Mandalorian. Bring Back THIS Boba Fett.

I know they want to let other Mandalorian characters get a lot of attention and become popular. And there will be plenty of time for all of that. But meanwhile, they need to let Boba shine on the big screen once again. After all, Boba Fett is the reason we now have so many other Mandalorians in the Galaxy far, far away…Boba definitely is Thee Mandalorian. Thee Prime Mandalorian Template. The One that Started it All, for ALL Mandalorians. If it wasn't for him, there would not be a Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, Paz Vizsla, The Armorer, etc.

Boba Fett's Mandalorian Kama

So glad to see Boba Fett wearing a Kama is now official.

Boba showing respect to the Tuskens that took him into their tribe while simultaneously paying homage to his Mandalorian Heritage….

After tracking down & finally regaining his Mandalorian Armor, Boba Fett's Kama was originally his Tusken robes, with an opening on the right side to allow access to his blaster pistol. Some time later, Boba styled it to look more like the traditional Mandalorian Kama.

"...I've ridden beasts ten times its size..."

- Boba Fett

The Return…Of Boba Fett's Armor! - The Mandalorian: Chapter 14 (Season 2 Episode 6)

(❤️ this scene & dialogue)

Din Djarin: (Approaching Boba & Fennec) This is all that survived…(Shows them his Beskar spear) Boba Fett: (Instantly recognizing what the spear is made of) Beskar. Din Djarin: (Nods yes) Boba Fett: I want you to take a look at something….

Boba Fett: (Raises his left gauntlet & activates its holographic data read-out display. Looking at the holographic data, which is written in Mando'a….) Boba Fett: My chain code has been encoded in this armor for 25 years. (Indicating hologram) See, this is me…Boba Fett. Boba Fett: (Points at one holographic symbol) This is my father, Jango Fett. (Looks up from the display at Din Djarin)

Din Djarin: (Considering Boba's words, observing the display Boba has just shown him & hearing the name of Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Jango Fett….) Din Djarin: (Din immediately understands why this man has claimed the Mandalorian armor he is now wearing) Your father was a foundling.

Boba Fett: Yes. (Deactivates the display) He even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars. Din Djarin: Then that armor belongs to you. Boba Fett: (Nods yes) I appreciate it's return….

THIS scene confirmed SO much: *IS Jango a Mandalorian? YES! *DOES Boba read/understand Mando'a? Uh-huh! *DOES Boba Know his Mandalorian Heritage? Yup! *AFTER All of these years is Boba FINALLY shown on screen being a bad-a$$ with & without his Mandalorian Armor? HELL YES!!!

As a long-time fan of the Mando'ade/ Boba Fett/ Jango Fett/ Jaster Mereel/ True Mandalorians & a big fan of The Mandalorian, it was so satisfying to watch this episode & witness the above-referenced exchange between Din Djarin & Boba Fett.

Boba Fett IS canonically alive! It's official!

(AND this scene FINALLY shuts down all of the "Jango Fett really wasn't a Mandalorian" osik).

Boba Fett VS Jodo Kast: Twin Engines of Destruction

Boba Fett (To Jodo Kast): "You're NO one! Not Dala, not Shysa! NOBODY!" - Star Wars Twin Engines of Destruction

Always ❤️ this line. It showed that Boba knew of Tobbi Dala & Fenn Shysa AND he also knew what they looked like. Proving that Boba was well aware of not only his Mandalorian heritage but also well-known/ important Mandalorian figures….

And I ❤️ how Boba upheld the Mandalorian Tradition of reclaiming/ removing Mandalorian Armor from all encountered individuals that are Non-Mandalorian (Similar to how Din Djarin repossessed Boba Fett's Armor from Cobb Vanth).

And last but not least, I can't leave out the classic Boba Fett line: "This IS my face."

The Mandalorian: Din Djarin's Mandalorian Armor & Helmet

Well, since The Mandalorian TV series is going to be a wrap & we're not going to see anything new until The Mandalorian & Grogu film drops, there is one thing I've been wondering about when it comes to Din Djarin's Mandalorian Armor & Helmet….

After his 'Battle of the Mudhorn', Din Djarin & his Mandalorian Armor suffered substantial injury/damage. Even though Djarin did a pretty good job repairing himself, it was quite obvious the Armor took the brunt of all of the damage inflicted by the Mudhorn, and certain parts would have to be replaced. And I liked how they showed Din using his tools to fix his armor; it reminded me of how Tony Stark would use his tools to work on his Iron Man Armor.

But what really struck me were the electronics, circuitry, cabling, tubing & wiring that were exposed just beneath the Armor plating. It seems that Din Djarin's Mando Armor is layered: Outside is the Beskar, while underneath lies the high tech circuits & components. Similar to the hardware that you may see on a circuit board, or what may be seen if you opened up a TV, computer, cell phone or other electronic device.

Although I knew the Mandalorian Helmet was very sophisticated & advanced, I never thought the same of Mandalorian Armor being that complex with electronic components embedded in the armor. I'm curious as to what all of the apparatus & gadgetry are for & exactly what are their functions/ purposes. I also noticed the inner workings of circuitry in a layer of the Armor matches the circuitry located in the interior of Din's Mandalorian Helmet.

Hopefully, some sort of detailed diagram, chart, blueprint, schematic or something similar will be released, showing the layers and the interior build of both Din's Armor and his Helmet.

Mandalorian Din Djarin's Helmet T-Visor Heads-Up-Display (HUD) Concept Art

This is Concept Art for The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) Helmet's T-Visor HUD (Heads-Up Display). It was shown in The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian book. Unfortunately, Din's helmet Heads-Up Display wasn't showcased in the 1st episode of The Mandalorian. Instead, the show had Din use the scope of his Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster (AKA Amban Sniper Rifle) to scan the hideout of the Nikto mercs that were keeping Grogu.

The series has presented some very cool features of Din's Mandalorian helmet. Like when Din eavesdropped on Imperial Officer "The Client" & Clone Engineer Dr. Pershing by: A) Scomp-linking his helmet to his scope to enhance its vison mode, allowing Din to lock in on their position inside their Imperial safehouse and: B) Adjusting the scopes controls to listen in on the Client & the Doctor's conversation concerning Grogu's fate.

Since Mandalorian Helmet T-Visors are known to possess many features (Heads-Up Display, Macrobinocular Viewplate, Enhanced Vision) I hope we'll see something close or similar to the afore mentioned T-Visor concept art pic being utilized by Din Djarin & other Mandalorians. Because frankly, with all of the other Mandos that appeared in The Mandalorian, it was odd that, except for a few rare occasions, any of them ever used their T-Visor's Heads-Up Displays to target an enemy, scan an area for hostiles, etc. (And if someone did use their Helmet's HUD, it would just look like a plain video camera shot instead of a view similar to the T-Visor concept art pic shown below.)

Hopefully we'll get to see a Mando use their helmet HUD's featuring a T-Visor POV (with accompanying data read-out graphics) someday on-screen. Maybe even in the upcoming The Mandalorian & Grogu film.

Greetings everyone

And "Su'cuy'gar" to all Mandalorian fans….This is my first post here on this site.

I'm a VERY big fan of The Taung, The Mythosaur, Mandalorians, The Resol'nare, The SuperCommando Codex, Jaster Mereel, True Mandalorians, Jango/Boba Fett, The The Cuy'val Dar, Mandalorian Protectors, Mandalorian SuperCommandos, Clones, Alpha-Class ARC Troopers, Null-Class ARC Troopers, Kal Skirata, Clone Commandos, Phase-I Armored Clone Troopers, Phase-I Clone Trooper Armor, All associated Clone Trooper Weapons, Vehicles, Ships, Mandalorian Helmets, Mandalorian Armor, Mandalorian Armor Technology, Mandalorian Arm Gauntlets, All associated Mando Weapons, Vehicles, Ships, Planets, Characters & all Star Wars Armor.

(I also like ALIEN(s), Predator, RoboCop, Terminator, OG BattleStar Galactica & Sci-Fi, Blade (Daywalker), Batman, Video Games, Toons, Comix, Movies, & Animation.)

Also interested in: Armor, Armored Helmets, Helmet Cutaways, Helmet Interiors, Helmet Faceplates, Helmet Faceplate Interiors, Helmet Heads-Up Displays, Heads-Up Display (HUD), Heads-Up Displays (HUD's), HUD (Heads-Up Display), HUD's (Heads-Up Displays), Data Read-Out Displays, Data Read-Outs, Graphic User Interface (GUI), Graphic User Interfaces (GUI's), UI (User Interface) UI's (User Interfaces), Pictures, Blueprints, Charts, Diagrams, Schematics, Drawings, Technical Drawings, Mechanical Drawings, Industrial Designs, Cross Sections, Cutaways, Cutaway Views & Exploded Views.