THE BEST Armor

In Iron Man 2, Happy and Pepper come to Tony Stark’s rescue with a slick new suit of armor that fits inside of a briefcase. After making a retractable version of Iron Man’s helmet, Jake Laser’s fans demanded more, so he got to work on a real-life version of the Mark 5 briefcase suit, made out of plasma-cut steel.

This unusual helmet was gifted to King Henry VIII by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1514. The headgear has curly horns like a Kudu antelope, and a pair of spectacles. Atlas Obscura checked in with Henry Yallop from the Royal Armouries to learn about the theories surrounding this strange ceremonial garb.

As the curator of arms and armor at The Wallace Collection in London, England, Tobias Capwell is quite the expert on the subject. In this video from Insider, he provides his brutally honest opinion on the realism and historical accuracy of combat gear in movies and TV shows, from The Mandalorian to The Lord of the Rings.

How to Make Everything used traditional techniques to construct a set of realistic ancient Greek armor using a fabric made from flower stems, along with cow leather. After testing how well it protected from period weaponry, they decided to see if it could also stop a bullet.

Stormtroopers have been with us since the first moments of A New Hope back in 1977. With the original saga coming to a close in The Rise of Skywalker, director J.J. Abrams and other members of the Star Wars production team provide a brief history of these blindly loyal soldiers, and their various permutations over the years.

While you can readily purchase a plastic cosplay replica of the Infinity Gauntlet, the real deal would certainly have been made out of metal. Prop and armor maker David Guyton decided to see if he could recreate Thanos’ killer glove out of 18-gauge brass, and the resulting piece is a true work of art.

Based on the highly-advanced power armor from the wasteland, this blacked-out Bluetooth wireless speaker is sure to make a statement sitting on your desktop. It stands 7″ tall, and features a gesture control system, much like the one you’d find in a 6-figure BMW.

3D Sanago usually uses his skills to create incredible sculptures using a 3D doodling pen. But this time out, he decided to do something completely different, and crafted a piece of armor for his hand and wrist using soda cans and aluminum brads.

Another intense round of fighting in the M-1 Medieval league, as one armored opponent beats the holy snot out of another, and proves that all that armor does nothing to save you from a knockout in the ring.

Armatus Designs isn’t just making any old cosplay Batsuit. His version can actually take a punch. In fact, it can take lots of punches. His padded and armored suit is also lined with Kevlar. Though it won’t help in all situations.

Jeff de Boer makes medieval armor for cats and mice using bronze, silver, copper and leather. He doesn’t make duplicates, but he’s willing to make similar items on commission. He also has a photo book of his armor.

A bonus available when you pre-order from Gamestop, you’ll be able to play GoW: Ascension’s multiplayer mode donning the armor and weapon of King Leonidas from 300. Now this is Sparta!

The latest medieval-modern design from I Am Knight, this dramatic hoodie will keep you warm while warding off would-be foes, as the mere site of your badass armor will send them fleeing.

Be a bad-ass in the kitchen with this vintage chain mail apron. It used to be worn by French butchers for protection. Let the chain hit your chest while you’re banging on the cutting board.

Worried someone might steal your scooter? Marc Graells Ballve’s ridiculous looking security system covers your ride with an armadillo-like shell, protecting it from vandals and thieves.

No, you haven’t stumbled into Ye Olde Armory: ThinkGeek is selling actual Chain Mail Coifs, perfect for enduring endless sieges meetings and storming the castle water cooler.

Outland Armour does some of the best steampunk cosplaying/costuming around, traveling as an entourage to various conventions; our fave is the bionic chick with the gatling arm.

It’s probably not wearable, but this life-sized Final Fantasy XII helmet will earn you some serious cosplay cred; it’s limited in availability for all you Judge Magister Gabranth fans.

Nightmare Armor Studios is making their much lusted after Gears of War armor and weapon replicas available for purchase; these 1:1 scale replicas will be sold by Project Triforce.

For the feudal warlord in all of us: this original 16th century Japanese Dragon Armor Helmet (Kabuto) is made with riveted plates of iron and is signed by the blacksmith on the back.