To prepare for the release of our super exclusive Halo 3 Master Chief costume for Comic Con international 2008 of which most of you will get (you better 😀 ), I have written a little something for all the curious minds out there that always wanted to know more about the armors in Halo, specially the one being worn by Master Chief.
The Name
The MJOLNIR armor is named after the legendary weapon of MJOLNIR, the hammer of Thor. It is no coincidence that a piece of defensive hardware is named after a weapon, the MJOLNIR armor is probably the most dangerous weapon in a Spartan soldier’s arsenal, enabling the Spartan soldiers to kill even the biggest Covenant (Hunters) with just their bare hands (inside the armor gauntlet of course).
The History
The development of the MJOLNIR armor is lead by Dr. Catherine Halsey, an UNSC Naval Intelligence scientist. The armor originated as a prototype exoskeleton giving the wearer increase strength and stamina (see EXOS posting). However, the downsides of the earlier prototypes are the fact that they use an external power source, whether plugged in or leeching energy through wireless system, once the user is out of range or the generator is destroyed, the suit will shut down trapping the user inside!
With more research and developments, the later models of the MJOLNIR armors became what we see in Halo today. Master Chief himself wears MJOLNIR armor, specifically model IV, V and VI. Although the later models are more advance and each function capabilities are increased, they remain largely the same. No matter the model of the armor, they are all design for Spartan elite soldiers only, as the suit requires highly advance reaction time and co-ordination to control, if not probably managed, the user will experience series injuries if not death (don’t worry our Master Chief Costume wont kill you 🙂 ).
The Technology
The MJOLNIR acts as an extension of your body by directly plugging into your nervous system, letting the suit move along with your body at the mere thought of moving your muscles. There are no lags so all movement feels natural- even though a Spartan soldier in MJOLNIR armor weighs over a ton!
The armor plating of the MJOLNIR armor are designed specially for resisting beam and plasma weapons of the Covenant, capable of absorbing and dissipating energy blast for a short while before completely failing. However, the MJOLNIR armor is not completely invincible as a blast from one of the bigger Covenants like the hunter can melt through the MJOLNIR armor plating in one hit! The armor also has other technologies like advance weapons HUD (heads up display), rechargeable temporary energy shields, and medical bio-foams for self healing. The MJOLNIR armor is also air tight, and is capable of space use if it is not punctured or heavily damaged, making the Spartan soldier into one capable all around super soldier.
The Present
Much like Iron Man, many of such technology used in Master Chief’s armor are in developments today. Just like Iron Man armor, a prototype exo-skeleton is already being developed by the armor for the purposes of super soldiers on the battlefield. The HUD and computer devices that Master Chief uses in his helmet are also present in today’s more advance weapons.
Other features of the MJOLNIR armor like bio foams and the armor plating are also available in today’s world. Although not called bio foam, the army is currently testing a sort of vitamin foam that can be stored in a small packet that when applied over a wound, it will expand and harden over the wound stopping the bleeding and holding the wound together- much like how bio foam works. Much like Master Chief’s armor, the armor used on tanks today are made to absorb high intensity heat blasts- the same logic that makes lasers/plasma weapons so effective against armor. Of course those armor plating are heavy, but that’s why Master Chief weighs so much (and it’s not because he eats too much Burger King 😛 ).
If you stick around, I will also put up some background information on the Halo universe; everything from the games Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3 and everything else in between for you to read- I am sure many of you will find it very interesting.
Lastly, a shameless plug of self promotion (not really, considering this is our site 😉 ), our Halo Master Chief costume is going to be available on July 18th, that’s in two days, and we will be the only place where you can get your officially licensed Halo 3 armor until September after Comic Con 2008!
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