What is your favorite Iron Man armor?

What is your favorite Iron Man armor?

  • Hypervelocity

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Tin-Man

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • SKIN

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sentient

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Prometheum (Heroes Reborn)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • War Machine

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Neo-Classic

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Silver Centurion

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Classic

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Post-Proto

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Proto-Classic

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Golden Avenger

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Original Grey

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other (specify)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    15

Langsta

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I've been trying to gather all of the images and data for this thread for a while, but I just haven't been able to find the time (especially with finals coming up). When I get the chance I'll make a poll for this. Unless somebody else wants to. I was going to include Iron Man's original grey armor, the grey armor that was modified with gold, Iron Man's classic red and gold armor, the Stealth armor, the Silver Centurion armor, the War Machine armor, the Prometheum armor, SKIN armor, the Hulkbuster amor, the Extremis armor, the Ultimate armor, the movie armor(s), and several other armors. I wasn't going to include all of Iron Man's armors, just the most prominent and/or recognizable. Some people may not recall what the Prometheum or SKIN armors are or what they look like, which is why I was going to include images. I was surprised nobody had started a thread like this, what with Iron Man's increased popularity this year....
 
I've been trying to gather all of the images and data for this thread for a while, but I just haven't been able to find the time (especially with finals coming up). When I get the chance I'll make a poll for this. Unless somebody else wants to. I was going to include Iron Man's original grey armor, the grey armor that was modified with gold, Iron Man's classic red and gold armor, the Stealth armor, the Silver Centurion armor, the War Machine armor, the Prometheum armor, SKIN armor, the Hulkbuster amor, the Extremis armor, the Ultimate armor, the movie armor(s), and several other armors. I wasn't going to include all of Iron Man's armors, just the most prominent and/or recognizable. Some people may not recall what the Prometheum or SKIN armors are or what they look like, which is why I was going to include images. I was surprised nobody had started a thread like this, what with Iron Man's increased popularity this year....

The Extremis armor for two reasons - I like the slick, streamlined look and I like the functionality. #2 would be War Machine...I mean, come on. It's War Machine.
 
Strangely, I love the Buscema era armor, most likely cus Eric used it in Enter the Mandarin, but it was also the armor I grew up on. With that said, I also love the Extremis and Hyper Velocity armors too.



Tell me this isn't hot

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I liked the Ultimate Armour most. I thought it looked pretty damn cool.
 
The Ultimate definitely. What I love about it is that it looks like it's build for functionality, you can see a bit more of the technology in it as to how the design process could have gone. And just to be helpful:

Ultimate:
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Extremis:
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Extremis hands down

I actually think the movie's kinda one-upped it, but the Extremis armour just rocks

I've never really clicked with the Ultimate Armour, but I like it far more than Madueira's lame *** attempt at the Ultimate Armour.
 
I'm gonna have to side with the movie armor.

It's a great blend of the streamlined Extremis and the functionality of the Ultimate armor.

Even Adi Granov stated that he loves the movie version of his creation due to the realism of it. With the Extremis design he just drew what he thought was cool. But with the movie he needed to actually justify and change the armor to fit with actual human workings.
 
What is your favorite Iron Man armor? (will a mod please merge this?)

Will a mod please merge this with the other thread?
 
Re: What is your favorite Iron Man armor? (will a mod please merge this?)

This doesn't have a poll either
 
Though Stark's wide array of armors have many different abilities, they are alike in that they are made of incredibly strong materials bolstered by a force field. Every suit has a self-contained environment, assorted onboard weapons systems, enhanced strength, flight, and various communications arrays and sensors (such as radar and radio). Furthermore, they typically have multiple power sources including a secondary solar energy collection function in the event that conventional recharging methods are unavailable. Older versions of the armor could also fold virtually flat, allowing Stark to store them in his bullet-proof briefcase. The defining ability of Stark's armor are the repulsors situated in the gloves. They originated as a hand attachment, but have since become standard armament. They have been referred to as being magnetic, a blast of charged particles, and as a force beam. In the 2008 movie, the repulsors are a form of steering jet, though they can be used offensively. A later variation on this is the Pulse Bolts, bolts of concussive energy that actually gain energy the further they have to travel, up to a limit of roughly three football fields (about 329 meters). Another defining trait is the chest-mounted "uni-beam", also known as the variobeam, and tri-beam (in the movie it's not given a specific name when Tony says to divert power to the chest RT (repulsor transmitter). Originally a spotlight and "proton beam," it has grown to accommodate a number of other weapons, primarily light and force-based.

Contrary to their appearance, most of Stark's armors are not metal suits. His standard armor suit consists of approximately two million grain-of-sand-sized discrete units, which are shaped to have as large a surface as possible to optimize their effectiveness. The basis of the suit's structural integrity is the powerful force field which permeates the armor's "cells," as well as the whole configuration when active. Each of the "cells" is a tiny unit in its own right, contributing energy and computing power to the entire armor; this is also why the suit can remain functional even after having sustained considerable damage. The basic principle of the suit is holistic; each part contains the whole, as it were. When inactive, the entire suit can collapse on the microscopic level, the cells "folding" in on themselves to take up a smaller volume, like a three-dimensional accordion pleat. While Tony Stark designs every aspect of the armor, the complexity of the design requires that production be entirely automated. Each cell is constructed by using specialized bacteria — the bacteria consume minute amounts of specific metals, arrange themselves on pre-tagged areas on the "chip wafer," then die, leaving a very small amount of iron, or gold, or gallium-arsenide. This method allows great precision in determining the thickness of circuitry. All the details of the armor's construction listed above are laid out in the Iron Manual. However, some armor which appeared after publication of the Iron Manual may well use entirely different methods of construction.

Original
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39
Tony Stark's original grey armor was built around an iron chestplate designed to prevent the piece of shrapnel he'd received in Vietnam from traveling to his heart and killing him. The armor, made from ordinary iron, provided protection from physical attacks, small arms fire, temperature extremes, some energy forms, and acid. Powered by flat linear armature DC motors (rechargeable via any electrical outlet), the exoskeleton boosted the strength of the wearer by about 10 times, and employed negative feedback for motion sensing. Air pressure jets allowed for extended jumps, but not true flight. Weaponry included a chest-mounted monobeam (proton beam generator; useful range was only a few yards), a miniature hacksaw that extended from the gauntlet's fingertips, and magnetic turbo-insulators that allowed Stark to magnetically deflect metal projectiles or bring metal objects to him. Sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. All of the armor's devices and functions were manually controlled by the wearer. Stark constructed at least one updated, form-fitting version, still rigid, upon his return to the United States.
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Golden Avenger
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #40
In order to make the armor less frightening to the general public, Stark created a gold version with a wide array of improvements over the original. The new armor used the three dimensional, collapsible micro-structure now common in Stark's suits, so that it could be folded up and stored in his briefcase while inactive. The chestplate was streamlined so that it could be worn under normal clothing without being noticeable. The suit had a semi-rigid interior with 3D knitted metallic exterior of a lightweight iron alloy, providing the same protection as his old suit did. This was also the first suit to be equipped with a force field generator. Power was still provided by flat linear armature DC motors, now rechargeable via solar recharger as well as electrical outlets, and motion sensing was still provided by negative feedback. The Mk I boot-jets provided limited flight; steering while flying was accomplished by bodily movement. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam (usable as either a concussive force beam or a heat beam), a sledgehammer, hacksaws extending from the fingertips, hand drills, electromagnets allowing him to pull things to him and push them away, and an electrical field generator. Communications and sensor arrays consisted of a loudspeaker, short-wave two-way radio, radar, and a tape recorder. When one iteration of this particular armor was partially destroyed by the Melter, a supervillain who could dissolve iron and iron alloys with a special ray, Stark built an exact copy out of aluminium which was unaffected.
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Proto-Classic
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #48 (1963)
Stark's trademark red and gold armor arose from a battle with a villain named Mr. Doll, who could control the gold armor through a replica figurine. To circumvent the villain's ability, Stark withdrew and constructed a new suit with a significantly different look and a lighter build- thus allowing him to devote less of his own strength to moving the armour and more to fighting Mr. Doll's influence-, resulting in the streamlined red and gold suit. The red and gold armor was composed of an ultra-fine 3-D knit alloy and incorporated motors into the knitting to allow full mobility. While it ran on the same type of power, the power consumption was much more efficient. The boot jets were upgraded to chemically fueled thrusters, which provided a much faster flight speed. Weaponry consisted of the chest-mounted Mk II Monobeam (useful range was still only several yards), repulsor rays, a proton gun, and powerful electromagnets to pull metal objects to him or repel/push them away. Communications and sensors consisted of a short-wave radio. Other features included an image reproducer and collapsible roller skates. Most functions were controlled by miniature electronic switches mounted on the insides of various pieces of the armor such as the helmet and the gloves; by pressing various combinations of them, different systems were engaged. The switches in the helmet were enabled by the wearer's tongue; other functions were utilized with wrist-mounted controls. Beyond these features, Stark also occasionally experimented with cosmetic modifications such as adding a nose indentation on his faceplate, or rimming the face-plate with rivets. While the appearance of the armor changed only slightly, over the years its technology improved by leaps and bounds, resulting in vastly increased strength, speed, and firepower. Control of the armor was slowly shifted from motion feedback and internal buttons to cybernetic controls, which could sense and interpret the wearer's own brainwaves and respond accordingly. The pacemaker function of the chestplate was also eventually abandoned, as Stark's heart was repaired using artificial tissue. It is hinted that Tony Stark based the new cosmetic improvement on a childhood fantasy, as the red and gold color scheme came from his elementary school's colors, and the whole "Iron Man" motif from the eponymous song by Black Sabbath.
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Post-Proto
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #56
See: Proto-Classic
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Classic
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #3
See: Proto-Classic
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Space
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #142
While based on the same design principles, this suit's matrix was formed non-collapsible to increase its protection from the rigors of deep space; also, its specialized nature made collapsibility unnecessary. Power was provided by a Mk IV micro-nuclear supply pack, supplemented by solar power converters. Systems were controlled via a cybernetic interface, though it proved to be overly sensitive; when Stark first used the armor he had difficulty triggering the appropriate command to activate the feature he wanted. The suit was designed for extended time outside of the atmosphere, up to two days in orbit (food and catheterization capable). The life support, boot jets and altitude maneuvering were powered by an on-board supply of liquid oxygen. Weaponry consisted of palm-mounted third-generation Repulsors (electron beams which require laser ionized path of air to travel through the atmosphere; the beam is moderated using a pulsing beam and early form of adaptive optics; objects are jolted away from the beam path by the combination of ionized air and the accelerated neutron beam) and a chest-mounted Unibeam (a variable intensity light source usable as a spotlight or a laser; the pentagon shape of the emitter allowed for more accurate laser pulsing while in an atmosphere), and epaulet-mounted concussion-burst cannons. Sensors consisted of radar, sonar, infrared scanners, and radio. Additional features included ECM against radar and sonar, and the fully articulated hands could be fired out on retractable cables for use as long-range grapples. The most obvious feature on this special armor was its ability to attain escape velocity without aid of an external thruster, unique to this Iron Man version; however, the nuclear jets which allowed this made the suit bulky, heavy and awkward in Earth's gravity. The dangers inherent in an atomic-energy based propulsion system of such immense power seem to have driven Tony Stark to build the thruster unit which he has been using ever since. A new space armor was created later on, intended to function for weeks on end without maintenance, recharging or restocking of resources. It was able to evade the sophisticated sensors on Kree and Shi'ar spaceships as well as interface with their technology. It also possessed an extremely powerful self-destruct mechanism via its fusion reactor.
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Stealth
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #152
The Stealth armor is another of the specialized suits of armor developed by Tony Stark for specific missions, similar to the Space Armor; indeed, its creation was inspired due to him being tracked by radar during his use of the Space Armor. The Stealth Armor was designed using current "stealth" technology to allow Iron Man to foil detection devices and slip unknown in and out of restricted areas. This sleek, jet black suit (composed of impact resistant carbon-composites overlaid on top of layered "flex-metal" which can condense itself like a 3-dimensional accordion pleat) was a polarized metal mesh armor that uses every bit of space for detection and evasion components, and therefore was originally designed with no weapons. Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry, though the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suit's functions for a short time. It was able to recharge itself from electrical sources, a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold, and solar power. The suit utilized force field technology to render Iron Man electronically invisible- a layer of low density plasma would be held in place by a focused magnetic field, and the tripole waveform reflected radar, along with a wave modifier that bent the radar around it. To quash any detectable infrared signature, the armor's boot-jet exhaust was "washed" by bursts of super-cooled air. The micro-turbines on his jet boots possess assisted air liquification devices, rings of liquid oxygen jets, that cool the boots' emissions. The Stealth Armor was later upgraded with a manually-controlled camouflage effect that provided the wearer with invisibility to visual or camera detection, but only against backgrounds that are mostly of one color. Another addition was the palm-mounted Mk IV Repulsors, though they only had enough energy to fire three shots at full power. Tony's Mark III Stealth unit was specifically designed to combat the Black Panther's anti-metal vibranium claws- it is composed entirely of advanced composite ceramics and experimental bio-neural gel-pack circuitry, fused with a kevlar-like polymer and backed by optical fiber networks; all of which comes down to an armor which was invisible to electronic detection systems as well as the naked eye, even the Black Panther's. Although the development of Stark's new cloaking technology for the Mark 25 "S.K.I.N." armor probably rendered the Mark III unit's stealth technology obsolete, the Mark III Stealth armor is nevertheless an effective weapon against opponents such as the Black Panther and Magneto because of its plastic/ceramic design.
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Silver Centurion
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #200
Stark began creating the Silver Centurion armor as a method of working out ideas and experimenting. The S-circuit, which uses its energy more efficiently, is an example of the breakthrough developed by Stark, using the armor as a model. With the destruction of Circuits Maximus by Obadiah Stane, Stark donned the newest set of armor to battle the foe that stripped him of his business, his friends, and almost his life. The battle with Stane was the first field test of this armor, and resulted in the defeat of Stane and the destruction of Stane International. The suit had a rigid interior and a 3-D knitted metallic exterior, providing protection from physical attacks as well as acid, heat, cold, most forms of energy, radiation, and electricity. A 3-D knitting pattern on a submolecular construction level gave the armor itself more strength, while allowing for the most comfortable suit interior. By expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor could encase itself in a protective force field that was effective against most forms of attack; Stark could also use this field to polarize the armor to either attract or repulse other items via magnetic polarity. Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry, though the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suits functions for a short time. It was also able to recharge itself from electrical sources, a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold. Flight was accomplished via Mk IV boot-jets (which incorporated high-speed duo-source turbines), supplemented by a booster pack that enabled the armor to attain speeds up to 750mph in the air and 180mph in the water. Weaponry consisted of a chest-mounted Mk III Unibeam (search light, heat beams, tractor beam, laser beam, and ultraviolet light beam), palm-mounted Mk III Repulsors (laser-guided particle beam emitters), pulse bolts (slow-moving high energy plasma discharge "torpedoes" that build in intensity as they travel through the atmosphere, picking up static and ambient energy and thus doing more damage the farther they travel), and a sonic emitter (generating high-frequency sound waves). Sensors consisted of a full band audiovisual transceiver, radar, sonar, infrared scanners, and an electromagnetic scanner that could, by measuring the variances in the magnetic fields in structures, reverse-engineer a schematic of the layout where power lines ran inside of the walls and overlay the layout onto the visual display inside the helmet. The suit also had power cords in his belt that he could connect to any kind of power conduit and siphon that energy to add to his reserves. One notable feature of the suit was the hologram emitter, which could generate up to 12 simultaneous images of the armor. It could also be used to generate a "chameleon field" around itself; the computer in the armor would analyze its surroundings and generate a hologram to make it blend in with the surroundings making it effectively invisible visually and to cameras. Unfortunately, the "chameleon effect" module interfered with the cybernetic controls of the armor, providing nasty feedback and massive headaches. The Silver Centurion armor- or at least a copy of it, given that the original was destroyed towards the conclusion of the "Armor Wars"- was recently used by Tony Stark to defeat the Mandarin, when his Extremis abilities were temporarily deactivated due to concerns regarding his mental health.
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Hydro
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #218
This unit was designed for salvage missions at the bottom of the deepest oceans -- while Stark's conventional suits function underwater, they were noisy, inefficient, and they leaked. The exact composition is unknown; it is assumed to be composed of the same layered "flex-metal" micro-scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered metal-affinity bacteria which assemble themselves in specific orderly arrays and then expire, leaving behind various metallic deposits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits. A new aligned-crystal production process allowed the construction of a large, semi-spherical headpiece, as transparent as glass. This unit possessed several ocean-specific weapons, such as the electric field of an electric eel, a camouflage 'ink cloud' and small 'manta ray' torpedoes. It also comprised an inner "Escape Suit" that could be jettisoned from the main suit in case of emergency (this inner suit possessed a Unibeam, 2 torpedoes, and the holding bay). Functions were controlled by cybernetic interface.
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Neo-Classic
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #231
During the Armor Wars, Iron Man found himself facing the government-sanctioned armored assassin Firepower. Against this walking, flying armored arsenal, even the Silver Centurion armor did not stand a chance, and it was destroyed. Reluctant to enter the fray again, but forced into action, Tony Stark designed a new suit, even more powerful and versatile than its predecessor, designed specifically to negate Firepower's original advantages, such as a means of disrupting Firepower's targeting systems, a gauntlet-generated energy shield, and more powerful boosters for increased speed. It made short work of Firepower, and Stark was so horrified of the destructive potential of the armor should it fall into the wrong hands, he resolved to destroy it. Fortunately, he changed his mind. The neo-classic armor resembled the classic armor which had endured for many years, with some minor cosmetic changes. Its appearance changed somewhat, mainly becoming more bulky, ostensibly to increase thruster power (its massive boot-jets earning it the some-time nickname "coffeepot armor"). It was also the first armor to incorporate a beta-particle generator, radically reducing Iron Man's external power needs and boosting his already formidable might.
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War Machine
First Appearance: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #281
This suit was created initially by Stark to deal with the Masters of Silence threat; a later version, JRXL-1000, was designed and built for, and worn for a while by James Rhodes. It was designed for all-out warfare, and was also known as the "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit." It was not collapsible, and included far heavier carbon-composite-based armor as well as improved tactical computer systems and automatic targeting. Since the Masters of Silence were protected against Iron Man's usual weaponry (Repulsors and Unibeam), those weapons were removed from the first version of the armor. In both iterations, the shoulder mounted weapons are modular and can be removed and replaced. In the first version, both the double-barreled cannon and the laser blade were fixed (the flamethrower was built over the laser blade casing). In the Rhodes model, the wrist weapons became modular too.
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