Iconic movie armour 

Necromonger Lord Marshal's armour (II.409)

This fine example of hero armour was worn by Colm Feore when he played the evil Necromonger Lord Marshal in the Vin Diesel cult movie, 'The Chronicles of Riddick' (2004).

It features in the climactic battle scene between Marshal and Furyan renegade, Riddick (Diesel). The costume consists of an ornately detailed metal cowl with a lined mail hood, with links made from titanium, and highly detailed pauldrons with a face design on each side, made of hard rubber urethane. Both the breast and back plates are also made from hard rubber urethane and have hand-cut leather inserts.

Highly imaginative and creative, the suit of armour was designed and built by Ellen Mirojnick, Michael Dennison and costume supervisor James Tyson, during a 12-week pre-production period.

According to production notes from the film they found inspiration in the creations of Filippo Negroli, an Italian Renaissance armour designer. The armour was designed so that it appeared "modified to reflect the stealth and post-modern technology of the Necromongers." Incredibly, it took over two months just to make one set of the Lord Marshal's gloves.

The designers claimed to have taken particular inspiration from a breastplate made by the famed sixteenth century Milanese armourer Negroli. The breastplate was made for Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. The original breastplate is in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, Italy.

The breastplate with its scaly bat-wings containing eyes (a design that is found in Italian armour from about the 1420s onwards) is one of the masterpieces of Negroli and this particular style of sixteenth century armour. The fact that it was used as the basis of this armour says something interesting about the longevity and fascination of this design and provides a clear link between the relevance of past armour design to the artists of today.

Find out more about this armour in our Collection Online record

Lancelot's armour (II.408)

As well as the Riddick armour, the Royal Armouries has also been successful in acquiring Lancelot's screen-used hero armour from John Boorman's cult movie 'Excalibur' (1981). In the movie which stars Nicholas Clay, Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson, Lancelot (Clay) is a knight who offers his services to Arthur (Terry), including bringing the bride-to-be Guinevere (Cherie Lunghi) to Arthur for their marriage.

The resulting affair between Lancelot and Guinevere causes the downfall of Camelot. The climactic battle against Mordred (Robert Addie) sees Lancelot return once again to fight alongside Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table for Camelot, although the battle ends with the death of Arthur at the hands of Mordred.

The armour was worn by Lancelot in numerous scenes, including the initial meeting between Lancelot and Arthur, the accompanying of Guinevere to Camelot and the search for the Holy Grail.

Made for hero use, it featured in close ups and non-combat sequences, such as the woodland wedding of Arthur and Guinevere. It was one of two made for the film, the other was a stunt armour made specifically for combat.

The armour consists of ornately detailed metal (aluminium) pieces with a distinctive close helmet with a winged pivoting visor, breast and back plate, pauldrons, arm defences, gauntlets, leg armour and sabatons. The entire armour was originally given a mirror bright finish.

A highly creative suit of armour, it was designed and built by the British film armourer Terry English who has worked on many movies including 'Jabberwocky' (1977), 'First Knight' (1995) and 'Aliens' (1986). In 1974, English made a copy of the Henry VIII tonlet armour and has also made material for the Royal Armouries in the past including two armours made for the Education department in the mid-1980s, of which some elements are still in use

'Excalibur' is noted as one of the most important modern retellings of the tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. More than any other film adaptation, the armours were amongst the finest produced for an Arthurian epic and caused much comment.

Plate armour was used extensively, and many made the point that during the time of the "authentic" Arthur, who would have been a warlord of the sixth century (if he did in fact exist) such armour would not have been used. These critics, however, miss that the movie derives its design ethic from Victorian Pre-Raphaelities and Secession artists such as Gustav Klimt.

Find out more about this armour in our Collection Online record