In the past, I’ve stated that the reasons for Spartan Armors like the Mark IV/VII looking like other variants or why certain armors have appeared when they shouldn’t have (they’re external components, it’s the inside that matters) are dumb. I realize that I have not been clear as to why I think that, so I just want to add some clarity.
I’ve always looked at Chief’s armor as getting more simple and smoother as a result of better technological development. Fort example, the giant “hump” on the Mark V, to me, looked like the shield generator (because it was still a new thing at the time), and then the Mark VI comes around and it’s more streamlined and less bulky because they made the shield generator less huge. Tl;dr, the external components of Mjolnir have always seemed to reflect the advancements in technology for it.
But then you have things like Halo: Legends (“The Package”, in particular), and other inconsistencies with armor design, forcing them to create the “It’s what’s inside that matters” explanation that negates the technological evolution. It still bothers me that Naomi’s Mark VII apparently looks like Mark V. It’s a more advanced version of the Mark VI, and it looks like an outdated series? I don’t think so.
My point is, I wish they would keep a consistent appearance with armor generations, that is all.
There are different variants of armours… there isn’t a single mark V, IV, VI, variant…
The Mark IV prototype had several different aesthetic tweaks to accommodate the internal design, and, necessary research and development for specialized variants.
Some variants of the Mark IV didn’t appear substantially different to the Mark V and Mark VI “basic” kits; because there isn’t truly a “basic Mark IV-VII”.
Here’s an interesting thing about the Mark V GEN2 variant… It’s anterior shield generator is about the same size and shape as Red Team’s prototype introduced somewhere around 2536. If you customize the armor right it’d be a “Mark IV”- although it has been continuously implied there are no generic prototypes.
In fact I’d think the Mark IV would have been signature-tailored for each individual. Which explains Blue Team’s appearance.
With John it is implied, or at least shoved in there due to licensing, his modified Mark VI is based on components used either before or after the Battle of Circinius.
Fred used Commando, which is just an ad-hoc modification to the “standard” Mark IV.
Kelly is EVA, of course, but it pretty much looks like a standalone revision unique to her.
Linda wears a rudimentary prototype of Scout, which for some reason follows a generic path like the Mark IV Kommando- only being tactical improvements to a generically independent kit. It looks scary too, so that makes it better than half the Spartan-IV helmets.
I’m so used to visualizing all of them wearing the same armor as Chief (I was going off of the book covers), kinda like how ODSTs wear the same armor, though certain ones have minor tweaks.