Imperial China Mechanised Infantry

The first time I saw Mike Franchina's New Antioch Mechanised Infantry art, I was hooked and I knew I had to draw my own version sooner or later. That piece was a big reason I got into Trench Crusade!

But a great design question arose: how could a practical modern mechanised infantry armour suit retain a recognisable cultural identity? Most, if not all, practical designs are... practical and nothing else.

The New Antioch design naturally uses traditional European plate armour, which looks normal even in a WWI setting. What about Chinese armour? I considered keeping the lamellar structure used throughout countless dynasties, but something just didn't feel right. It makes sense for China to have plate armour technology by WWI, so I combined both worlds: I kept the form factor of Song dynasty Burenjia lamellar armour and forged the armour into larger plates. To avoid looking like 'just a larger guy', I gave it a disproportionately bulged chest like Gypsy Danger and short legs, so it appears thick, heavy and formidable.

I chose a close-up, waist-level shot and deliberately cropped out the head to emphasise the armour's imposing size, making up for the lack of a normal human for scale, unlike in my first piece and Mike's piece.

If you're interested in a custom illustration, commission me.