Hey thanks for the background info! I'll definitely take a look at Milanese and Gothic plate; I am always looking for good reference!

Awesome!
I should carify, when I said pinnacle of plate armor, I meant mechanically - strongest, most protective, and offering the greatest degree of movement. But I'm also of the opinion that their design is prettiest.
A quick google netted me this. Milanese/Gothic plate were contemporaries in the 15th century (IE 1400's). These albums are some of the few complete surviving sets. I understand this is primarily functional armor. A simple obvious difference is the presence of fluting in the German armor, largely absent in the Italian armor.

Milanese plate: http://myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=21152

Gothic plate: http://myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=21487

If you're looking for less practical but more artistic armor, I'd recommend taking a look at the plate armor presented to kings. King Henry II of France had some pretty baller armor. The Greenwich armor is pretty neat, and was probably made for King Henry VIII of England, though that's just a guess. The armor of George Clifford (an English Earl) is probably my favorite ornate English set though. The helmet is just fantastic. There are actually more examples beyond those specific ones, but I think they're exceptional enough to mention by name. Just google "king's plate armor" to see the same image results I got.

And if you have any interest at all in the history of the armor (this *might* surprise you, but Iwas a history major once), here's a good introduction explaining why we have the surviving examples that we do, and what differences there were between the styles of different countries.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6ixl93/were_there_other_styles_of_plate_armor_besides/

If you have questions about why certain features are present, I can answer those to the best of my ability, though I'm only a novice. I did some self study on armor design for some stuff I was writing.

You're probably a busy guy, but even if you don't get to use much out of this material, I at least hope you find some enjoyment in it. I love to share bits of history and get people interested in it. And let me know if you do ever release a new skin inspired by this stuff! I'm sure you'd make something amazing. Some people might say "but it's not space weeaboo!" But I say "we have a priest frame, a tree frog frame, a fairy frame, and more!" I think a space knight, like the skin you've made already, would be okay.

Wow, I am really impressed by how in depth your posts are! Thanks again for taking the time to give me some background!

I quite like the Gothic style, and the king's armor is amazing.

I'm not sure I could do an entire warframe themed around these styles, though, as the frames don't exactly have the proper shapes most of the time. I definitely see some elements I'd like to work in and I'd really like to do a Gothic inspired helmet for someone!

Thank you! And not a problem, friend. Sharing history is its own reward.

I think I'm more partial to the milanese helmets, but it's a tough call. I've seen elements of my "ideal helmet" in both styles. If you've ever played Dark Souls (I haven't, ironically) the Elite Knight helm is the shape I tend to love. And yes! I've heard some of those armors could themselves fetch a *literal* king's ransom. They were amazingly expensive for their beauty.

I do a bit of (bad) art, so understand that you can't make it perfect replica. What's more fun is to take elements of something and make it your own. I think that's how most people get into art in the first place. I've also noticed that generally speaking, the skins don't seem to change the shape of the frames too much (going by memory here) - helmets are all over the place though, and seem to give the artist much more creative freedom. Basically, I think I know what you mean when you say the frames aren't the right shape. Valkyr and Excal, with their near human proportions, would be great candidates if you were allowed to bulk them up a bit, or make their joints look hinged. But I don't think you'd be allowed to do that. RIP.

In any case, I'm glad you were able to find some stuff in there you liked, and that it was able to give you some inspiration. That's what this thread was all about, so mission accomplished! You bet I'll keep an eye out for that Gothic inspired helmet.