: This inconsistency between the armors is bugging me. Had it simply been
: normal in game footage we were all use to, then I wouldn't care as much.
: But how do you have both types of armor in the same story/game and claim
: they are one and the same???????

: Thanks for reading.

Didn't Frankie say once (in the days leading up to H4) that Cortana had implemented some sort of nano-technological improvement that would affect (improve, repair) the Chief's armor?

I think so. Anyway, you'd need such a McGuffin to explain how the Chief's armor magically holds up while he's in the wild.