Remember, feedback on artwork is appreciated and encouraged. :)

Well... it certainly has been a while. Life has taken many turns for myself over the past year, but I'm happy to say that things have finally settled and I'm once again ready to resume Visualizing the Halo Universe. So without further delay, here is the next week's subject.

Subject:

The original Mark II or Mark III exoskeletons

Specifications:

- Keep in mind the appearance of the original Mark I exoskeleton (seen below)
- The Mark II should exhibit a physical tether to a power source, and a slimmer profile than the Mark I
- Keep in mind that the Mark III was the basis for the Cyclops exoskeleton featured in Halo Wars (hence its designation as "Mark III [B]")

Sources:

Halo: The Fall of Reach
Halsey's Journal
Halo: Fall of Reach "Bootcamp" (comic)

Secondary Sources:

The Halo Encyclopedia
Halo: The Essential Visual Guide

Details:

Having long been the dream of mankind, true exoskeleton battle suits for military application were finally accomplished in the first year of the 26th century. The project, determined to augment the physical capabilities of soldiers on the battlefield, was a failure in all practical senses. While the first series of suits were incredible, allowing the users to lift two tons and run at speeds of 32 KPH (~20 MPH), they were heavily restricted by requiring the suit to be constantly tethered to a power source. This meant that combat applications were out of the question, and the approximate 40 suits that were produced were relocated to docking bays and titanium mines on the planet Reach.

The Mark II, a continuation of the previous project, featured inevitable improvements over the previous version, such as enhanced protection from explosives via a refractive coating, and increased self-sealing functionality for operations within a vacuum. However, the second series was limited for the same reason as the first... it still required a tether to a power source in order to operate.

Finally doing away with the issues of the first two series, the Mark III tackled the primary issue that had plagued the first two series of exoskeletons, allowing power to be transferred to the suit wirelessly. Created ten years after the first series, it promised to be everything that the first two were not... and yet it failed more spectacularly than any before it. Although physical cables had been removed, the range that the wireless transmitter could send power was still limited, effectively keeping the unit tethered within a certain proximity to the power transmitter. Compounding this problem, if the power generator were destroyed, the unit would shut down completely, leaving the operator locked within what was effectively a metal cage. The Mark III was never approved for use, but did inspire a second variant of its design (the Mark III [B]) that was created with construction and demolition work in mind. Ironically, this second variant, (dubbed the "Cyclops") would find its own uses on the battlefield in assisting with the destruction of enemy fortifications.

Extra Credit:

Depict more than one (or all three!) exoskeletons.

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Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Keep in mind that with our new schedule you now have one week to submit your entries.

And feel free to let your friends know that Visualizing the Halo Universe is back! The more people participate, the more great artwork and writing we'll all get to enjoy!