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I never understood why these fancy high tech armors lacked halo (dunno correct word) protection for knees and elbows and around the groin, medieval armor had such thing, maybe it's too complex for mold casting?

Why?

Easier to cast, tassets (hanging plates over hip joints)add more parts to the mold, at least in plastic, and to look good it would make nasty undercuts in pewter. I think Primaris now have tassets over their hips?

In universe theory is that the flexible join is nearly as strong as the plates. Platemail uses chainmail for the insides of joints, so had the same (relative) weakness.

 AegisGrimm wrote:
In universe theory is that the flexible join is nearly as strong as the plates. Platemail uses chainmail for the insides of joints, so had the same (relative) weakness.

I know medieval armor had ring mail at the shoulder area, but not at the elbows and knee?

Ring mail doesn't deflect arrows like full plated halos does.

Thanks for answer.

 AegisGrimm wrote:

In universe theory is that the flexible join is nearly as strong as the plates. Platemail uses chainmail for the insides of joints, so had the same (relative) weakness.

I also think that Space Marines are generally fighting with shoulders pointed at the enemy (gun-line), leaving very little exposed joints. The arm-pit area is protected by the shoulder guards and the back of the knee is just about the only exposed part, and even that is being shot at from the side. Tau armor has a more extreme version of this, with only one shoulder having any real solid armor, relying on body stance to put all their armor towards the enemy.

 John Prins wrote:
I also think that Space Marines are generally fighting with shoulders pointed at the enemy (gun-line), leaving very little exposed joints. The arm-pit area is protected by the shoulder guards and the back of the knee is just about the only exposed part, and even that is being shot at from the side. Tau armor has a more extreme version of this, with only one shoulder having any real solid armor, relying on body stance to put all their armor towards the enemy.

Look at your own picture of that Tau suit, it has a arm exposing it's own armpit, so it is if he was fighting with a melee weapon. Or a any other enemy with melee weapons can easily fit a sword up his armpit even if he's shoulder is in rest position.

Tau Battlesuits have the pilot curled up in the chest. The arms and legs (and head for that matter) are entirely mechanical.

yeah, the tau is only in the chest. Unless you think tau have box heads.

Armour in 40k makes no sense.

1) Many important characters has full plate armour, but no helmet? This, of course, is incomprehensibly stupid.

2) Only terminator armour uses bevors. Shot in the throat and you die.

3) Pauldrons are absurdly large and unarticulated. Attacked from above? You can't return fire. Or scratch your nose. Or remove your helmet without help.

4) Breast plates have no faulds and there are no tassets that extends to the cuisses. The stomach and groin area seems to covered by hard bits joined with cloth.

pismakron wrote:
Armour in 40k makes no sense.

1) Many important characters has full plate armour, but no helmet? This, of course, is incomprehensibly stupid.

2) Only terminator armour uses bevors. Shot in the throat and you die.

3) Pauldrons are absurdly large and unarticulated. Attacked from above? You can't return fire. Or scratch your nose. Or remove your helmet without help.

4) Breast plates have no faulds and there are no tassets that extends to the cuisses. The stomach and groin area seems to covered by hard bits joined with cloth.

In general I'd agree, but these points aren't hard to refute in part:

1.) Artistic license. They're helmetless to look cool, it shouldn't be assumed they run around without helmets all the time in battle. It's the same reason they show the inside of Tony's helmet on Iron Man, to humanize the character.
2.) Most modern military armor doesn't have bevors either. SM armor has the chin of the helmet mostly brushing up against the breastplate, minimizing weak areas, and plenty of other examples of neck protection can be found (primaris, SoB), though some are bad (eldar), but flexible armor has been a thing in 40K since day one, so unless it's a bare neck, make no assumptions
3.) Agreed, though with autosense and targeting software, you can shoot up accurately without raising your arms above shoulder height. I'd argue that the scopes on bolters are more silly in that regard, though it could just be a camera feed into the helmet optics. And it's entirely likely SM don't take off their own armor at all, there has been art of them being dressed by serfs/servitors - they're essentially bolted into it, much like the earliest Iron Man suits from the movies.
4.) Again, just because it looks like cloth doesn't mean it's not armor. In general 40K armor does look too rigid/unarticulated, but even the biggest plates could be semi-flexible when needed - parts of 40K tech are really insanely advanced.

So yeah, GW could do better on the realism front, but very few SF franchises do a whole lot better.

The joints are somewhat of a weak point in power armour (as they are in every type of plate armour), but they are not unprotected. They are covered by a flexible armour which looks a bit like the hose of a vacuum cleaner.
So it is just like medieval plate armour, which had joints protected by chainmail or padded cloth armour.

 Iron_Captain wrote:
The joints are somewhat of a weak point in power armour (as they are in every type of plate armour), but they are not unprotected. They are covered by a flexible armour which looks a bit like the hose of a vacuum cleaner.
So it is just like medieval plate armour, which had joints protected by chainmail or padded cloth armour.

But still it's thinner and thus more vulnerable.

I am always protected. This thread is slanderous!

*Libellous. It's written down.

I read everything on the internet out loud to myself in imagined voices. It's slanderous!