RECON-class Mjolnir

The MJOLNIR Mark VI Recon Variant.

The Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/R variant, colloquially known as Recon Armor, or Recon, is a type of United Nations Space Command body armor and a variant upon the MJOLNIR Mark VI armor.

Development and History

The Recon armor was developed parallel to the Scout Armor in ONI's Ordnance Testing Facility B5D in Swanbourne, Perth, Western Australia. The main purpose of the Recon Armor was to create armor with stealth capabilities and with little or no loss of endurance, specifically by reducing its IR signature, reflective surfaces, and Cherenkov radiation emission. A similar helmet was also used in the Recon variant of the ODST Armor, possibly derived from the MJOLNIR's R variant.

Characteristics

Helmet Characteristics

Unlock: Complete the Vidmaster Challenges. Click "Unlock My Recon" in your Bungie.net Service Record
. The helmet has large, rounded features, with a rise along the top of the head with two black triangles pointing out the front of the head on each side of the rise. It has a thin visor and an area of black alloy beneath it that covers the nose, surrounded by armor. The helmet is largely angular with a pair of what look like breathers, on each side of the mouth and a small indent on the forehead.

Shoulder Characteristics

Unlock: Complete the Vidmaster Challenges. Click "Unlock My Recon" in your Bungie.net Service Record
. The pauldrons look like a more angular version of the EVA, with a box-like shoulder piece and a section jutting out and down the arm, at a 90-degree angle from the shoulder piece.

Chest Characteristics

Unlock: Complete the Vidmaster Challenges. Click "Unlock My Recon" in your Bungie.net Service Record
. The chest piece is similar to the Mark VI but instead of being made up of smooth plates reflecting the human body, it is more angular and flat like the other parts of the armor and reflects it with a few small changes. This chest piece like all armor permutations, is an attachment on to the standard Mark VI armor.

Trivia

Captain Veronica Dare wearing an ONI variant of the ODST armor, with a helmet similar to the Recon armor.

• Perhaps even more coveted than the Recon armor is a chest piece that has flame on the collar, simulating a flaming head. As a misconception, many people believe that there is "Flaming Recon," along with other flaming helmets. This is, in fact, a chest-piece exclusive to Bungie that produces the flaming effect around the head, known as Bungie Armor.
• Recon was mistakenly labeled E.O.B. in many pictures, being translated as meaning 'Employee of Bungie'.
• The game guide makes no mention of the Recon armor. It is noted that Bungie requested that some of the armor permutations not be in the guide.
• The Recon Armor (with flaming helmet) came 10th in the Top 10 Videogame Armor, a feature by Machinima.com.
• On 7/7/09, players that beat a team of Bungie employees in Matchmaking were awarded Recon Armor.
• A helmet worn by the Spartan Jun-A266 in Halo: Reach appears to both resemble the Recon variant and the Scout variant except with a Mark V top.
• McFarlane Toys produced Recon Armor in Red, Blue and Active Camo as rewards obtained through their Halo Points program. White and "Steel" versions of this armor was announced for their sixth series of action figures.
• In Halo 3: ODST, the ONI officer Veronica Dare wears a "Recon" variant of the ODST Armor with a helmet similar to the Mark VI Recon variant.
• During the period of time after Halo 3: ODST's release, the R variant slowly began to retrogress in popularity amongst Halo 3 players; stating that the Recon armor was starting to "lose its luster" in a way due to the now almost frequent encounters much like the Katana, Hayabusa Powered Assault Armor, and the Mark V(m) MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor before it. In addition, a mere week after ODST's release, over 60,000 people gained Recon Armor from completing the Vidmaster Challenges.
• Even before the release of ODST, opinions on the armor were widely varied, and still are today, some consider the armor to be very visually unappealing, while others say it is their favorite armor.
• By getting the Vidmaster Endure Achievement, you can unlock the Recon helmet for your Xbox Live Avatar by logging on to Halo Waypoint. This helmet is Dare's for females, and red for males.