History Main / ImprovisedArmour

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'': During the last episode of the fourth season Lightning creates a suit of armor consisting of sheet metal from a trash can and a smashed in frying pan for a helmet, while Cameron creates a of armor with a laptop he coded to become said armor.

* Up-armouring was not always a good thing, a common modification of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman M4 Sherman]] was a extra plate welded over the ammo racks. Unless done very skillfully to hide the change (painted over, weld smoothed down), this just provided a 'shoot here, explode me' marking. The first M4 "Jumbo" Shermans were a desperate field modification using additional armour, scavenged from tank wrecks, welded to the original armour of the M4. British tanks used smaller "patches" of additional armour spot-welded over the tank's most vulnerable points: this was preferentially done to the more valuable Sherman Fireflies, up-gunned with the 17 pounder main weapon that allowed British tanks to compete with Tigers and Panthers at least in terms of an equivalent weapon. this only serrved to identifiy Fireflies to the savvier German gunners...

* Possibly in the spirit of Kelly, the desperate expedient in wartime New Zealand, the Semple Tank, consisted of a civilian tracked bulldozer given an armoured shell out of ''anything'' that happened to be immediately available. The lash-up desperation vehicle had more than a look of the HeathRobinson about it and was utterly useless for any sort of combat. The Semple tank was scrapped when better purpose-built vehicles were made available.

* In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, tankers would weld spare tread links onto their tanks or even use sandbags. Later, when shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons became more common, they would use thin metal sheets or wire mesh as so-called slat-armor to detonate the shaped charges away from the tank's armor.

* Up-armouring was not always a good thing, a common modification of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman M4 Sherman]] was a extra plate welded over the ammo racks. Unless done very skillfully to hide the change (painted over, weld smoothed down), this just provided a 'shoot here, explode me' marking.

* In ''TheLostRoom'', the protagonist uses the Coat as body armor, as Objects are indestructible. He is still hurt (unlike actual body armor, the Coat does nothing to spread the impact of a bullet).

* In the vampire comedy ''Eat Local'' (2017), one character tied to a chair has a metal bucket placed on his head. He's just griping over this [[ImmediateSelfContradiction when a bullet is stopped by the bucket]].
-->"Well that's not going to help is it?! [bullet slams into bucket] OK...it was pretty helpful. Thank you very much."

* In some ''{{Lufia}}'' games, some of the equipment available early in the game is a Pot helmet, and a Chopping Board shield.

* ''Series/TheWire'', when Omar ends up in prison he [[DuctTapeForEverything duct-tapes]] several thick books to his body before going to shank an enemy as an example to the other inmates.

* In ''Film/TheGauntlet,'' ClintEastwood welds steel plates together to create an armored compartment around the driver's area of a passenger bus.

* In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire2'' the first helmet you can buy is called a SaladBWL. Guess it's better than nothing.

* [[GiantMook Heavy Troopers]] from ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' wear a body armor suit made out of a bomb disposal suit, with cannibalized plates reinforcing weaker spots, and an aviation helmet to top it off. This makes them [[MightyGlacier slow as molasses but more durable than anything else in the game]], and [[GenreSavvy they're dangerously aware of it]], requesting covering fire all the time and rarely attacking alone, when their weaknesses are at their most dangerous.

* During the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_hollywood_shootout North Hollywood shootout]], one of the bank robbers wore a full suit of patchwork body armor, including bullet-proof vests wrapped around his legs. The other robber simply wore a BulletproofVest with a metal trauma chestplate. Soon, however, the SWAT team arrived, in addition to a number of the regular officers acquiring assault rifles from a nearby gunstore, and both robbers soon learned the hard way that their body armor was only effective against the considerably less powerful handgun ammunition that the beat cops carried. Rifle rounds travel much faster and tend to go through kevlar quite easily, which is why soldiers wear ceramic armor plates inside their vests.

*** Used again in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', where Caesar's Legion makes ersatz Roman armor out of football pads, baseball catcher's pads, and the occasional tin dinner plate.

* There are many examples in the VideoGame/{{Fallout}} 'verse, but the most obvious are the Raider armours from VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}. Highlights include using sieves as a bikini, a cow skull as a shoulder pad and an empty shell of a spherical hovering robot as a helmet. In ''Fallout 3'', Super Mutants wear bits of tire as shoulder guards, while their Behemoths wield car doors as bucklers.

*** Used again in VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas, where Caesar's Legion makes ersatz Roman armor out of football pads, baseball catcher's pads, and the occasional tin dinner plate.

* In ''Videogame/TheEscapists'' the player can craft a variety of armoured versions of their jumpsuit. Possible sources of protection include a pillow, a book or sheet metal (the strongest).

* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' the GLA has pickup trucks and tanks which can be upgraded by collecting wreckages of destroyed enemy vehicles, which they use as improvised armor.

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* ''[[Literature/{{Emberverse}} Dies the Fire]]'' features many examples. In later books, most cultures have learned to make proper armor, but occasional savage bands wearing improvised armor still turn up, such as the Bekwa, and their trademark stop-sign (or rather, "Arrêt"-sign) shields.

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** ''[[HeroSystem Post-Apocalyptic Hero]]'' gives its front cover character a Stop sign shield and a helmet that started life as sporting equipment.

** Done in ''TabletopGame/AllFleshMustBeEaten'', similar to the ''D20Modern'' example above.

* The infamous Killdozer is a literal buldozer with more than one foot thick armor slapped around it, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer#Bulldozer_modification made of concrete-metal sandwich]]. It's immune to small arms and explosives. The driver sealed himself into the cockpit by lowering a multi-ton concrete block around the cockpit and using TV cameras to see.

* In WorldWarII, tankers would weld spare tread links onto their tanks or even use sandbags. Later, when shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons became more common, they would use thin metal sheets or wire mesh as so-called slat-armor to detonate the shaped charges away from the tank's armor.

* Very popular amongst the [[SocietyForCreativeAnachronism SCA]] heavy weapons fighters. At least until they purchase real armour or learn armoursmithing themselves.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer Simpson builds a bear-hunting suit (with [[LiteralAssKicking one notable gap]]) out of stuff he finds in his garage.

* The GrandFinale of ''WestenAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has [[spoiler:Toph [[ExtraOreDinary bend a metal door]] around her to protect herself from Firebenders.]]

* The infamous [[NamesToRunawayFromReallyFast Killdozer]] is a [[WeaponizedCar literal buldozer]] with more than one foot thick armor slapped around it, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer#Bulldozer_modification made of concrete-metal sandwich]]. [[NoSell It's immune to]] [[ImmuneToBullets small arms and explosives]]. The driver [[ArmoredCoffins sealed himself into the cockpit]] by lowering a multi-ton concrete block around the cockpit and using TV cameras to see.

* In WorldWarII, tankers would weld spare tread links onto their tanks or even use sandbags. Later, when shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons became more common, they would use thin metal sheets or wire mesh as so-called slatt-armor to detonate the shaped charges away from the tank's armor.
* The first M26 Super Pershing sent to Europe was modified by its crew. The Super Pershing was built as an up-gunned variant to kill Tiger IIs and the crew thought it's armour wasn't quite up to the confrontation, so they welded huge slabs of boiler plate steel all over the front, as was not uncommon for up-armouring tanks in the era.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly Ned Kelly]]. His homemade armour stopped at least twenty direct hits during his infamous shootout against Australian law enforcement. Unfortunately for Ned, the armour was heavy and didn't protect him all over. A [[AchillesHeel shot to his ankle]] brought him down.
* Convicted NZ murderer [[http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3351986/No-penalty-for-attack-by-Burton Graeme Burton]] packed newspapers and magazines under his prison uniform when he stabbed another inmate, quite possibly inspiring the examples in ''Series/TheWire'' and ''{{Series/BurnNotice}}'', above.

* In ''Film/TheGoodTheBadTheWeird'', Tae-goo survives a particularly crazy shootout by putting on a huge, metal diver's helmet.
** In the longer alternate ending we learn he survived the three way shootout by also having an oven door hidden under his jacket in another shout out to ''A Fistful Of Dollars''.

* [[InternetBackdraft Without going into the reasons for it]], U.S. soldiers in Iraq resorted to using "Hillbilly Armor" to reinforce their vehicles for better protection against Improvised Explosive Devices (underside armor was an important first step). Some of their designs were so popular and effective that they became "kits" used throughout the army.
** Used in larger scale in WorldWarII. Tankers would weld spare tread links onto their tanks or even use sandbags. Later, when shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons became more common, they would use thin metal sheets or wire mesh as so-called slatt-armor to detonate the shaped charges away from the tank's armor.
*** The first M26 Super Pershing sent to Europe was modified by it's crew. The Super Pershing was built as an up-gunned variant to kill Tiger IIs and the crew thought it's armour wasn't quite up to the confrontation, so they welded huge slabs of boiler plate steel all over the front, as was not uncommon for up-armouring tanks in the era.
*** Up-armouring was not always a good thing, a common modification of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman M4 Sherman]] was a extra plate welded over the ammo racks. Unless done very skillfully to hide the change (painted over, weld smoothed down), this just provided a 'shoot here, explode me' marking.

** Homaged Iin ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'', where Marty manages to slip the door off a stove under his clothes in preparation for his showdown with Buford. It works like a charm, stopping not only the bullet but also causing Buford's punch to backfire. He also [[ImprovisedWeapon whacks him in the face with it]] before [[CurbStompBattle beating him senseless]].
* In ''Film/IronMan'', he has to improvise his first suit of armor [[LockingMacgyverInTheStoreCupboard out of missile parts]], '''[[MemeticMutation IN A CAVE! WITH A]]'''--oh wait, we did that joke already. Then again, this being a life-supporting suit of PoweredArmor with fully operational flamethrower and mostly-operational [[JetPack rocket-pack]], [[GadgeteerGenius "improvised" doesn't do it justice]].