Looks amazing. Are the plate and all the equipment now separate objects?
If you animate would you animate the whole group but can still do individual parts? I have been fiddling in blender and wondering at the back of my mind after making these simple things what would be the best way to approach clothing , seems like it would be tricky to get the objects to stay "around" the character without the meshes , well meshing.
This is looking awesome though and you make it seem so simple.
RE: Chestplate Tutorial part 2 : Modelling the back part of the armor