Neither exatly look like proper pauldrons.... Which isn't to say they have to, but what's a Plate mail without extra-broad shoulders? And if I had to be picky, the thigh side plates... they're neither here or there. They'd look awesome on some kind of cloth/plate combined late Renaissance period (yeah f**cking 17th and 18th centuries, the golden age of sea piracy), but you need to add some cloth to make it look good, like these guys (showing how combined melee/bulletproof armor looks):
However, to have a proper late Medieval plate, the side plates needs to be hung higher, about belt level, as legs can be chopped off by a strike coming at the hip joint (not that important for a late Renaissance armor), and the pauldrons need to be either more massive and/or more anatomical (example goes here:
)
Not saying either approach is better.
(and I liked Roman-style sculpted abs!)
