Alright, I know it's been mentioned but I do use a lot of Blood Elves. My main characters are Blood Elves. I do love Dwarves and I try to keep an open mind by throwing in a Tauren or two. Well...how about Panderans? Duh! They're the newest races and frankly they have a shape that is all their own. The differences in body shape, size and proportion can really skew a favorite transmog set into something....else. I just threw together a few sets that I felt looked good for both male and female pandas.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when transmogging your panda:
Gold line around the toes - All the pandas have panda sandals, with a little gold line around the toes. I personally prefer to have a little gold in the armor to bring that into the set so it's all together.
Big bellies - This can be an advantage and a drawback. The larger belly, especially on males, can show the detail of a chest piece very well. It also sags and can skew the graphic of some belts.
Color differences due to proportion - On multi-colored pieces the emphasis might be on different colors that they would be on a human or a troll. The panda legs are shorter, the bellies bigger, the boots lack toes and so on. So a set that might rock on blood elf may end up looking completely different on panda and the color may not match so well if you did a mix n match set.
Fur - That's right, pandas are furry. This can make a huge difference in some of the peekaboo armor pieces. Some of the grays, reds and blacks match armor or make it look like you're wearing funny underwear under that skimpy armor. Try to avoid pieces that expose skin (fur) in odd spots, basically no revealing legs unless it's a contrasting color.
Preview ALL helmets! - The male panda helm is like...squished. Some don't look so bad but most look like that panda sat on it before putting it on.
Here's the same set on both a male and female panda and a male worgen. The comparison can give you some idea of difference you might see in a set on different races. Better detail on the chest, squashed boots, compact legs and so on. I used the Emerald Legplates here. Interestingly enough, there is a different graphic for male and female, not just in pattern but in color as well. You rarely see that. So I have to admit this isn't the best comparison but it will give you a general idea.
The set here was made around the Ecclesiastical Curiass which shows very well on a male panda. I used the Glorious boots, gloves and shoulders. For the belt and legs I used pieces from the Emerald plate set. There are some variations of this set on WoW Roleplay Gear. For example, they use the Greaves of Pacification. While those legs might have been designed to go with that chest, they do NOT look like that on a panda. You see a lot of the aqua at the knee and not so much of the green or gold and that totally changes the flavor of the legs. Too bad I didn't look this up before making my screenie.
Alrighty, for the ladies! I never thought that any of the Sexy Plate Transmog sets would look good on a panda. However, after flipping through the AH on my panda monk, I tried on the Emerald BP and it wasn't so bad. This lead me to experiment a little. In fact it was the inspiration for putting together some panda plate xmog. I tried to stay away from too much belly bearing (pardon the pun, I had to!) armor and I discovered those Wrath wrestling belts actually work well on the panda girls. And one last tip, a lot of the Paladin tier gear looks pretty darn good on female pandas. I doubt you could go wrong with any of the Paladin look alike sets.
Commander's Plate is the first set. While this is often consider a fairly skimpy set, it doesn't look half bad! I think I prefer this subdued color over some of the brighter colors. Pardon the lack of ears....WMV didn't like them. And yes, there are matching shoulders and belt even though they are not listed on Wowhead.
Emerald Plate looks pretty good despite the change in the torso proportions. There are several recolors for this set listed in my Sexy Plate post and the leg plates for these sets can have variations in model graphics. I used the Bog Pauldrons here.
Heroism and Valor used to be Warrior sets. With some of the changes to Darkmoon Faire, the replica items are now BoE and can be equipped by any class. You can earn the tickets your self or keep an eye on the AH. Wowhead's Darkmoon Faire Updated guide has all the replica sets listed under the Vendor section.
Pyrium Battlegear is one of those "check the contrasting color" sets. I LOVE the way it fits a female panda. However, I had to look up the set before I could tell if those legs were revealing or the reddish brown in the graphic just happened to match her fur! I put the Brackenshell Shoulderpads with the Verdigris Chain Belt to pull the gold toes into the armor. Plus, I do like the big belt on the panda girls!
For the gentlemen I just did three sets. They're so wide another one wouldn't fit the screen! I think the helms and shoulders in each of these sets work well with the male panda model. Things to consdier on a male panda...only worry about hte color of the boots, the design won't show. While two of these sets are warrior tier, the Death Knight tier and look alike sets look very good on the male panda. Especially some of the pvp sets. Too bad pandas are warriors only. I also found that the Wrath "wrestling belts" did NOT do a thing for me when they were on a male panda. The belt droops down to accommodate the big belly and the graphic just looks....unappealing.
Conqueror's Siegebreaker is a very fun set on a male panda. You can see the details of the whole chest and I even like the way the helm fits. Bonus, it's warrior tier and mostly purchasable with Justice Points in Dalaran. One small problem, I lost my notes and I am not sure what boots I used with this set!
Battlegear of Wrath is one of original Warrior tier sets. There are no short cuts with this set. No Darkmoon Faire items or Justice Point tokens so be prepared to run the Vanilla raids. Good thing is you no longer need to be in a raid to enter a raid instance. There is also a green recolor of this set.
Gateshattering Battleplate is very easy to get and is one of the few sets where the male chest is skimpier than the female. I like the detail on this set but I usually don't use it because it is so fine. It does provide a very unique look for the male panda however.
Hope this gives you a nice start if you're looking for a plate set that is flattering to your panderan. Of course you may not be as worried about "flattering" as I am. Silly me, I like my armor to match well, look good and fit my character's shape. Happy xmogging!
