Thank you for displaying the workflow with screen shots. Very helpful and informative.
I’ve worked with modifiers, too. But your approach seems even more effective to me.
I like the combination with the shield, very stylish.
I think to separate the parts with different materials for the UV map is a good idea. And it is alway a good idea to use the place effective with less empty space but some room between the object (seems) and to have uniform surfaces without stretch . So it looks good for me.
It depends on how you want to texture and how you want to use the model later on.
Thats my way for the decisions of unwrapping. I have already used several UV maps or put parts on top of each other etc..
However, I have little experience with texture painting and which uv is most useful there.
Have a nice holiday
