Plate Manica

[Tarbicus]

Which brings me back to one observation. The girdle plates of the lorica segmentata tend to overlap downwards. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander?

I don't believe so in this case. Unless the legionary kept his arm constantly pointed down at his side in battle, in which case it would act as well as a seg. However, they tended to point towards the enemy they were trying to stab, which gives it the opposite direction to a seg when the legionary was leaning forwards and the gaps in the seg were pointed away from the enemy.

By having the plates overlap upwards that would then mimic the combat orientation of the seg plates, with the vulnerable openings facing away from the enemy. Then it would be sauce for the gander.