A wholly biased wishlist of the Space Marine models that need updates this edition.
I think we can all agree that Space Marine players are underserved and desperately need some new additions to their range. No? We don’t all agree? Well, no matter, because we can definitely agree that we’ll be getting new Space Marine models before long, like it or not. But what would actually be nice to see this edition? I have a few thoughts.
I’m not a tactical enough player to have serious ideas about where Space Marines as an army need help. But as someone with a preference for narrative play and an appreciation for the roots of 40k’s aesthetics, I have a lot of opinions.
Right now there are a couple of units in limbo that I’d very much like to see updated, and a pair of venerable models that could use a facelift alongside those units.
Complete the Rubicon Primaris
Right now, the only true issue I have with the Space Marine range (aside from Centurions, I just hate them), is the fading glory of the iconic Tactical Squad. Relegated to Firstborn only, the Tactical Squad is one of the building blocks of 40k. This iconic unit deserves to have a Primaris equivalent. Don’t get me wrong, I like Intercessors just fine. But there’s something so foundational about a squad of 10 Space Marines led by a sergeant and with a couple of heavy and special weapons mixed in for support. And don’t get me started on the lack of back banners these days.
Now, the Tactical Squad will certainly live on as legacy First Born models/rules, and I suspect we are going to see it make an appearance in an upcoming “Scouring Era” sourcebook for the Horus Heresy. We can already see signs of this as many of the Heresy-era Inductii squads are equipped in ways that suggest they are sort of “transition fossils” bridging the gap between 31st and 41st millennia. Where 30k tactical squads saw units of up to 20, all equipped with bolters, some of the late-Heresy Inductii squads saw mixed weaponry like the Salamanders and Imperial Fists Inductii, who can have a few meltas or flamers for a little extra punch.
Still, I want the classic Tactical Squad to return to the fore of 40k marine armies. Ideally, they’d be accompanied by a Primaris version of the classic Devastator squad, as well. Hellblasters and Eradicators are all well and good, but I love building a unit of mixed weapons. It’s an itch I just can’t scratch with my new Blood Angels army.
Updated Core Vehicles
It seems clear that the basic transports of the Space Marine chapters aren’t going anywhere. Rhinos can finally transport Primaris Marines, and Land Raiders can finally transport even Gravis-armored dudes. This is fantastic and confirms my belief that the Land Raider and Rhino will both stay in 40k for a good long time. With that said, both of the 40k kits are showing their age. The Rhino in particular looks diminutive next to a Primaris model. Even the Land Raider looks a little on the small side next to the recently resculpted Terminators.
I’d love to see a wave of releases for Primaris Tactical Squads accompanied by lightly redesigned Land Raider and Rhino kits. Even better, this would be an opportunity for a slew of variants like the Crusader and Redeemer. Rhinos could see a variety of their own variants in much the same way that the Horus Heresy Land Raider and Deimos Rhino were gently upscaled a few years ago.
This is low-hanging fruit for Games Workshop in my opinion. I can’t think of any Space Marine players I know who don’t love the hell out of all these models. Imagine a box set in the style of the recent Maximus Battle Group box for Heresy. I know I’d be at my local shop, cash in hand on day one to buy a Primaris equivalent!
Finish crossing the Rubicon, Primaris cowards!
What do you want to see for Space Marines in 11th edition?
Don’t Miss:
Simon Berman has been a wargamer since 1993 and has worked in the tabletop games industry since 2008 as a staff writer for the first three editions of WARMACHINE and HORDES. These days he’s the General President of the Brush Wielders Union, a worldwide organization of miniatures painters of all skill levels, a freelance games writer who has contributed to a number of roleplaying games like Eclipse Phase, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, and The Hammer and the Stake. He runs his own small-press publishing company, Strix Publishing, and paints more miniatures than he can keep track of. Simon lives with his wife in Tacoma, Washington along with a number of cats and a pack of savage wiener dogs.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
