So I've started reading some of the gaunts' ghosts books. Gaunt is about 2 meters 20. Other normal humans are nearly 2 1/2 meters. Chaos marines are nearly twice the size, so that'd put em over four meters tall. Is that not just a bit stupid? Do they really think that everything is more exciting because everyone is gigantor-huge-maseeve?

Going on these figures, a regular human would look like a nurgling next to a marine.

Shame, cos the books are pretty good otherwise.

It's just to accentuate how far removed from humanity the Space Marines are.

Gaunt is, well... gaunt. He's tall, skinny and sharp-featured.

I don't remember most of the Tanith being particularly tall, and I know the Verghasts that join later tend towards shorter, stockier builds, though I seem to recall several of the Verghasts being as tall as, if not taller, than the Tanith.

It depends on what you define "almost" as being.

GW's official fluff puts marines around 7ft tall.

The Black Library(which is what the GG books you refer to belong) takes many liberties with marine height.

And you don't think there's just a wee bit of deliberate exaggeration?

If a marine with GWs "official" measurements was standing next to you, he'd look absolutely monstrous. Not only is he 7ft somthing, but he's also a good 3 and a half feet wide at the shoulders(in armor)

That will add an illusion of being taller than it actually is. The marine fills up your entire view.


Something outside the norm will always appear more outside than it actually is. Its a quirk of the human mind.

Dan Abnett, specifically, makes his Space Marines abso-fething-lutely huge.

One in an Eisenhorn novel is described as having a pinky finger "the size and shape of an arbiter's truncheon".

Shouldn't being very broad make the Space Marines appear shorter? They're massive of course, but that width and height ratio should make them look stumpy.

Not if you're standing next to one. It would loom like a building.

 Eggs wrote:
So I've started reading some of the gaunts' ghosts books. Gaunt is about 2 meters 20. Other normal humans are nearly 2 1/2 meters. Chaos marines are nearly twice the size, so that'd put em over four meters tall. Is that not just a bit stupid? Do they really think that everything is more exciting because everyone is gigantor-huge-maseeve?

Going on these figures, a regular human would look like a nurgling next to a marine.

Shame, cos the books are pretty good otherwise.

When the feth is Gaunt described as being 2.2 meters tall?

Start of the second book. Page 12;
'Gaunt sat down behind his desk again. He thought about putting his cap on, his jacket. He
looked across the cabin and saw his own reflection in the vast bay port. Two metres twenty of solid bone and sinew, the narrow, dangerous face that so well matched his name...'

One of the generals is described as nearly two and a half.

2.2m = 7ft? It's possible, also depends on what planet Gaunt is from (not read any of those books so no idea) as the gravity could effect it.

So if the space marines he faces are nearly twice his height, that puts them at 12-13ft. Where do they buy their pants...

6'6"-7' is not incredibly tall. There's probably someone pushing 7' for around every two to three thousand people.

It's not as ludicrious as the Mountain in ASoIaF being 8' and something like 400+ pounds of pure muscle.

2.2m is actually getting close to 7 1/2 feet, and he's not even the tallest guardsman in the book. There's a 8 1/2 foot general...

Okay, that's just dumb.

To put that in perspective, rooms in houses are usually 8 feet high, so the general's head would be bent against your roof, and he's supposed to be a regular human.

Well, it makes sense if you follow physical trends. As human society evolves, as our diet and lifestyles improve, so we have grown taller.

IIRC, average height is decreasing in the US and holding steady in most first world countries. Also, if they were average or only slightly above average, I doubt their height would be mentioned at all.

Frankly, a sizeable portion of the Imperium probably has worse diet and lifestyles than we do.

 Amaya wrote:
6'6"-7' is not incredibly tall. There's probably someone pushing 7' for around every two to three thousand people.

It's not as ludicrious as the Mountain in ASoIaF being 8' and something like 400+ pounds of pure muscle.

The Mountain is explicitly a genetic freak of nature though, possessing superhuman physical size and strength. As far as I know, this 8.5' general is not.

Also, his listed weight is probably too light, for a man that height and build.

Considering the actor who plays him is 7' and 320 and would actually need a good 40 lbs to look the part if he didn't sport armor, I'd say so. Really should be like 500-550 at 8'. Monstrous.

Again, though, this is Abnett-verse, where certain characters are, indeed, freakishly huge. The Space Marines that Eisenhorn works with are of the 12'+ variety.

I could have sworn Abnett thought of Marines as being eightish feet tall.

Nah.. like I mentioned upthread, he describes the Space Marine that Eisenhorn is having tea with as having a pinky "the size and shape of an arbiter's truncheon" (direct quote). If you can picture the size of a police baton... if that is a dude's finger, that dude is *gigantic*.

 Psienesis wrote:
Nah.. like I mentioned upthread, he describes the Space Marine that Eisenhorn is having tea with as having a pinky "the size and shape of an arbiter's truncheon" (direct quote). If you can picture the size of a police baton... if that is a dude's finger, that dude is *gigantic*.

Or he just has freakishly large hands!

So Space Marines are basically giants that look like this?

SM: "Don't make me get my Power Fist!"
Miracle Max: "Those are Power Fists!"

 Amaya wrote:
So Space Marines are basically giants that look like this?

Sort of, widen the proportions a little bit and you are spot on.

I can accept humans of that heigh, the Iceman they dug up in Italy was 5:2, humans today average at what, close to six? A seven foot guardsman tens of thousands of years from now, with multiple planetary conditions for humans to develop on doesn't stretch my imagination far.
A twelve foot marine padded out in massively thick armour however does "Sorry Captain, Squad invictus has failed to clear the fortification in sector 6, they found themselves incapable of fitting through the door".
http://images.wikia.com/warhammer40k/images/c/c0/PhilipSibberingSpaceMarineHeights.jpg
I always imagine marines like that now, seems more plausible.

The "canon" Space Marine is like 7'6". Everything else is BL fluff. Not incorrect, just not what GW has themselves said.

Abnett has said in multiple interviews that his early work (The first two Gaunt's Ghosts) were not very in tune with the accepted 40k universe and it wasn't until Necropolis that he really started to "get it". With that in mind, I have no problem throwing out this idea that Gaunt is freakishly tall unless another reference to his height can be found in a later book. Obviously this is my own personal view but I'm not going to let a single sentence act as the measuring stick against with every other individual's height is compared.

In a universe where Ogryn exist it's not hard to imagine humans getting to the same height as Astartes.
Look at the Ultramarine Pausanius. He's so large that he has to wear modified terminator armour. Perhaps he would have been 2m tall or more if he'd remained a mortal.

Gaunt being as tall as an astartes would still not have the presence of the marine who would still be two to three times his size. Astartes are broader and deeper (chest to back) than regular humans.
I've come across people shorter than me who are more physically imposing because of their bone structure and muscle mass.

In the real world im 6ft 7 and i have seen people bigger than me, so i dont think 2m 20 is all that impossible.

and i have stood next to marine at warhammer world that is supposed to be the correct size, and it dwarfed me.

corbec and bragg were taller than Gaunt if i rememeber correctly, i ve just started re-reading them this week.

Psienesis wrote:The "canon" Space Marine is like 7'6".

7' to 7'5", according to Jes in the GW Designer Podcast.

/nitpick

 Grey Templar wrote:
It depends on what you define "almost" as being.

GW's official fluff puts marines around 7ft tall.

The Black Library(which is what the GG books you refer to belong) takes many liberties with marine height.

And you don't think there's just a wee bit of deliberate exaggeration?

If a marine with GWs "official" measurements was standing next to you, he'd look absolutely monstrous. Not only is he 7ft somthing, but he's also a good 3 and a half feet wide at the shoulders(in armor)

That will add an illusion of being taller than it actually is. The marine fills up your entire view.


Something outside the norm will always appear more outside than it actually is. Its a quirk of the human mind.

The liberties can be rationalized in that not all humans are with the same height. So tall humans becoming SM's makes them taller, hormonal or some biochemical reaction, genetic drift due to all the time that has passed between our time and 40k era. Also, it could be the fault of the geneseed could be at fault.

 Psienesis wrote:
Again, though, this is Abnett-verse, where certain characters are, indeed, freakishly huge. The Space Marines that Eisenhorn works with are of the 12'+ variety.

it sis part of the 40k setting though so *shrug*

Look at it this way.

Let's say you are about 5' 10" and some crazed dude in power armor is running at you waving a chainsword and screaming about "blood" or "unbelievers". It doesn't matter if the guy is *only* a foot or so taller than you, you'll absolutely believe he was as big as a house. Because in that moment all sanity will have left you, leaving behind nothing but a gibbering idiot (or a red smear...).

They think it makes them cool.

40K is a setting of mythical-like heroes, who are often described as being giant in proportions. 40k is epic scale.

So I guess George Lucas is obsessed with giants too? you know, Darth Vader, and the wookiees and all?

Well, David Prowse (the man behind the mask of Darth Vader) is a huge dude. Wookiees are aliens, so don't count.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
So I guess George Lucas is obsessed with giants too? you know, Darth Vader, and the wookiees and all?

How are two main characters across six movies an obsession with giants?

 Amaya wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
So I guess George Lucas is obsessed with giants too? you know, Darth Vader, and the wookiees and all?

How are two main characters across six movies an obsession with giants?

Don't forget the wookiee homeworld scenes from Ep III.

You'll note I said main characters. I don't consider a bunch of background wookies in a handful of scenes to being pertinent.

That's like saying Lucas has an obsession with strippers in fishnet because of a handful of Twi'leks appearing the in series.

 Lynata wrote:

Psienesis wrote:The "canon" Space Marine is like 7'6".

7' to 7'5", according to Jes in the GW Designer Podcast.

/nitpick

Spoiler:

(1 square = 1')

That Marine is so obviously 7'6" it hurts.

 Psienesis wrote:
Nah.. like I mentioned upthread, he describes the Space Marine that Eisenhorn is having tea with as having a pinky "the size and shape of an arbiter's truncheon" (direct quote). If you can picture the size of a police baton... if that is a dude's finger, that dude is *gigantic*.

Apparently someone has never heard of hyperbole.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Well, it makes sense if you follow physical trends. As human society evolves, as our diet and lifestyles improve, so we have grown taller.

I don't see this happening.....maybe devolving and growing in weight, but height ??? Hmmm, GMF perhaps...

 Lynata wrote:

Psienesis wrote:The "canon" Space Marine is like 7'6".

7' to 7'5", according to Jes in the GW Designer Podcast.

/nitpick

Spoiler:

(1 square = 1')

I see the pic has been cropped to fix his measurement error

Perhaps he just came up with the height for Gaunt by putting miniatures of a Guardsman and a Space Marine side by side, and working from there?

Funny this thread came up, I was arguing in another because I said marines were nine feet tall and people said only seven.

I cant think of an exact quote, but id swear they are way bigger. Plenty of normal humans hit seven feet, and GW seem to have a bone on for gigantism cos i swear the fethers seem to get bigger with every passing year!

 mattyrm wrote:
Funny this thread came up, I was arguing in another because I said marines were nine feet tall and people said only seven.

I cant think of an exact quote, but id swear they are way bigger. Plenty of normal humans hit seven feet, and GW seem to have a bone on for gigantism cos i swear the fethers seem to get bigger with every passing year!

It sort of depends on the source you read.

Abnett prefers his Marines huge, McNeill and ADB I can't recall really giving specific measurements, FFG prefers the GW-stated seven feet.

Personally I go with seven+ feet average myself.

I see it this way.

We're already making Marines ultra-powerful and god-like kings of war, so we might as well give them all the fixins' and make them epic scale

 washout77 wrote:
I see it this way.

We're already making Marines ultra-powerful and god-like kings of war

Unless a non-Space Marine is the protagonist, in which case they're just somewhat more dangerous than normal enemies.

Harlon was a non astartes protagonist, and he was bad ass to the extreme.

GODwyn Fischig was better.

 washout77 wrote:
I see it this way.

We're already making Marines ultra-powerful and god-like kings of war, so we might as well give them all the fixins' and make them epic scale

6mm isn't very tall

 Void__Dragon wrote:
GODwyn Fischig was better.

No chance. Nayl was nails, I haven't enjoyed reading about a fictional bloke that much since Druss.

Quite a feat considering most of GW's books tended to suck.

Abnett is far and away thier best author in my book, I don't think any of the others come close.

 mattyrm wrote:

 Void__Dragon wrote:
GODwyn Fischig was better.

No chance. Nayl was nails, I haven't enjoyed reading about a fictional bloke that much since Druss.

Quite a feat considering most of GW's books tended to suck.

Abnett is far and away thier best author in my book, I don't think any of the others come close.

Have I mentioned that I love the adjectives that Brits use? Calling a bloke nails is just fething hard. And 'bloke' sounds so much better than guy or dude.

Need to go reread that SAS book and absorb all the dialect so I can co-op it further.

 mattyrm wrote:

 Void__Dragon wrote:
GODwyn Fischig was better.

No chance. Nayl was nails, I haven't enjoyed reading about a fictional bloke that much since Druss.

Quite a feat considering most of GW's books tended to suck.

Abnett is far and away thier best author in my book, I don't think any of the others come close.

Couldn't agree more, and not just cos yer scary Matty

 mattyrm wrote:
No chance. Nayl was nails, I haven't enjoyed reading about a fictional bloke that much since Druss.

Quite a feat considering most of GW's books tended to suck.

Abnett is far and away thier best author in my book, I don't think any of the others come close.

Nayl was a cowardly whoreson, too incompetent to do his duty of protecting the Distaff. By comparison, GODwyn Fischig was a man of honor and true grit, he saved Eisenhorn's life countless times (Notably, it was he who saved him from the Inquisition itself), but as a proper man he had the balls to oppose his superior when he crossed the line.

GODwyn is truly the most heroic individual within the entire setting.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

 mattyrm wrote:
No chance. Nayl was nails, I haven't enjoyed reading about a fictional bloke that much since Druss.

Quite a feat considering most of GW's books tended to suck.

Abnett is far and away thier best author in my book, I don't think any of the others come close.

Nayl was a cowardly whoreson, too incompetent to do his duty of protecting the Distaff. By comparison, GODwyn Fischig was a man of honor and true grit, he saved Eisenhorn's life countless times (Notably, it was he who saved him from the Inquisition itself), but as a proper man he had the balls to oppose his superior when he crossed the line.

GODwyn is truly the most heroic individual within the entire setting.

Meh, all of them suck. Cherubael is the true hero of the books. In truth the Eisenhorn novels are naught but the chronicle of a poor, misunderstood and enslaved creature's heroic but ultimately futile fight for freedom from a series of cruel slavemasters. Besides that, Abnett is ok but he tends to get overrated at times.

 Haunter! wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
Nah.. like I mentioned upthread, he describes the Space Marine that Eisenhorn is having tea with as having a pinky "the size and shape of an arbiter's truncheon" (direct quote). If you can picture the size of a police baton... if that is a dude's finger, that dude is *gigantic*.

Apparently someone has never heard of hyperbole.

It's not a scene written in hyperbole.

Common wisdom from the old Epic sources and in the WDs of that era puts Space Marines at well over the 7'6" that is being quoted here. Not sure where the 12-13' that someone quoted comes from, but 9ft-10ft is bandied about. Personally, I think 9ft might be reasonable, but any more is getting silly.

And matty, good call on Druss. I recently re-read all of the books with him in. I even re-read the Skilgannon books, even though they commit the sin of not having Druss as the main character.

In Helsreach, I believe, they're described as at least 10 feet tall.

KingDeath wrote:
Meh, all of them suck. Cherubael is the true hero of the books. In truth the Eisenhorn novels are naught but the chronicle of a poor, misunderstood and enslaved creature's heroic but ultimately futile fight for freedom from a series of cruel slavemasters. Besides that, Abnett is ok but he tends to get overrated at times.

Cherubael is a punk bitch though.

He has been enslaved, so he is weak. The weak deserve to be slaves.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 kronk wrote:
In Helsreach, I believe, they're described as at least 10 feet tall.

I've heard that too.

Can you cite/quote the book?

I believe some of the Chaos marines attain heights of 12'- 13' after warp mutations, but their original stock was 9' to 10' in height.

I remember one of the Eisenhorn books describing a Chaos Marine as a "god" who towered in height and who's armor, inscribed in daemonic symbols would drive a person insane just by looking at it. Strangely enough, none of them went insane.

 WarOne wrote:
I believe some of the Chaos marines attain heights of 12'- 13' after warp mutations,

Yes. Such a Chaos Marine is usually called Daemon Prince.

Or maybe an Obliterator.

 Breotan wrote:
I remember one of the Eisenhorn books describing a Chaos Marine as a "god" who towered in height and who's armor, inscribed in daemonic symbols would drive a person insane just by looking at it. Strangely enough, none of them went insane.

I remember most of the HH novels saying the space marines were god like in proportions too compared to humans. One of them even talks about how a marine from the HH catches a glimpse into the future of the legions and describes the marines themselves as shadows of the power and size the current marines are. So I take that to mean HH marines would easily be 12 to 15 feet in height right?

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Amaya wrote:
So Space Marines are basically giants that look like this?

Sort of, widen the proportions a little bit and you are spot on.

Think standing next to Shaquille O'Neal as opposed to Kareem Abdul Jabbar... both are tall but one is lithe and lanky the other is a physically imposing hulk.

 OverwatchCNC wrote:

 Breotan wrote:
I remember one of the Eisenhorn books describing a Chaos Marine as a "god" who towered in height and who's armor, inscribed in daemonic symbols would drive a person insane just by looking at it. Strangely enough, none of them went insane.

I remember most of the HH novels saying the space marines were god like in proportions too compared to humans. One of them even talks about how a marine from the HH catches a glimpse into the future of the legions and describes the marines themselves as shadows of the power and size the current marines are. So I take that to mean HH marines would easily be 12 to 15 feet in height right?

Lion El'Jonson without power armour dwarfed Legionairres wearing it. He was 10 feet tall.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

 OverwatchCNC wrote:

 Breotan wrote:
I remember one of the Eisenhorn books describing a Chaos Marine as a "god" who towered in height and who's armor, inscribed in daemonic symbols would drive a person insane just by looking at it. Strangely enough, none of them went insane.

I remember most of the HH novels saying the space marines were god like in proportions too compared to humans. One of them even talks about how a marine from the HH catches a glimpse into the future of the legions and describes the marines themselves as shadows of the power and size the current marines are. So I take that to mean HH marines would easily be 12 to 15 feet in height right?

Lion El'Jonson without power armour dwarfed Legionairres wearing it. He was 10 feet tall.

Iirc in the 2nd DA HH novel the lion hurdles over a line of enemy rhinos to wade into half a company of Sons of Horus legionaries. He has to be 20ft tall at minimum to accomplish that.

 OverwatchCNC wrote:
Iirc in the 2nd DA HH novel the lion hurdles over a line of enemy rhinos to wade into half a company of Sons of Horus legionaries. He has to be 20ft tall at minimum to accomplish that.

Yeah that didn't actually happen. I read Fallen Angel.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

 OverwatchCNC wrote:
Iirc in the 2nd DA HH novel the lion hurdles over a line of enemy rhinos to wade into half a company of Sons of Horus legionaries. He has to be 20ft tall at minimum to accomplish that.

Yeah that didn't actually happen. I read Fallen Angel.

It's right before they hook the DA in the dreadnought up to the giant tank so they can shred the enemy and launch the "nuke" at the enemy held space port. I read it too although I regret it

No it isn't.

The Lion does not step over Rhinos.

 Void__Dragon wrote:
No it isn't.

The Lion does not step over Rhinos.

I don't see why even a 10 foot über human who is a prime example of a human being can't jump over a rhino. If Fulgrim can chop the front end off a wave serpent with his Herculean strength then why can't a Primarch jump over a rhino?

There is a world of difference between stepping the feth over one and simply hopping above it, or running over the top.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

KingDeath wrote:
Meh, all of them suck. Cherubael is the true hero of the books. In truth the Eisenhorn novels are naught but the chronicle of a poor, misunderstood and enslaved creature's heroic but ultimately futile fight for freedom from a series of cruel slavemasters. Besides that, Abnett is ok but he tends to get overrated at times.

Cherubael is a punk bitch though.

He has been enslaved, so he is weak. The weak deserve to be slaves.

Usually I admire people that see things in black and white, and I certainly enjoy contrarians, but you need to explain more clearly when you say something is is so easy to demonstrate to be ridiculous surely?

I mean, I let the Harlon Nayl is a coward thing go, because cowardice can be very objective. I myself prize loyayty very highly, so I disagree that being hard as nails and constantly doing his duty making him a coward for not doing some things a little different, but I could at least understand your opinion.

The above is entirely ridiculous though!

I give you exhibit A - Maximus from Gladiator.

Fate, can make slaves of us all.

If you were a wounded soldier, wandering through the countryside on your way home from your twentieth campaign after a lifetime of brave service, and you bumped into a gang of cudgel wielding slavers, then you are going to wind up a slave. It doesn't matter if you are the toughest man in the world.

Secondly, who deems that anyone "deserves" it?

Chidlren are weak. simply not being strong does not then mean that they entirely deserve their fate.

Or are you some sort of real life Khorne worshipper?

On the origonal topic, I do agree with the size of sm's being 7 to 8 feet. Terminators are normally a bit taller since they've had the extra 200 years or so in service to become vets and during that time they have continued to grow, (slowly of course). I think the best link I've ever come too on the subject is this http://www.philipsibbering.com/wh40k/10-01-marine-morphology.shtml
It's got some great reading.

I also think that GW isn't wrong about making sms taller than normal people. Their size does complement them in my opinion, and while from a realistic standpoint, a sm isn't really what you would want as a fighter, it certainly is cinematic!

 mattyrm wrote:
Usually I admire people that see things in black and white, and I certainly enjoy contrarians, but you need to explain more clearly when you say something is is so easy to demonstrate to be ridiculous surely?

I mean, I let the Harlon Nayl is a coward thing go, because cowardice can be very objective. I myself prize loyayty very highly, so I disagree that being hard as nails and constantly doing his duty making him a coward for not doing some things a little different, but I could at least understand your opinion.

The above is entirely ridiculous though!

I give you exhibit A - Maximus from Gladiator.

Fate, can make slaves of us all.

If you were a wounded soldier, wandering through the countryside on your way home from your twentieth campaign after a lifetime of brave service, and you bumped into a gang of cudgel wielding slavers, then you are going to wind up a slave. It doesn't matter if you are the toughest man in the world.

Secondly, who deems that anyone "deserves" it?

Chidlren are weak. simply not being strong does not then mean that they entirely deserve their fate.

Or are you some sort of real life Khorne worshipper?

Pity the weak, for they alone can not stand against the horrors of the galaxy.
Despise the weak, for it is the strong man's burden to make them of use.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

 mattyrm wrote:
Usually I admire people that see things in black and white, and I certainly enjoy contrarians, but you need to explain more clearly when you say something is is so easy to demonstrate to be ridiculous surely?

I mean, I let the Harlon Nayl is a coward thing go, because cowardice can be very objective. I myself prize loyayty very highly, so I disagree that being hard as nails and constantly doing his duty making him a coward for not doing some things a little different, but I could at least understand your opinion.

The above is entirely ridiculous though!

I give you exhibit A - Maximus from Gladiator.

Fate, can make slaves of us all.

If you were a wounded soldier, wandering through the countryside on your way home from your twentieth campaign after a lifetime of brave service, and you bumped into a gang of cudgel wielding slavers, then you are going to wind up a slave. It doesn't matter if you are the toughest man in the world.

Secondly, who deems that anyone "deserves" it?

Chidlren are weak. simply not being strong does not then mean that they entirely deserve their fate.

Or are you some sort of real life Khorne worshipper?

Pity the weak, for they alone can not stand against the horrors of the galaxy.
Despise the weak, for it is the strong man's burden to make them of use.

Listen to the hateful voice of imperial oppression my brethren! Listen and remember that there is an alternative to the undead slavemaster on Terra!
Join the free armies of chaos, break the shackles of superstition and dogma which bind you the eternal yoke of slavery!
For freedom! For equality! For tentacles!

PS. the first 100.000 new worshippers get a nice, slimy tentacle for free ( to better choke your former slavemasters ) \o/

It's more that Dan Abnett is obsessed with ginormous characters (Freudian?). I don't look to him for accuracy when it comes to Space Marines in particular, since his stuff on them reads like fanwank. None of them are really 9-10 feet tall.

 Omegus wrote:
It's more that Dan Abnett is obsessed with ginormous characters (Freudian?). I don't look to him for accuracy when it comes to Space Marines in particular, since his stuff on them reads like fanwank. None of them are really 9-10 feet tall.

I dunno, honestly, Dan Abnett tends to write Space Marines dying like bitches, relative to some of the other writers, IMO.

Not just in Gaunt's Ghost either, remember Horus Rising? When a single bolter round punched through the chest plate of a Marine and killed him? Yeah.

They're big, but not that OTT most of the time IMO.

In fact, Eisenhorn himself kills a couple... though neither of them exactly man to man... but Gregor is a resourceful son of a gun (and, truthfully, is getting his butt kicked by the CSM he eventually kills).

 Void__Dragon wrote:
There is a world of difference between stepping the feth over one and simply hopping above it, or running over the top.

I didn't say step. I used the word hurdle, don't put words in my post. A better choice of words perhaps would have been vault.

That makes him a good jumper, not twelve feet tall.

On the origonal topic, I do agree with the size of sm's being 7 to 8 feet. Terminators are normally a bit taller since they've had the extra 200 years or so in service to become vets and during that time they have continued to grow, (slowly of course).

What? Uhm... no. Humans aren't Orks. We don't keep growing throughout our lives, no matter how many hormones you pump into us. Human males stop growing somewhere around their 20th year of age, females at 18 or so (on average).

Terminators are bigger because TDA is bigger.

I always reason it like this:

Let's say the average human falls between five-nine and six-two. Let's say that an Astartes (un-armoured) - being a bigger, bulked up, enhanced version of an average human - is a full foot taller, putting their average at six-nine/seven-two. Now let's put them in full power armour - that's easily another half foot right off the bat, once you account for jumpsuit, armoured boots/greaves and helmet. Now we're at seven-three/seven-eight. Finally, let's factor in them being viewed (usually) through the eyes of non-Astartes (like Guardsmen), and them and their actions being lauded and further glorified by the IoM, one Guard telling another about this one time when his mate saw... etc etc - BOOM! Easily now a Space Marine can become thought of as a nine or ten foot iron giant killing hundreds of foes with just the fires in his eyes! And even so, considering how a very tall human can push eight-five plus (rare, but happens), then there's bound to be some Astartes that are reaching that nine plus mark... but of course, those marines will become twelve plus around the campfire!

 Psienesis wrote:
That makes him a good jumper, not twelve feet tall.

On the origonal topic, I do agree with the size of sm's being 7 to 8 feet. Terminators are normally a bit taller since they've had the extra 200 years or so in service to become vets and during that time they have continued to grow, (slowly of course).

What? Uhm... no. Humans aren't Orks. We don't keep growing throughout our lives, no matter how many hormones you pump into us. Human males stop growing somewhere around their 20th year of age, females at 18 or so (on average).

Terminators are bigger because TDA is bigger.

Space marines do, keep growing however. the link I posted does have a article on the subject if you would like to read it.

 Ledabot wrote:

Space marines do, keep growing however. the link I posted does have a article on the subject if you would like to read it.

That just a fan article... There's nothing like that in actual GW fluff.

 Ledabot wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
That makes him a good jumper, not twelve feet tall.

On the origonal topic, I do agree with the size of sm's being 7 to 8 feet. Terminators are normally a bit taller since they've had the extra 200 years or so in service to become vets and during that time they have continued to grow, (slowly of course).

What? Uhm... no. Humans aren't Orks. We don't keep growing throughout our lives, no matter how many hormones you pump into us. Human males stop growing somewhere around their 20th year of age, females at 18 or so (on average).

Terminators are bigger because TDA is bigger.

Space marines do, keep growing however. the link I posted does have a article on the subject if you would like to read it.

Did you miss this part at the top of the page on your linked article?

What follows is unofficial fan fiction...

Well regardless It does reference certain marines that are still growing.

Edit: don't get so mad bro. Marines are the only thing that continue to grow. font does too.

 Psienesis wrote:
In fact, Eisenhorn himself kills a couple... though neither of them exactly man to man... but Gregor is a resourceful son of a gun (and, truthfully, is getting his butt kicked by the CSM he eventually kills).

Well, Eisenhorn by the end of his trilogy should punk the average Space Marine, IMO, and apparently he does just that in Pariah.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

 Omegus wrote:
It's more that Dan Abnett is obsessed with ginormous characters (Freudian?). I don't look to him for accuracy when it comes to Space Marines in particular, since his stuff on them reads like fanwank. None of them are really 9-10 feet tall.

I dunno, honestly, Dan Abnett tends to write Space Marines dying like bitches, relative to some of the other writers, IMO.

Not just in Gaunt's Ghost either, remember Horus Rising? When a single bolter round punched through the chest plate of a Marine and killed him? Yeah.

They're big, but not that OTT most of the time IMO.

Really? I refer you to Brothers of the Snake, the most over the top presentation of Space Marines ever.

In the Abnetverse, Space Marines die like bitches only to other Space Marines. It's not a put down, it's a compliment. Space Marines are so fething badass they can punk even a Space Marine! Derp.

 Omegus wrote:
Really? I refer you to Brothers of the Snake, the most over the top presentation of Space Marines ever.

In the Abnetverse, Space Marines die like bitches only to other Space Marines. It's not a put down, it's a compliment. Space Marines are so fething badass they can punk even a Space Marine! Derp.

Never actually read it, honestly.

Does Eisenhorn cut through three Chaos Marines in a short span of time?

 Ledabot wrote:
Well regardless It does reference certain marines that are still growing.

If by 'reference' you mean 'made up', then yes.