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I probably haven't read enough so this is going to come off like a noob question. I've read in the books that you can create chapters of chaos space marines from regular space marines if you change their colors. The chaos codex is a little vague on this. I have the black reach set and I want to get started painting them but if I can use the space marines in my chaos army I would rather go in that direction. So far all I have are a handful of chaos marines, a couple of sorcerers, and a terminator lord. If I could add these space marines from the black reach set it would really pump up the numbers.

If it is legal to do this, what colors are allowed? Do i have to make some kind of alterations to them as well?

Any suggestions, or links to info would be invaluable.

BTW... is it legal to use all the marines including the dreadnaught, or just the grunts.

its your army, with the power of conversions and counts-as anything can be anything.

or in other words yes your space marines can be renegades with a slightly eviler/chaos themed colour scheme (ie darker or based around a chaos gods colours).
and yes you can use your space marine dreadnought too.

convert as much as you can though

Thanks for the reply and the advise. Here's another one. Are there standard rules for conversions or is it a make it up as you go along kind of thing?

Is there another book I should have that's made for this?

I don't have the full expensive rulebook, I just have the black reach mini version.

deffinatly a make-it-up-as-you-go-along-but-make-sure-it-looks-cool sort of thing

Gotcha. Now I know how much freedom I have with it. Thanks.

now I just have to figure out which chaos god to pattern them after.

you could do chaos undivided (all chaos gods) or you could just do a space marine army that doesnt agree with the imperium but isnt chaos either.

well i would say, look at the pics in the codex, then look at your models, then look at your bits box, and add bits and pieces to the AOBR models. If you added just one thing to each model in the squad, and a few things to the dread, it should be ok.
Just make sure your opponent can tell they are CSM and not just normal SM.
look on ebay for CSM bits bags and other stuff like that

Yea, that's a good idea but there is something about the look and feel of the chaos marines that speaks to me.

Maybe I need more help than I can get here! LOL!

nidsmaster wrote:look on ebay for CSM bits bags and other stuff like that

You know, I always wondered who would by all those bits and pieces. Now I know what there for. I'll look into it.

There is one important rule for convsersions you do need to remember. WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get. Just make sure that if you give them a specific item or ability, that it is reflected in their appearance. One option you have for a chaotic paint scheme on mariness (especially since they have all those pesky imperial eagles and such) is to paint them in loyalist colors, then paint large, obvious red or black arrows and chaos symbols over that. This way, they really look like corrupted marines, still bearing the defiled heraldry of their old allegiances.

Also, spiky bits. Any spare trphy racks from the chaos models you do have work great, and you can fashion spikes and horns and the such from pretty much anything. The orks from the AoBR set have quite a few things that could really get a chaosy feel across with a little converting, and if you have any spare heads from much of anything, they make excellent, grisly trophies.

yea, I have some heads but they are chaos marine heads. Maybe I can remove the horns and put them on the other ones. Too bad I already threw away the racks they came on. Thanks for the suggestions. Especially about the color. That would really make them look renagade. Cool.

You also dont HAVE to make them look evil and scary. Remember alot of chaos are freshly left the Imperium types. Also if your looking to put cheap skies and such on them, go grab a box of sharp tip toothpicks and go crazy. Clip a few ends off and presto youve got a TON of spikes.
Convert your ASS off man. As long as you follow the WYSIWYG rules youll be totally fine. Good luck mate

Get rid of the purity seals too!

KingCracker wrote:go grab a box of sharp tip toothpicks and go crazy. Clip a few ends off and presto youve got a TON of spikes.

That could be really cool. I don't know why I didn't think of that. I have some modeling clay that came as extra from an ebay order. I can use that to make some stuff as well. Thanks man.

BTW... Purity seals? Are you talking about the emblems and such on the marine armor?

Yeah, mainly just the showjumping rosettes. (The skulls and
whatnot can look pretty chaotic painted right.)
No self respecting CSM would be seen dead wearing them.
Unless of course you decided to name them impurity seals.

You could go here http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/List_of_Space_Marine_Chapters and look at the renegade chapters for color schemes and such.

Guitar Ninja wrote:You could go here http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/List_of_Space_Marine_Chapters and look at the renegade chapters for color schemes and such.

Wow!! That's an awesome site.