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I noticed that some higher ranking Space Marines such as Chaplains wear skulls

I know that Chaos Space Marines take skulls off of people they killed but where would Space Marines get their skulls? Heretics they kill?(what if they mostly fight Orks or tyranids or something)

Well, as I see it, there are 3 liable ways that they'd get their skulls:
1. Like Chaos (i.e. off of their victims)

2. They are fake, and are simply moulded to look like bone

3. They might 'liquify' bone (any bone), or turn it into some sort of putty, and mould it into the shape they want - remember, it is unlikely that a skull collected off of an enemy is going to be bigger than a Space Marines head, so probably wouldn't fit

I think no. 3 is most likely, but that's just my oppinion.

I am not sure whether this information is accurate, but I read somewhere in one of the Ultramarines books that the ''skulls the Mortifactors use are real, unlike the normal ones made of mould.'' So my take on this is that the skulls are just moulds. If the skulls are not made of ceramite then a marines/chaplains safety would be slightly compromised would it not?

The techmarine artificers make the armour, the 'skull' is cast ceremite

I think if 15th century japanese armour makers can craft a face mask for armour its not hard to imagine that a techmarine in 40k has the tools and skill to make a mould.

In most Chapters a Chaplin's skull helm is just that, a power armor Helmet crafted to look like a skull.

Are we talking about the skull helmets or the skulls that SMs like to decorate themselves with?

The skull helmets are obviously a helmet made in the shape of a skull. How could someone cram their skull inside a skull the same size?

The little skulls seen on lots of SM equipment are obviously just decoration, probably made of plastic, or maybe embossed.

The normal size skulls are just normal skulls. They might be plastinated for durability, but there's no reason to suppose they are special. Skulls are all over the place in 40K, they are easy to get hold of.

I thought they mined them from the bountiful veins of cranium found underneath most Realms of Battle?

Any real skulls the SM might be carrying are likely from the same place Servo Skulls come from.


Servo Skulls are, in the chapters that use them, from Chapter Serfs who have died. their brains have been Servitorized and given little grav generators and an assortment of different tools. from writing impliments to pict recorders.

Some Chapters wear the Skulls and Bones of their fallen brothers as relics(Black templars etc.).

BluntmanDC wrote:The techmarine artificers make the armour, the 'skull' is cast ceremite

I think if 15th century japanese armour makers can craft a face mask for armour its not hard to imagine that a techmarine in 40k has the tools and skill to make a mould.

This. Bone provides EXTREMELY poor protection.

Well, unless it's super spess bone with extra grimdark bits

I always wondered that too XD. Not going to lie there is alot of skulls on them.

You mean like this?

Yep sounds like a Goto work.

Da Boss wrote:I thought they mined them from the bountiful veins of cranium found underneath most Realms of Battle?

You win. This is signature worthy.