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Hello! I'm new to the forums, a hobbyist painter, and typically a fantasy RPGamer. I don't have any experience with 40k, but I've been asked by a friend to paint up some minis for him when they arrive, so I bought a couple cheap ones at my FLGS to practice. I got them home and realized that I don't know much at all about the 40k world, so I did some reading and looked at some pictures. Now, as near as I can tell, this fellow doesn't have any obvious chapter affiliation, so colours are up to me. I've been looking at various chapters for inspiration, and I think I rather like the Red Corsairs.. but I'm confused. Every CSM I've seen pics of has either a bolter (2 handed rifle style) or a bolt pistol and a melee weapon... but the 2 pack of older guys I picked up each come with 2 small pistol type weapons. What on earth are they? They couldn't both be bolt pistols, as they look different, and that would be redundant... so what have I got here?

The bigger one is a Bolter, the smaller a bolt pistol. These are the old style so are a tad smaller than current iterations.

Oh! But were the older bolters meant to be two-handed? His hands both have the pistol-butt-sticking-out-the-bottom look, as though he's meant to be holding 2 weapons. Can't really be positioned to hold the underside of the larger one with his left hand.

Someone else will have to answer that. But I don't think they were meant to be 2 handed. It's been a long time since I've owned the old chaos mini's.

They were sold together to give an option. But you would use one or the other. It also should have included a sword, usually a chain sword. If you went close combat, you use the pistol and chain sword. If you wanted ranged, you just used the bolt gun. The old minis weren't the best, so you would model it as if he were holding his rifle one handed, and the other hand would be making a fist.

No sword or close combat weapon included, no. So I have 2 minis, with 4 guns, but (if I was interested in actually playing) they'd only use 1 each? Strange!

They could use both guns - just not at the same time.

Chaos space marines come with bolter, bolt pistol AND a close combat weapon. The bolter is for "long range" (outside charge range) shooting. The pistol is for close up (pre-charge) shooting as you can still charge AFTER shooting the pistol.

The choices are included within the models packs to allow you to build various equipment load outs that exist within the games rule set.
You would pick and choose how you want the model to look based on how you want to play it (if you play) I beleive the standard squad of Chaos Space Marines is allowed to have bolt guns (2 handed firearms somewhere between assault rifles and submachine guns) or bolt pistol (1handed 'pistol' version of the bolt gun;its a big pistol!) + close combat weapon,which may be a chain sword, an axe, gauntlet... etc etc.... I think the latest itteration of the rules actual;y has different melee weapons having different rules and behaviour within the game; like swords being different to axes, and maces, and mauls or gauntlets etc.
But in previous itterations of the game a 'close combat weapon or ccw was the same as any other unless denoted as something other than that e.g a power weapon.

Most players will build up a staggering collection of spare bits of models, mostly from options that werent what they were building within a kit. Even more so with all the multi model kits coming out lately. Where you buy one box, and choose if your making this or that; eg Deathwing Command Squad also makes Deathwing Knights, or standard Deathwing Terminators. Meaning that particular box might be sold 3+ times to every dark angels collector. Its easier on the production side of things this way. They have less seperate runs to worry about and molds to look after etc.

edit; all that said... they dont give you the choice to make ALL of the posisble load outs in the game.. theres a fair bit that has no model, and many boxes that dont come with some of the unit entrys optional extras. or just dont allow for every possible kit; Space Marine Devastators does include all the posisble heavy weapons, but only 2 of each (1 in the case of multi melta and missile launcher) and you can use 4 in the unit... might want all 4 the same.... probably do hehe, one box wont let you build this. But it does let you build a lot possibilities.

 chromedog wrote:

Chaos space marines come with bolter, bolt pistol AND a close combat weapon.

I'm sure they do now, but these certainly did not (and yes, they were brand new, in blister). Though since they're 1996 CSM units... and I believe that was the first year the CSM was introduced, things have likely changed.

Edit: HairySticks - That is helpful! Thanks!

ahh I can recall those generations of mini's, you'd either have the with an empty hand in a somewhat silly pose, or have to source another arm. If your not aversed to buying more, look of a set of modern chaos arms doing whatever your after and use those instead. There are individual bits sellers around that break kits down and sell one of parts for things just like this job

Edit i bet you can find an imperial space marine boltgun holding arms real easy if chaos ones are tough.. they will fit.. but maybe need altering to fit in with chaosy feel
Edit again; those 2 pistols are likely both bolt pistols... if one is so different that youre sure its not the same gun (theres a few styles of them tbh) it could be an auto gun, or some special weapon perhaps... but honestly i expect its just another style of bolt pistol.

Um, no. That pic above shows a bolt gun on the top and a bolt pistol on the bottom. And 1996 was certainly not the first year that CSM were around. They typically had a sprue like this and a sprue with close combat weapons. Maybe your blisters were missing the CCW's and that's why they've gone unopened for so long.

CSM were introduced in RT - with the "slaves to darkness" and "lost and the damned" books. Those, however, were the 2nd ed CSM, which were about mid 90s. Metal body casts with plastics for arms was pretty standard for Marines, CSM, eldar and guard units still.