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Does anyone know whats up with all these different helmet designs on the heresy novel covers? I see mk2-7 helmets on mk4 armor and so on...[/img]

Cover artists occasionally take artistic liberties with their work as IIRC most evidenced by a particularly bad White Scars novel cover that had barely recognizable equipment and vehicles (and spurred speculation about the look of the Storm Eagle/Raven/whatever). It might also help if you posted the pic in question.

Also bear in mind that even in the days of Heresy, armour marks were mixed, much as in modern 40k. Be if out of lack of complete suits, particular meanings attributed to certain bits of armour, or just preference of the marine in question.

So a marine in mk 4 could choose to wear a mk 2 or even mk 6 helm? And I've also seen helmets on the covers that belong to no mark at all. Not sure if there legion specific or not

Remus Ventanus wrote:
So a marine in mk 4 could choose to wear a mk 2 or even mk 6 helm? And I've also seen helmets on the covers that belong to no mark at all. Not sure if there legion specific or not

Yep, that's about how it goes. Usually, it will be a case of armour being passed down and acquiring almost relic-status, so for example if Sergeant Bob won great deeds in his Mark 6 chestplate, then it would be passed down to his replacement that he might honour his fallen predecessor.

Once the Heresy really kicks off, you also get all sorts of supply issues, so you'd get marines cobbling together the best suits they could from what was available.

As for legion-specific bits, there were a few deviations for specific units (like the Emperor's Children Palatine Blades or the Iron Hands Medusan Immortals) and the Ultramarines produced their own armour mark after supplies from the Imperium were cut off.

Artistic license does play a part as well, of course.

Remus Ventanus wrote:
So a marine in mk 4 could choose to wear a mk 2 or even mk 6 helm?

Depends on the version of the fluff, the original Formative Armour article said no - the reason for Mk5+ existing was that you couldn't plug Mk2/3 components into a Mk4 suit and have it work, you could however rip the electricals out of a Mk4 suit, rewire it with Mk2/3 electricals then connect the helmet.. and that'd be called a Mk5.