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Hi everyone.

I used to collect and paint Space Marines and Terminators in around 30 years ago. Due to a mixture of nostalgia and an increased artistic and creative spark inside of me in my oldish age...I've recently had the urge to build and paint a new Space Marine army (everything I use to own...I have no idea what I did with - although its fun to start again anyway!)

I was surprised to see that the overall look of the Space Marine has changed dramatically! Being a traditionalist I much prefer the beaked helmet and studded shoulder look, and I was hoping some kind-hearted forums members could tell me how the best way to go about building an army of these particular 1980's warriors would be. I was pleased to see the Rhino and Predator tanks are still going strong! Can anyone remember what the third tank they released was directly after these two? The Terminators don't seem to have changed much, which is nice!

Any recommendations on what paints people use these days? Do people use the GW paints...or are there other options out there?

Any insight forum members can offer would be hugely appreciated!

First, welcome to Dakka and back to the hobby.

The third tank you are thinking of is probably the Land Raider. It’s changed it’s look over the years a bit though.

The old beakies are in what’s called Mk VI armor. In the latest tactical squad box there are parts to make at least one full suit of it. Getting a whole army that way would be rough. Although you might be able to trade parts, or got to bits sellers online.

Alternatively, you could look over at Forge World. They do a lot of kits that cater to the retro look. More expensive though.

Or trawl e-bay looking for old stuff.

I still use GW paints, purely from habit. If you are starting fresh, there are probably better options.

Welcome to the forum, and back to the hobby.

The modern tactical marine sprue has three beaky heads, one bumpy shoulder pad, and (I think...) two sets of legs with the long, kneepadless shinguards. Those are the elements along with a certain type of torso make up what they now call 'Mk VI Corvus' armour in the fluff.

Fortunately for you, it seems you're UK based, which means opting for the Forgeworld Legion MkVI models is slightly less budget ruining for you than it can be.

As for the tank, I don't really know, but taking a stab in the dark, could it have been another rhino-based vehicle like the vindicator or the whirlwind? The landraider came out later, right?

Oh boy! You've been lost in the warp so long, I'd hate to see what kind of horrid mutations you've acquired! I recommend setting up a free appointment with your friendly local Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor so that you can be inspected for taint before you attempt to integrate into Imperial society.

Thought for the day: Heresy grows from idleness.

You will be surprised to see how much things have changed...

but probably amazed that much of what was in those early books now have armies and books (Harlequins, Adeptus Mechanicus, Sisters of Battle, Genestealer Cult).

I started back in 2nd edition. It would be a really weird jump to now.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
Hi everyone.

I used to collect and paint Space Marines and Terminators in around 30 years ago. Due to a mixture of nostalgia and an increased artistic and creative spark inside of me in my oldish age...I've recently had the urge to build and paint a new Space Marine army (everything I use to own...I have no idea what I did with - although its fun to start again anyway!)

I was surprised to see that the overall look of the Space Marine has changed dramatically! Being a traditionalist I much prefer the beaked helmet and studded shoulder look, and I was hoping some kind-hearted forums members could tell me how the best way to go about building an army of these particular 1980's warriors would be. I was pleased to see the Rhino and Predator tanks are still going strong! Can anyone remember what the third tank they released was directly after these two? The Terminators don't seem to have changed much, which is nice!

Any recommendations on what paints people use these days? Do people use the GW paints...or are there other options out there?

Any insight forum members can offer would be hugely appreciated!

There are other paints you can use.

Personally, I use GW paints. Some advice:

1. Prime your models with spray on primer, don't paint on your primer. It's much easier, and i've noticed there is a marked drop in quality in the bottled paint on primer. I tried painting some models with it and i was able to easily scratch it off.
2. If you can spray on the base coat, do that too, it saves a lot of time, and you'll get a consistent coat.

If you're going to use other paints, find some that have a "translation" table so that you can know which colors map to GW colors, so you can follow guides / use the recommended palettes provided on the boxes of your minis (if so inclined).

Also, you didn't ask, but there are new bundles out there called "Start Collecting," it comes with an HQ, a troop, and a HS/Elite, as well as a formation to field it, so you're not unbound. I'd check those out as a way to get back into it.

Thanks for all your helpful comments guys, and the warm welcome.

I'm slowly coming around to the "new" (haha) Space Marine look. Some of the models do look awesome. What is "Forgeworld"? a GW brand? I did see them on ebay...would I best off buying a standard Space Marine set and then buying the Beaked heads?

Thanks for the painting tips too. Do people create their own colour schemes? Or do people generally follow a chapter colour scheme?

I remember I had some Judge Dredd GW licensed models back in the late 80's my older cousin had painted and given me, one with a bike. Wish I'd have kept all this stuff now!

Most were all metal models as was I think the standard then. What do you guys prefer? Plastic models do seem expensive!

I wasn't that great a painter as a kid...I would've soaked them all in White Spirit over night and redone them all! People don't seem to use transfers on them now either....the detail seems to already be on the models.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
What is "Forgeworld"? a GW brand? I did see them on ebay...would I best off buying a standard Space Marine set and then buying the Beaked heads?

Yes, Forgeworld is a GW subsidiary that produces models mostly in resin. They've done a lot of variant units for 40k with their own rules but more recently their focus has been more on the 30k Horus Heresy storyline with a sub-game involving largely marine vs marine games and in turn, a lot of very pretty space marine models.

If you don't mind the rims on the shoulders or the kneepads or anything else that sets the new marines apart from the old ones, buying the regular boxes and then buying additional beaky heads separately is probably a good bet, provided you can get enough of them. Another thing people will do is save up the beaky parts and use them exclusively on a single unit type, like veterans or assault marines.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
Thanks for the painting tips too. Do people create their own colour schemes? Or do people generally follow a chapter colour scheme?

A little from column A, a little from column B. There are hundreds of official chapters out there with varying degrees of information on them. Locally here though, marines are usually either meticulously painted first founding chapters or black with something on the trim, I rarely see successor chapters.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
Most were all metal models as was I think the standard then. What do you guys prefer? Plastic models do seem expensive!

They are expensive, but that's more the result of GW ratcheting up the prices over time. Iirc the draw of plastic was that it was supposed to be cheaper...

That said, I'm for plastic all the way. Nothing comes bent out of shape out of the packaging, nothing ruins it's own paint job by expanding and contracting in the heat, nothing randomly loses an arm by just standing there...

I may be a bit biased though, as I love to kitbash.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
I wasn't that great a painter as a kid...I would've soaked them all in White Spirit over night and redone them all! People don't seem to use transfers on them now either....the detail seems to already be on the models.

You still see transfers used here and there. Personally I find them necessary when making symmetrical symbols on flat surfaces, but there's a lot of freehand talent out there.

If you want tips on painting, there are a lot of good resources on YouTube, including warhammer TV.

SonnyCrusade wrote:
What is "Forgeworld"? a GW brand?

GWs replacement for Armourcast... They let all the licensing to AC expire and started up their own resin casting company.

Welcome back. It's going to be interesting diving back in. I'm an old 2nd ed. player and have been brought back by the Oldhammer movement - so I don't currently play 7th, but I hop around here on Dakka and other sources to keep an eye out for new kits and news.

The Aesthetic has changed tremendously but it's all up to you. You can show up with any Space Marine models and they still count. A Space Marine from the old RTB01 sprue is just as valid as a new one. Alternatively you can update stuff. I made these quasi-beakies last year because I dislike the majority of normal Space Marine models.

Used some heads slowly and painfully gathered via eBay and the 30K models from a board game called Betrayal at Calth - then sourced some resin jump packs from Spellcrow which more accurately reflect the original marine packs. There are some studded shoulder pads so the majority look okay.



So it can be done, just takes some work.

As for paints...it's about a 50/50 split. Some people adhere to GW paints (which are very good, but often more expensive than other options) while everyone else goes with Vallejo, P3, Foundry, Army Painter, Reaper, etc. No hard n' fast rules on this. Use what is most cost efficient and works for you (I haven't had issues with any paints beyond Army Painter).

Coming back into 40K after a fifteen year hiatus, I actually started by listening to a bunch of podcasts to get me back into the neighborhood. As I said, I do Oldhammer, so I actually collect and use old 2nd edition materials - which is useless unless you have likeminded people to play with.

One big thing to note: the game has become MUCH larger. Armies are 2-3x as many models as they used to be and the competitive side of the game is unbalanced and brutal. My personal experience is that the attitude and atmosphere of the 40K gaming community has changed quite drastically. I wouldn't say in a bad way - but far more different from my personal interests. Just be aware it's not the same "80's rock-n-roll geeks-having-fun" kind of environment so much.