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Hi guys,

I'm just starting to get back into 40K. The last time I looked at models etc was back in the Rogue Trader era, so there was only 1 type of power armour available (Mark VI, Corvus if I am right). Currently,

Reading online, all versions of power armour are used by marines to varying degrees. I've bought the start collecting Space Marines set and the parts seems to be made up of several different Power Armour versions.

So far I am finding it difficult to identify which legs should be married up with which breastplates to make the correct setup.

Ideally (and following my OCD), I would like to make a full squad of Mark VI marines, but that looks to be an expensive proposition as each set only seems to have parts for 1 full Mark VI.

Is it important to make each marine from a single type of power armour or can an individual marine use parts from different power armour version in a single suit?

Thanks for your thoughts.

If your a total fluff player then it matters.

Rest of time. All those marks are nigh on interchangeble bar the primus Armour that's helmet, pad conversion comparable.

The entire space Marine range is mostly comparable with all power Armour kits for marines within. They can mix and match from most kits from like post rogue trader..

No one minds if you get things mixed up long as they look cool.

Since the heresy, a lot of marines mix and match armor. This is in part due to a combination of battlefield repairs and the armor in question being a relic. While the Aquilla (Angry Helm) armor is the most common, it has been mixed with all of the different marks and there's really no "set" ones in the standard marine box. If you want armors that are a full "set", you'll either have to buy the Horus Heresy boxes (the MK IV Maximus Armor or the MK III "Iron" Armor) or look to forge world.

As far as I know, the standard SM box only comes with enough components to make one set of Corvus Armor (which is the one with no kneepads, Beakie Helm, one shoulderpad with studs and the other with no trim)

Rules wise, there's absolutely nothing to differentiate between one or the other, so all is good there.

Fluff wise, there may be some argument for individual Marines and squads to use the same Mk, but this is easily justified by battlefield repairs, and most players won't adhere to strict homogeny because of the difficulties you've already experienced.

If you really feel the need for matching armour, Forge World do squads of matching armour, but you will pay a lot extra for the privilege.

Welcome to Dakka, and back to the hobby!

In general, there is absolutely no problem with mixing and matching; it's as common to see a Marine armoured with centuries-old pieces from different Marks assembled into a full suit as it is to see one in a complete set of MkVII straight off the production line, especially for veterans, command squads and other such high-ranking troops. To a Space Marine, each piece of armour is a relic in its own right, so if a MkIII bracer or MkIV helm or VII chestplate has a particular history or has been traditionally borne by a Marine in that role, they have no qualms about the technicalities of mixing pieces.

A lot of the SM kits are built with this in mind; the reason the whole range is compatible is to allow you to build in whatever combination of parts you like. If I recall correctly, the basic Tactical Squad kit comes with enough for one suit full of MkVI, and the rest is predominately VII with the odd bit of IV (legs), VI (legs and helmets) and VIII (a single chestplate).

If you are interested in full squads in older Marks, the Horus Heresy line from GW and Forge World do sets of just that; GW do MkIII and IV in plastic, FW do MkII, V and VI in various forms in resin.

But on the whole, it's all about building cool models; there can be something nice and satisfying about having a Marine in a full suit of MKVI among his more up-to-date comrades, but equally spreading those parts out will go a long way to making the squad as a whole more interesting to look at, so that's what I prefer to do.

I love mixing and matching various kits of power armor for my chaos marines to represent the fact that they've been around for a long time, scavenging what they've can from slain foes and random loot/caches they accumulate.

 Azreal13 wrote:
Rules wise, there's absolutely nothing to differentiate between one or the other, so all is good there.

Fluff wise, there may be some argument for individual Marines and squads to use the same Mk, but this is easily justified by battlefield repairs, and most players won't adhere to strict homogeny because of the difficulties you've already experienced.

If you really feel the need for matching armour, Forge World do squads of matching armour, but you will pay a lot extra for the privilege.

Or the HH plastic box sets. those are honsetly really sick for just dudes and conversions.

Fluff wise in the heresy most of them had their go to armor set like death guard and imperial fists with their mk3s alpha with mk 4 and mk6, and so on but im pretty sure most of them at least had some of the other marks.

in current fluff other than the red scorps that pretty much only use mk4, everyone has various mixed flavors of armor. but some may have more of one type than another. and most of the time they only have parts of some or another and will often mix and match them so they dont waste any of them since they are basically all relics.

My marines are mostly hodgepodge, and I like it.

Marines in 40k do not longer use coherent marks of armour like they did in the Heresy. Power armour suits in 40k are often ancient relics that have been patched up a million times, often with parts scavenged from other suits. So a lot of Marines in 40, wear armour that is made up of different marks. Especially those higher up the ranks who will have the oldest and most revered sets of armour. This is why Horus Heresy Marine sets all come with a single armour mark but 40k Marine sets come with a mix.
Unless of course they are Primaris Marines who all sport the brand new Mk. X and its derivatives.

I have a somewhat similar question to ask, so I will bring it up here rather than make a new topic.

With the whole mixing and matching of Space Marine bits from different sets is it normally acceptable to make say an assault squad and then run them with vanguard veteran rules or use a tactical squad with sternguard rules? Or must I be using bits from vanguard or sternguard veteran boxes to make those units? Thanks!

As long as the equipment looks right and they're identifiable as unique from any existing assault marine/tactical marines you have, people generally don't have an issue.

Basically if I need to stop and ask which one is the Vet and which one is a generic marine, you haven't done enough converting.

If you want more utilitarian and less fancy veterans, then yes, you absolutely can use the baseline tactical and assault boxes, but it's worth noting the sternguard and vanguard kits have more weapon bits.

So long as you paint them as 1st company they'll still clearly be veterans.

Thank you!

 Mud Turkey 13 wrote:
I have a somewhat similar question to ask, so I will bring it up here rather than make a new topic.

With the whole mixing and matching of Space Marine bits from different sets is it normally acceptable to make say an assault squad and then run them with vanguard veteran rules or use a tactical squad with sternguard rules? Or must I be using bits from vanguard or sternguard veteran boxes to make those units? Thanks!

The only real thing that makes a stern or vanguard vet is the shoulder pad

the crux is the only consistent thing about the first company veterans.

 Desubot wrote:

The only real thing that makes a stern or vanguard vet is the shoulder pad

the crux is the only consistent thing about the first company veterans.

Even that's not the case if you look beyond the main plastic kit. The old metal sternguard had only one out of the five marines with one, IIRC.

Frankly the only difference you need between the Tacticals and the Sternguard are whatever painting convention you follow to make the 1st company look different to whatever company you're otherwise fielding.

I have come back to the game from RT era and I am currently having to mod my 50+ identical marines to make them a bit more modern.

I have found that I can slice the arm nodules off the bodies and that gives me a flat edge to fit new weapon arms (I needed some heavy flamers)

Also, helmet colour and shoulder markings are being re-done to differentiate different kinds of marines.

Handily (pardon the pun) the wrist size is also the same size, so my bolt pistol marines can have their hand cut off and replaced with new guns.

I do like the plainer look of the old beaky marines