Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I’m just about done building a squad of tacticals and I’m looking at all the leftover parts. I’m trying to decide if they make the marines look better or worse. Trolling Pinterest, it looks like the only people who use the pouches are doing truescale marines. What are your thoughts?
If you use any of the extra bits, where do you put them?

If playing small unit skirmish level games where each model is a single unit, I'll bother putting pouches and stuff on them.

In a battle game with upwards of 40 models per side, where so much is already abstracted, the extraneous crap can stay on the sprue.

 chromedog wrote:
If playing small unit skirmish level games where each model is a single unit, I'll bother putting pouches and stuff on them.

In a battle game with upwards of 40 models per side, where so much is already abstracted, the extraneous crap can stay on the sprue.

So you would do up one squad with all the bits and leave the others basic, then? Doesn’t that affect the cohesiveness of the whole force when they’re played together? Or do you not play those units together?

I want my models to look good. That's my primary concern. And to me a Marine without gear looks too bare. It helps that I started in a time when you wouldn't have all that many models, and I tend to go low model count whenever I can because I just like elite armies. As such, my Tactical Marines usually get a fair bit of attention.

Doesn't mean you should (or could, really) overdo it. I find you'll be hard pressed to fit more than two bits to a Marine's belt without anything getting in the way of the arms or the bolter. Sticking two extra bits on a model isn't a lot of work, but may give you a spot of a different color which helps break up the uniformity without actually ruining it.

Purity seals, well. The real question is how pure and devout you want your Marines to be. I've done the range from a couple per squad to at least two per Marine. In the latter case I codified the leg armor as the place for those things to go, to establish a common look and make it a chapter wide tradition rather than whimsy on the Marine's or responsible Chaplain's part.

Not buying marines ATM but with my orks I'm putting random bits and pieces from the sprues here and there. Think same would continue with marines though bit more cohesive. Big variable would be purity seals. They are granted to marines individually so who and how many he carries is not fixed.

For the most part, everyone gets one or two extra bits. Not necessarily the same thing, as which bits they get can add some personality to the model.

One recent exception was when I built my BaC squads. One was built with all knives (plus some pouches/grenades/etc) and the other was all pistols (plus extras). So if they are deployed next to each other on the table, you can use the bits to sort out who’s in what squad.

I like the pouches, You can tuck one on the belt on the back/side and it fits well with most poses. Makes up for the lack of pockets.


I voted “everything” but not everything on the same guy.

 Nevelon wrote:
For the most part, everyone gets one or two extra bits. Not necessarily the same thing, as which bits they get can add some personality to the model.

One recent exception was when I built my BaC squads. One was built with all knives (plus some pouches/grenades/etc) and the other was all pistols (plus extras). So if they are deployed next to each other on the table, you can use the bits to sort out who’s in what squad.

I like the pouches, You can tuck one on the belt on the back/side and it fits well with most poses. Makes up for the lack of pockets.


I voted “everything” but not everything on the same guy.

I like the approach you suggest. I've been struggling to work out where the long pouches are supposed to fit. Most of the paint jobs I've been able to find put them on the side/leg. I think that's the approach I'll take.

I've seen some people put the small pouches on the shoulder pads, but that looks really strange to me.

Because of the way they're sculpted, it's really easy to cut especially the large pouches in half to get slimmer ones that are easier to fit into tight spots.

Annirak wrote:
I like the approach you suggest. I've been struggling to work out where the long pouches are supposed to fit. Most of the paint jobs I've been able to find put them on the side/leg. I think that's the approach I'll take.

I've seen some people put the small pouches on the shoulder pads, but that looks really strange to me.

I agree on it looking strange. The only extra I’ll put on shoulders is a purity seal.



Here is a bits example. I wanted to make my BaC guys a little more “full kit” then what I normally do. Everyone got some grenades mag-locked to their leg. These guys are from the pistol squad. And I tried to get at least a small pouch on everyone. The long pouches are rough to fit in, but there is space on the back. One thing to keep in mind, is that these are extras. If the pose or the arms were going to get in the way, the spare bit just got chucked back into the box.

I tried tonight and I could not, for the life of me, get the long pouches to fit anywhere other than centre back, which seems weird, since that means the power plant obscures them. How do you fit the long pouches on the side without the left or right side of the pouches floating out in the air?

I rarely do two long pouches next to eachother, cut them in half and you free up a lot more placement options.

Tacticals for me always get a holstered pistol, frag and krak grenade, minimum of one long pouch/some kind of bolter ammo analogue, minimum of one kind of small pouch/pistol ammo analogue.

Annirak wrote:
I tried tonight and I could not, for the life of me, get the long pouches to fit anywhere other than centre back, which seems weird, since that means the power plant obscures them. How do you fit the long pouches on the side without the left or right side of the pouches floating out in the air?

I just hit the shelf to look at the model pictured. And it does float a little bit. But the part that does is mostly hidden under the arm. At table-top arm’s reach viewing, you would never know. Were I a more finicky painter, I would have cut them apart and glued them nice and flush.

Or hid the gap with a purity seal.

Looks like I’m buying a razor saw next!

Annirak wrote:
Looks like I’m buying a razor saw next!

Small bits can be done with a knife.

I usually don't put the extra bits on because they get in the way. Of course I haven't made any Tacticals recently. On Primaris models many of the bits are sculpted on for the box set ones (Dark Imperium/Know No Fear/Easy to Build), so I went ahead and put some of the extras on my actual Hellblaster kit models to keep them looking mostly the same. Plus the bits don't get in the way as much on a Primaris marine.

My rule of thumb: extra bits must look good and natural or they will not be used. I assembled a bunch of Ork Boyz recently and ended up using only a limited amount of extra gubbinz because most of the parts were either too big, impossible to put on naturally or both.

I always try to put a great amount of thought and effort into assembling models because I am likely to spend more time painting them than playing with them. For those that play a lot, preferences might be the opposite (which is also fine).

jullevi wrote:
My rule of thumb: extra bits must look good and natural or they will not be used. I assembled a bunch of Ork Boyz recently and ended up using only a limited amount of extra gubbinz because most of the parts were either too big, impossible to put on naturally or both.

I always try to put a great amount of thought and effort into assembling models because I am likely to spend more time painting them than playing with them. For those that play a lot, preferences might be the opposite (which is also fine).

I agree wholeheartedly. That's why I haven't installed any long pouches yet. My recent revelation was grenades maglocked to the leg, thanks to @Nevelon. Previously, I had planned to fit them on the belt, but there's so little room on the belt that doesn't obscure the detail or get in the way.

None, prefer a much cleaner look, prefer the current Primaris start set models over the previous ones for this reason, they are much cleaner

I'd say it depends on the chapter/legion. My Alpha Legion all have extra pouches, grenades, etc because as a legion that's known for mobility and tactics it makes sense that the individual marines are prepared.

But a World Eater or a Black Templar? Maybe an extra melee weapon or some seals, but I don't typically think of either as the tactical 'operator' sort of marine.

 ScarletRose wrote:
I'd say it depends on the chapter/legion. My Alpha Legion all have extra pouches, grenades, etc because as a legion that's known for mobility and tactics it makes sense that the individual marines are prepared.

But a World Eater or a Black Templar? Maybe an extra melee weapon or some seals, but I don't typically think of either as the tactical 'operator' sort of marine.

Mine are Salamanders. The whole Promethean Cult aspect, with self-sufficiency suggests that they would go with "fate favours the prepared." I think its fluffy for them to have all the bits.