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I'm trying to figure out how to model my Blood Angels Devastators and I can't figure out if the non-Heavy Weapon Devastators, the ones with Boltguns, are equipped in standard Space Marine Power Armour, standard Power Armour with upgrades (helmets and such) or the same Power Armour the Heavy Weapon Devastators have minus the weapons. I think standard Power Armour with Devastator targeting helmets would be the logical conclusion since they act as support and handle stuff like spotting, but I don't know enough about how Power Armour works to know if that's possible.

They would all wear generally the same armor, though as you say maybe different helmets from tactical marines. Maybe a bit of up-armored armor parts.

Back in 2nd edition Devastators had slightly reinforced armour on their lower legs, probably to brace against recoil. There is no official info on different armour configurations for Devastators that I know of. Given that all Power Armour helmets contain a whole range of advanced sensors anyway it seems a bit odd that they have all these extra visual sensors on their helmets but it does look cool, so it's not a big problem. Personally, my Bolter Devs all have scopes on their guns, though BA ones should also have blue helmets to mark them out as well.

I think it would depend - if they're fresh out of the scout company and there as a bullet-shield they'd probably be in basic, standard power armour but if they're there as a back-up gunner they should have the required armour upgrades.

There's a bit in one of the Iron Hands books where a bolter guy picks up a lascannon from a fallen marine but as his armour doesn't have the power & cooling hook-ups he's not able to use it with 100% efficiency.

You could have them hauling spare ammo, like maybe a bolster marine with the missile launcher backpack so he can carry extra ammo/help his partner reload/pick up the weapon if the original marine is no longer able to use it, etc.

A Dev is a Tac Marine. The only differences are (1) Sarge's signum (2) the Dev squad gets 3 more Heavies, one less Special, and (3) heraldry.

The only difference between the typical Dev Bolter Dood and Tac Bolter Dood is heraldry (mostly paintjob).

Typical is the key word.
Personally, I don't have anything distinguishing my BA successor ones either beside helm colour and squad notation, but mostly because I never thought of it. The BA Devastator marines have gone through Assault Marine roles first, to allow them to get a handle on the Red Thirst, and will progress to Tactical roles after they learn the art of long-range firepower, Whereas in most Codex compliant chapters its the other way around. So for me, they are indeed just tacticals in training. However, my Battle Companies' Devestator units would have far more experienced marines, each having been Tactical in the Reserve Companies and learned the mobility of Bikes and Land Speeders, but settled into the fire support role best - they might well be modeled with some sternguard-like custom bolters and sighting gear...
And every chapter is different of course, the Space Wolves veterans make up the Long Fangs, so you could absolutely have your supporting spotter marines in the Devastators with extra ammo, marksmen and spotting gear to set them apart.
I quite like the Techmarine tank gunner helemt, for that purposes. I think there are several sites around, and stores on ebay that do bitz so you won't have to get a bajillion boxes to make them up. I myself just got a Mk4 plastic box that I won't build but use spread out for bitz and kitbashing some more BA Tacticals for a Reserve tactical company.squad or 3.

For most Chapters, that's only true of Reserve Company Devastators. Battle Company Devastators are past that point.

Depends on the lore of your particular chapter, and even then, the company within said chapter.


Or, more bluntly; you choose. That's the joy of 40k.

Bharring wrote:
For most Chapters, that's only true of Reserve Company Devastators. Battle Company Devastators are past that point.

What's only true, them being relatively new marines?

The Assault Marine -> Dev Marine -> Tac Marine progression.

Assault Marines and Dev Marines in Battle Companies aren't working their way up to Tac level anymore.

Whether any given unit is a Reserve unit or a Battle Company unit is up to the owner, but all mine are Battle Company units.

Personally, I think equipping your Devestator boltgun weilding marines sounds like an interesting project

For what it's worth the art spread of the Ultras 2nd company in the current vanilla codex contains a single Devastator squad, of which the sergeant and heavy weapon marines all have the Devastator legs and targetter helmets whilst the boltgunners have neither. The similar spread in the previous few codices only had 5 marines with the 'Devastator' legs in the entire company: 3 Devastators with heavy weapons, 1 Tactical squad heavy weapon and the Company Champion.

You could look at the helmet optics as being due to different patterns of heavy weapon. Perhaps one pattern of lascannon has the sensors built into the weapon, while another visually identical pattern has them integrated into the bearer's helmet instead.

Likewise, perhaps a bolter-wielding Marine with additional sensor modules on his helmet actually has a different pattern of Auspex or something.

Isn't it more efficient to only have heavy weapons in a Dev squad? The kit only has 5 models anyway, right?

 Ginjitzu wrote:
Isn't it more efficient to only have heavy weapons in a Dev squad? The kit only has 5 models anyway, right?

Depends - if you have a few bolter guys you can kill them off first keeping the heavy weapons alive longer.

Having bolter bodies makes the unit less efficient, (as you pay more per heavy weapon shot) but it makes the unit more effective (as they can keep up the level of firepower after tking some wounds) Where you want to draw that line is very personal. The pure gun dev squad is a glass hammer, but you are only paying for the effective bits. How much do you want to invest in durability?

On topic, the path for a codex compliment marine

Scout
Reserve Dev company (bolter first, then heavy weapon) Give them time on the battlefield, but in simpler roles as an introduction)
Assault reserve
Tactical reserve
Battle company

Which mark of armor a marine wears is never really relevant. There are subtle advantages to each, but who gets what is probably up more to history, personality, tradition, and availability then anything practical. As the bolter devs in the reserve company are just getting their first suits, they are probably getting handed whatever the chapter can scrape together.

On topic, the path for a codex compliment marine

This is true. The OP's are BA devis, who have been through Assault Squads first in the reserve companies. As has been said though, if they are battle company members they will be skilled marines all round at least, but at least won't be greenhorns doing rookie work, as much as a psycho indoctrinated marine drilled as an experience graduate scout could be a greenhorn, at least.
Given Devastators usually, rotate heavy weapons around to maintain their training with every weapon type, I would still suppose every marine could well upgrade their battle plate with enhanced targeters and some Iron or otherwise compensator braced greaves ready to best take up the weapon at any point in the battle or campaign.