Longtime Dakkanaut
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I'll be treating this like a public notepad, as I might make a video or stream about this topic later.
Many of these are SMALL COMPLAINTS while others are much larger. If there's an issue with a box or model, I'll be writing it down, however inane that I can think of. This is going to be less about the rules, save for where rules impact model design and options. My goal here is to illustrate the absolute STATE of the Chaos Space Marine model range and why GW needs to get their crap together and figure out what they want to do with this faction.
These models will be done in the order that they appear in the Chaos Marine Codex, so let's get to it.
Abaddon the Despoiler - No major issues. He's big, he's Abaddon, he does what GW intended for him to do: look good standing next to Roboute Guilliman.
Haarken Worldclaimer - A named character that never needed to exist, I blame this design for taking away the Chaos Lord with Jump Pack options. When he released, he gave bonuses to all Raptors, then GW FAQ'd that to just be Black Legion Raptors, and then the community raged and then they gave his ability back for all Raptors, but he was still Black Legion, so that was kinda pointless. Guess what? Now it's back to just Black Legion Raptors. They should have gotten rid of the Spear and given him a pistol and made him a generic Chaos Lord option.
Huron Blackheart - Originally metal, now in resin. In fact, as of writing, not even available as he's been "rotated" out of the model range. Originally released way back in 2007 in 4th edition. Desperately needs to be given an update.
Heretic Astartes Daemon Prince - No major issues, other than he's a little old, having been released back in 2012. Ask most people and they'll say that the model holds up, but we all know it'll be replaced when the Slaves to Darkness get their update sometime at the end of the year. He used to be able to take Warp Bolters, but those were taken away. Funny enough the updated model seems to be gaining the Kai gun again, but no rules for that yet.
Fabius Bile - No issues. He's a great representation of the character that we all know and love from the lore. If only more models could get the loving treatment that Fabius got. He's even got a whole faction's worth of rules based off of him. 10/10.
Cypher - Why the Fallen weren't just moved into the Dark Angels supplement is beyond me (since iirc they fit Space Marine rules better than Chaos Marine rules, but that's up for debate). No major issues, but what a weird thing to have in this Codex.
Master of Possession - No major issues. Cool design, very thematic for some of the other things that we've gotten over the years. Only issue right now is that he's not yet for sale as of writing. Was originally in the Shadowspear box in 2019, and here we are 3 years later and he's finally likely going to be getting a separate release.
Chaos Lord - Ugh. Originally released in 2019 with Blackstone Fortress, this is now the ONLY Chaos Lord model for sale now that the Jump Pack Chaos Lord has been "rotated" (likely completely removed) out. Thunder Hammer and Plasma Pistol is his only loadout, even though the rules say he can take a lot more. Of course, no Jump Pack or Wings or anything, as those options have been removed completely. Where other factions have highly customizable models (Eldar Autarch, Sisters Canoness), the charismatic and powerful Chaos Lord is currently relegated to one ugly Abaddon wannabe model.
Chaos Lord/Sorcerer in Terminator Armor - Yes, I know many dakkaites claim this model still holds up, and for the most part? Sure. Still, he originally came out in 2007. Thankfully, he can still take a lot of different weapon options that all come in the box, so compared to other things, this isn't the worst thing to still be holding onto.
Chaos Sorcerer - Obviously, this entry also lost the Jump Pack/Wings option, RIP. Other than that, no major issues. It's a modern model, even if it has zero options for anything other than a staff.
Lucius the Eternal - Poor guy has been waiting for an update since 2006. Metal, then resin, Lucius will likely be waiting another year or so for the Emperor's Children to be split off into their own thing.
Lord Discordant - If ever there was a sign that GW wanted you to use this model, just look at his rules. Absolutely crazy, but model-wise he's a very complex kit. In terms of options, he doesn't have any where it matters. You can swap out the baleflamer for an autocannon or the magma cutter for the techno-virus injector, but in terms of customization where it counts, there is none. Swapping his head is difficult without an extra torso to replace his big scarf, and his chainglaive is the only melee weapon he can have. Small complaints I know, but where two Lord Discordants face each other, it'll be painfully obvious they're the exact same model.
Warpsmith - Originally released with Eldritch Omens in February, we're finally getting him here in July. A nice model, though I wish you could swap the plasma pistol that GW loves giving characters with a regular bolt pistol. Not everyone wants to overcharge and die immediately, and the option to save a few points to put elsewhere would be nice. Otherwise, a great replacement for the previous Warpsmith that was on a 25mm base from 2012, though the new oval base is an odd choice.
Dark Apostle - Hooray, GW found out how to give this model his little cultist buddies without making them a weird add-on datasheet in a whole other page of the rulebook. Good on you GW. Good model, though static. Zero options, but he's got a whole page of different prayers, so that's nice I guess.
Exalted Champion - A victim of the 2012 6th edition "time before the scale update" the Exalted Champion is a Lieutenant wannabe that you used to be able to kit out with just about any sort of weapon combo. Now, he's stuck with a combi-melta and power axe, the only options his model can take. Oh, you want to buy one of these models? Too bad, it was Made-to-Order, and despite the rules being very limited to 'whats in the box' the box isn't actually available any more. Why they couldn't let you make this model out of the Chosen kit is beyond me.
Dark Commune - Finally about to go up for pre-order next week, here's an HQ option for your Cultists. No major issues, it's just an odd choice of models. Like the Lord Discordant, it looks overdesigned, and two units of the same thing will be painfully obvious in any sort of mirror match situation. They look difficult to customize, and don't actually have any options other than some of the psychic powers and other stuff you can give them that aren't represented on the models. Thematic, but ultimately unimpressive and an odd thing in a "Chaos SPACE MARINES" Codex.
Legionaries - We're finally out of the HQ options and into the Troops. Let's set aside the fact that the plasma pistol option for this entry needs an FAQ, with one datasheet they invalidated a lot of people's collections of models. Combi-weapons were removed from many Sgt-level entries across the codex (not all, but many, gotta keep it inconsistent), so those are out. They also reduced the number of models from 20 to 10, which I suppose is our payment for the 2nd wound. Then, they took the ability to double-up on special weapons away. Got 10 models? You can have 2 special weapons (but not duplicates), 2 heavy weapons (but not duplicates), or one heavy and one special. No more double plasma gun or double melta gun. I suppose taking a heavy bolter and reaper chaincannon in a squad of 10 isn't bad, and the ability to take a heavy weapon in a squad of 5 isn't bad. We also now get the heavy chainaxe, which is like having an extra power fist, as well as a few other things from the Kill Team upgrade sprue. Model-wise, I like the Legionaries, but lament some of the ways they were able to specialize into a particular special weapon. The ability to take a combi-plasma and 2 plasma guns in a squad of 10 was a great way to keep a theme and also have some extra punch. I guess I'll have to settle for a plasma pistol, plasma gun, and melta gun or something. Oh by the way, you can take a Lascannon and a couple other options that aren't in the box but /are/ in the Havocs box. Have fun still needing 2 boxes to make the 1 squad you want.
Cultists Mob - Cultists were added to the Chaos Marine line in 2012, where they had the exact same models that kept getting reduced in options over the years until they were simply removed from the store. Those Dark Vengeance cultists paid for their molds a dozen times over. Finally, we got new Cultists that came in Blackstone Fortress, in an odd squad of 8. Now, at long last, we're getting a box of 10 cultists with nothing but pistols and close combat weapons. Oh, those other BSF Cultists are still available, but that box has 4 autoguns, so to make a squad of 10, you'll need 3 boxes of them. 1 for a champion and 4 autoguns, another for another 4 autoguns, and another for the last autogun, unless you spend the points to get a special weapon. So, yeah, love the consistency of sticking to the box. I hope at least the new incoming melee cultist box is cheap, since there won't be any options in it. I'm half expecting them to be snap-fit models, but we'll see.
Accursed Cultists - IMO, this is a kit that didn't need to exist. It's cool thematically, but I feel like this was a thing that was slated for Blackstone Fortress that eventually they decided to hold back for some reason. It's weird and wonky, and limiting you to taking 5 of the little guys to take 3 of the big guys is just kinda odd. If this truly was such a great lore-friendly unit, then you might be able to take as many of either as you wanted, but Chaos clearly prefers to organize their cultists in exact numbers. Model-wise they're fine, gruesome, and flavorful.
Chaos Terminators - Ooooh here we go. I don't know about you, but when I think of Chaos Terminators I think of a very flexible squad, made up of the elite of the elite... So why is it they have a weird smattering of melee weapons and combi-weapons? Power maul? Chainaxe? I get it GW, you're trying to sell us on the idea that these Terminators are all very individualistic and have a plethora of unique weapons... but there aren't enough of them. You can't even equip a squad with all power fists + chainfists base. You get 3 power fists, 1 chainfist, 1 pair of lightning claws. Honestly? Shameful. Shrink the ridiculous spikes, get rid of the power mauls and chainaxes, and give us more lightning claws and power fists so we can actually make a cohesive squad. The combi-weapon situation is just shameful. 1 combi-plasma and 2 of each of the combi-flamer and combi-melta. Just a hodge-podge of options in a hodge-podge kit in a hodge-podge faction. What they truly need is a whole extra sprue of weapons so you can fill out more lightning claws, power fists, and chainfists, the major weapons that terminators are known throughout 40k history to have and use.
Master of Executions - A model that never needed to exist. A character hunter that's kinda bad at character hunting. At least he's not taking up an HQ slot. Model wise he's fine. Not very inspiring, weirdly placed in the lore, and with zero options for alternate weapons or heads.
Possessed - Big, brutal, mutated, I actually think these models are a 10/10 update. The old possessed I'm sure earned a lot of nostalgia points for people, but this kit is exactly what I was hoping for, if only it was on sale. As of time of writing, we still don't know when these will be available, but likely at the earliest not until the end of July. It's been a long wait, since we got the Codex (and our 2nd wound) in June. But, hey, they'll get here and will finally replace the old 2007 Possessed.
Chosen - GW decided to double-down on whatever bass-ackwards logic they used to make the Terminator kit and did the same thing with the Chosen. At the very least you can make 2 of any of the combi-weapons in the squad, but why in the world did they decide to make a power fist count as an accursed weapon when in EVERY OTHER UNIT a power fist is a power fist? Again, only a singular pair of lightning claws and a smattering of other weapons. To make matters worse, some weapons that you would attach to the backpack to make various loadouts only fit on specific backpacks, and they make no mention of that in the instructions. It's just a mess of a unit and the major reason that I'm fearful for the future. The style of the models isn't the problem, it's the options they get to actually load them out.
Helbrute - Here's a model that I fully expect to get unnecessarily replaced someday. It's a good model, but suffers a little from having been made in 6th edition before GW decided that Space Marines should be a little bit bigger. Compared to other Space Marine dreadnoughts, it's the same size. Compared to the new Redemptor and other things, it's tiny. Tons of great options and details, even if a few things will look samey as soon as you have 2 of them, it at least holds up. Zero posability of legs, but they did a clever thing with the sides to let you pose the weapons... a tiny bit. It helps in cases where you have multiple of the same loadout, but even then, things are going to look samey fast. We'll see what GW does with this model in the future, but I'm expecting they'll replace him in due time with something that has fewer options but is bigger because... reasons.
Noise Marines - Do I even need to say anything? Noise Marines came out as a metal and plastic kit in 2002. The plastic part was removed and the metal was replaced with resin, and is still sold today. GW gave us an homage model that is no longer available and, like Lucius the Eternal, these marines will continue to wait until the Emperor's Children Codex hits the shelves another 1-5 years from now. Who knows? As it stands, they got more limited in the number of Blastmasters you can take in a squad. Neat. Get us plastic Noise Marines GW. This kit is the greatest victim of GW's weird 'bring back the daemon primarchs' plan.
Venomcrawler - Well, today we finally learned that the Venomcrawler isn't getting its own box. Finally moved to the Fast Attack slot, the kit has zero options, zero posability, and slightly odd rules. Came out originally with Shadowspear and is doomed to be stuck with 2 monopose Obliterators until some unforeseen point in the future. Will they ever make an updated Venomcrawler with more options, posability, and its own box? My Magic 8-ball says "Unlikely".
Chaos Spawn - Another kit from 2007, the Chaos Spawn box makes 2 ugly models that, by this point, are more mold line and flash than actual model. Yeah you can make whatever you like with it, and no two Chaos Spawn need to look the same, but is it worth it? This is an old model that really needs an updated kit. If I had my way, I'd prefer a box of 5, so you get plenty in 1 kit and they all will look different at least across a squad of 5. What's more likely? GW will make a box of 1 with a singular head option or something. What's even more frustrating is that the size of the model is so awkward that it can be difficult to find other models in the range that you can use as Chaos Spawn. Vargheists are about the closest, but those are also old models that need an update, so it's like jumping from the pot into the frying pan.
Chaos Bikers - This kit is one of THE OLDEST that GW still sells. It's from 1999, which means by now it's not only old enough to drink, it's already bought its own house and has a second child on the way. The HILARIOUS part of this is that the rules allow you to take a TON of different options, from icons and special weapons, to melee weapons on the aspiring champion. The box? 3 dudes with ZILCH. The only thing the box builds is 3 guys with combi-bolters. That's it!! Enjoy it while it lasts people, whenever GW does decide to update these, they'll likely go the way of the Primaris Outriders, with nothing but chainswords and combi-bolters at best. This kit desperately needs the update though. Good lord it's old.
Chaos Raptors - From 6th edition just before the scale update to Space Marines, the Raptors hold up well enough. Their baroque style matches well enough to what we've seen of models since, like the Chosen and Legionaries, but there's something just a little odd about their proportions, with heads that sit really low in the chest and chunky, short arms. Oh, and despite the box making warp talons that have tons of lightning claws, there's no option to take a lightning claw (or pair) on your aspiring Champion. RIP Night Lords players. At least you can take 2 of the same special weapon in a squad of 5.
Warp Talons - Made from the same box as the Raptors, these guys are real straightforward but suffer from the same issues as above. Odd proportions, a baroque style that doesn't exactly match the rest of the range, and they're just ever so slightly smaller than they should be.
Havocs - Remember buying 4 of this box just to kit out a squad of Reaper Chaincannons because they were so busted? Yeah that's still a thing. Unlike many things in the Codex, Havocs actually kept all their rules, with the ability to take 4 of whatever sort of heavy weapon despite there not being enough in a single box to do so. At the very least, if you get the Kill Team Legionaries and don't put the Reaper Chaincannon in that squad, you can move it over to the Havocs, so in some ways it can be slightly less painful. For some ungodly reason, the Champion's base loadout is with a Flamer...??
Obliterators - Doomed to be stuck with the Venomcrawler into the foreseeable future, the Oblits are mono-pose models with zero options that only build one way. The most wicked and wild models that have been bought hundreds of times by hobbyists all over the world because of their flexibility, notoriety, and cool-factor have been relegated to an awkward hold-over combo-box with the Venomcrawler. Of all the models, seeing the Obliterators treated like this breaks my heart. Yes, you can convert, just like you can do that with any model, but Oblits needed to be in a proper box of 3 at the very least. Having a 3rd pose would have gone a long way to keeping the Obliterators from looking like they're trying to perform some dance choreography as soon as you have more than 2 of them.
Chaos Land Raider, Vindicator, Predator, Rhino - All of these models suffer from the same issue: The base model was put out in 2002, 20 years ago. The upgrade sprue is EVEN OLDER THAN THAT coming from 1996. NINETEEN NINETY SIX. 26 years ago. TWENTY SIX YEARS AGO. Those old spikes and skulls need to be retired. None of these models fit with the current design of Chaos Space Marines. Heck, the TREADS OF ALL OF THESE VEHICLES STILL FEATURE THE IMPERIAL AQUILA. I know, I know, many other factions have vehicles that are just as old if not older, but for many other factions, their vehicles match the aesthetic of the rest of their model range. These Space Marines-with Spikes holdovers gotta be updated to modern plastic with some of the baroque details and some properly chaotic upgrades. My one prayer is that they take the 30k models and give us a new Chaos Vehicle Upgrade Sprue to give them some new detail and flair to bring them into the modern world, but who knows when that will be, or if these old space marine vehicles will even survive into 10th edition. Personally? I'm ready to bury them, despite the outrage. Models this old don't deserve to be sold by a company that claims to be the best model making company in the world, especially when the design of the models doesn't even fit the faction any more. UPDATE THESE VEHICLES GAMES WORKSHOP.
Defiler - Same issue as above. A model from 2002 that doesn't match the current aesthetic. It's lumpy, wonky to build, has ancient options that have never meshed well, and deserves an update. Great classic model, but desperately needs some love.
Forgefiend/Maulerfiend - When this originally came out, alongside the Heldrake, there was a lot of talk of Chaos Marines getting 'dinobots' added to their faction. The models have grown on me over time, and at the very least they match the faction aesthetic that GW have developed over the years as old models have been updated. Still, the lack of an extra head option irks me, and once you fit two of these in the same army, they look very samey despite being wild chaotic beasts.
Heldrake - Same as the Forgefiend and Maulerfiend. A dinobot that at least fits the modern aesthetic. Having wide open thrust ports in the back of the model is really, really odd, and overall the model is miserable to build, clean, and paint. It's also awful to store, and if you build it by the instructions, it will always be banking in the same direction, which can make it awkward to play with compared to other fliers. This was not a model that needed to be made, especially when they could have taken the Hell Blade and made it into plastic. But then, GW have determined that all modern Chaos vehicles must be beasts, so here we are.
Khorne Lord of Skulls - Apparently only Khorne is cool enough to get a Lord of War. I honestly hope this model gets moved over to the World Eaters codex, but the fact that this is here while Berzerkers aren't doesn't give me a lot of hope. It's a fine model with lots of great detail, it just doesn't really fit in with the rest of the faction. A god-specific unit in a codex of otherwise Undivided unit options is just very out of place.
Noctilith Crown - Our obligatory Fortification piece, because GW in their infinite wisdom says that everyone's gotta have one. But not some factions. And not all the time. It's not a bad model. It's a fine terrain piece. I honestly wish they'd just have sold it on its own and not bothered with rules. One of the major issues is that it doesn't match any other terrain. You put this on any board of GW's own terrain and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Chaos built a big Stargate, but couldn't be bothered to make any other sort of fortifications to actually defend it? Neat.
So, let's break the models down into a few categories:
Model is mostly fine, current, acceptable (14/43):
Abaddon the Despoiler, Fabius Bile, Cypher, Master of Possessions, Warpsmith, Dark Apostle, Legionaries, Possessed, Helbrute, Raptors, Warp Talons, Havocs, Forgefiend, Maulerfiend
Model is unnecessary, but otherwise matches aesthetic (7/43):
Haarken Worldclaimer, Dark Commune, Accursed Cultists, Master of Executions, Heldrake, Khorne Lord of Skulls, Noctilith Crown
Model is old and needs to be replaced (13/43):
Huron Blackheart, Daemon Prince, Chaos Lord in Terminator Armor, Sorcerer in Terminator Armor, Lucius the Eternal, Noise Marines, Chaos Spawn, Chaos Bikers, Chaos Land Raider, Chaos Vindicator, Chaos Predator, Defiler, Chaos Rhino
Model has weird or overly limited options (9/43):
Chaos Lord, Sorcerer, Lord Discordant, Exalted Champion, Cultists, Chaos Terminators, Chosen, Venomcrawler, Obliterators
That, in my opinion, is the state of the Chaos Marine model range. It's a hodge-podge of old and new, with some units stripped of options, others limited to a singular pose or loadout, and still others that no longer match the modern aesthetic of the rest of the range. GW seem determined to limit you to 2 special weapons of any particular kind regardless of what squad is taking them, and in many cases has either stripped out, flattened down, or dumbed up the options that you can take.
It's a mess, and I hope the design team feels at least a little bit of shame at letting the premier bad guy of the Warhammer 40k universe devolve to this level. Few other factions struggle from this sort of range of model failures. Yes, you've got some old Eldar Aspect warriors, but they at least still match the modern style of Eldar. Yes the Dark Eldar Grotesque is still a resin single-pose model and they lost a lot of options. Yes the Tau are still waiting for Kroot and Vespid. But across all of those things, at least the model styles are consistent. There's not a major departure or shift in style or scale, and there hasn't been a massive reduction of options, flip-flopping of rules choices, or flattening of unit types wholesale like we've seen with Chaos Space Marines.
This faction is GW's tragedy and I can only hope the story has a happy ending, even if it's 5+ years from now after Emperor's Children finally get an update and some of the other leftover vehicles get new kits. It's been a long wait to get to THIS point, and it's going to be longer still till we see what GW's final plan is for this faction. My hope is stretched thin and I'm tired of waiting on further disappointments for what is otherwise my favorite faction...
So what can GW do to right these wrongs? Well, honestly, it's pretty straightforward. Update the old units and a handful of Kill Team updates to one or two things could fix a LOT of the major issues of the faction, even if we do have to say goodbye to wings on chaos lords forever.
A. Update all of the models in the "Model is old and needs to be replaced" category. It's 12 kits, with 3 of those kits sharing the same vehicle chassis, but all these models MUST be updated into the modern style to help the faction feel cohesive and whole.
B. Give us a new Chaos Lord that has actual options. You can put him on a big tactical rock if you have to, but let us kit out or Chaos Lord, the leader of our warband, with more than a pistol and a melee weapon.
C. Take the Chaos Terminators and, when you add Elites to Kill Team, give them an extra sprue of weapons so we can have at least 1 more power fist and several more pairs of lightning claws. I don't care about esoteric power mauls or chainaxes. Just the basics, please.
D. Give Obliterators and the Venomcrawler their own kits with more than 1 option.
E. Just as in B, let us customize our Exalted Champion with a new kit.
A. is honestly the biggest hurdle, but the other things are important in order for the faction not to feel like we've been handed 'leftovers' and 'holdover' boxes for yet another decade. We'll see what GW does with the faction that WAS BIRTHED IN THE HORUS HERESY, THE GAME THAT THEY'RE SPENDING SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY REFRESHING. Going from 30k to 40k with Chaos Marines feels like a real slap, when you see all the options and ways you can customize your force and marines in 30k, and then see that all of that has been stripped out here in 9th...
Here's hoping for 10th... or 11th... or whenever else GW revisits this mess.
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4000+
6000+ Order. Unity. Obedience.
Thousand Sons 4000+
15k+
Emperor's Spears 2500
Beastmen 10k