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So, the Corvus helmet. Looks pretty cool. I plan to start a Raven Guard Space Marine successor chapter. I would like to know how common it is to see a Space Marine wearing a Corvus helmet in the modern Imperium. Do only the really old Space Marines have them? Do Space Marines ever mix and match armors? I looked at the Vangaurd Veteran Squad kit, and it has a mix of the Corvus helms and, I believe, the more modern Aquila helms.

space marines mix and match armor all the time, in fact it's more common for space marines to wear a hodge podge of differant armor marks then not. often partiuclar pieces of armor will be associated with some past hero of the chapter and thus be considered to be prestigous, MK 6 helms are also said at least in the FFG RPG to have superior auto senses

BrianDavion wrote:
in fact it's more common for space marines to wear a hodge podge of differant armor marks then not.

Quoted For Truth.

The generic Tactical squad box for example allows you to only make a total of 4 guys in unmixed armour (all of the backpacks and arms are Mk7 but only half of the legs are, and only 4 of the torsos are pure Mk7).

I don't think there's any fluff source for ratios in the modern Imperium, but aforementioned box set has three MkVI helmets and four sets of MkVI legs so it's pretty common - the original (1st edition) fluff stated that some chapters chose to continue using MkVI rather than adopt MkVII, implying it remained in production.

I think Corvus helmets are still relatively common all over.

They are only one mark behind the standard infantry mk7, and they are said to have particularly strong sensor suites, which one assumes were reduced somewhat on moving to mk7.

BrianDavion wrote:
MK 6 helms are also said at least in the FFG RPG to have superior auto senses

It's usually in the fluff on websites detailing these too. Whether Space Marines actually hand these out to the people that need better autosenses is another question. I'd imagine they'd provide some benefit to heavy weapon gunners that need to pinpoint targets, but drivers/crew on a Land Speeder and other fast moving units would also have use of them for sending in better sensor data to squad leaders, commanders and certain other specialists. Or the sergeant of a squad so he can better decide what to do. But people often put the MkVI helmets on (veteran) assault marines for the aggressive looks, and while these are a fast unit they'll soon be in melee and the autosenses pretty much wasted in an orgy of chainsaws.

So it's probably also safe to say not all Chapters mix and match with an eye on performance, some just do it because sarge Humanshield earned the right to carry the helmet of the sarge that saved the Chapter Master back in M.34 by, you know, saving the present Chapter Master. Or the legendary Captain Facesmasher's helmet/gauntlets etc are passed on to the newly promoted Captain Kneecapper so he can gain the tactical wisdom of that former Company commander.

In parts of the fluff it mentions that some marine chapters still produce older marks of armour. I guess it comes down to what they have available in their region of space.

Reading Lexicanum it looks like each mark of armour has its own pro's and cons, such as mark VI having the better autosenses but a tendency to deflect incoming fire into a weak point in the neck of the suit.

Also want to note that the Raven Guard in particular favour the MK6 even to this day, due to their close history and associate with the armour from the later days of the HH. Also stands to reason that successors like the Raptors would likewise favour it.

Going by the Deathwatch RPG, Corvus armor is objectively the best as while it lacks in armor protection, it makes up for by containing a full stealth suite making it harder for the wearer to be shot at while also being the least encumbering power armor mark. Durability is good, but the chief concern is always going to be "not getting hit" opposed to getting hit and surviving. For that reason MK VI isn't really a "tradeoff" compared to MK VII.