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Some things that stand out to me about the Black Templars Characters:


Now above all High Marshall Helbrecht totally slaps, but he has no retinue? Just two thralls with cleaning wipes? C'mon...



Grimaldus, Helsreach yadda yadda yadda. He's a major BA, a member of one of the most brutal, unbending space marine legions to have existed, who do it their own way and to hell with the codex; and yet he's depicted highly sensitive in Helsreach with deep feels and even gets confused for a Servitor?

Additionally when I look at his past and present models, it's just meh. Again he's supposed to be a total BA as he was special from the start and impressed all the chaplains, but his retinue is highly feeble. His current cohort is marginally less feeble looking.

Shouldn't this guy be surrounded with a few Sword Brethren and the Judiciar?



The Marshall... The Marshall, no retinue at all, and yet leads crusades and has centuries of xp. The Marshall model has some random heretic's skeleton that he parades around on his back? Was this a special heretic? someone of significance? Therefore worthy of hanging over the top of his head as a warning to all those who won't know him from his bones? Or is it just plain ol' scary vibes? Not scared. Looks tacky and I could see him ripping it off his shoulders.

Next we've just a guy looking down at the ground perhaps ready to wack dirt with his sword? Maybe he's on rushing and tilting his head (since no helmet) so as to duck the on coming fire? Or maybe the Skeleton is weighing him down?

This model isn't too bad looking over all it's mainly the pose and the skeleton that is meh, but overall just not great as it should be (imho) for a Marshall.



The Sword Brethren. So these guys aren't entirely unique, are pretty BA, but... they're just the same primaris models dressed up a tad with swords. Ah the swords... and not even iconic looking swords that fit the image of crusader knights, but almost a kind of inflated dark age design.

And that brings me to style with Indomitus, we've got a kind of Medieval-Roman (Byzantine) theme creeping in, which is kinda cool I'll admit, but why not make them look more like the crusaders they are? In fact why not give them all bucket helms like Helbrecht has? That would be different and make them stand out with some presence from the other chapters.

I mean if they all walked out like this Judiciar: https://pin.it/6VPWsk6 they'd command respect (imho)

So yes there's some champions too, but I have the same thoughts on them as with the S/B. I would assume there's at least a couple other important Marshalls I missed???


*Also pardon my general ignorance here. I just got the BT codex and started collecting, but would be interested to hear any thoughts on this or any recommended reading.

Apparently Grimaldus does have very nice eyes

Not sure exactly what you're asking. I think you mean to say that you think space marine characters should have bodyguards. They do, they're called honor guards and all the chapters do it differently.
In older editions of the game character models "joined" units. The old rules had command squads for space marines. It consisted of a Company Champion, Banner, special weapon guy, apothecary, techmarine and a veteran sergeant. You could add more veterans to make a squad of ten. The problem was all the eggs being in one basket. So eventually they let you move the characters out of the command squad and join other units or move independently. Then they just made those models into their own units. Now Calgary is the only marine commander with an actual body guard.

The Sword Brethren are slightly different than normal. They have different armor on their forearms, extra knee protection, tabards, high pointed collars, special left pauldrons, capes, leather belts, a 40mm base and studded back packs. The Black Templars are largely self-sufficient and have been using the same patterns of armor and weapons since the Heresy.

The helmets are based on "Crusader" helmets from the... MkII? Armor. By the time of the Heresy the word "Crusade" was sort of archaic and technically illegal as it's a religious word. Helbrects helmet is a unique one that is not STC compliant.

Marshals are commanders of company equivalents. Usually the leaders of Astartes spend more time on starships and in command bunkers than they do in battle. Some of them are more renowned for their ship commanding abilities than their martial prowess.

The Emperor's Champions are just random marines. They are determined on the eve before battle during prayer. One of the Templars will be overcome with visions of the emperor and start freaking out like an elderly woman at a southern Baptist church. That spasming individual will then be pulled aside, given ancient unadorned armor and one of the Black Swords. They toss him a pistol and an iron halo and point him in the direction of the biggest baddest enemies.
I was angry back in third and fourth that they never allowed for special champions. It should have been like the old Death Company rule where you roll a die for each model and on a 6 they become the champion. Should be allowed to be a dreadnought or chaplain or scout or even a rhino pilot.

For books... I guess the Armageddon related texts and anything about the Damocles Crusade.

Uptonius wrote:
Not sure exactly what you're asking.

Mainly just talking out loud. I realize adding more characters would require upscale of the game, so wasn't sure if that had been a thing in the past or if it was something like Kill Team.

Helbrect's helmet is good still or for show?

In my head canon the extra detailed armor and honor badges are leftovers from the Heresy. I don't know if it's official. I had always imagined that over 10,000 years most of the remaining artifacts from the Heresy would have become widespread throughout the loyalist chapters with the parent legion having the lions share.
It is official that the first foundings were largely made of the legion chapters (companies in HH) with some even taking the names of the unit types they had previously boasted. So it's fair to assume that those new founded chapters kept their unit honors as they formed.
I always saw the mix of various marks of armor on heroes as them having visited their chapters relic chamber before going to battle and selecting choice pieces for the task. Chapters have 50 suits of Tactical Dreadnaught Armor (Special Snowflake chapters excluded) but 100 veterans (plus officers) with permission to wear them. I think that's a forgotten piece of lore... It's an overly decorated "elite" symbol which veterans have painted on them (as per the Codex). So Artificer armor was supposed to be early marks of power armor cobbled together. For a long while I had assumed that all the aquila chested Marines were wearing recycled armor from Emperor's Children corpses scavenged after the battle of Terra because they were the only Legion allowed to wear it. But then they changed the lore slightly to have their aquila be slightly different.
Khorne Berserkers prefer the... Mk IV(?) The one with the larger mouth grill and chest vent because they're faulty and allow particulates throw the rebreather letting them taste the blood mist from their kills. And it over heats and bezerkers like the heat.
Death Guard preferred the Mk II and III for the singular eye piece and head spike which mimicked the appearance of Plague Bearers with their cyclopean eyes and single horns.
Dark Angels old lore had them as getting the first of all new equipment and so had the largest amount of Terminator armor at the outbreak of the Heresy with some chapters not ever getting their shipment (explaining the lack of Raven Guard and White Scar termies in studio armies I think).
I think a few other things were hinted at too. Like the silver bullets that are given as honors for marksmanship were something else entirely during the Heresy. And the skulls on modern HQ units were just kill markings or something in the past.
When I was younger I thought that if GW were to ever make a Horus Heresy game (yeah, I'm old) that the units would be overpowered with basic troops wearing artificer armor and iron halos because they would have been mass producing them in the glory days of the Emperor.

So to answer your question. Yeah Helbrects Helmet is legit. However, it seems incredibly out of place among all other Astartes helms (in a cool way like Vulkan Hestan) but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been common in the past. Based on it's design... It almost seems like it would have belonged to a native Callibanite from the Dark Angels. New lore has them as having access to the power armor STC on their world so they may have had tons of variation in their designs and they were "questing knights".

Uptonius wrote:
The Black Templars are largely self-sufficient and have been using the same patterns of armor and weapons since the Heresy.

Yeah, that's not true at all. They don't stick to the Codex Astartes but they are by no means self-sufficient or independent. Ten thousand years of constant, and I mean constant, crusading requires them to have good links with the Imperium to make sure supplies are readily available.

The helmets are based on "Crusader" helmets from the... MkII? Armor. By the time of the Heresy the word "Crusade" was sort of archaic and technically illegal as it's a religious word.

That's also very untrue. Crusade had no religious connotations for the Imperium until it actually started having religious crusades when the Ecclesiarchy began to gain power.

Helbrects helmet is a unique one that is not STC compliant.

That's what Artificer Armour is though, a suit that has been improved and advanced over the years to be a step above regular suits. This usually coincides with an Astartes length of service where they come into their identity within the Chapter and take on symbols or honours.

Perfect! I'm already rolling around ideas for a custom veteran crusader fleet who settled into a cozy exo-planet fiefdom.

I'll pick up some copies of Armageddon and Damocles Crusade too!

Your right black templars should be done away with. They step on dark angel toes a little too much. And since drk amgels are best it is a good idea to remove black templars.

 Adeptekon wrote:
Some things that stand out to me about the Black Templars Characters:


Now above all High Marshall Helbrecht totally slaps, but he has no retinue? Just two thralls with cleaning wipes? C'mon...

Dedicated Retinues are generally a thing of the past. Now you get Look Out Sir! from the Big Rule Book. That said, his Retinue of Cenobyte Servitors do make for a decent bodyguard with some ablative wounds. Though if he loses his wargear as he loses the models then yeah, that's less than optimal.

Grimaldus, Helsreach yadda yadda yadda. He's a major BA, a member of one of the most brutal, unbending space marine legions to have existed, who do it their own way and to hell with the codex; and yet he's depicted highly sensitive in Helsreach with deep feels and even gets confused for a Servitor?

Additionally when I look at his past and present models, it's just meh. Again he's supposed to be a total BA as he was special from the start and impressed all the chaplains, but his retinue is highly feeble. His current cohort is marginally less feeble looking.

Shouldn't this guy be surrounded with a few Sword Brethren and the Judiciar?

He can be, that's where the Look Out Sir thing comes in.

The Marshall... The Marshall, no retinue at all, and yet leads crusades and has centuries of xp. The Marshall model has some random heretic's skeleton that he parades around on his back? Was this a special heretic? someone of significance? Therefore worthy of hanging over the top of his head as a warning to all those who won't know him from his bones? Or is it just plain ol' scary vibes? Not scared. Looks tacky and I could see him ripping it off his shoulders.

That's probably not a heretic, that's probably an ancient hero of the Chapter being drug around for the magic protections still lodged in his bones. The sons of Dorn have kind of a thing about that.

Next we've just a guy looking down at the ground perhaps ready to wack dirt with his sword? Maybe he's on rushing and tilting his head (since no helmet) so as to duck the on coming fire? Or maybe the Skeleton is weighing him down?

This model isn't too bad looking over all it's mainly the pose and the skeleton that is meh, but overall just not great as it should be (imho) for a Marshall.



The Sword Brethren. So these guys aren't entirely unique, are pretty BA, but... they're just the same primaris models dressed up a tad with swords. Ah the swords... and not even iconic looking swords that fit the image of crusader knights, but almost a kind of inflated dark age design.

And that brings me to style with Indomitus, we've got a kind of Medieval-Roman (Byzantine) theme creeping in, which is kinda cool I'll admit, but why not make them look more like the crusaders they are? In fact why not give them all bucket helms like Helbrecht has? That would be different and make them stand out with some presence from the other chapters.

I mean if they all walked out like this Judiciar: https://pin.it/6VPWsk6 they'd command respect (imho)

So yes there's some champions too, but I have the same thoughts on them as with the S/B. I would assume there's at least a couple other important Marshalls I missed???


*Also pardon my general ignorance here. I just got the BT codex and started collecting, but would be interested to hear any thoughts on this or any recommended reading.

I'm not sure what you're referring to by "The Indomitus" but I'm guessing you mean the Blade Guard Veterans? That unit was somewhat built with Ultramarines in mind. You may want to look at the various Chapter Upgrade Sprues and Green/Gray Stuff sculpting to change it to a more robed look. And yes, they made a mistake giving them any chapter's fluffy bits - Roman skirts, DA Robes, and so on - especially with the new monopose no-interchangeable parts model/build designs. Its hard to swap the fluffy bits when they move away from the Legs Bits + 2 Chest Half Bits, a Head Bit and two Arms Bits. The Upgrade Kits may still have some Alternate Chest Front Piece Bits for Sergeants and such you can see how that would work on the older First Born Kits.

Uptonius wrote:
Not sure exactly what you're asking. I think you mean to say that you think space marine characters should have bodyguards. They do, they're called honor guards and all the chapters do it differently.
In older editions of the game character models "joined" units. The old rules had command squads for space marines. It consisted of a Company Champion, Banner, special weapon guy, apothecary, techmarine and a veteran sergeant. You could add more veterans to make a squad of ten. The problem was all the eggs being in one basket. So eventually they let you move the characters out of the command squad and join other units or move independently. Then they just made those models into their own units. Now Calgary is the only marine commander with an actual body guard.

Sort of - the old "Command Squad" has been turned into the "Company Veterans" which still act like the Command Squad/Bodyguard that prevents even snipers from avoiding Look Out Sir! - but they're first born only - Calgar is the only one that comes with a Primaris version (which doesn't require Calgar to be taken in a list)

I like that gw actually had the creative energy to do some lore for a post first founding chapter. There are thousands of chapters out there, and giving one of 2nd founding ones some stories and place made the 41st millenial universe feel bigger and more inspiring.

Others that come to mind are flesh tearers and crimson fist, but other than that the selection gets pretty thin

 Gitdakka wrote:
I like that gw actually had the creative energy to do some lore for a post first founding chapter. There are thousands of chapters out there, and giving one of 2nd founding ones some stories and place made the 41st millenial universe feel bigger and more inspiring.

Others that come to mind are flesh tearers and crimson fist, but other than that the selection gets pretty thin

Crimson Fists and Black Templars got more lore before some of the First Foundings. The thing I like about the Templars is they're so divergent from the Imperial Fists. Sigismund is also compelling as a son of Dorn but not really fitting in an Imperial Fist.

 Gitdakka wrote:
I like that gw actually had the creative energy to do some lore for a post first founding chapter. There are thousands of chapters out there, and giving one of 2nd founding ones some stories and place made the 41st millenial universe feel bigger and more inspiring.

Others that come to mind are flesh tearers and crimson fist, but other than that the selection gets pretty thin

If only they had used that "creative energy" to do some units for some of the other Founding Legions like Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Iron Hands.

Breton wrote:

I'm not sure what you're referring to by "The Indomitus" but I'm guessing you mean the Blade Guard Veterans? That unit was somewhat built with Ultramarines in mind. You may want to look at the various Chapter Upgrade Sprues and Green/Gray Stuff sculpting to change it to a more robed look. And yes, they made a mistake giving them any chapter's fluffy bits - Roman skirts, DA Robes, and so on - especially with the new monopose no-interchangeable parts model/build designs. Its hard to swap the fluffy bits when they move away from the Legs Bits + 2 Chest Half Bits, a Head Bit and two Arms Bits. The Upgrade Kits may still have some Alternate Chest Front Piece Bits for Sergeants and such you can see how that would work on the older First Born Kits.

Yeah, and I forgot about the Castellan, which represents for 'body positive', but otherwise is just ok, doesn't really inspire me. I am going to see about some kitbashin. I found some STL's on Etsy with helmets and bodies to make them different. I'm not too worried about being orthodox as this will be mostly for fun.

My idea for custom crusade is a flung veteran fleet which decided to stake a claim and build a keep on a strategic exo-planet they launch further operations from, and collect intel to report back to the Legion. Essentially the Outremers of crusader states that existed back in the day.

They'll be at the fringes, maybe another lonely spiral arm of the galaxy like us, that provides some shelter, has good access to unexplored systems. Though I don't know enough about the galactic map yet to be sure where this should be.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Gitdakka wrote:
I like that gw actually had the creative energy to do some lore for a post first founding chapter. There are thousands of chapters out there, and giving one of 2nd founding ones some stories and place made the 41st millenial universe feel bigger and more inspiring.

Others that come to mind are flesh tearers and crimson fist, but other than that the selection gets pretty thin

If only they had used that "creative energy" to do some units for some of the other Founding Legions like Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Iron Hands.

Yeah for me that would be a downgrade, but it's just a question of taste. Some really like horus heresy and it's classic first founding chapters.

Others like me find that way to restricing and prefer the 40k setting with a huge and disjointed imperium where the marines are divided into thousands of chapters. It lends itself to more creative freedom for the hobbyist and I find the 2-3rd armageddon wars really well written. I like that the black templars are not just imperial fists painted black. In 10000 years passing their traditions have evolved in a new direcion entirely.

 Kanluwen wrote:

If only they had used that "creative energy" to do some units for some of the other Founding Legions like Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Iron Hands.

But they did. They just don't have models for them, or the models are FW locked in to w30k, and there for have no rules in w40k. And it gets even more specific with all the divergent or cursed foundings of the original legions.

So I just started the codex and apparently they are bone stealers, which for me is just another meh. Some skulls sure. Maybe one fleet will have more bones than another who knows...

 Gert wrote:

Uptonius wrote:
The Black Templars are largely self-sufficient and have been using the same patterns of armor and weapons since the Heresy.

Yeah, that's not true at all. They don't stick to the Codex Astartes but they are by no means self-sufficient or independent. Ten thousand years of constant, and I mean constant, crusading requires them to have good links with the Imperium to make sure supplies are readily available.

The helmets are based on "Crusader" helmets from the... MkII? Armor. By the time of the Heresy the word "Crusade" was sort of archaic and technically illegal as it's a religious word.

That's also very untrue. Crusade had no religious connotations for the Imperium until it actually started having religious crusades when the Ecclesiarchy began to gain power.

Helbrects helmet is a unique one that is not STC compliant.

That's what Artificer Armour is though, a suit that has been improved and advanced over the years to be a step above regular suits. This usually coincides with an Astartes length of service where they come into their identity within the Chapter and take on symbols or honours.

1. Having so many members in your chapter that the Inquisition doesn't know how many of you there are, means that your making geneseed and new marines without Terran intervention. Fortress Monasteries on conquered worlds for resources and tithes. Fleet based chapter....
That's about as self sufficient a faction as one can be in the imperium.

2. First books of the HH series talk specifically about how calling the Expedition Fleets expansion a "crusade" was a bit uncomfortable and not really preferred by the common citizens of the Imperium. It was an Astartes habit.

3. Artificer armor is just finely crafted and often ancient armor. Artificer armor existed during the Great Crusade long before it could become "ancient and covered in honors".
Mk VII isn't artificer armor no matter how many silver skulls you put on it. Put a Mk II helmet on with a Mk IV heat and Mk III legs and you've got a suit of artificer armor in the 41st millennium.

Uptonius wrote:
Mk VII isn't artificer armor no matter how many silver skulls you put on it. Put a Mk II helmet on with a Mk IV heat and Mk III legs and you've got a suit of artificer armor in the 41st millennium.

Uh, no. Just no. Look at pretty much any named character with artificer armor, you will see in vast majority of cases VII (or even VIII). Then you have 'artificer armor' upgrade for primaris which will be Mk X in pretty much every case, not to mention their named characters with one too...

Uptonius wrote:
1. Having so many members in your chapter that the Inquisition doesn't know how many of you there are, means that your making geneseed and new marines without Terran intervention. Fortress Monasteries on conquered worlds for resources and tithes. Fleet based chapter....
That's about as self sufficient a faction as one can be in the imperium.

2. First books of the HH series talk specifically about how calling the Expedition Fleets expansion a "crusade" was a bit uncomfortable and not really preferred by the common citizens of the Imperium. It was an Astartes habit.

3. Artificer armor is just finely crafted and often ancient armor. Artificer armor existed during the Great Crusade long before it could become "ancient and covered in honors".
Mk VII isn't artificer armor no matter how many silver skulls you put on it. Put a Mk II helmet on with a Mk IV heat and Mk III legs and you've got a suit of artificer armor in the 41st millennium.

They don't make their own weapons, equipment, supplies, ships, or vehicles. The only things the Black Templars are "self-sufficient" in are sourcing recruits (which all Chapters do anyway) and having potentially large gene-seed reserves.
The first HH books are set at the end of the Great Crusade when the Council of Terra wanted things to slow down after Ullanor and for the armies of the Imperium to adopt a more defensive/policing stance. Many within the Legions and other military branches couldn't imagine an Imperium without the Crusade which is why they ardently held to referring to ongoing conquests as such.
And as for artificer armour, here are some examples of named Marine Characters wearing Mk7:

Artificer Armour is just an advanced form of Power Armour. The reason it's often described as incorporating older patterns is that these suits are often relics of their Chapters, passed down from generation to generation. Mk7 was invented and deployed in the waning years of the Heresy and by the time of the Scouring, it had entered full service with the Second Founding Chapters so it is entirely reasonable for a Chapter to have a suit of Mk7 armour that is almost 10k years old in M41.

I'm looking forward to the next BT update.

There won't be an update outside of rules for years my guy. BT just got a big chunk of new models.

I know, but that's one of my issues, things move so slowly. You would think with the vastness of the IP materials they would be churning stuff out at every turn.

GW is churning stuff out, in fact the codex and rules churn is one of the biggest issues with 40k right now.
On top of that, I'm not sure what the faction even needs at this point. They have 3 plastic named characters, 2 other generic character models, 3 unique units, and a really good upgrade sprue. If you want retinues for your Characters, run them alongside units in-game.

 Gert wrote:
GW is churning stuff out, in fact the codex and rules churn is one of the biggest issues with 40k right now.
On top of that, I'm not sure what the faction even needs at this point. They have 3 plastic named characters, 2 other generic character models, 3 unique units, and a really good upgrade sprue. If you want retinues for your Characters, run them alongside units in-game.

When you say they have 3 whole plastic named characters, 2 whole other generic character models, 3 whole unique units, and a really good upgrade sprue it makes me chuckle a bit when the lore is so overblown. I'm sure they have some good reasoning behind their pace that makes monetary sense so I'll concede to that.

I just look at indy artists on Etsy dropping stuff left and right, and good quality, whether it's STLs or printed models (which is another thing of course), but still. It's not like there's no more characters to make.

And yes I can't expect my favorites to get updates every month, and sure the rules on top of it are another ball of wax. I'm looking at it as more of a collector, outsider. I've collected minis for years, and had boxes of old hammer, just held out on 40k. So I'm coming at this with different expectations I guess.

What turned me off in the past were the stumpy looking marines. Now the the models are much better looking I do admit that, but I'm a critic so tend to speak what I feel, and just want moar.

Granted I could just kitbash my own and I'm gearing up to do just that, there's loads of ground there still. I search up built and painted models nearly every day and I'm like that's great, but how about this? or how about that? So I'm intent on havin a go at it.

I don't want to step on anyone's fun who's waiting for books or waiting for rules, I just want models. I know these different aspects of a game tend to be pain points in other communities where games have a variety of play modes, and so I'm not trying to step in and say do this for me! just adding some initial thoughts so I don't speak for veteran 40K collectors, just myself.

You do understand every new Space Marine release that isn't a Librarian or Chapter-specific kit is a Templar release, right? You have access to the entire Space Marine Codex and Marines get updated more than any other army in the game. Marines literally just got three new kits in that boxset.
If you want to make models for characters you've read about then you have the largest pool of kits to choose from to make them.

Yes that's true, that's the other side of the hobby I now have the time to get into.

Complaints about lack of retinue are weird given you can literally give them a retinue when you build your army list. One of your choice that fits your view of them.

You can also put whatever hats you want on your models when you build them.

Weird attention post is weird.

Ah so I can't have an opinion? There's an accessibility to it as well on some level and the fact 40k is a little of everything to everyone.

I'm not going to tell anyone not have an opinion simply because they don't want to invest the time or have the skill to build or mod their own. There for you must not like it.

 Gert wrote:

Uptonius wrote:
1. Having so many members in your chapter that the Inquisition doesn't know how many of you there are, means that your making geneseed and new marines without Terran intervention. Fortress Monasteries on conquered worlds for resources and tithes. Fleet based chapter....
That's about as self sufficient a faction as one can be in the imperium.

2. First books of the HH series talk specifically about how calling the Expedition Fleets expansion a "crusade" was a bit uncomfortable and not really preferred by the common citizens of the Imperium. It was an Astartes habit.

3. Artificer armor is just finely crafted and often ancient armor. Artificer armor existed during the Great Crusade long before it could become "ancient and covered in honors".
Mk VII isn't artificer armor no matter how many silver skulls you put on it. Put a Mk II helmet on with a Mk IV heat and Mk III legs and you've got a suit of artificer armor in the 41st millennium.

They don't make their own weapons, equipment, supplies, ships, or vehicles. The only things the Black Templars are "self-sufficient" in are sourcing recruits (which all Chapters do anyway) and having potentially large gene-seed reserves.
The first HH books are set at the end of the Great Crusade when the Council of Terra wanted things to slow down after Ullanor and for the armies of the Imperium to adopt a more defensive/policing stance. Many within the Legions and other military branches couldn't imagine an Imperium without the Crusade which is why they ardently held to referring to ongoing conquests as such.
And as for artificer armour, here are some examples of named Marine Characters wearing Mk7:

Spoiler:

[img]https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/2/24/ChapterMasterPedroKantor.jpg
[/img]

Artificer Armour is just an advanced form of Power Armour. The reason it's often described as incorporating older patterns is that these suits are often relics of their Chapters, passed down from generation to generation. Mk7 was invented and deployed in the waning years of the Heresy and by the time of the Scouring, it had entered full service with the Second Founding Chapters so it is entirely reasonable for a Chapter to have a suit of Mk7 armour that is almost 10k years old in M41.

Uh... In your example, you proved my point.
Khan is wearing a Mk II belt. Seth is wearing Mk III Cuisses. To Artificer it must be recycled and embellished with new artsy modification.

Khan has a circular piece of armour on his belt, but that doesn't make it MkII. As for Seth, those are not MkIII gauntlets by any means. MkIII has distinctive wrist covers as seen here:

Here are some other examples of AA just being fancy MkVII:


Here are some examples that actually use MkVIII, a newer type of armour, rather than an older suit.


AA is not required to be an older pattern or a mix of armour patterns. It has never been that. Do some miniatures have mixed or older armour patterns? Yes, but it is by no means a requirement.
But hey, focus on the AA rather than every other point you were completely wrong on.