Space Marines Will Eventually Be Retired by Games Workshop

One thing you probably know about Warhammer 40,000 is probably about a large, blue Space Marine. With their gun full of explosive ammunition and their lack of ears, the Space Marines, or more precisely the Ultramarines, are the Pikachu of Warhammer’s science-fiction warfare. Give Pikachu nothing like that.

Since 40k’s launch as Rogue Trader, Space Marines have been the face of the game, and they have undergone significant development. The first power armored warrior was a small, stooped man wearing a beaky helmet; he was nothing like the multipart plastic kits we use today. Precision scalpels were not necessary for conversions; instead, drills and saws were needed, and rivets and intricate chainmail were far more challenging to accomplish.

The Primaris, a purportedly “true-scale” rendition of the recognizable space soldier that better matches the stature portrayed in the legend, is the most current variant of the Space Marine. For years, you could field both of them on the tabletop, and they sat side by side with the earlier models. But shortly, that choice will become much more limited because Games Workshop is discontinuing the production of numerous “firstborn” (older) Space Marine units, whose rules will become “legends” and be confined to use in friendly matches only.


The news that their beloved models are being retired hurts a lot of gamers, but the biggest surprise is how long it took. I half expected Primaris to come out and blow away any older, lesser Space Marine troops right away. To Games Workshop’s credit, though, it allowed Space Marines to coexist alongside their Primaris brethren for a considerable amount of time before eliminating them, which is how the Primaris range expanded to include practically the whole original line. There are still a few issues with this, though.

The first is more of a pastime. To begin with, the new Primaris kits are not nearly as modular as the older Space Marine kits. They’re not monopose, but it does require some time, effort, and modeling putty to swap them around. Some weapons are meant to fit specific torsos, and arms make sense on their matching models. Yes, they are more dynamic than the previous range, but originality is sacrificed in the process.

Money is the second issue. Hundreds of pounds have been spent by players building their Space Marine armies. Although I don’t play as much these days, I have a group of Firstborn Iron Hands that are completely worthless at the table. Even if many of the units have Primaris equivalents, would codex compliance really compel me to purchase hundreds of new models? No, is the response.

In friendly games, Games Workshop recommends utilizing your old Space Marines as stand-ins for their Primaris equivalents, but this has drawbacks of its own. Certain units have no Primaris counterparts, such as Land Speeders, Stalker tanks, and Thunderfire Cannons. The Primaris variant is available for the Techmarine, but not for the servitors that came with the previous kit. Three 40k armies can capture servitors, and soon there won’t be any official models available for them. For the time being, new players are unable to obtain them; perhaps this indicates that updates are forthcoming or that they are no longer available in future Codices.

Proxying has drawbacks as well. First of all, it’s not allowed at competitions, therefore players that are competitive have to take out their wallets. However, because the squads have different heights and footprints, it can be difficult to proxy out-of-production Assault Marines as Inceptors even in friendly games. However, employing older models can provide you an edge because they are smaller and more difficult to target.



Who knows? Particular Space Marine units like Ravenwing bikers, who lack a Primaris counterpart as well, might also lose their rules along with their non-specific brothers. Players of Dark Angels fear that when their selection of miniatures lags or stagnates, they will no longer be able to use the rules for their older models. While not all Firstborn Space Marine units are being phased out just yet, the remainder will undoubtedly follow.

The Ironclad Dreadnought was the model that first inspired me to convert hundreds of miniatures over the course of a hectic few years, therefore I’m personally devastated by its loss. In terms of style, the Redemptor pales in comparison to this legendary model.

Certain units are secure. Given that Captain Titus, the recently-Primarised character in Space Marine 2, can use jump packs, I believe that Assault Marines will receive an upgrade to Primaris concurrently with the release of Space Marine 2. Nevertheless, your former Assault Marines have been reduced to proxies and legends, which I’m sure will be further forgotten and diminished in the near future.





Space Marines are no longer available from Games Workshop. Primaris possess greater size, speed, and strength. Whereas Space Marines used to receive limited and special edition models, they now appear on all boxes and advertisements. They’re coming for your armies next, making your old collections obsolete and requiring you to return to Games Workshop stores in order to stay competitive.

Nothing prevents you from disobeying these guidelines and continuing to play with your previous armies. You will simply be forced to play 9th edition forever, losing ground to new Codices and rulesets that marginalize and eliminate your units. It’s okay to arrange matches with friends, but it will be difficult to arrange matches against strangers; you will probably need to describe each unit’s role numerous times during the match. Games Workshop is no longer the parent of the Emperor’s golden children.