Vehicles of the Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)

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The Space Marines of the Warhammer 40,000 universe have fewer types of vehicles than the Imperial Guard. This lack of variety in their vehicles befits their standardization and adherence to the Codex Astartes.

This list details the various vehicles that have been used by the Space Marines in the entire history of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The information is drawn primarily from the Space Marine army lists for the Warhammer 40,000 and Epic tabletop games, but is supplemented by other games where the Space Marines have made appearances in, such as Battlefleet Gothic and Aeronautica Imperialis. Vehicles are taken from the entire in-game and in-background history of the Space Marines, and ranges from archaic designs as the Space Marine Jetbike to recent additions such as the Space Marine Land Speeder Typhoon.

The list includes but is not limited to various armoured fighting vehicles, aircraft and spacecraft.

Contents 1 Armoured Fighting Vehicles (and skimmers) 1.1 Bikes 1.1.1 Attack Bike 1.1.2 Jet Bike 1.2 Dreadnought 1.3 Land Raider 1.4 Land Speeder 1.4.1 Variants 1.5 Predator 1.5.1 Predator variants 1.6 Razorback 1.7 Rhino 1.7.1 Rhino Variants 1.8 Whirlwind 1.8.1 Whirlwind Variants 1.9 Vindicator 1.10 Other Space Marine Vehicles 2 Aircraft and Spacecraft 2.1 Drop Pod 2.1.1 Deathwind Drop Pod 2.2 Thunderhawk 2.2.1 Thunderhawk Gunship 2.2.2 Thunderhawk Transporter 2.3 Landing Craft 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 Other Warhammer 40,000-Related Articles

[edit] Armoured Fighting Vehicles (and skimmers)

Space Marine ground vehicles are more focused on rapid mobile assault instead of armour and artillery firepower.

[edit] Bikes

The Space Marine Bike is a relatively common mode of transportation for Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game. It is a two-wheeled vehicle reminiscent of modern motorcycles. Though classified as a "vehicle" for obvious reasons, in-game, bikes are treated as infantry models that can move further and are a bit more resilient.^[1]

Space Marine Bikes first made an appearance in the late 1980s with the 1st edition of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, where they are referred to as the "Vincent Black Shadow". The original model was a two-piece cast. The fairing (the handle bars and front head light) was separate, made entirely of metal, though it was already armed with the twin-linked bolters that the latest version is armed with. The standard Space Marine Bike plastic kit still in use today was introduced in 1993 along with the second edition of Warhammer 40,000.^[2]

In the game's background, bikes are used primarily by the Space Marines, although use by the Imperial Guard is not unheard of. Each bike is equipped with twin-linked bolters as standard armament. Riders sometimes carry a support weapon such as a flamer or meltagun. Other Space Marine chapters have their own, specialized configurations of their biker squadrons. Biker squadrons of the Space Wolves chapter come entirely from the younger members of the chapter, the Blood Claws. These Blood Claw Bikers as they are called, are sometimes armed with powerful melee weapons such as power weapons.^[3] The White Scars Space Marine chapter is known for having the most bikes compared to any other Marine chapter. Like the Blood Claws, White Scar bikers are also known to commonly carry melee weapons.^[4] The Ravenwing, the Second Company of the Dark Angels Chapter, is composed entirely of bikes and Land Speeders.^[5]

Outside of the Warhammer 40,000 game, Space Marine Bikes are also featured for the Epic large-scale battle tabletop game. In Epic 40,000 (3rd edition) released in 1997, the standard Space Marine Bike design was redesigned to look sleeker and more rounded (similar to modern racing motorcycles or Eldar jetbikes). However for the current edition of Epic: Armageddon (4th edition), the design of the bikes were reverted to match the appearance of their Warhammer 40,000 counterparts. So far, Space Marine Bikes have not been featured in video games making use of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.

[edit] Attack Bike

The Space Marine Attack Bike is a bulkier, more heavily-armed variant of the Space Marine Bike. In appearance, it is just a standard bike with a second rider in a sidecar. The original Attack Bike model was made entirely of metal and armed with a multi-melta.^[6] The second version of the Attack Bike was released by Games Workshop in 1997 for the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000.^[7] This version was based on the new plastic Space Marine Bike, although the sidecar and gunner were still made of metal. Two versions were released. The generic Space Marine Attack Bike was armed with a heavy bolter, while the Dark Angels Ravenwing version had a multi-melta. The current incarnation of the Attack Bike is an all-plastic model kit that was released for the 3rd edition of Warhammer 40,000. This latest version can be armed with either a multi-melta or a heavy bolter in addition to the bike's mounted twin-bolters.

In-game, Attack Bikes can either be fielded in squadrons by themselves or singly, accompanying squads of Space Marine bikers where they can significantly increase the firepower of the squadron. Many players use multi-melta armed Attack Bikes as potent hit-and-run tank hunters, while heavy bolter-armed Attack Bikes are tasked for anti-infantry work.

Outside of the Warhammer 40,000 game, Space Marine Attack Bikes are also featured in the Epic large-scale battle tabletop game. Epic 40,000 (3rd edition) attack bikes were metal figures and had the same look as their Warhammer 40,000 counterparts albeit on a smaller scale, contrasting with the (regular) Space Marine bike squadrons whose vehicles were sleeker and more rounded.^[8] However, Attack Bikes were given a lower speed than Bike squadrons and Land Speeders (30 cm per turn instead of 35 cm), causing them to be omitted from many players' fast attack detachments. The Epic: Armageddon (4th edition) attack bikes retained the 3rd edition design.

[edit] Jet Bike

In the early days of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game, both the Space Marines and the Imperial Guard had access to the MK14 'Bullock' Jet-Cycle.^[9] The Ravenwing, then-7th company of the Dark Angels chapter, were mounted entirely on MK14's.^[10] Imperial jet bikes have since been removed from both the Imperial Guard and Space Marine army lists.

In early 2007, a revamped Master of the Ravenwing on Jetbike model was released, featuring the said Space Marine hero riding an Imperial Jetbike. This is the first imperial miniature released by Games Workshop in years to be mounted on a jetbike. The new jetbike design is much larger than the old ones. This is said to be the last of the imperial jetbikes. This version of the jetbike looks similar to the Imperial cruisers from another Games Workshop miniature game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Battlefleet Gothic. The accompanying rules for the Master and the jetbike were printed in that year's release of the Dark Angels codex.^[11]

[edit] Dreadnought

Main article: Dreadnought (Warhammer 40,000)

A Dreadnought is an armoured sarcophagus into which a Space Marine that is a great champion or hero of the chapter or legion that has been mortaly wounded can be placed; it acts as both an armoured walking tank and a life-support system for the marine inside.

[edit] Land Raider

Main article: Land Raider (Warhammer 40,000)

The Land Raider is the most powerful tank in the Space Marine's arsenal and is used to spearhead assaults or serve as a mobile bunker, being heavily armed for anti-tank and anti-personnel, with all-around thick armour, and able to transport at least 10 marines in power armour or 5 terminators.

[edit] Land Speeder

The Space Marine Land Speeder is a light, flying vehicle used by the Space Marines for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game.

Land Speeders were introduced along with the other first edition Warhammer 40,000 vehicles, the Rhino and the Land Raider. The first Land Speeder model was made entirely of metal. It looked more-or-less like two flying seats in front of two large turbines. The Space Marine crew were entirely exposed. This early version of the Land Speeder was armed with a meltagun and a turret-mounted multi-melta. During this edition of the game, Land Speeders were not entirely limited to the Space Marines; The Imperial Guard had their own Land Speeders. The Imperial Guard Land Speeder model was almost-identical to the Space Marine version, except for weaponry. The Imperial Guard Land Speeder was armed with a hull-mounted heavy bolter and a turret-mounted plasma cannon, then-called a "heavy plasma gun".^[12][13]

When the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released, Land Speeders were taken out of the Imperial Guard army list. From this point on, they were entirely Space Marine vehicles. The Land Speeder's second incarnation was released in 1993. This all-metal version added more bulk and armor to the vehicle, with pilots being less exposed in the front though not the sides. The meltagun and plasma cannon were replaced by an underslung multi-melta and a heavy flamer fired by the marine riding in the gunner's seat. In 1997, another Land Speeder model was released for the Ravenwing company of the Dark Angels Space Marine chapter. This version replaced the standard Land Speeder's multi-melta with an assault cannon and the gunner's heavy flamer with a heavy bolter. ^[14]

The current design of the Land Speeder was introduced in 1998 for the 3rd edition of the Warhammer 40,000 game. Unlike the previous models, this release was a completely plastic kit. The redesign of the Land Speeder made it appear sleeker, appearing less like two flying chairs with guns and more like a high-heeled shoe with wings... and guns. The the pilots are almost entirely enclosed. Stabilizers and a spoiler were also added to make the vehicle look more aerodynamic. In line with the changes to the Land Speeder's profile in the Codex: Space Marines sourcebook, the weapons that were included in the kit were changed once more. The boxed set contained a multi-melta and a heavy bolter, only one of which could be mounted onto the speeder. Several variants were also released, using the same plastic model but including additional metal weaponry. The third edition of the game was the first time that Land Speeders could be fielded as squadrons of up to three, although the Tornado and Typhoon variants could only be fielded as individual vehicles.^[15] With the release of the fourth edition Space Marine codex, players were allowed to field different Land Speeder variants in the same squadron.^[1]

According to the game's background, the Land Speeder gets its name from Arkhan Land, the techpriest who rediscovered the STC template containing its designs. As the Land Speeder's STC was discovered after the events of the Horus Heresy, the Land Speeder is not available to the forces of the Chaos Space Marines. Land Speeders are often used as fast-response units, quickly dropping down from orbiting transports to add their firepower to the Space Marine forces on the ground. In fact, this is seen in action in the introduction movie of the Dark Crusade expansion for the Dawn of War computer game.^[16]

The Land Speeder appears in several other games outside of Warhammer 40,000. Land speeders are available as fieldable units for the Epic large-scale battle tabletop game for both the third and fourth editions, similar in design to the corresponding Warhammer 40,000 version.^[8]

Land Speeders have also been featured in Chaos Gate and Dawn of War, computer games based on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. The Land Speeders in Dawn of War are Land Speeder Tornadoes that are slightly different from the ones in Warhammer 40,000. They are armed with twin-linked assault cannons underslung and twin-linked heavy bolters that are fired by the gunner.^[17]

[edit] Variants

Over the years, numerous Land Speeder versions have been released with a wide array of weapon combinations. To accommodate these various incarnations, the Land Speeder entry in the Space Marines' army list allows several upgrades to the common single-weapon-armed Land Speeder. In addition, there are a few Land Speeder variants that have gained rules of their own.

• The Land Speeder Tornado is a much more heavily-armed Land Speeder. The designation was originally created to accommodate the metal Land Speeder models released for the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000 in 3rd edition Space Marine armies. Tornadoes are essentially Land Speeders with a second weapon underneath, corresponding to the speeder's main weapon. Land Speeder Tornadoes armed with a heavy bolter have an underslung assault cannon while multi-melta-armed speeders are armed with an additional heavy flamer. These two incarnations corresponded to the Dark Angels' Ravenwing Land Speeder^[14] and the standard second edition Land Speeder. In 1999, an updated Land Speeder Tornado model was released by Games Workshop, using the new plastic design of the Land Speeder as a base. However, the additional weapons to upgrade the speeder to a Tornado were metal.
• The Land Speeder Typhoon was first released in 1999 as a plastic and metal kit based on the standard Space Marine Land Speeder. The rules for the Typhoon were actually released a year before in the 3rd edition of the Codex: Space Marines sourcebook. The Typhoon sports two metal missile racks mounted on both sides of the plastic speeder model. In-game, they fire as a Typhoon missile launcher, an anti-personnel missile launcher that is best used against lightly-armored enemy infantry.^[18]
• The Land Speeder Tempest is a heavy-armoured variant of the standard Land Speeder released by Forge World as a resin-kit for Warhammer 40,000. The model itself incorporates many changes to the standard speeder's design. The Tempest's single-pilot cockpit is entirely enclosed and instead of small stabilizers, full wings extend from the sides of the speeder. It is armed with a nose-mounted assault cannon and twin missile racks along its sides. The rules for the Land Speeder Tempest were first published in Forge World's Warhammer 40,000 sourcebook, Imperial Armour Update: New Vehicles for Warhammer 40,000. In the game's background, the Tempest was originally developed for use by the White Scars Space Marines, a chapter known for their use of lightning-fast raiding tactics. The Tempest is perfect for supporting such raids with its anti-tank missiles and its infantry-shredding assault cannon. ^[19] It is featured in the Dawn of War expansion Soulstorm as the space marines flying unit.
• The Ravenwing Master-Crafted Landspeeder is a unique variant of the Land Speeder ridden only by the master of the Dark Angels chapter's 2nd company, known as the Ravenwing. The Master of the Ravenwing's speeder is heavily armed with twin-heavy bolters and twin-linked assault cannons, similar to the Dawn of War version above. In addition, the specialized speeder is equipped with superior targeting equipment and a protective shield generator. The Master of the Ravenwing model kit was released in 1999 by Games Workshop to coincide with the release of the Dark Angels codex.^[20]

[edit] Predator

The Space Marine Predator is the main battle tank used by the Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game.

The original Predator miniature for Warhammer 40,000 was released in 1990 as a fully plastic kit. The tank was essentially a variant of the Rhino chassis with a turret and weapons in side sponsons.^[21] Later that year, a miniaturized Predator model was released for the 1st edition of the Epic, then-named Epic Space Marine. ^[22] The original version of the tank had a much rounder turret, reminiscent of the Russian T-62 tank and rounder sponsons (This version is now designated as a Predator Destructor). An updated model was released a year before the release of the 3rd edition of Warhammer 40,000 and introduced both the Predator Annihilator and Predator Destructor variants; both feature angular sponsons (similar to WWI tanks) and shorter turret-mounted weaponry (the Annihilator's turret was rounded while the Destructor's was angular). This updated model was also adopted for the Epic 40,000 3rd edition, though the game did not distinguish between the two types of Predators. For the 4th edition of Warhammer 40,000, the design of the Predator was updated and standardized. A new all-plastic kit was released using the new MkII Rhino chassis, allowing configuration of the tank with all available weapon fits possible as of the 4th edition Codex: Space Marines sourcebook.^[1]

Space Marine Predators are armed with either an autocannon or a twin-linked lascannon in their turret. An autocannon-armed one is normally designated a Predator Destructor while one armed with the twin lascannon turret is referred to as a Predator Annihilator. In addition to their turret weapons, Predators are often armed with a pair of side sponson-mounted secondary weapons. These can either be anti-infantry heavy bolters or tank-busting lascannons. Most Predators are usually configured for a specific purpose (i.e. turret and sponson lascannons for a dedicated tank hunter, or turret and sponson autocannon with heavy bolters for cutting down infantry en masse), though it is possible to mix roles for the turret and sponson weapons for a generalist role.

According to the background information, the Predator was first designed for Space Marines as a cavalry tank, appropriate for the Marines' rapid-strike tactics. It has lighter armour and weaker weaponry compared to true Imperial main battle tanks such as the Leman Russ and thus is not as survivable in a head-to-head confrontation with other heavy tanks.^[23]

Chaos Space Marine armies also have access to the Predator tank. Chaos Predators may be armed with all the weapons that standard Space Marine Predators can be armed with. It is interesting to note that Predators in Chaos armies are never referred to as Annihilators or Destructors though they may be configured as such.^[24] In 2003, the Predator design was finally updated for the Chaos Space Marines. The new plastic kit incorporated the design of the new marine version with added spikes common to Chaos vehicles.^[25]

Outside of the Warhammer 40,000 and Epic tabletop games, various versions of the Predator has appeared in games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Predator squadrons are fieldable units in the Epic 40,000 Final Liberation computer game.^[26] Both Space Marine and Chaos Space Marine factions in the real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War can field Predator tanks as well. During the first few versions of the game and now in the latest version of Dark Crusade, both lascannon and autocannon-armed tanks were fieldable. Later patches and expansions limited the types (and number) of Predators that could be fielded.^[17]

[edit] Predator variants

The Baal Predator is a Predator variant released in 1999 specifically for the Blood Angels Space Marine chapter. Unlike standard Predators, it can be armed with either heavy flamers or heavy bolters or lascannons in its side sponsons. The Baal differs from the standard Predator with its turret-mounted assault cannons. The Baal's assault cannons are shorter-ranged compared to the other weapons commonly mounted in Predators' turrets, a nod to the Blood Angels' preference for close-quarter fighting. ^[27][28]

Predators of the White Scars Space Marine chapter do not carry sponson weapons, which allows their tanks to travel faster.^[4]

In the recently released "Apocalypse" supplement, Predators may be formed into Predator Assassin Squadrons as a Battle Formation.

[edit] Razorback

The Space Marine Razorback is a light armored vehicle used by Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The original Razorback model was released by Games Workshop in 1994 for the second edition of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game.

Appearance-wise, the original Razorback was essentially a Space Marine Rhino with a turret. The original kit featured a metal turret consisting of a metal Space Marine gunner manning a combination lascannon & twin-plasmagun mount.^[29] Following the release of the Space Marine Rhino MkII, Games Workshop decided to update the Razorback in 1999 to use the new Rhino chassis. The current Razorback kit is based on the new MkII Rhino chassis. In addition to the new chassis, the kit contains plastic sprues for the turret assembly.^[30]

According to the background information, the Razorback was developed as a more-heavily-armed variant of the Rhino chassis that sacrifices a portion of its troop capacity for additional firepower. Weaponry that Razorbacks have been known to carry are heavy bolters, lascannons, combination single lascannon with plasma guns, or multi-meltas. The weapons are mounted on a turret, manned by a gunner in third edition versions of the model but automated as of the latest release. Razorbacks are classified as infantry fighting vehicles, having the same purpose as the modern M2 Bradley IFV. The Razorback, along with the Whirlwind, is a post-Heresy design and is therefore not used by Chaos Space Marines. This explains why the Razorback has not appeared in any incarnation of the Chaos Space Marine codex.

The Razorback is one of the Space Marine vehicles that have not been extensively featured in other derivative media such as video games. In 1997, a Razorback model was released by Games Workshop for the Epic 40,000 (Epic 3rd edition) large scale battle tabletop game, which is a miniaturized version of the Warhammer 40,000 model and made of metal. Razorbacks also featured in Epic: Armageddon (4th edition).

[edit] Rhino

A Black Templars Rhino MkIIc.

The ubiquitous transport vehicle known as the Space Marine Rhino was first unveiled by Games Workshop in 1988. Originally, it was meant as a transport vehicle for squads of Space Marines and Imperial Guard for the tabletop miniatures game, Rogue Trader, which was the first edition of Warhammer 40,000.

It appears as a small, turretless tracked vehicle not unlike the M113 armored personnel carrier used by many of the world's armed forces. Like the M113, the Rhino's use in the various games that it appears in is that of a highly mobile, armored troop transport.

While the rules governing the use of the vehicle changed over the course of several editions of the game, the plastic model representing the transport was not updated until 2002 when Games Workshop released a new plastic kit. This latest incarnation of the Rhino is the Space Marine MkIIc Rhino, released as a plastic kit by Games Workshop in 2002.^[31] The new incarnation of the Rhino was designed by Tim Adcock, also responsible for the redesign of many other Warhammer 40,000 models such as the Imperial Guard Sentinel and the Space Marine Land Raider.^[32]

In the Warhammer 40,000 game, the Rhino is supported by several rulesets, most commonly-used of which is 4th edition Space Marine codex released in 2004.^[1] Rhino transport vehicles can also be used by three other Warhammer 40,000 armies, the Daemonhunters, Witch Hunters, and the Chaos Space Marines. Witch Hunter players can field Rhinos to transport squads of Battle Sisters.^[33] Rhinos can also be used by both armies to transport elite squads of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers.^{[34] [24]}

According to various background information sources that Games Workshop has released over the years, the Rhino was originally derived from the Rh1 N0 Standard Template Construct pattern. It is armed with a single storm bolter, mounted on the dorsal aspect of the tank. The chassis of the Rhino is easily adaptable, and serves as the basis for almost every other Space Marine vehicle. Rhinos are one of the cheapest transport vehicles available to the Imperium, though they are not as common as Imperial Guard transport vehicles such as the Chimera. This is reflected in game rules by the fact that only elite forces such as Space Marines, Sisters of Battle and the Inquisition can field Rhinos.^{[35] [36]}

While the Space Marine Rhino first debuted as a model for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game, it has made many appearances since its original inception. Miniaturized versions of the Rhino, with the same design as the corresponding Warhammer 40,000 design, were found in all editions of Epic; Epic Space Marine, Epic 40,000 and Epic: Armageddon.

The Rhino has also appeared in the many video games that make use of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. Rhino squadrons are fieldable units in SSI's computer game Final Liberation, released in 1997. Most recently, Space Marine players of THQ's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War can build Rhino APC's.^[17]

[edit] Rhino Variants

The Damocles Command Rhino was released by Games Workshop's subsidiary Forge World as a resin conversion kit for the Space Marine Rhino plastic kit. Its release coincided with the presentation of its rules in Imperial Armor: Volume 2 - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition. The Damocles is essentially a Rhino upgraded with a communications suite and a teleport homer, both in-universe and in-game.^[37]

[edit] Whirlwind

The Space Marine Whirlwind is an artillery support vehicle used by the Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game. In essence, it is a mobile multiple missile launcher along the same lines of the modern M270 MLRS.

Another variant of the Space Marine Rhino, the Whirlwind concept first appeared as a conversion of the Rhino in the pages of White Dwarf magazine in September of 1989.^[38] The first actual Whirlwind kit was released by Games Workshop in 1995 during the 2nd edition of Warhammer 40,000.^[39] That original model was essentially a Rhino plastic kit with an additional metal turret composed of multiple missile launcher tubes. With the release of the 4th edition of Warhammer 40,000, the a new Whirlwind model was released based on the newly-designed Space Marine Rhino. This latest version of the Whirlwind features a fully-plastic turret assembly.

Traditionally a highly mobile force, the Space Marines do not use the same array of artillery as the Imperial Guard. The Whirlwind is their sole artillery vehicle. The Whirlwind's missile launcher holds several missiles which are used to bombard enemy positions in preparation for attack. Originally, the missiles were mainly anti-personnel in nature. The 4th edition Codex Space Marines gave Space Marine players the ability to choose between two types of missiles for the artillery tank. The original Whirlwind's missiles were named Vengeance Missiles and remain anti-personnel. Introduced in the codex, Castellan Missiles are not tipped with conventional warheads per-se. Instead, they allow the Space Marine player to deploy a minefield on the battlefield in the same fashion as the actual CBU-78 Gator bomb.^[1] Codex Dark Angels introduces a third missile type know as Incendiary Castelleas which is a hybrid between the Vengeance missile and a firebomb, able to ignore cover by engulfing an area in flames.

According to the background information, the Whirlwind is a post-Horus Heresy design and is therefore not utilized by Chaos Space Marines. This justified the absence of Whirlwinds in the Chaos Space Marine army list.

Whirlwinds have also made other appearances in other media. They are fieldable units in the game, Epic 40,000 Final Liberation.^[26] They can also be fielded by the Space Marine faction in the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War RTS game. However, these Whirlwinds were armed only with vengeance missiles.^[17]

[edit] Whirlwind Variants

Epic-scale Hunter (center) flanked by Space Marine Whirlwinds.

The Whirlwind Hyperios variant of the Whirlwind was first seen in the Games Workshop sourcebook Imperial Armour: Volume 2 - Space Marines and the Forces of the Inquisition. It is essentially a standard Whirlwind armed with a special Hyperios anti-aircraft missile launcher instead of the usual Whirlwind Launcher. The Hyperios launcher's missiles are much more powerful than the standard Whirlwind's Vengeance missiles, but do not affect as large an area as they have a reduced blast radius. In essence, the Hyperios acts as a surface-to-air, anti-aircraft missile carrier. This variant came about to fill a tactical gap in Space Marine forces since they do not have dedicated anti-aircraft platforms as the Imperial Guard does.^[37]

The Hunter is a special variant of the Whirlwind seen only in the game Epic: Armageddon. It effectively fills the niche of the Hyperios (which does not appear in the game) as the Space Marine army's only dedicated anti-aircraft component.^[40]

[edit] Vindicator

A Space Marine Vindicator painted in the green marbled livery of the Dark Angels chapter.

The Space Marine Vindicator is an armoured, short-ranged siege tank used by the Space Marines in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniatures game.

Unlike most other Space Marine vehicles, the Vindicator did not originate in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. The first conception of the tank was in 1989 with the 1st edition of another Games Workshop tabletop game, Space Marine. In the same year, a Vindicator conversion using the Space Marine Rhino plastic kit was featured in White Dwarf magazine.^[41] The first actual Vindicator kit for Warhammer 40,000 was released during the height of the 3rd edition of the game in 1999.^[42] This kit is based on an original plastic Rhino body with metal components. Previously, the only Vindicator model based on the MkII Rhino chassis is a resin kit released by Forge World. Games Workshop has since released a plastic version of the Forge World kit for its' Apocalypse expansion. The MKII version has a large bulldozer blade in front, protecting the tank's smaller demolisher cannon.

Unpainted MkII Vindicator as released by Forge World.

According to various background information sources, Space Marines attacking heavily fortified positions often rely on Vindicators to break through. The primary armament of the siege tank is the snub-nosed demolisher cannon, capable of blasting through the thickest walls and armor.

Though it is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, the Vindicator's demolisher cannon has a very short range. In-game, Space Marine players often use the Vindicator for urban warfare, where it proves its worth in close quarters against heavily armoured targets. The Vindicator made its appearance during the Horus Heresy and was adopted by both sides although the latest background states that the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion makes it a point to scavenge these for their own use whenever possible and is the only Traitor Legion to utilize these vehicles.

Like the Razorback, the Vindicator has not been featured in many other derivative games outside of the two tabletop games in which it has miniatures for. Vindicator squadrons are usable units in the PC game Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000.^[26]

[edit] Other Space Marine Vehicles

• Space Wolves armies can include the Leman Russ Exterminator, an Imperial Guard tank recently made available to the Space Wolves chapter since the release of their 3rd edition codex. The Exterminator is a faster variant of the standard Leman Russ battle tank, with twin turret autocannons and sponson heavy bolters for anti-infantry work.^[3] It has since been removed from the Imperial Guard army list, making the Space Wolves the only standard army to be able to field the tank.^[43] (The Exterminator can still be fielded by Imperial Guard Armoured Company armies.^[44])

• The Space Marine Grav Attack Tank was a light skimmer that appeared in an article in White Dwarf magazine in 1987 (and subsequently republished in the Warhammer 40,000 Compendium). The Grav Attack was a completely scratch-built vehicle made from a used plastic deodorant bottle with space marine and Zoids plastic bits added.^[45] A scan of the relevant magazine page showcasing the vehicle can be found at The Stuff of Legends.

• The Capitol Imperialis is an extremely large, tracked vehicle that is capable of carrying a company of Space Marines into battle. It operates as a mobile command post as well as an assault vehicle, equipped with a Defence Laser, heavy plasma guns and heavy bolters and protected by power fields. It has a large rear loading ramp and a front ramp nearly as large through which the Space Marines disembark once it has breached the enemy defences. There are references to Space Marines using them during the Horus Heresy and its aftermath, but the only mention of their use in the 41st millennium is by the Imperial Guard in the defence of Tarsis Ultra. Like the Imperial Guard's Leviathan it appeared only in the Epic scale in the early 1990s and has since been discontinued^[46].

[edit] Aircraft and Spacecraft

In addition to their ground vehicles, Space Marines also have access to some forms of atmospheric aircraft. According to background information, the Space Marines operate independently of the Imperial Navy and have their own spacecraft and thus their own means of interstellar transport. As such, their aircraft are mostly means of transportation.

[edit] Drop Pod

Orbital Drop Pods are specialized atmospheric reentry craft that can be used to deploy Space Marines in a Space Marine army.

A Drop Pod has the appearance of a huge, metallic, five-petaled flower bud when it opens upon landing. The interior is a transport chamber for the pod's passengers. In the background, Drop Pods are launched directly from ships in orbit around a planet. They crash down through the planet's atmosphere, at the last moment slowing down via thrusters located on the bottom of the pod. They reflect the nature of the Space Marines as an elite rapid-deployment force, giving them the capacity to reach the battlefield, from their warships in space, within a matter of seconds. Upon landing, the pod's "petals", which are actually doors, open up to disembark its passengers. Most if not all Drop Pod miniatures for use with both the Warhammer 40,000 and Epic 40,000 tabletop games have been released by Forge World. While throughout the years, rumors have been circulating about plastic or resin official Drop Pod kits, Games Workshop has yet to release an official model of a Space Marine Drop Pod.

Both in-game and background-wise, Drop Pods are a common means of getting Space Marines directly into the heat of battle. In most of their in-game incarnations, Drop Pods are deployed straight onto the battlefield, disembarking their cargo straight into combat. Rules for actual Drop Pods have appeared in various Forge World publications, such as the Imperial Armour series.^[37] In official Warhammer 40,000 rules, rules for deploying via Drop Pods were simulated in the 3rd edition Space Marine codex, although the pods themselves did not appear as on-table models.^[15] With the release of Codex: Space Marines, 4th edition, Drop Pods were finally fully integrated into the Warhammer 40,000 rules set.^[1]

Previous versions of Drop Pods were capable of carrying only five Space Marines, and this was reflected in the rules for them.^[37] The latest version of Drop Pod in the 4th edition Space Marine codex is capable of transporting a full squad of ten Space Marines in power armor, five Space Marine Terminators, or a single Dreadnought.^[1]

Outside the Warhammer 40,000 and Epic 40,000 games, Drop Pods can also be seen in the game Dawn of War and its expansion packs. In the game, they can be seen whenever Space Marine reinforcements are deployed onto the battlefield, either landing on the landing pad of a receiving structure in friendly ground, or dropped directly into enemy territory ("deep striking"). They can also be seen at the conclusion of the game's opening cinematic.^[17]

[edit] Deathwind Drop Pod

The Deathwind Drop Pod is a specialized version of the standard Drop Pod that eschews its transport capacity in order to carry a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition, essentially turning into an auto-turret upon landing. These are usually five assault cannons pointing outwards in the area where normally space marines would disembark from. They are dropped shortly preceding normal transport-capable Drop Pods, to add fire-support for the disembarking Space Marines. Deathwind Drop Pods originally appeared in the Imperial Armour family of sourcebooks for Warhammer 40,000.^[37] In the latest Space Marine codex, Deathwind pods are not different units from the standard Drop Pod. Instead, Drop Pods can be upgraded to have a Deathwind Launcher.^[1]

Deathwind Drop Pods only appear as resin kits released by Forge World.

[edit] Thunderhawk

The Thunderhawk is a massive, heavily-armoured spacecraft used by the Space Marines for a variety of missions. They carry a payload of powerful bombs and can easily claim the skies above a battlefield. There are currently two different variants that have rules for both Warhammer 40,000 and Epic tabletop games.

[edit] Thunderhawk Gunship

The Thunderhawk Gunship is a large, heavily armed transport aircraft that can sometimes be found in Space Marine armies. In the Warhammer 40,000 game, it can only be fielded under specialized conditions and is rarely seen. It is seen far more frequently in Epic, as there are more opportunities to field them, even in flights of multiple gunships. Its most important role in Epic is transporting entire detachments of Space Marines.

Over the years, Forge World has released several Thunderhawk Gunship resin kits in the Warhammer 40,000 scale. The Thunderhawk is not a staple part of a Space Marine army and rules for it have never appeared in an official codex, Games Workshop itself has not released an official Thunderhawk Gunship model for use in play. In 1995, promotional Thunderhawk Gunship models were featured during that year's Games Day.^[47] The following year, a Chaos Thunderhawk conversion was featured in White Dwarf.^[48] The metal Thunderhawks were released for a limited run and are significantly smaller than the Forgeworld resin counterpart.

The gunship is armed with a massive main weapon, either a battlecannon similar to the ones mounted on the Leman Russ tank or a turbo laser destructor, commonly mounted on titans. It is also armed with four twin-linked heavy bolters and twin-linked lascannons as secondary weaponry. Numerous bombs and missiles can also be carried by the gunship.^[37]

In-game, it can transport many more Space Marines than most other units in the game. The Thunderhawk Gunship has space for at most thirty standard Space Marines, although it can also transport other aspects of the Space Marine army. It can even fit a full bike squadron or several larger attack bikes. In the background material, the Thunderhawk has been described to contain an armory, and an apothecary and a small number of techmarines are usually assigned to each gunship.

[edit] Thunderhawk Transporter

The Thunderhawk Transporter is a specialized variant of the Thunderhawk, appearing similar to modern carryall helicopters like the Mil Mi-10. In 2006, a resin kit of the Transporter was released by Forge World and rules for it were released with the 2006 update of Imperial Armour.^[49] This version is comparatively lightly armed, but can carry three Dreadnoughts, two Rhinos (or variants), or a Land Raider straight into combat.

Games Workshop developer Gav Thorpe experimented with house rules in a December 1997 White Dwarf article to give the Thunderhawk the capacity to transport vehicles. (At the time, the Thunderhawk was the only aerial transport in the Marine arsenal). There was the Intrepid payload, consisting of ten space marines and an underslung Rhino, to allow marines to deepstrike. There was also the Furioso payload where there is the option to replace a five-man squads with a Dreadnought (1-6 substitutions), as a way to make Dreadnoughts more deployable as they were otherwise not frequently used due to their slow speed. Gav also proposed a loadout where three Rhinos (or its variants) could be accommodated in its storage bays (recommending that such a cargo be paired with a second Thunderhawk carrying three ten-man squads), or even one Land Raider; he suggested there there could be disassembly and reassembly times. It is likely that the Thunderhawk Transporter resulted from this.

These ships make brief appearances in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War; whenever a Space Marine vehicle (i.e. a Dreadnought, Rhino, Predator or Land Raider) or a Space Marine HQ is requisitioned, a Thunderhawk flies in to deliver the vehicle/HQ to the battlefield before flying off again.

[edit] Landing Craft

Space Marine Landing Craft.

Much larger than the Thunderhawk Gunships, Space Marine Landing Craft are spacecraft capable of dropping an entire Space Marine detachment including an assortment of vehicles into battle from orbit. So far, they have made an appearance only in the Epic large-scale battle tabletop game.

As a model for a vehicle of this size would be much too large and unwieldy in 28mm scale, it is not represented by a model in Warhammer 40,000. A metal miniature has been released for the smaller Epic scale by the Specialist Games division of Games Workshop, and is available only from their online store.^[50]

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] References

[edit] Other Warhammer 40,000-Related Articles

• Warhammer 40,000 Weapons, Equipment and Vehicles
• Weapons of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Equipment of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Vehicles of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Vehicles of the Imperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000)
• Weapons, equipment, and vehicles of the Craftworld Eldar (Warhammer 40,000)
• Weapons, equipment, and vehicles of the Necrons

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