2019 may be the beginning of the end for all the powered armor Space Marines kits. Come see why they seem to be disappearing from GW branding as of late.
It hasn’t even been two years yet since we saw the introduction of Primaris Marines to Warhammer 40k. Which depending on who you ask, along with Adeptus Astartes, are terms GW can lay claim to instead of their previous “Space Marine”.
Nearly one year ago this week guest writer, Matt P, pointed out how everything Primaris seemed to be the focus of Games Workshop. Now in 2019 we have even more to go on, including a year’s worth of teasers and rumors as well.
From our article on Feb 27, 2018:
Not only is GW not putting out new “power armored” models, but they are also taking great pains to remove them from everything.
How many pictures of power armored Marines are in the following publications? By power armored, I mean (A) infantry not bikes, (B) Loyalist not Chaos, and (C) 40,000 timeline not 30,000.
1) Chapter Approved 2017
2) The Citadel Paint App
3) December White Dwarf (I haven’t checked other sources.)
What would you expect, compared to Primaris marines? 50-50? 75%? Here are the results:
1) CA 2017. There is one picture of Grey Knights in power armor and one Apocalypse picture that has some Ultramarines.
2) Paint App: None. Grey Knights are represented by a Paladin. The only power armored guys are Chaos. Does anyone remember if this was the case when it was released?
3) Dec WD: There is one advertisement showing a Forge World 30k special character in power armor. Even the Golden Daemon pictures are all Primaris or two of the new Deathwatch Character. Same with readers choice, and the Dark Angel battle report uses all Primaris save for Terminators and Bikes. There is one Thousand Son Sorceror but no plain Power Armor marines that have Primaris versions.
4) Jan WD: Only power armor seen are some Space Wolves MK4 marines from the Prospero box.
5) Feb WD: Golden Demon section has Cypher and the robed Veteran models opposite a squad of Blood Angels with their new plastic chaplain, a small picture of Thousand Sons,
Another interesting point of note is the only non-special character power armored models in the Dark Angels codex are the old Veterans with robes. on page 65 and the overleaf battle picture on page 133 features some power armor squads in the extreme corners of the two-page action shot.
This doesn’t feel, to me, like they have just added new models to the line. When the Centurions came out, we still saw all of the old models. This feels far more insidious than that. It is like they still want to do what they did to form Age of Sigmar’s universe but don’t want anyone to see it coming.
What was the last loyalist plastic power armored model to be released? Cypher? What was before that? Um, Wulfen don’t count. I honestly can’t remember.
Space Marines In 2019
Fast forward to 2019, and the stats are not any better for the Space Marines either:
- Imperial Fists new rules section in the Jan White Dwarf featured two small shots of Space Marines on over the ten pages of that feature.
- December’s Vigilus Supplement only featured Vanguard Space Marines dueling with Warp Talons.
- Chapter Approved 2018 featured one small pic of Deathwatch, and two of Blood Angels Tactical marines, (both behind a line of Primaris Marines engaging enemies).
- For the Beta Bolter rule issue, a small tactical squad can be seen behind Robbie G and a line of Primaris as well.
Even the latest Imperial Guard sculpt (Female Severina Rhaine) seems to be on par with the size of a Primaris Marine as well:
Plus a new word from Industry Insiders recently seems to support what hobbyists everywhere have already noticed; that some Space Marines are being phased out:
- GW will slowly begin to withdraw low performing Classic Marine kits from their inventory.
- These kits will either be permanently retired or reworked into modern versions.
So where does that leave us? Well overall GW seems to be in love with the blind box format of their Space Marine Heroes sets. While we await the announcement of what models Series 3 will feature, if they swing to the Primaris side of things, that should a major indicator of intent.
Overall it seems like Deathwatch, Grey Knights, and Vanguard/ Sternguard kits have been featured more often than not, but even they may be far from safe from the manufacturing axe… What does it mean if Games Workshop not only won’t put out any more regular power armored models, and much less won’t even show pictures of them in some cases?
New Primaris & 2019 Space Marines Rumors LATEST
What are the non-Primaris numbers in other publications that you’ve found? What do you think this means for the future? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
