Ever wonder how much it actually costs to keep up with all the Space Marines releases and rules? Turns out it’s kinda crazy when you add it up…
If this was reality TV this post would probably be titled Keeping Up With The Astartes. Anyways here at Spikey Bits we talking recently about the new releases and then started adding up just how many there have been for the poster boys. It’s quite an astounding number! If you play Astartes it is almost impossible to keep up with the releases and actually get everything.
What it Really Costs to Keep Up With The Space Marines
So were going to add up all the prices of everything Astartes and see just how much you would have had to spend to get everything (not that you would, but if you did…). If you’ve been hiding under a rock and want to see some of the most recent releases, you can check them out here!
While it is easy to keep up with and try out all the new stuff for most armies, for Marines it’s almost impossible. In only 25 months (12/2018- 01/2021) there have been dozens and dozens of releases, here are just some of them:
- Shadowspear units
- Vigilus rules
- 2019 Space Marine codex
- 6 Space Marine supplements
- Indomitus
- Psychic Awakening
- Indomitus wave releases (all 12 of them)
- new chapter codex books
- New start collecting
- repackaging separate units
- Warsuit
- Executioner
- Impulsor
So that’s a broad overview, but when you take into account all the repackaging, different boxes, buying separate units, and characters it really adds up! We are going to try and add everything up, but we may miss a few releases here and there. Let’s see how much it costs keeping up with the Astartes.
Keeping up With the Astartes
- Shadowspear $175
- Vigilus Book $50 (Collectors edition $80)
- 2019 Space Marine codex $40
- 6 supplements $30 apiece, $180 if you got them all
- Indomitus Box $200
- Indomitus Command Edition $165
- Wave releases for Indomitus (all 12 of them) We don’t have prices for everything so far so this is just what we know so far, so expect more monies going into late 2020/ early 2021 $210
- Indomitus Recruit Edition $50
- Indomitus Elite Edition $99
- 2020 Space Marine Codex & 3 supplements $140
- New Combat Patrol Boxes (SW,DW,BA) $460
- Repackaging separate units (including champs, units, and Phobos Armour dudes. There’s also a chance we missed some here as there’s so many!) $601
- New Chapter Heroes & Masters $395
- Invictor Warsuit $60
- Executioner $100
- Impulsor $75
- 9 Psychic Awakening Books $360
Total: $3,226
That’s a ton of stuff! Especially since we lumped together some releases that were later broken down into a ton of individual releases.
If you bought every release in the past 2 years you would have spent over $3000! While it is really cool to get new minis it is really hard to keep up with everything happening for the Marines. Most armies have had a smattering of releases but these have been the bulk of releases! Not complaining about new minis (Well maybe since some armies have got nothing…) but it’s almost so much that it makes it hard to play them.
They are the poster boys for Warhammer 40k, but the sheer amount of kits is mind-boggling.
Trying Out New Stuff
Proxying is generally looked down on by the gaming community. For most armies it makes sense, for Marines though, it might be necessary sometimes. If you can find an opponent who is fine with you proxying to try out some units, you should give it a go! Because there are just so many units with such high price tags it is almost impossible to get everything to just try out. Playing a proxy game with a close friend to try out units could be a good way to see how certain units perform and if you would actually want to buy the minis.
Either way, if you play Astartes you are basically committing to buying new stuff all the time to keep up with the meta. Most armies only have to add small stuff here and there. Marines have changed so much in the past two years they are an entirely new army from the winter of 2018, just 25 months ago!
What do you think about all the new releases? Have you been able to keep up and get most of the stuff?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
