Side-by-side Horus Heresy size comparison: MkVI Legionaries vs 40k Space Marines, with photos showing height and scale differences.
We didn’t make it to Warhammer World for the Horus Heresy opening on May 7th, 2022, but plenty of hobbyists did, and they wasted no time comparing the new MkVI Corvus Beakies next to everything else on the shelf. So we pulled together the sharpest community side-by-sides to answer the question everyone actually has: how big are these things?
Three things are worth watching as you scroll through each photo. Where the MkVI helmet tops out against the model beside it, how wide the shoulders and chest read, and where the boots land on the base. Those three tells are how you separate real scale creep from a trick of the camera angle.
The reason this box matters for a size discussion is the plastic packed inside it. Games Workshop confirmed the new Horus Heresy starter at Warhammer Fest, and it carries 40 Mark VI Marines plus a squad of Cataphractii Terminators, all in plastic that builds up far easier than the old resin.
That pile of plastic is exactly what makes the reveal useful here. Forty fresh MkVI bodies plus Terminators meant hobbyists had a small army’s worth of the new Beakies to stand against their existing collections within days, which is the only reason the comparison shots below exist at all.
If you want the full contents and the value math, we broke down what is inside the box and the value on its own. For scale, the headline is simple: 40 Mark VI Marines is a lot of side-by-sides waiting to happen.
Horus Heresy Space Marines Miniatures Size?
Updated on August 13, 2026, by Rob Baer with a clearer size-comparison method and fresh community photo breakdowns.
Plenty of hobbyists posted their own MkVI comparison shots, so before we get into them, here’s how we’re looking at each one. Taller means the top of the helmet, not the tip of the backpack, since a chunkier backpack can fake height from the side. We’re also watching stance and base, because a wider base or a leaned-back pose adds size that isn’t really there. With that set, here’s how the new Beakies measure up.
Horus Heresy Vs. Primaris Size Comparison
So here’s your Space Marine Size Difference. So yes, MkVi is almost as tall as MkX Primaris. Lore wise, do I care. No, I don’t. give me Truescale any day and I don’t need a reason.
Fauxhammer posted this cool image on his IG, showing the new Beakie versus a Primaris, and the gap is smaller than you’d expect. The MkVI helmet crest tops out just under the Primaris eyeline, so the two stand almost shoulder to shoulder. That near-parity is the part hobbyists care about, since it means you can base them together, kitbash across the two ranges, or run Heresy Marines beside 40k Primaris without the height fighting you.
Horus Heresy Vs. Chaos and Death Guard Miniatures Size Comparison
Anvils of Konor went a step further and posted some Horus Heresy size comparisons in relation to Chaos Marines, a currently Death Guard, and a 3d printed model with plastic bits. Side by side like that, the new MkVI reads leaner than the bloated Death Guard silhouette but stands a touch taller than the older Chaos plastic, and its shoulders sit higher and squarer. It’s the proportions that make conversions easy, not raw height.
Horus Heresy Vs. Horus Heresy Miniatures Comparisons
Finally, Snake Works Studio posted up how the MKVI looks next to what looks to be an MK III in plastic, which, as he remarks, is a touch bigger.
We’re still not fully sold on that backpack, and it’s a scale point as much as a taste one. It sits tall and chunky enough to pad the model’s height from the side, which is part of why a few of these shots make the MkVI look bigger than a helmet-to-helmet measure actually backs up. A proper look at the sprues might turn us around.
So yes, there’s a bit of scale creep here, but it’s the mild kind, and it tracks with where GW has been pushing plastic for years. Put the community shots together and it shakes out like this:
- Height: nearly Primaris-tall, with the MkVI crest landing just under a Primaris eyeline.
- Bulk: leaner than a Primaris, a narrower torso and shoulders, so it reads lighter side by side.
- Older Heresy plastic: the MkIII marks come up a touch shorter, which is where the creep actually shows.
So, with them all together, the verdict’s an easy one. The new MkVI Beakies run bigger than the Heresy plastics they replace, but they don’t tower over your existing Marines, and they slot in next to 40k without looking out of place.
Related reading, if you want to catch up on the rest of the Horus Heresy reveals:
- 4 New Plastic Horus Heresy Starter Box Sets
- All the Horus Heresy New Models & Rules
- Horus Heresy Weapon & Unit Rules
What do you think about the new Horus Heresy miniatures size in comparison to existing Space Marines?
