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40K: Primaris vs Classic Marine Range Survey

3 Minute Read
Jul 28 2020
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Today we talk about how big the Primaris range is getting, and what it means.

The Primaris have been with us for 3 years now, and what a three years it has been.   9th Edition is live and with it is coming a new Space Marine codex (in October) brimming with new units. It seems like every week we got a look at another new Primaris release and we wanted to take a step back and run some numbers to see where we stand.

The new Marine Codex reveal was pored over for as full a listing of units as the community’s overworked eyes could stand.  We have presented them here, broken down for comparison with the Classic range first, then the Primaris (Age before Beauty after all).  We have additionally noted the new 9th Edition units in red.

A caveat, that there are probably a unit or two that got overlooked in “the squinting”, but we think we got the vast majority of them.

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Unit Listings From TOC – Classic Marines

CAPTAIN IN TERMINATOR ARMOR

CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN ON BIKE

LIEUTENANT

LIBRARIAN

LIBRARIAN IN TERMINATOR ARMOR

CHAPLAIN IN TERMINATOR ARMOR

CHAPLAIN

SERVITORS

TECHMARINE

TACTICAL SQUAD

COMPANY CHAMPION

SCOUT SQUAD

APOTHECARY

COMPANY ANCIENT

COMPANY VETERANS

VANGUARD VETERANS

STERNGUARD VETERANS

TERMINATOR ASSAULT SQUAD

TERMINATOR SQUAD

RELIC TERMINATOR SQUAD

CENTURION ASSAULT SQUAD

DREADNOUGHT

CONTEMPTOR DREADNOUGHT

VENERABLE DREAD

IRONCLAD DREAD

ASSAULT SQUAD

BIKE SQUAD

SCOUT BIKE SQUAD

ATTACK BIKE SQUAD

LAND SPEEDER

LAND SPEEDER TORNADO

LAND SPEEDER TYPHOON

DEVASTATOR SQUAD

CENTURION DEVASTATOR SQUAD

THUNDERFIRE CANNON

HUNTER

STALKER

WHIRLWIND

PREDATOR ???

PREDATOR ???

VINDICATOR

LAND RAIDER

LAND RAIDER CRUSADER

LAND RAIDER REDEEMER

RHINO

RAZORBACK

DROP POD

LAND SPEEDER STORM

STORMHAWK INTERCEPTOR

STORMRAVEN GUNSHIP

STORMTALON GUNSHIP

TOTAL – 52 Units

Unit Listings From TOC – Primaris

PRIMARIS CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN WITH MASTER CRAFTED HEAVY BOLT RIFLE

CAPTAIN IN PHOBOS ARMOR

CAPTAIN IN GRAVIS ARMOR

PRIMARIS LIEUTENANT

LIEUTENANT IN REIVER ARMOR

LIEUTENANT IN PHOBOS ARMOR

PRIMARIS LIBRARIAN

LIBRARIAN IN PHOBOS ARMOR

PRIMARIS CHAPLAIN

PRIMARIS CHAPLAIN ON BIKE

PRIMARIS TECHMARINE

SERVITORS

INTERCESSOR SQUAD

ASSAULT INTERCESSOR SQUAD

HEAVY INTERCESSOR SQUAD

INFILTRATOR SQUAD

INCURSOR SQUAD

PRIMARIS APOTHECARY

PRIMARIS ANCIENT

BLADEGUARD ANCIENT

VETERAN INTERCESSOR SQUAD

BLADEGUARD VETERAN  SQUAD

JUDICIAR

REIVERS SQUAD

AGGRESSOR SQUAD

INVICTOR TACTICAL WARSUIT

REDEMPTOR DREAD

OUTRIDER SQUAD

INVADER ATV SQUAD

SUPPRESSOR SQUAD

INCEPTOR SQUAD

STORM SPEEDER HELLSTRIKE

STORM SPEEDER ???

STORM SPEEDER ???

ERADICATOR SQUAD

HELLBLASTER SQUAD

ELIMINATOR SQUAD

FIRESTORM SERVO-TURRET

GLADIATOR LANCER

GLADIATOR REAPER

GLADIATOR VALIANT

REPULSOR

REPULSOR EXECUTIONER

IMPULSOR

HAMMERFALL BUNKER

Total – 46 Units

Thoughts

TWENTY ONE new Primaris units is crazy! The introduction of 9th Edition is almost doubling the size of the Primaris range, while consolidating some of the Classic units.  I think we can safely say that in one edition, from the start of 8th to the start of 9th, GW has successfully introduced an all new complete Marine range.

New players can now start collecting Primaris armies and wont feel like they are missing out in any real way.  Yes the Classic range is technically larger, but it contains many units that are niche or obsolete.  I fully expect to see something to address the lack of Primaris Flyers next time around. We saw the Primaris units get more stratagems and other rules devoted to them in the 2019 Marine codex, and I would only expect to see that trend continue in the upcoming codex.

But whatever the future holds, hold onto your wallets friends. We are looking at about 16 new Primaris kits on the way over the next few months.

So get ready, because it is going to raining power armor for the next few months!

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Author: Larry Vela
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