There's a question the Codex Astartes never quite answers: what is a Space Marine? Guilliman himself tried to settle it in writing ten thousand years ago. Two legions answered by laughing in his face — the Wolves of Russ, who refused to split apart, and the White Scars of Jaghatai, who accepted the division as long as they could keep riding.
Of the eleven products in our catalogue, three are loyalist Astartes. And the three of them answer that question differently: a rider who charges, a wolf who assaults, a primarch who writes the manual. We're going to walk through them in ascending hierarchy — from Khan to Father.
Every rule quoted comes straight from Wahapedia 10th. If it isn't there, it isn't here.
1. Suboden Khan — First Khan of the White Scars
Suboden is First Khan — captain of the First Company, the Spearpoint Brotherhood. He forged his reputation in the Third War for Armageddon, defending Dante's Canyon and its promethium drilling facilities against Ork hordes under Jubal Khan's command. When Jurga Khan was grievously wounded during the War for Chogoris, Suboden was promoted to Khan of the 1st Company. Today, Jubal grooms him as his successor — gave him the title of Master of the War Council and is pouring everything into him before being interred in a Dreadnought.
Epic Hero datasheet. He rides Thunder, a prototype bike gifted by Cawl during the Ultima Founding that fuses anti-grav plates with turbines. Headline ability: Wrath of the First Khan — if his unit wipes its target in the Fight phase and is free afterward, it makes a Normal Move up to 6", letting him hunt and flank in the same turn. His unit can shoot AND charge after Advance or Fall Back, and if it already had that, gains +1 to Advance/Charge instead. Moves through terrain as if it didn't exist. Armed with heavy bolt pistol, onslaught gatling cannon, power sword, and Stormtooth — the ancestral glaive borne by First Khans for millennia.
A very recent GW release (Spearpoint Task Force, autumn 2025). An aggressive at-speed pose with the glaive cutting across the model — the kind of sculpt that gets better the closer you look. If your vice is maneuver, outflank, and moving more than your opponent, Suboden Khan is how you enter the Scars.
2. Ragnar Blackmane — the Young King of the Wolves
"The Young King". The youngest Blood Claw to be made a Wolf Lord in living memory, Ragnar leads his own Great Company with the mix of brute force and calculated recklessness GW has been selling as the Wolves' trademark for decades. He's living proof that the Codex Astartes doesn't work where it doesn't want to: the Wolves never split into successor chapters after the Heresy, don't use canonical formations, and still talk about brotherhoods instead of companies. Ragnar is the young face of that sacred stubbornness.
Epic Hero datasheet. His signature weapon is Frostfang — melee with Sustained Hits 1, AP-3, D2. His iconic mechanic is Battle-lust: each time he completes a charge, he gains +2 attacks with Frostfang until end of turn — punishing any opponent who doesn't respect distance. The aura War Howl shifts based on whom he leads: with Blood Claws he gains rerolls to wound in melee; with Wolf Guard Headtakers, the unit can charge after Advance. A character that rewards aggression and crushes the defensive player.
Dynamic pose with sword raised and fur cape flying — the most expressive small mini in the catalogue at €12. The sweet spot to step into Space Wolves without spending centerpiece money. Ragnar Blackmane is the hero that justifies a Blood Claws box.
3. Roboute Guilliman — Primarch, Lord Commander of the Imperium
Son of the Emperor. Primarch of the 13th Legion, architect of the Secondary Imperium of Ultramar and author of the Codex Astartes — the book that standardized nineteen successor chapters and is the reason the rest of the Astartes either love or hate him. Murdered by Fulgrim on Thessala with a poisoned blade, kept in stasis at the edge of death for ten millennia. Awakened by Belisarius Cawl in the Indomitus Crusade — Warhammer 40k's 9th edition is literally built on his return. Today he rules as Lord Commander of the Imperium from Macragge. When Guilliman steps onto the field, it's not a character — it's the state.
Epic Hero datasheet with 10 wounds, 2+ save, 4+ invulnerable, and 340 points. His core mechanic is Author of the Codex: at the start of each Command phase you pick two abilities from a pool — more tactical flexibility than any other character in the game. Weapons: the Hand of Dominion (Rapid Fire 2 ranged + Lethal Hits melee, S14, AP-4, D4) and the Emperor's Sword (14 attacks, S8, AP-3, D2, Devastating Wounds). The aura Primarch of the XIII gives +1 to Objective Control for Astartes within 6". Master of Battle auto-switches his target when the primary dies. Supreme Strategist reduces Astartes stratagems by 1 CP once per round near him. And on death, Armour of Fate resurrects him with 6 wounds on a 3+.
The definitive Imperial centerpiece. Iconic pose with sword raised and halo of blades behind — the most recognizable sculpt in modern Astartes range. At €19 you get a full primarch: neither the most expensive nor the cheapest piece in the catalogue, but the one with the most visual presence. Roboute Guilliman is what opens your Imperium display.
Three philosophies, one cause
Three answers to the same question:
Codex (Guilliman): discipline, doctrine, everything measured. Judged by what the book says.
Tribe (Ragnar): brotherhood, aggression, it's done because it's always been done. Judged by what you kill.
Rider (Suboden): speed, maneuver, never standing still. Judged by what you ride.
And translated to how you pick at the table:
If you live for maneuver and outflanking: Suboden Khan (€18) and White Scars.
If you love melee and tribal lore: Ragnar Blackmane (€12) and Space Wolves.
If you want to be the strategic center of your list: Roboute Guilliman (€19) and Ultramarines codex.
An uncomfortable truth about painting Astartes
Every chapter has a color trap that ruins new painters. Canonical Ultramarine blue (Macragge Blue + Calgar Blue edge highlight) is gorgeous but so overdone that your army will look like the Combat Patrol box unless you sweat the reds and golds on the trim. The matte white of the Scars is pure trap: wash it and it yellows; don't wash it and it looks flat. The real technique runs through airbrush + thin glazes, not single coats. And the Wolves, against what old tutorials say, reward generous washes and heavy drybrush, not sharp technique — fur and weathered armor forgive mistakes that pristine Ultramar ceramic does not.
Same closing as always: buy within your budget, not above. The rest is in your hands.
