On May 26, hobbyist and hobby-product maker Garfy Etherington tweeted the news he’d recently acquired a holy relic of the wargaming hobby: the original Warhammer 40k Space Marine miniature used in the painting guide in the Warhammer 40k Second Edition boxed set, among other GW promo pamphlets and ads. The iconic model has a secret, though – it’s not fully painted.
Former GW ‘Eavy Metal painter Stuart Thomas saved the model from a clear out in the GW studio when he worked there, and recently gifted the figure to Etherington. According to a note from Thomas, as the marine “was only ever meant to be used in promo shots / painting guides, it was only painted from the front”.
The Blood Angels marine was originally painted by Mike McVey. It will be an immediate hit of nostalgia for wargamers who were playing in the 90s or just love that era. The plastic, monopose Space Marine was first released in the Warhammer 40k 2nd edition boxed set, and was also available as a free sample miniature. So iconic was the design that it was used for the enormous bronze Space Marine statue in front of Warhammer World.
Etherington is a blogger at Tale of Painters and sells custom handles for painting miniatures via ebay. If you’re a fan of nostalgia and the 90s era of the GW studio, we heartily recommend you check out Warhammer 40k: Boltgun, a 40k retro shooter. You could also check out the Oldhammer movement, a mixture of old-school mini collectors and game players, and new designers creating models with retro aesthetics.