30K Elitisim: What Counts As 30K?

A lot of people feel it's nitpicking to ask people to actually put a bit of effort into their 30k armies. I can understand this, but we (or I, I suppose) aren't being a rivet counter, what I'll let slide is a pretty long list, I just ask that someone applies some of the same level of effort to building a 30k army that I did. I think no 30k player is going to ask you to have a fully Forge World army, by the same token, if you don't have the funds to do so, nobody is going to exclude you if you use your 40k army. As I said in the video, a stopgap measure, such as using your 40k minis because you can't afford 30k, is fine! The line is basically drawn at people who have the capacity to build a 30k army, the funds to do so, but refuse to out of sheer laziness. Lastly, apply this logic to other games. If someone bought a Space Marine army to Age of Sigmar, some eyebrows would raise. If someone had an M1A1 Abrams mixed in with their Shermans in Bolt Action, I'd have questions. You use the right model for the right game, and it's not elitist IMO to expect people to put that tiny little bit of effort in, and this is the key phrase where able.

MK7 in HH is like rolling up to the bronze age historical game with your Teutonic knights

Moral of the story; The minimum of research and effort goes a very long way.

I feel smart for using Mk4 Marines in my 40k Blood Angels army now.

You're much more discriminating on vehicles than I am, but much more relaxed on power armor. For vehicles, just because it says "40k" on the box doesn't mean it's not appropriate. I can't find a hard-and-fast date for the appearance of the mars-pattern land raiders or the 40k auto cannon predators. Add that to the fact that the FW versions of those vehicles are almost twice as much as the plastic counterparts... I disagree. Vehemently. I'd rather buy the plastic kits and spend the leftover cash on upgrade components like legion doors and armor mods. Also, I hate the styling on the deimos stuff. Those single front windows and round turrets are gross. Sincerely, A post-heresy Crimson Fists player, because I won't paint yellow.

I know I'm 4 years late to the party, but 40k Predators, Rhinos, and Land Raiders (Not Redeemers or Crusaders) are all honestly fine for 30k seeing as the Mars-pattern WAS in use alongside the Deimos-pattern stuff.

I'm not the one paying my opponent's bills. I don't know what they can afford... I'd rather have a good game, even with iffy figures (WYSIWYG applying) than sucking my thumb because someone's 40K army does not look like my 30K legion. Maybe at a tourney it might be different, but down the local club and with your mates, if you are being a picky bogan, good luck in getting any games after a while. I alone judge what is right and wrong for me, and I will not throw rocks at folks who cannot afford to delve neck deep into the right models to get a good game going.

3:56 mars pattern land raiders are completely fine and appropriate for HH, they're even featured in black books

The good thing about 30k models is you can use them in 40k, just use astartes squads as veterans in relic armour, as older armour is revered in the 40k universe

In the year 2023 AD people are bitching about heresy armour and tanks when plastic heresy has been a thing since 2015 and most units were viable with very minor conversion work.

the mars pattern LR existed in the heresy

Good video, as always, but one small addition. With those Alpha Legion marines, I think the Mk8 chestplate is fine for the look it was going for, which is more of a sapper/demolitionist with extra plating around the neck. Seems very Alpha Legion.

i do actually want to say that MK 7 is actually a heresy era armour system, it was only deployed during the siege however and very few Astartes wore a set of it

Don't use your 40k Primarch in 30k. Well, why not? Right now there are only 2 Primarchs in 40k, and Gilliman looks nothing like how he was in 30k, since he is literally wearing a life-support unit after his 10.000 year nap in a stasis field. So that leaves Magnus. And Magnus looks more or less the same as he could have looked at any point during the Great Crusade, and DID look after the Burning of Prospero (that happened at the start of the Horus Heresy). So I would say that using the new plastic model of Magnus is actually more fitting for 30k, since it fits the Horus Heresy, while the resin model is more fitting for the Great Crusade.

I'm a 40k player with no real urge to play 30k, but I can understand this. Putting some effort into your models should be what everyone has a go at. Using the correct models (or reasonable counts as) is kinda step one. For example i don't like wings on my iron warriors daemon prince so combined a havok launcher, exhausts from a chaos bike, the intakes from an old metal raptor jet pack ans a whole lot of green stuff he now has a iron warrior style jetpack. My iron warriors are going to be getting a face-lift for 8th in the form of a lot of mrk4 armor (look a bit more IW than just bog standard chaos armor) and maybe forgeworld iron warrior specific shoulder pads. Edit: Thats a point, would an army using some 40k chaos armor (it looks older with exposed piping on the chests) a lot of mark 4 armor components with IW period shoulder pads and period weapons be acceptable?

The 40k rhinos, land raider were in the horus heresy.

To all the people in the comments complaining about the rhino and landraider comments, you're missing the point, its about taking measures so your heresy army fits into the aesthetic, if you drop into a competition with a clearly 40k army and everyone else has brought their 30k army don't expect a warm welcome. Yes you have to bring or make something that fits into 30k, if you argue against it then why bother being in the hobby at all? Just bring some green plastic toy soldiers...

Im working on my 13th company right now, all 30k....loads of time building a converting so far, that's all finished now, all demios stuff, mk3 armour, and I plan on doing them in the true grey, duplicating the knot work with a black and gold micropen. I also appreciate those that take the effort to build 30k wysiwyg.

Great video, I actually started a YouTube account to comment! I share similar ideas of what gets me out of the Horus Heresy feel when seeing certain models in my army or my opponents, efforts in painting or slight conversions go a long way in making the opponent accept the model as genuine and enjoy playing against it. MK VIII is a no go and lots of MK VII legs are hurting as it is so easy with a scalpel to give them a MK IV or MK V feel. Something I will accept is chapter/legion specific armour (as mentioned even BA or IF) for representing artificer armour. With the availability of the Calth and Prospero boxes using the right helmets/bare heads or bolters helps a lot to keep in character with the representation of a legion. Milita is a good way to get use out of old IG models like Steel Legion or Old Cadians, New Cadians pull me right forward into the 40K era.

Just to add some info on the aquilas found on things - The Palatine Aquila (wings raised, both heads blind / no detail, twin lightining added) – was the symbol of the Emperor himself, only the Emperors Children were permitted to wear it. The Imperial Aquila - (wings straight to the sides, one head blind, the other sees) – was and continues to be symbol of the Imperium, loyalist symbol post-HeresyLeaving Aquila on the tanks and gear is okay as its a generic symbol of the imperium - not the emperors own emblem. At least that's my understanding of things