Okay, so mostly I saw some cool pictures of knights and wanted to share, but lets see some pics that show what Space Marines mean to people.

All from this dude:- http://infernalfinn.deviantart.com/

And now, a short musing on the hairstyles and facial hair of the Adeptus Astartes.

As monks, the classic Tonsure is an obvious choice:-

Another possible style is this, favoured by Normans:-

Moving on to more modern Special Forces, there is this famous beard for inspiration:-

Or this unkempt look, sported by Willie Apiata VC of the New Zealand SAS:-

And who could forget this wonderful moustache that made Captain Price of CoD4: Modern Warfare such an iconic character:-

Before making your Marine generically bald and 'tache free, take a moment to consider the wonderful possibilities for individualisation offered by a good beard.

A video:-

In Crysis 2 the protagonist wears a Nanosuit, a super suit that come dangerously close to being far cooler than Astartes battle plate. The suit protects the wearer from harm, allows him to turn invisible, grants superhuman strength and speed.

It turns out that it is also the only thing keeping Alcatraz alive.

So the inspiration image is this - a Marine who has taken so much damage the even with his enhanced physiology the only thing keeping him alive and upright are the system in his suit.

Inside the Marine is a mess:- Shatted bones, organ ruptured, through and through penetrations in a dozen places. Unable to breath unaided.

And he will need extensive reconstructive chirurgery as soon as he is decanted from his armour.

And for a Marine this is just another day at the office.

AluminiumWolf said:

Thats called a Dreadnaught.

herichimo said:

Nah - these are comparatively light wounds for a Space Marine.

Dreadnoughtification is usually considered in cases where there is extensive CNS damage and brain trauma requiring permanent use of comparatively bulky life support equipment to sustain function.

:-)