Mk. I Power Armor

This is a suit of archaic Mk. I "Thunder" power armor. It is the direct ancestor of every suit of powered armor in use in the Imperium today. Mk. I armor was developed by the Emperor, on Terra just before M30. He equipped his armies of genetically enhanced warriors with it. These warriors were not true Space Marines, although they were genetically altered. These men were actually techno-barbarians, warriors of the various tribes whose constant warfare had left Earth a blasted wasteland. Only the top part of the Mk. I is actually powered, augmenting the wearer's upper body strength. This was an advantage on the first battlefields of the Great Crusade, as many engagements were won by hand to hand combat rather than ranged. The lower armor plates are not powered. The Mk. I is not fully enclosed, which means it is not true Space Marine armor - it cannot support its wearer in a vacuum. The second iteration of Marine armor, the Mk. II "Crusade" armor was fully enclosed, and equipped with many of the systems that modern Marines might take for granted.

So yeah, in case you haven't heard, I'm getting into pre-heresy Warhammer 40,000. My next tournament army is going to be a pre-heresy Emperor's Children army. This guy was tons of fun to make. It seems like every time I unleash my full ability on a model, it's an infinite improvement over the last one. It's like the longer I keep myself in check the more able I am when I let loose - I had no idea I could sculpt putty like this, and everything that's green is putty. The picture in the middle was my only reference, as I don't own any of Games Workshop's old Marine models. The back was a sheer guess, but I think it works.