Question about some design items

[tuo]

Hey there folks,

since many years I carry a couple of questions with me, which I never dared to ask, because they seemed futile. But since we reached a moment in 40K development where most design aspects are solid and are refined into perfection, I finally ask those questions that quirked me forever (and hopefully, you will do the same). These questions are close to nonsense, not important. But maybe some book I don't own answers them, and somebody can enlighten me.

1) Power Cable connecting the shin armor to the foot from a Space Marine
I think it was either 3rd edition or 4th when Space Marines got what looks like a cable connecting their shoes to their shin. Even Chaos has it now. What is this? MK VI armour is supposed to hide most important cables beneath armour. What does this cable do? Will a Space Marine float into space when I shot this cable when his magnetic foot armor holds him to a ship? Why is this single cable exposed on so many "grunts", but not on many characters?

2) "Faceplates" on Chaos
What are they? A Chaos Reaver has a big face instead of knee armour. A Decimator has the same for thigh armor. I can stick dozens of those to my Land Raider if I go Chaos and use the sprue. What are they supposed to be? Are they actual deamons manifesting? Are they made of steel and simply there to cause fear? Are they face skin removed and attached to something?

I have another two dozen of those unimportant questions. But I thank everyone who shares his time with me in answering them. I am quite sure each of you has similar stupid questions, he never dared to ask.

Please, oh please enlighten this simple mind! And if you have a similar unimportant question, dare to ask it!

regards

tuo

[Pentregarth]

I'd guess the cable simply connects the boots (specifically their ability to magnetise) to the rest of the armour, as boots by necessity are separate, making internal powerlines impractical. They are fairly easy to trim away if you don't like them though ^^

The faceplates could be any of the things you described, most likely ornaments though. Chaos tends to stick all kinds of needless bits onto their equipment, as they aren't bound by any codex astartes rules and can therefore individualize their gear as they see fit (similar to how space wolves have all tons of stuff on them as well).
In the case of possessed vehicles like the decimator, these faces could also be the deamon reshaping the metal to be more pleasing to his sense of aesthetic (if such a thing exists), see the new helbrute as an example...that thing is so warped you can barely make out the dreadnought it once was anymore ^^

[Scalebug]

1) Can't recall seeing an official explanation, my guess is simply a designer (real world, rather than in-universe...) wanting to put something there to break up the flatness or something... the place to look for an explaination I guess would be in one of Jes Goodwin's or John Blanches sketchbooks (Chaeck Black Library), as they often have a lot of these little notes scribbled explaining ideas like that.

Your guess of it having to do with mag-locking boots is valid, maybe a forgeworld tend to put their magnetic generators in the legs instead of the foot, or something like that. Another could be that the Leg and foot comes from a Devastator suit, if you look at older models (metal) they have, in addition to targeters in the helmet, these extra workings around the legs, what we can assume is some sort of extra stabilisation or recoils absorber for heavier weaponry. If a Techmarine re-cykled legs from such a suit for use by another marine, some cables could remain after he had removed the stabilisers and put them on the shelf for later use.

2) Either man-made, cultist artificers and dark Mecanium techs re-working the armour to be more fearsome and pleasing to the bad guys, the material spontaneously warping into that shape when under elongated exposure to the warp, but still 'lifeless' , or an actual daemon or a victims soul bound to the armour, pushing it out into the shape. Any explination goes, and have been used in various background pieces. 1st edition background put emphasis on the armour mutating into some biomechanical horror, 2nd ed the designers went for the Chaos Marines being more independent from the gods, and all the spikes and wierd shapes being done by their artificer slaves, for example.

[Retrospectus]

I want to hear more of these questions.....

[agurus1]

I want to hear more of these questions.....

likewise! more design questions!

[Grimbad]

Hey there folks,
1) Power Cable connecting the shin armor to the foot from a Space Marine
I think it was either 3rd edition or 4th when Space Marines got what looks like a cable connecting their shoes to their shin. Even Chaos has it now. What is this? MK VI armour is supposed to hide most important cables beneath armour. What does this cable do? Will a Space Marine float into space when I shot this cable when his magnetic foot armor holds him to a ship? Why is this single cable exposed on so many "grunts", but not on many characters?

If I had to guess, that's a result of their redesign for plastic molds at the start of 3rd edition. If it were a Goodwin/Blanche thing, as Scalebug suggests, it probably would appear on Inquisitor's Brother Artemis which was sculpted later after thorough examination and clarification of the Marine design by those two, and it doesn't appear on Artemis. Maybe it'll go away next time they redo the Marine sprues.

2) "Faceplates" on Chaos
What are they? A Chaos Reaver has a big face instead of knee armour. A Decimator has the same for thigh armor. I can stick dozens of those to my Land Raider if I go Chaos and use the sprue. What are they supposed to be? Are they actual deamons manifesting? Are they made of steel and simply there to cause fear? Are they face skin removed and attached to something?

Likely some of them are daemons manifesting, some are not. Some are caused by the warp exposure, some are deliberate design executed by armorers. In the old Dark Communion short story, the chaos marine recalls the time that his armor first began warping to the Chaos aesthetic- one day he looked down and to his horror discovered his belt was now skulls. Apparently Chaos just likes doing that sort of thing.

[Chem-Dog]

Power Cable connecting the shin armor to the foot from a Space Marine
I think it was either 3rd edition or 4th when Space Marines got what looks like a cable connecting their shoes to their shin.

It was the 3rd, when the new design of modular Marine first appeared. I have always thought that, rather than any specific armour utility suggested, they're a neat way of shortcutting an otherwise tricky point in a mould, if you look at models with the pipe (which is in no way universal) you'll see that they invariably have a mould-line on them, a nice simple "out" shape rather than a complex multi angled negative space.
Not a fluff explanation, I know, but that's why I think they're there.

2) "Faceplates" on Chaos
What are they? A Chaos Reaver has a big face instead of knee armour. A Decimator has the same for thigh armor. I can stick dozens of those to my Land Raider if I go Chaos and use the sprue. What are they supposed to be? Are they actual deamons manifesting? Are they made of steel and simply there to cause fear? Are they face skin removed and attached to something?

All of the above. In the most corrupt individuals it may well represent the manifestation of a daemonic entity leering through the fabric of reality but in individuals less steeped in the warping influence of Chaos they could well be the removed faces of victims or some kind of fearsome totem to inspire fear.

I have another two dozen of those unimportant questions.

Shoot.