Astartes - a fan made animation

An utterly amazing set of youtube videos created by ONE fan. May the Emperor bless his soul!

It covers the story of a Combat squad of Space marines (around 5-10 Marines) making an assault on a Traitor Space vessel and using its skills, experience and stupendously cool equipment to overcome (kill) all opposition (as they are damn heretical traitors).

Why the fans love the animation and story

We are the Emperor's angels of death, not his angels of mercy.

• The animation quality is simply fantastic, you expect top end animation houses to create this.
• Theres no dialog - its just visuals and sound affects - this carries the story perfectly.
• This shows what Space Marines would be like in a real world setting (unlike the table top game and other games), theres only 1000 marines in a Chapter so why so few? This animation shows why there numbers are restricted by the Codex Astartes. There used to be a legions numbering up to 100,000......
• These are utterly professional in their combat and tactical skills. They move without hesitation, shoot with fantastic accuracy and communicate only when needed. Theres no crazy yelling and shouting.
• Space Marines are HUGE compared to baseline humans, their power armour makes them even bigger and imposing.
• Space Marines are FAST and AGILE, a lot of other fictions make them lumbering and cumbersome. With their reactions they can avoid a rocket launched missile as they saw the gunner fire it a distance away
• Space Marine Power Armour is really really tough, small arms ping off, Autocannon rounds dent, Multi lasers drill small craters but the marine inside is fine and fighting.
• Space Marine Bolter and Bolt pistols are brutally effective to soft skinned targets, they simply get blown apart from the rocket propelled bolts reactive explosive charge. Semi-auto and fully automatic settings (ROF is very high, empties a 31 round magazine around 1.5 secs)
• Space Marine helmet technology - it shows the helmet visors/eye slits are actually multiple cameras and auspex sensors(ie: its not going straight to the eyeball). It provides a full tactical HUD for the user.
• They use combat knives, smoke grenades and the Sergeant (insigia/rank cannot be seen so we can only assume) uses a Plasma Pistol with very cool affects when firing (gas venting)
• The enemy are no walk overs, they have trained ship armsmans with lasguns, autoguns, twin linked multi lasers, autocannons and shaped charge explosives. They make best with what they have when the marine board but are simply overwhelmed.

List of Videos

There are currently a teaser and 4 videos:

• Teaser trailer
• Part 1: Prepping for the assault
• Part 2: Launch and Insertion
• Part 3: Purge the heretics
• Part 4: To the vault - trending at #3 on youtube 13/6/2019 1 million views

Analysis of Part 1

A squad of Marines check their gear, shuffle past some ship crew/chapter serfs, and load up in a boarding ram. The episode lacks action, but sets the mood and atmosphere for the season to come and shows off the animation and detail well enough.

• Imperial Cobra Class destroyer (Cannot see any Marine Insignia) - we assume the Marines are being assisted by the Imperial Navy or it is a Marine operated Destroyer?

Analysis of Part 2

• Imperial Navy Thunderbolt superiority fighter was flying point - it then launched a diversion attack to draw away the point defense guns of the enemy ship.
• Two servitor type counter measure drones were deployed from the boarding ram - they intercepted incoming homing missiles
• Boarding ram has its own point defense guns
• Boarding ram activates its melta weapons to penetrate deep into the enemy ship hull
• Traitors try to secure the entry point, setting up fireteams on the gantries and scaffolds.
• Space Marines waste no time getting into combat, eliminating the first-response teams with brutal precise Boltgun fire.

Analysis of Part 3

• Traitors using lasguns, shotguns, autoguns, a heavy stubber and a missile launcher
• Traitor 2 man weapon team operating an Autocannon
• Traitor 2 man weapon team operating a twin linked Multi laser
• Traitor using a type of shaped charge/explosive (wasnt activated so unknown type)
• They all fucking die to the Marines as if they were butter to knives

Analysis of Part 4

• They noted the 2 targets were not in cover. Conclusion: they were either very stupid or had unseen defenses (also they were to protect the vault door) – don’t underestimate the enemy
• They set up 3 angles of attack left/right and head on
• Sergeant starts attack with a nod/ internal vox communication to his team
• 3 marines begun with full auto bolters, they will empty the mags multiple times

Phew! these 31 Rocket propelled bolts i stopped may have stung a bit.

• Bolts had no affect – shields too powerful and hold the bolts in mid air
• So they distracted on one flank with the bolter fire, then moved to the opposite flank to confuse the enemy as long as they could.
• Whilst distracted – attack with one marine (assumed Sergeant) head one. Close the distance as quickly as possible and fire as many plasma pistol shots as possible
• Plasma bolts also had no affect and it looked like it had overheated/out of ammunition and thus redundant and then discarded
• Begin CQC with bolt pistol and combat knife but now its evidant they have telekinetic powers
• Attempt to overcome by power armour/muscle – get within the shield threshold and fire – injure one But 2nd one stops the lunge
• Whilst distracted by 1st marine – CQC attack with 2nd marine , again it tries with bolt fire first but is disarmed, but its follow up lunge to head is successful and disconnects the brain and the ‘hood’
• 1st target is distracted by death of 2nd target – and a neck lunge kills target. ‘Hood’ is ripped out
• Quickly check companions condition by looking/internal vox and then approach the vault door in tactical order (3 in back and 2 on point) - end

• Bolt gun design –at the rear end there is an ammo count of 31 rounds in a magazine, with a semi auto and full auto fire selectors

It will kick 'a little' on full auto so i'd should better prepare.

• Whilst on full auto, the recoil may become ‘excessive’ for the user and affect accuracy , the marine will then brace the gun against terrain to assist accuracy
• When one of empties his bolter at an enemy – you can see the bolts bounce/deflect around the target, this was possibly just as the target was using a force push attack. This push flew the bolt rounds all over the place
• When the bolts held by the shield auto detonate after a set period they explode like firecrackers
• The bolt pistol has a unique straight set design magazine (i.e box), most bolters and pistols use a sickle shaped magazine.
• The plasma pistol fired 2 times before it became redundant. This could possibly be the unstable/fickle nature of plasma weaponry /the overuse of it before he got to this battle or simply out of ammunition.
• Marine numbers are unclear, on the left is lower and upper gantry, 2 marines were firing from top and 2 were firing from bottom. Then another marine on right flank. 2 were attacking head on - thus 7 Marines (but possibly the 2 on upper gantry then moved to the lower level? thus there were only 2 on the left flank, so in total 5 and not 7)