Armageddon Reveal: Space Marine Chaplain with Jump Pack & Blood Angels Implications
- Jamie Morrison
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
The Space Marine Chaplain with Jump Pack — Hate-Fuelled Fury Delivered Straight to The Enemy!
There’s a rhythm starting to form around recent 40K reveals, particularly those tied to Armageddon and the incoming 11th edition. A sweet new model appears, the community reacts to news, and somewhere amidst the discussions, a clearer picture of the future begins to take shape. Let's dive into what makes this reveal more of a landmark occasion than you might first think, and why hard-done-by Blood Angels players have been more patient than we've given them credit for.
Introducing the Jump Pack Chaplain!
This new miniature sits comfortably within that rhythm — and not because it does anything wildly unexpected, either. As we've seen with the earlier jump-pack-oriented Primaris kits that tried to reinvent the wheel (Suppressors, Inceptors), the new kit doesn’t try to redefine what a Chaplain is. Nor is it packing any silhouette-warping gimmicks, or leaping into particularly experimental design ideas.
Instead, it presents a very deliberate interpretation of the role Space Marine players of all colours are quite familiar with — one that lines up with the direction the wider Space Marine range is heading in.
A Space Marine Chaplain — Just As It Should Be
Even a sideways glance will tell you there’s very little ambiguity in what this model is trying to achieve. The iconic skull helm, the modest crozius, the subtle rosarius, and the various devotional details all sit exactly where you would expect them to. From the videos and photographs provided by Warhammer so far, the silhouette reads instantly. It’s recognisable, grounded**, and confident in its identity — which, as we've covered, is something that can’t always be said for experimental releases.
At Brush & Bolter, we're thinking that this is all 100% intentional. Warhammer's choice to embrace familiarity is an affirmation of what the Chaplain is, and is undoubtedly one of the miniatures' strongest qualities.
The Reaction — The Best Marine Reception So Far
Broadly, the response across the community to the Chaplain with Jump Pack has been really positive. There’s a sense of relief running through much of the discussion, particularly when compared to the reaction around the Vanguard Veterans. The much (perhaps unfairly) maligned Vanguard Veterans struggled to land their reveal, which left enthusiasm a little muted across the board.
The best part for Space Marine enthusiasts is that it's a strong model in its own right, and the versatility is abundantly clear. This skull-laden hate-monger would be just at home in an Ultramarine force as he would in a Dark angel or Blood Angels one — which is no easy-done thing considering the visually divergent nature of many Space Marine chapters.
Blood Angels — Just Without Saying It
While the model is presented as a generic option that's suitable for any Chapter, it’s difficult to ignore the direction it (literally) leans in visually. The posture, the ornamentation, and the sense of forward momentum all sit comfortably within a space traditionally associated with the Blood Angels and their successors, even if that connection isn't ever actually stated in the design.***
Whether this is truly a neutral design or one that carries a more specific identity beneath the surface is always up for debate. In many ways, both perspectives can be true at once — the miniature functions perfectly well as a generic jump pack Chaplain while still encapsulating the spirit of a Blood-Angels-esque aesthetic. Could Warhammer have nailed the perfect jump pack Chaplain release?
The Jump Pack Chaplains We Have At Home
Chaplains have remained one of the more consistent elements of the Space Marine range over time, with their core identity unchanged across editions. They champion the gothic extremes that symbolise the grim dark — notably through their generous use of skulls, trim, and at times a tasteful**** distribution of spikes.
This hasn't shifted in this new jump-pack-armed iteration. But the difference now is that the Armageddon jump pack Chaplain adds more choice to the current range — a range that almost exclusively features Chaplains in heavier, more static poses or Chaplains that are simply ageing poorly. This upcoming release, while part of a larger box set, tackles the issue of diversity and ageing miniature options. It provides fresh dynamicism, an aggressive pose in a jump pack format, and benefits from the cleaner and more readable forms introduced with Primaris.
Blood Angels: Recognising Where We've Been
This isn't to say that Warhammer haven't recently tried their hand at dynamic Blood Angels jump pack Chaplains: In October 2024, a Blood Angels release wave saw a new Primaris Lemartes hit the scene. The ornamentation here is spot on and the Crozius Arcanum he's sporting toes the delicate line between beautiful and brutal quite nicely.
The response to the Lemartes reveal was decidedly mixed, but where it falls down is key: the pose lacks outward aggression and the helmet design screamed far more Skeletor-Cringe than Guardian of the Lost.
Our Lemartes verdict: neither suitably aggressive nor dynamic. A bloody shame, we say — but he does pose an option for hobbyists who don't mind a head-swap and a touch of repositioning.
The non-named-character option that's currently available to Blood Angels fans is the 'Blood Angels Chaplain with Jump Pack' — a first-born (non-Primaris) iteration of the Blood-Angels-specific Chaplain idea. It was originally released in 2015, predating any Primaris miniatures and featuring some heavily vampire-esque themes, which have been prevalent in the Blood Angels aesthetic since 5th edition. It's no surprise, really, that we are getting a replacement with Armageddon this Summer.
Like all iterations of the Chaplain, we see the welcome gothic themes prevalent in Warhammer 40,000. The difference with this particular gent is that these are toned down to accomodate for, or perhaps are drowned out by, his penchant for vampiric motifs. Driving this idea home is the the muscle-fibre armour reminiscent of Dracula's armour in pop-culture spaces. Specifically, Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Personally, we think this muscle-like pattern in the armour would work against the aforementioned cleaner and more readable forms of the Primaris range. Going forward, we hope this aesthetic disappears from Blood Angels miniatures. Perhaps, at a push, it's relegated to a visual gimmick within the sole purview of Astorath the Grim.
As for the Blood Angels Chaplain with Jump Pack model itself, it packs plenty of fluidity and dynamicism, but completely lacks the right kind of ornamentation that we can clearly see in Lemartes. Of course, it's a sculpt that is over a decade old now, and is fighting an uphill battle surrounded by modern Primaris-scale model designs.
Our BACwJP verdict: aggressive and dynamic, but lacks modernity and has a confusing combination of visual themes.
Blood Angels: Recognising Where We're Going
The differences between the 2015 BACwJP and the 2024 Lemartes clearly go beyond modernity and the first-born to Primaris transition. After all, Lemartes demonstrably lacks any hint of muscle-fibre armour or overt vampiric themes, which hopefully signals a new departure. The new iteration of the Chaplain coming in the Armageddon box embraces traditional Chaplain themes and places a much stronger emphasis on movement as a defining feature.
There’s a clear lineage back to earlier jump pack Chaplains, but this feels less like a direct update and more like a considered affirmation of the role and its themes. Despite being a 'generic' release, it feels like a natural progression for the Blood Angel's range, too.
The Armageddon Box Set Context
The more interesting question, perhaps, is not the model itself, but where it sits within the broader context of the Armageddon set. Its pairing with Vanguard Veterans is particularly telling, as it reinforces a focus on mobile, aggressive units that operate at close range and rely on positioning as much as raw output.
That in itself isn’t new, of course, but the way it’s being presented here feels more cohesive than any time previously. Much of the discussion around Vanguard Veterans has centred on their similarity to Jump Pack Intercessors, often framed as a point of confusion or overlap.
It’s worth considering whether that overlap is actually intentional, as it introduces a level of flexibility that hasn’t always been present in the range. When a unit can reasonably stand in for another, it opens up options both in gameplay and in how players choose to build and represent their forces.
When monetary and hobby-time budgets are as tight as they are for many of us in 2026, this kind of flexibility is a really welcome break to catch. A different perspective, too, is that it speaks to the story of your collection.
In the Vanguard Vet/Jump Intercessors debate, for example, when a simple Jump Pack Intercessor can find himself promoted to the ranks of the Vanguard Veterans for a game or two, does that not make for a more compelling narrative journey for one and one's own most precious wardollies? Magnetise those weapons and give yourself the choice, hobbyists!
Final Cogitations
Taken in isolation, the Jump Pack Chaplain is a well-executed miniature that delivers on expectations without muddying the waters. When placed within the wider context of Armageddon, however, it begins to feel like part of a more deliberate shift in how Space Marines are being presented, both visually and mechanically. The emphasis on flexibility and shared design language suggests a direction that extends beyond a single release, one that will have an impact on divergent chapters like Blood Angels, too.
There’s still more to be revealed, and much of that picture remains incomplete, but the outline is beginning to take shape.
If this Chaplain is anything to go by, it’s a direction that feels considered, cohesive, and, for many players, quite encouraging.
Bring on Armageddon and more Blood Angels!
*Liquified Natural Hate.
**As grounded as any skyborne hate-peddler can be, we mean.
***Beyond the whole Blood Angels themed box set thing, obviously.
****Ideally non-chaotic
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