What is with bolt pistols?

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

How come half of the Bolt Pistol vanishes when it's holstered?

[Haywire]

I can't help but feel that the holstered one is more of a 'sidearm' than the other Bolt Pistols are. That is, to say, the ones we see held out are a pattern that is more used as a main weapon in conjunction with a melee weapon, while the holstered one is a smaller pattern to be there as an emergency back-up weapon in case the main one is unable to be used.

 

Don't know, really, but that's my interpretation of it.

[FlamingDeth]

Alternatively they change size when holstered because they're all secretly Megatron.

[grailkeeper]

Who says the holstered one is a bolt pistol?

 

In the old rules a holstered pistol could be any type of pistol and still be wysiwyg.

[DBadger]

GW is some form of heroic scale, where heads and weapons are a different scale to the rest of the body. I guess when holstered the gun goes in a different place on the body so loses that scale. Stlll don't know where the mag goes though.

[MegaVolt87]

There is no issues with the holstered pistols on the Mk III kit. The mag is accounted for by the holster it looks right. 

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

You know, if holstered/not present but required on model is WYSIWYG regardless of what sidearm you pick, that's a pretty big deal in and of itself.

[Panzer]

Sidearms are never required for WYSIWYG unless the model doesn't use it as sidearm and instead as main weapon. Aka you don't need to represent bolt pistols on regular Bolter Marines at all because their main weapon is the Bolter, but you have to represent bolt pistols on Marines who use bolt pistol + chainsword or two bolt pistols etc.

[MegaVolt87]

I have the chainswords and holstered bolt pistols on my mk III chosen with bolters. It actually looks really good, the issue is with the old kit holsters. I believe the Mk IV kit has good holsters, maybe also the Primaris holsters as well. 

[Haywire]

Then and again, some wargear rules can technically... in a way... make sense with some creative imagination. Bolter marine supposedly having a bolt pistol? Well, he's just simply shooting his bolter at close range, 'cause they can do that 'realistically' speaking. My own personal favourite is halberds doubling as both power spears and power axes because WYSIWYG is still, in a way, followed.... and it looks good, too. Maybe not ideal for actual gameplay, but eh.

[Zephaniah Adriyen]

Librarian with force axe and hand flamer, modeled with a book in the hand that would be a flamer?

[Haywire]

If the book was on fire, I'd say sure.

[Subtle Discord]

The simple answer that I've seen over the years and it was eluded to already in the thread; sidearm Bolt Pistols are a slimmer more compact pattern that has less ammunition capacity and a different profile/silhouette. Seems quite reasonable to me. Contemporary handguns come in a wide range of sizes from tiny and discrete to massive handheld cannons.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

There is no issues with the holstered pistols on the Mk III kit. The mag is accounted for by the holster it looks right. 

 

The Mk III sprue has holstered bolt pistols with and without magazines which would seem to imply that most holstered bolt pistols aren't loaded. 

 

[jkoczan42]

I've always assumed they just don't carry loaded side arms with them. Given the relative "vigor" with which marines move (smashing through cover, walls, bounding across gaps), I just run with the idea that they don't bother to load their weapons until they are in their hands, as accidental discharges could be problematic for them. I know something as simple as a safety on their firearm could solve that (and bolters/bolt pistols do have them in fluff), maybe they have weapons discipline so drilled into their heads that they want zero possibility of an accident. Just guessing/trying to fluff justify why they wouldn't carry their sidearms loaded.

[Panzer]

Shooting yourself into the foot with a Bolter shell by accident would be pretty embarrasing for the angels of death. :D

[Magos Takatus]

Shooting yourself into the foot with a Bolter shell by accident would be pretty embarrasing for the angels of death.

With a space marine the roar of pain could easily be mistaken for a blood-curdling battle cry, it's the hopping on one leg that would make him look ridiculous. :p

[CMDR_Welles]

The Imperium use TARDIS technology. It's how they can fit 10 Marines into a Rhino, among other things.

[Marshal Reinhard]

I would argue that the simple answer is that GW has never chosen to be consistent on this detail (with the exception holstered pistols the mk3's have?). My guess is they simply thought the holstered pistols "didn't look right" unless it had more traditional proportions. So, rarely room for the big lump at the back, rarely space for magazine, rarely thicc enough.

 

So yeah, the holstered pistols have rarely looked anything like the pistols they wield. I don't think there's lore reasons for this, more that it's an issue that's been largely ignored.

[Halandaar]

Also note that the "new" Bolt Pistol design as sported by Primaris Marines are a lot more in keeping with that original holster silhouette, with smaller magazines etc.

[Chaplain Mollusc]

So yeah, the holstered pistols have rarely looked anything like the pistols they wield. I don't think there's lore reasons for this, more that it's an issue that's been largely ignored.

 

Spoilsport!

 

Gotta say, carrying an unloaded pistol seems foolish, especially if it's a backup or holdout gun: when you need that gun you need it now, not a couple seconds from now when you finish loading.

[Claws and Effect]

Pretty simple, actually.

 

There are up to 5 pistol options depending on your Chapter. The holstered pistols are designed in such a way that it could represent any one of them. If they were modeled to obviously be a bolt pistol then you couldn't WYSIWYG it as anything else.

 

My biker Captain has one at his waist. It is either a bolt pistol or plasma pistol depending on whether I have 7 points to spare.

[rendingon1+]

No lore reason, it's just consequence of a generla scale problem or rather lackof "internal" scale in marines models (any). I wouldn't look much into it and would never try to justify it because it cannot be justifed. Besides, bolt pistols on models are just ridiculously gigantic - as long as marines thigh and almost as wide Generally marine models are one of the worst designs ever when it comes to proportions and weapon size. Primaris too unfortunately. Pity that GW with all their resources just won't do astartes justice.

[Beams]

No lore reason, it's just consequence of a generla scale problem or rather lackof "internal" scale in marines models (any). I wouldn't look much into it and would never try to justify it because it cannot be justifed. Besides, bolt pistols on models are just ridiculously gigantic - as long as marines thigh and almost as wide Generally marine models are one of the worst designs ever when it comes to proportions and weapon size. Primaris too unfortunately. Pity that GW with all their resources just won't do astartes justice.

It's in heroic scale -- when someone's using a weapon, it's supposed to be big and intimidating and a focus. When it's sheathed, it's not the focus, so it doesn't get exaggerated.

[Hantheman]

The scale of some guns is hilarious. I've got a combi-melta which is bigger then the marines torso and legs