Over the decades, they’ve tended to rank among the game’s most competitively powerful forces, as well as being one of the easiest to learn – giving the sons of Ultramar a unique appeal amongst Warhammer 40k players. The Ultramarines aren’t just popular off the gaming table, they’re popular on it.

In Warhammer 40k Ultramarines are simply ever-present. If you hear a 40K fan discussing ‘Smurfs’, it’s not the charming, azure-skinned Belgian cartoon gnomes they’re talking about – it’s these guys. You’ll see their gleaming blue armour adorning 40k kits’ box art, videogames, even the Black Library novels. Often seen at the forefront of the miniatures maker’s products, Games Workshop’s big blue boys are one of their most instantly recognisable armies. Even if you’re only tangentially aware of Warhammer 40,000, you’ll probably be at least slightly familiar with the Ultramarines.