Land Speeder - Game Origins: Land Speeders were introduced along with the other 1st Edition Warhammer 40,000 vehicles, the Rhino and the Land Raider. The first Land Speeder model was made entirely of metal. It looked more-or-less like two flying seats in front of two large turbines. The Space Marine crew were entirely exposed.This early version of the Land Speeder was armed with a Meltagun and a turret-mounted Multi-melta. During this edition of the game, Land Speeders were not entirely limited to the Space Marines; the Imperial Guard had their own Land Speeders. The Imperial Guard Land Speeder model was almost-identical to the Space Marine version, except for weaponry. The Imperial Guard Land Speeder was armed with a hull-mounted Heavy Bolter and a turret-mounted Plasma Cannon, then-called a "Heavy Plasma Gun". When the 2nd Edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released, Land Speeders were taken out of the Imperial Guard's army list. From this point on, they were entirely Space Marine vehicles.The Land Speeder's second incarnation was released in 1993. This all-metal version added more bulk and armour to the vehicle, with pilots being less exposed in the front though not the sides. The Meltagun and Plasma Cannon were replaced by an under-slung Multi-Melta and a Heavy Flamer fired by the Space Marine riding in the gunner's seat. In 1997, another Land Speeder model was released for the Ravenwing Company of the Dark Angels Space Marine Chapter. This version replaced the standard Land Speeder's Multi-Melta with an Assault Cannon and the gunner's Heavy Flamer with a Heavy Bolter.The current design of the Land Speeder was introduced in 1998 for the 3rd Edition of the Warhammer 40,000 game. Unlike the previous models, this release was a completely plastic kit. The redesign of the Land Speeder made it appear sleeker. The pilots are almost entirely enclosed. Stabilizers and a spoiler were also added to make the vehicle look more aerodynamic.In line with the changes to the Land Speeder's profile in the Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), the weapons that were included in the kit were changed once more. The boxed set contained a Multi-melta and a Heavy Bolter, only one of which could be mounted onto the Speeder. Several variants were also released, using the same plastic model but including additional metal weaponry.The Third Edition of the game was the first time that Land Speeders could be fielded in squadrons of up to three of the vehicles, although the Tornado and Typhoon variants could only be fielded as individual vehicles. With the release of the 4th Edition Space Marine Codex, players were allowed to field different Land Speeder variants in the same squadron.The Land Speeder appears in several other games outside of Warhammer 40,000. Land Speeders are available as units for the Epic large-scale battle tabletop game for both the 3rd and 4th Editions, similar in design to the corresponding Warhammer 40,000 version. Land Speeders have also been featured in Chaos Gate and Dawn of War, computer games based on the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. The Land Speeders in Dawn of War are Land Speeder Tornadoes that are slightly different from the ones in Warhammer 40,000. They are armed with twin-linked, under-slung Assault Cannons and twin-linked Heavy Bolters that are fired by the gunner.