First Post - Explanation

A Dreadnought is a cybernetic combat walker of intermediate size used as heavy infantry support for 40K armies. When a soldier is crippled in combat, the body will be repaired and transferred into an armoured cybernetic sarcophagus outfitted with extensive life support systems. This sarcophagus is then interred within the heart of the armoured body of a Dreadnought if there is even a spark of life left. The occupant within the sarcophagus will control the robotic body of the walker and experience the outside world through cybernetic neural links and sensors implanted within his life support systems. Dreadnoughts are often mistaken by observers to be huge suits of battle armour or robots; they are similar to both and yet neither. Dreadnoughts are a combination of armoured walker and cybernetic life-support system; their pilots are neurally linked straight into the Dreadnought's cybernetic systems, and are able to use the walker as if it were their own body, although they are permanently entombed within its artificial skin until they are destroyed.

The very earliest editions of Warhammer 40,000 had the Dreadnought's occupants as healthy individuals and they were common to both Imperial Guard and Space Marines forces.

Following the release of Warhammer 40,000's 3rd Edition, Games Workshop publications generally ceased the generic use of the word "Dreadnought", instead referring only to the types of walkers fielded by the Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, and occasionally the Orks by that name. Eldar Dreadnoughts were now known as Wraithlords and the Orks, except for the appropriate army list entries, colloquially referred to their versions simply as Dreds or Killa Kanz, a name also given to smaller Orkish Dreadnought-style vehicles that they fielded.  And now following the release of Warhammer 40,000's 6th Edition, the chaos dreadnought has been seemingly renamed a Helbrute based on the lack of a Chaos Dreadnought in the latest codex.

(various portions of text were taken from wikia: warhammer 40k wiki; http://warhammer40k.wikia.com)

This site will explore the various iterations and variants of Dreadnoughts for Space Marines, Orks, Chaos Space Marines, and Eldar.  Typically I like to restore and remodel older models to make them look up-to-date.  Or, take newer models and paint them in 1^st or 2^nd edition color schemes.  For me, it is fun to compare the size of an old GW contemptor to the new FW contemptor.  Or compare the 1e walker Ork Dreadnought to the FW Mega Dread.

Eventually, it would be fun to be fun to develop a sub-game of 40k (possibly Zone Mortalis) to have small warbands of Walker Mechs (with accompaniments) in a 2 player game.  And allow it to be a multiplayer game.  Generally speaking, this site is dedicated to more the size and type of the model than to feature dreadnoughts exclusively.  Therefore, expect to see larger Tyranids and a Necron Tomb Stalker.