The Iron Hands are one of the first founding Space Marine chapters. Little has been known of them in the past and it is only recently that details about them have became known.
Their Primarch was named Ferrus Manus (whose name means Iron Hands in pseudo-Latin) and their homeworld is Medusa. Ferrus Manus was famed for his great strength and for possessing hands of living metal, gained when he slew a dragon-like creature by holding it down in a pit of lava. Its metal skin melted and eventually grafted to his hands.
Ferrus Mannus constantly striveed to eradicate weakness, and from his living example, the Iron Hands see anything weak as something to be hated. They see flesh itself as weak and have come to worship machines. This has (like many negative traits amongst other chapters, such as the Imperial Fists Masochism and the Blood Angels Black Rage) been passed down via the geneseed and has extended to a fetish with replacing increasing amounts of their body with bionic parts (rumours occasionally emerge that the Iron Hands include robot warriors; Space Marines whose entire bodies — everything bar the brain, and there are doubts about that — have been replaced with machinery).
Gameplay
In game terms, Iron Hands can be played as a standard Space Marine with the modification of some units within the Space Marine Codex. For example, Tech Marines may be taken as HQ choices(please note, however, that in doing so, you lose the ability of taking Commanders). You may also take Terminator Armor for any Veteran Sergeant in your army, and may also take entire squads of Terminators now.
Iron Hands armies are slightly rare, being one of the least known First Foundings. Iron Hands can be a very conversion-laden army if you choose it to be so, representing bionics and robot parts with Necron or home-made pieces. with the release of the Tactical Squad box set for the Iron Hands, this makes assembling an Iron Hands much easier.