Yeah, but back then WH40K used to be more about skirmishes. Now, as it\'s become more \"army\"-oriented, detailed rules as that would make for reeeeeeeeeeeeeally long games.
That\'s where Necromunda kicks in. With all the little niceties like lasting injuries, hordes of equipment and experience. Works because you use only about up to a dozen minis.
I mean, take Warmachine: a Jack can pick up an enemy, then toss him around, where he can hit other enemies, and so on... transferred to a scale of (sometimes) over a hundred minis, that would take ages.
You can, of course, make your own charakter for 40K. My old Chaptermaster had standard master Stats, with a sword like the Emperor\'s Champion and a Storm Shield, and a Holy Relic... just added the values and then added, like 20-ish points. Just do what you like. You definitely will need your opponent\'s approval, so don\'t go overboard and keep points/items/skills etc. sane.