Well, I went down to the local GW for their "Mini Games Day" event today, mainly because they had a painting contest and I wanted to find out a little bit more about those new Flyers! So first off, the painting contest...
There were a few more entries this time round, which is great news because it shows that the store is putting a bit more focus on painting than it did in the past. They are using this to kick off a monthly painting contest, which I'll enter as often as I can as encouragement to keep improving. Here are pics of the winners:
Bronze:
Silver:
Gold:
I know the pics aren't great, my camera is pretty appalling in bad light. A few things to mention- the Silver entry was painted by a 7 year old, which I think is a fantastic achievement for him! (Especially considering the dross I was painting at that age!) Also, I actually won! The gold entry is part of my ongoing Space Wolf project, so I was pleased to see a positive response from them :)
That being said, I didn't win the Hero competition last month, but I did get a chance to snap a pic of the winner:
And just for the sake of completion, here's a pic of the model I did:
Actually, that looks better in the dark photo than it does in real life.... :)
So yes, I managed to win a painting contest (finally)- which means of course that I need to try and do it again next month!
In other news, I'm looking at doing the 40K Doubles next year. This coincides with ideas I've had kicking around for a Cityfight Dark Eldar army, and Armies on Parade. So I ended up buying my first box of Wyches and a Venom- I intend to tinker with these boxes and see what I can get out of it, to see if the modelling potential is there (I'm going to mixing in Corsair parts from Dark Elves, adding hooks and spikes, moving the pistol so it is wrist mounted....)
And finally... I got to see the new rules for the new flyer's, to be released next week. I must say, having seen the previews on the website last night, I'm sold on the model of the Fighter Bomber for the Orks (that looks awesome!) but the Stormtalon- I'll wait until I see it in the flesh. Regardless of what it looks like however, I am sold on the rules, so I'll probably end up buying 3 anyway :)
So a quick tactical analysis:
Stormtalon- this is a lightly armoured escort (think AV 11 Land Speeder). It gets the Ceramite plating rule same as the Stormraven, but with the low armour value I can't see it being much use. It also gets, as most other flyers do, the ability to fire all guns when moving at cruising speed, and to go 36" Flat Out. No great surprises there, all fairly standard stuff so far.
However, it's the Escort and Hover rules I really like. Basically, you can attach the Stormtalon to another reserve unit- now you only make 1 roll for reserve for both units, and they enter play within 6" of each other. Note that it cannot Deep Strike, so this is mainly useful for outflanking and deep defence. What it does mean is Space Marines can now bring on reliable firepower from reserve (The Stormtalon gets a twin- linked Assault Cannon, and the choice of twin- linked Heavy Bolters, twin- linked Lascannons, Typhoon Missiles or the new Skyhammer missiles- these are Autocannons on acid, so a good default choice). Combine this with the Hover rule, which allows the Stormtalon to lose "Fast" for a turn, fore go moving, and add BS 1 against certain enemies. Oh, and the shots count as pinning.
I love this flyer. it's a great addition to Space Marines, not too over the top, really flavourful, and although it's powerful it is lightly armoured. Points wise, it's comparable to a squadron of 3 Land Speeders. I think that these will be especially good in a Kor'Sarro Khan Las/Plas Razorback army.
Next up, the Orks. The Bommer Kit offers up 3 variants- all of them are AV10 BS 2- exactly as you would expect. They are also relatively cheap on the points, and provide some much-needed fast-moving fire support for the Orks. They all get the standard Cruising Speed and 36" move rules, and also double the shots of any assault weapons on the turn you Waaaagh!
Dakkajet- the first of the Orky variants. This one is basically a strafer. It importantly counts as BS3 against most targets (all of them if you upgrade it!) Pumping out 9 twin linked S6 shots a turn, this is actually pretty terrifying- especially since you double it when you Waaagh!!
Burna Bommer- This is a more traditional bomber- it gets 2 bombs (heavy mortar shots that are placed along the line of movement) and up to 6 missiles (these are big frag missiles) so it is essentially a Napalm-bringer! Many of its weapons ignore cover, but they aren't AP 3 so it's realistically of limited use. Personally, this is my least favourite of the 3 options.
Blitza Bomber- think Stukka. This is a true Dive-bomber. Essentially, you pick the target you want to bomb, then roll 2d6- the table lets you know how successful the run has been, but it varies from smashing straight into the ground like a dart (at least you'll take a few of them with you!) to just shooting everything at them then laughing at their ruined bodies. This is a great flyer, with some really flavourful rules, and it's as worrying to the Orks player as it is to their opponent. My personal favourite by far.
So there you have it- not a bad day all round.
Comments, as always, are welcome...
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