Deathwatch Librarian

I am kinda in-between projects right now. Without any big tournament nearing to give me motivation to paint just one army I am sure I will be painting a few new models for each of my existing armies to compensate/complement the new changes that 6th edition will bring.

Here is my Deathwatch Librarian I finished tonight to be added to my Mantis Warriors army or allied to my Imperial Guard... I used to be able to field this guy back in 4th edition but here he is finally with paint!

...and I got a little work done on this Corsair Raider

Wargames Con 2012

Wargames Con 2012 is in the books! and boy do I feel like shit but smiling :)

Wargames Con: DAY ONE!

Oh shit, day one of Wargames Con is in the books and I'm drunk and tired as hell... lets see what happened...

Wargames Con 2012 Mantis Warriors Army

Hey guys, Wargames Con is just one week away OMG! Here is the list I plan on taking to the two day, seven game, 2000pt GT next weekend. I have no illusions of going all the way, I just hope I get 7 good games against 7 opponents I've never played before!

HQ

Kahn

Cassius

ELITES

Assault Terminators*5; th/sh*3, lc*2

Land Raider Redeemer; ex armor, multi-melta

Sterngaurd*5; combi-plasma*2, plasma gun

Razorback; twin-plasma gun, lascannon, dozer blade

TROOPS

Tactical Squad; power fist, combi-melta, melta gun, multi-melta

Rhino

Tactical Squad; power fist, combi-melta, melta gun, multi-melta

Rhino

Scouts*10; Telion, heavy bolter

Scouts*5; combi-melta, melta bomb

FAST ATTACK

Land Speeder Storm; multi-melta

Stormtalon Gunship; twin-assault cannon, twin-heavy bolter

Attack Bike; multii-melta

So this list isn't anything too crazy, just my typical Kahn army (three Special Characters lol) with lots of units designed to Outflank and hit hard with shooting and decent combat. The Mission Format for all 7 games will be three equally weighted objectives: two from the book and one random one (table quarters, kill HQ exc.). I'm mostly looking forward to using the Stormtalon and Telion; my most recent editions to the army.

~the best part is that I only have one mode model left to paint!

Scout Sergeant Telion

Scout Sergeant Telion ready for Wargames Con next week! Sorry about the pics, I'll try and get better ones soon.

Stormtalon Gunship Complete!

Likely the first ever Mantis Warrior's Stormtalon is complete! Wargames Con is less than two weeks away, but I finished the Stormtalon in plenty of time. Not much left to paint before the tournament, just lots of practice games with my Kahn list.

In Defense of the Stormtalon

Okay I am pretty annoyed with all the Stormtalon hating on the interwebs, especially on BoLS. All the reviews I've read have been based on theory, not on games played or witnessed. I've now played 4 games with the new unit (one SM, one Blood Angel, and two Dark Eldar) so my review is at least based on practical application. All 4 games the Stormtalon been armed as is (twin-assault cannon & twin-heavy bolter - 130pts) and has outflanked while escorting my Landspeeder Storm.

The complaint that most people have about the ST is that it is not worth the points (130pts basic) because it is essentially a big, more expensive Landspeeder Tornado (90pts). Lets compare...

Although the ST and the Tornado are armed similarly; the ST makes much better use of them. On the ST both the HB and Assault Cannon are twin-linked which essentially gives it the fire power of TWO Razorbacks. However the biggest advantage the Stormtalon has is the 'Aerial Assault' rule which allows it to move 12" and fire BOTH weapons! When have you ever seen a Landspeeder fire both gun? This makes a huge difference, especially when you consider how short ranged the Assault Cannon is (the better of the two guns).

The other bonus the ST has over the Tornado is the 'Escort' Special Rule. which essentially allows it to show up at the same time as another unit arriving from reserve. I believe this Special Rule only makes a difference if you use the ST to escort an Outflanking which is something a Tornado cannot do.

Consider the worst part about Outflanking in a SM army; not getting any bonus to reserve rolls (possibly arriving piecemeal) and not being able re-roll what side you come in on (possibility of being unsupported or without enough strength to do anything). By Escorting a Landspeeder Storm you eliminate both of these issues. Both units arrive at the same time and on the same table edge! Individually neither is particularly menacing, but combined there is strength.

So there you have it: my reasons why the Stormtalon is not as terrible as so many people on the interwebs say it is. Granted I am not trying to say it is super amazing and belongs in every army, but what in the SM codex IS super amazing for only 130pts? The ST is certainly a unit that requires some tactical thinking and maneuvering but at the same time is a lot of fun to use and can be very rewarding to use.

Tonight I used the ST in my all Outflanking Kahn army which has lots of very short range firepower. The ST was the only unit in the army that could be considered to have "long range" firepower while still being able to move over 6". Has anyone else actuarially used or seen a ST used since it came out last week? What are people's general reaction? Sucks, okay or useful?

Eldar Phoenix

Figured out how to mount my Phoenix today by putting a small wooden dowel in the flight stem and a whole in the bottom of the model. I would have used a brass rod but couldn't find any the right size. This should work though.

Stormtalon Gunship WIP

 Just some WIP shots of the Stormtalon. I am really liking this model...

Corsair Venom

I made some excellent trades this weekend including a FW Eldar Phoenix which I plan on using as a Void Raven Bomber. I also picked up a Venom which I swapped out the Splinter Cannons on it for Craftworld Eldar weapons.

In most game this will just "count as" two Splinter Cannons. I figure there won't be any confusion because you've never seen someone NOT take dual cannons on one of these...

Dragon's Lair Tournament: June 3rd, 2012

This month's Dragon's Lair Tournament was just 1250pts, and as has been the case the last three months; no entry fee and no prize support. Oh well, it is still lots of fun to get three games in on one day! I busted out the Mantis Warriors so I could get comfortable using Telion and the Stormtalon. I plan on using both units at Wargames Con and both preformed admirably today. 

In all three games the Stormtalon escorted my Outflanking Landspeeder Storm. These two vehicles worked very well together as it meant some added reliability and strength since they both show up at the same time and on the same table edge! 

The first game they didn't do much against my SM opponent but games two and three were against Mech Dark Eldar... Game two the Stormtalon scratched three DE vehicles! Game three the Stormtalon only took out one DE vehicle but also blasted a Warrior unit off an objective (always nice). Telion's unit, using only sniper rifles, managed to kill three DE vehicles!

I ended up in third place and BullyMike got first with his Necrons. Storm Lord in a 1250pt list... tisk-tisk.

Stormtalon...wuuuuu!

Picked up my Stormtalon today and put it together! As with all the new kits it was a breeze to glue compared to the old vehicles. The only modification I made was swapping out the giant oversized Assault Cannons for the sleek ones off of the Ravenwing sprue and magnetized the HBs incase I want to change them out or they get destroyed.

There is a tournament on Sunday so I am very excited about how this guy preforms.