Aerial Assault!: First Impressions

So I picked up the latest White Dwarf, something I have not done in the last 5+ years, in order to get a look at the new "Fast, Skimmer"s / future flyers. My initial thoughts on the Stormtalon have not been that great. As I have already filled up my Fast Attack slots with Land Speeders/Storm, and a squad of Assault/Vanguard Marines I am hesitant to invest any more $$ in to the slot. Points wise it seems a bit steep when compared to the Vendettas I normally run in my IG list and the cheaper Land Speeders I have been using in my Space Marine army.

Taken from http://www.ninjabread.co.uk/

When compared to the Vendetta they are the same base cost. The Vendetta has better weapons and armor at this base cost. On the flip side the Stormtalon is faster and has some nifty special rules. The Stormtalon can get up to BS5, move up to 36" in a turn, is immune to the extra dice from Melta weapons, and can escort an non-deep striking unit. But the Stormtalon is also lacking in vehicle upgrades, the Vendetta comes with Extra Armor, Searchlights, can buy an extra pair of Heavy Bolters (giving it 5 weapons over the Stormtalons 2), and has a transport capacity of 12.

Sure they can/will play different roles on the battlefield, but the Vendetta on face value appears to be better.

Where I can see a up side is when I compared the Stormtalon to Land Speeders.

I normally run my Land Speeders with Multi-Meltas and Heavy Flamers making them 70 points each and with having Vulkan all their weapons are now Twin Linked... Not bad at all. But I also remembered that I am normally only firing 1 weapon (Multi-Melta) a turn as I try to keep my distance until I see a good time to hit the enemy with the Heavy Flamer. So with 2 Land Speeders at 140 points all I am getting out of them for most of the game is 2 Multi-Melta shots per turn. With the Stormtalon at 130 points I can get the TL-Assault Cannon and the TL-Heavy Bolters to shoot while moving at the same speed as the Land Speeders while having better protection thanks to the AV11 and Ceramite Plating at a price that's 10 points lower and saving 1 Fast Attack slot.

I think I will have to playtest it a bit before I decide if I want one or if I am just going to skip it.

Now for the Orks!

I this point I am not impressed with the Burna-Bommer or the Blitza-Bommer. So I will skip them for now and focus on  the Dakkajet.

I think the Dakkajet will work really well in a Truck Boy list as the AV match well for armor saturation and harder target priority. This is also one of the most accurate shooting units in the Ork arsenal capable of being BS4, when combining the Strafing Run special rule and the Fighta Ace upgrade. You can also add the extra Twin-Linked Supa Shoota bringing the total number of shots up to 9. 

The ability for Orks to throw out 9 Str 6 shots at BS4 reliably is something that will greatly add to the Orks. Being able to open light transports from range will increase the effectiveness the Ork Boys that are advancing as they will not have to waste a turn to rip open the transport with the Nobs Power Claw.

This will also help them against more elite units and MCs. The turn a Waaaagh! is declared the Dakkajet can throw out 18, Str 6 shots forcing saves on these harder units while maintaing a safe distance and softening up the targets for the Boys assault.

Keeping distance with a reliable shooting unit in an Ork army is very frustrating to most opponents... I know it is for me when facing them. If you can keep your Dakkajet away from the front lines and keep the focus on your trucks full of boys the Dakkajet should be able to work wonders for your Ork army.

Well those were my first impressions of the new units coming out this Saturday. I would like to hear what you guys think about these new units.

Till next time, Happy Wargaming!