Chimera vs Rhino

[Master Constantine]

As I have decided to once again take up bolt pisto, and sword......sounds familiar some how,.... any way my DH Inq Storm tropers need a ride as such trying to decide the merits of each : rhino and Chimera, note units will operated alone. My HQs have a nice LR to play with. so what you think for my two stormies to ride to battle??

[Captain Malachi]

Chimera:

Pros:

higher front armour

higher capacity

better weapons

extra fire point

can carry termies, but that's irrelevent here

Cons:

weaker side armour

less access points

lower BS

higher cost

 

Rhino:

Opposite of above really.

 

Overall I choose the chimera usually, for the increased firepower.

[Aidoneus]

Points of comparison:

 

Armour Values:

-The chimera has superior front armour, but inferior side armour (rear is the same). This means the Chimera is more suited to sitting further back, to keep the enemy in front of it, while the Rhino is more suited to moving forward, since enemies on its sides aren't a big problem.

 

Weapons:

-The chimera clearly has better weapons. This means the chimera will make you want to slow down or maneuver so that you can make use of its weapons, while the Rhino has nothing to distract you from it being purely a troop transport.

 

Capacity:

-Unless you're carrying a full squad of IST and an IC (GK hero or Inquisitor), this isn't a problem. Keep in mind that the Chimera has this flexibility.

 

Fire Points:

-For DH, this is exactly the opposite of any other codex out there, so pay close attention. The DH Rhino has one fire point, while the DH Chimera has two fire points. This means only 1 model may fire out of a DH Rhino, but 2 models may fire out of a DH chimera. This means that if you want to do drive-by shootings (fire from within the tank, instead of disembarking), the chimera lets you fire one more gun, and therefore is superior. Note that for either tank, if you pop the hatch, it counts as open-topped (if the occupants have worse than a 3+ save, which ISTs do).

 

Cost:

-With the chimera, you pay more for the better guns and better front armour. Generally speaking, for a transport, the rhino is a better deal in terms of shear cost-to-ability ratio. This means you should think of the chimera as a tank in its own right, while the rhino is merely a tool for its squad to use.

 

 

Overall, the general consensus is that Chimera are better for mostly-stationary units, while Rhinos are better for on-the-go units. For example, a unit of ISTs with 2 plasma is stationary (for better range), and therefore should be in a chimera, while a unit of ISTs with meltas (need to be up close) should have a rhino. However, since the fire points issue is so weird for us, an on-the-go unit might benefit from a chimera.

 

If you put an on-the-go, up-close unit in a chimera, give it a heavy flamer as one of its weapons, for some added close-in support. If you put a stationary unit in a chimera, give it a multi-laser and heavy bolter, for long-range fire support.

 

That's about all the information I can give you. Use that to make your own decision, based on your squad, playstyle, the rest of the list, etc.

[Shunch]

It's not an easily answerable question, as both have their obvious merits.

 

The Rhino is strictly for Point A to B movement. It is cheaper, and because it has a better side armor, it is safer to maneuver and such when near enemy lines. The downside is it is almost useless in combat situations. Its AV11 will crumble against any decent strength weapons, and a single stormbolter isn't going to turn the tide of any battles.

 

Conversely, the Chimera is practically a light assault tank. The AV12 on front is a bit better for taking hits (immunity to pulse rifles = good), and up to two heavy weapons plus any pintle-mounted weapons means it can lay down a fairly good salvo, and can even solo weak enemy formations. The disadvantage is it's costing a minimum of 80ish points, and if you start tacking on toys, it can become over 100.

 

So the question is, what do you need? If points are tight and you already have a solid amount of guns, I'd go for the Rhino. If you want your transport to be a weapon in of itself, go for the Chimera.

 

Since you stated that you already have two Land Raider riding HQ choices, I might go with the Rhinos.

[Inquisitor Fox]

Although if IA2 is allowed, I would argue the Repressor is the best of both worlds, and is now available for all Inquisitorial Storm Troopers :)

 

Otherwise I tend to intuitively prefer Rhinos.. that way I don't get them mixxed up with my IG units, and it adds more character ;)

[Grand Master Tyrak]

If IA2 is fair game, then you could always consider a Valkyrie.

[Master Constantine]

thanks ..... would love to play my valkyrie, my guardsman dusted off there chimera to join in the fun so now two as heck:IG with Chimera so maybe see what I can get with rhinos first worst case sell them off for more chimera.......thanks all