Jetbikes

[AGPO]

I'm in the process of adding a squadron of Jetbikes to my Angels Sanguine army - pics to follow shortly - and the question of markings enteredmy mind. I like to be fussy over this type of thing and I was wondering where a jetbike unit would fall within a modern chapter's structure. My current thinking is that it would be one of the following:

 

Option 1 - First Company:

As an incredibly rare bit of kit, a jetbike would doubtless be given to the chapter's best warriors. As regular assault squads are often mounted on regular bikes or speeders, it stands to reason that the chapter's most veteran assault squads (i.e. the Vanguard) would be the only troops allowed to use them.

 

Option 2 - Sixth Company:

As the biker company, the role of the sixth would arguably be most suited to the use of jetbikes. It would fit in with their squad structure and their fighting style

 

Option 3 - Seventh Company:

As the Land Speeder-mounted company, they already include anti-grav vehicles, which would work well with jetbikes in a supporting role. In the fluff the role of jetbike units was replaced by land speeders.

 

[Option 4 - Somewhere Else:[/b]

The Sanguinary Guard would look awesome riding Jetbikes, and I can see this being their style. A detachment of Custodes would be awesome but wouldn't really fit with where I'm going model-wise. Any hero's honour guard would doubtless also look pretty cool.

 

I'd be interested to hear what you guys think.

 

Regards,

AGPO

 

N.B.

To address the inevitable fluff nazi questions before they arise, I am aware of what it says in the Dark Angels codex regarding jetbikes. I feel my project is fine fluff-wise as a) I have come up with what I think is a good piece of my own background story detailing how my guys got hold of this bit of tech, B) rule of cool and c) it's my army, and if I want my marines to ride into battle on unicycles, waving rainbow flags and singing La Marseillaise then that's exactly what they'll do :D

[Taz]

Well, assault marines are the ones who get the bikes, and I could see a 1st Company squad riding jetbikes around, which would be pretty dern sweet, However, since the assault companies are even more assault-ey it would make more sense for them to get the cool assault kit. Maybe the captain of the 6th or 7th and his honor guard?

[LordOfSkyfall]

from a purely fluff point of view, the last remining jet bike in the imperium is use by the Master of Dark Angels Ravenwing company, currently Sammael. unless you are doing a pre-heresy blood angels chapter in which case go nuts

[Zarmon]

Actually I'm sure it says the last "known" jetbike is used by the Ravenwing.

 

Either way it a big universe with lots of hiding places, who to say they didn'y find them? Or always had them just never used them until they got some training... or perhaps they heratics using some stolen eldar tech!! BURN THEM ALL!!!

 

That said, I'd say First Company. They would be the rarest artifact of the Chapter and only the greatest warriors would be trusted with them.

[Mykra]

To address the inevitable fluff nazi questions before they arise, I am aware of what it says in the Dark Angels codex regarding jetbikes. I feel my project is fine fluff-wise as a) I have come up with what I think is a good piece of my own background story detailing how my guys got hold of this bit of tech, B) rule of cool and c) it's my army, and if I want my marines to ride into battle on unicycles, waving rainbow flags and singing La Marseillaise then that's exactly what they'll do :D

 

Rule of Cool trumps all man, my friend has ATV 'Speeders' for his Wolves since Russ wanted them with both feet on the ground, and it makes just as much sense that the Blood Angels would break out the ol' STC Jetbikes.

 

As for whom would use them, I'd say either Veterans, or the Eighth Company since it is 100% assault marines.

 

I'll have to re-read the Codex to see if anything was changed but I was under the impression that the sixth and seventh companies were 100% tactical marines, or are you talking about your homemade breakdown? If so, that sounds good.

[Vodunius]

I'll have to re-read the Codex to see if anything was changed but I was under the impression that the sixth and seventh companies were 100% tactical marines,

 

Hmm, come to think of it I'm not sure if it is actually mentioned in the current codex, however since at least 2nd edition the Blood Angels have followed the Smurf practice of the 6th & 7th companies pulling double duty as Bike and Speeder companies despite being Tacticals.

 

As for the original question, the Heresy era EPIC list in WD126 had Jetbikes and Speeders grouped together as 'skimmers' so personally I'd have them take the place of speeders not bikes. (random factoid: Ravenwing was originally a full jetbike company, and it was the Dark Angels 7th Company - which is probably where the vanilla 7th company being a Speeder company originates)

[Zarmon]

Just looked at the Codex, the 6th and 7th are all tactical.

[d503]

Cool.

 

Good idea, ignore anyone who says otherwise.

 

Its your hobby.

[robot530]

Angels Sanguine look great on bikes! Their paint scheme works very well with them! I think they would fit best in the First Company because they are so rare. Your idea of having an elite Vanguard squad is cool. Their helmets would really emphasize their elite status. Despite that one bit of problematic fluff (1st Legion, only jetbike. Right...), I think it's about time some other Chapters started cleaning out the carbs on their own prized relics. I can see a couple of techmarines hangingout in the garage going, "You know, we really should get those going. Has anyone tried blessing the battery?" Paint wise if you do go with Vanguard riders I would suggest only painting half their helmets gold because the full half black with the Chapter badge looks so menacing on Angels Sanguine especially with the halved paint scheme vehicles. I'm painting up an allied AS RAS bike squad for my own BA Strikeforce. I wish they were jetbikes! Look forward to seeing them.

[AGPO]

I've left all the helmets half black, including my assault marines and veterans. The concensus seems to be veterans so I'll go with gold helmets and call them vanguard bikers. I've written a short story for my fluff explaining why they've got jetbikes, which I'll post at some point along with pics. In short it goes something like this:

 

The tech priests have always been on the d**kish side of conservative when it comes to releasing new tech, and the Astartes have always had a habit of telling them where to shove it (see Space Wolves and the annihilator, Templars and the Crusader, not to mention the now retconned Vindicator fluff.) One of the things they're pretty pissed about is the BAs keeping the Baal Predator to themselves, and they're constantly trying to get hold of one (Codex: Blood Angels Baal Predator entry.) In my army's fluff, the Mechanicus turn up at a battlefield and instead of backing the Angels Sanguine up, steal the wreck of one of their Baals and run away with it. The marines, who view their wargear like their first born are understandably pissed and give chase. Ashok, a stupidly powerful librarian and one of the three named AS characters from GW (see Deathwatch series) blocks the Priests' astropathic communications and the Angels Sanguine board their ships to take their revenge. Butchering the Skitari, they track the Baal down to a tech vault where the priests poke around conducting their rituals/experiments on tech they haven't deemed kosher yet. Amongst it they find not only their Baal but the digital weapons used by my 'counts as' Tycho and *gasp* the schimatics for an early/rough and ready model of jetbike. Enormously pissed now that the priests have not only stolen from them but are holding back kit that could be incredibly useful to the vastly overstretched Imperial war effort, our favourite red and black armoured sociopathic supermen go Rambo on the techpriests, slaughtering them before knicking what they want and carrying out one hell of a cover up, stealing the stuff away for the techmarines to have a poke at in their infamous catacombs (C:BA bit on successors.) The initial handful of bikes get their first proper run out in the hands of the first company on Baal in the final showdown with the daemons and 'nids.

 

Trust me, it's a lot more aweome when you read the eloquent version :P

[Dremen]

Ok DA with and RP Flair and a bit of a chip off his green shoulder inc. Master Sammael will be by shortly to reclaim his ride. That aside, the first Legion has the last known Mark 14 jetbikes (aka underslung plasma using an ancient plasma core capable of firing hundreds of shots). Given that most legions used to have entire stables of working jetbikes, I "guess" it wouldnt be to much of a lore steal to say you're using Mark 16's or something.

 

Regardless you'll definatly haave to show us how you model the plates underneath each bike (I'd humbly suggest you take a peek at the Landspeeders underbelly since the jetbikes are of a similar tech) Some dynamic basing with a bit of Drifting on the Riders part would really make dramatic models... This Idea might be "borrowed without intent to return".

[Zarmon]

I wouldn't do the cover up. I think most chapters would think that stealing from them is treason to the imperium and dealt with the heratics accordingly.

[robot530]

Make them Mark 6!

[AGPO]

@Dremen: The dramatic basing will be handled don't you worry. All I'll say for now is that my army as a whole has a city theme to it's basing. As for the modelling, I'm kitbashing space marine bikes with BFG cruisers, an idea I stole from a guy at my local GW

 

@Zarmon: I think the cover up is more to avoid an open fight with the Mechanicus rather than anything else. I daresay the mechanicus have an idea of what happened, but they aint gonna mess with the sons of Sanguinius unless they have cast iron proof.

 

@Robot530: I don't actually know the difference between the marks, could you enlighten me?

[robot530]

Heh! I was obscurely geeking out. I don't know the image linking policy so search "cbr r6" on the net. Very cool bike!

[Dremen]

Yea but a cbr 6r is only a 600cc engine displacement. Crackerjack toy, I learned on a 750r, riding a 900r now ;;P

 

Now Back on topic, definatly must give pics AGPO. This is a really interesting idea and on a city base it could be very dynamic if posed right. Either way gonna be following <points to eyes and back at AGPO> Thats right, The Unforgiven are watching you...

[robot530]

Haha! <_<