What to do with all these bikes?

[Upstartes]

This is an army-building question - "building" both in the sense of making a list and constructing models.

 

I'm repurposing a decent number of unpainted bikes from normal space marines to ravenwing. I'm trying to decide how to split the models between normal ravenwing bikers, black knights, and a ravenwing command squad. The raw bikes (most assembled, but some not) I'm working with are:

 

13 regular bikes

2 attack bikes

1 techmarine on a bike

I also have one landspeeder and am building a non-standard Sammael on jetbike from GW spare parts.

 

So, it seems obvious to me that I want at least one full RW attack squad: 6 bikes + attack bike + landspeeder. So that's easy. But then what?

 

It seems I need at least three more regular RW bikes so that I can field a second attack squad and get use of that second attack bike. That leaves me with four other bikes - or five if I tear down the techmarine to make him something else.

 

Possibilities I've currently thought of for the remaining four bikes:

1. 3 bikes as a command squad, + an HQ on bike (Chaplain or Librarian). Banner, apothecary, the works.

2. All four remaining bikes as Black Knights. Simple and straightforward.

3. Divert one bike from RW attack squad, break down techmarine, and make a 6-strong Black Knight squad. This means fielding the speeder as a support squadron. But the BKs would get 2 grenade launchers and add lots of punch to any HQs they run with.

4. 3 more bikes for the second RW attack squadron, and then put an HQ on the last bike. This allows for eventual incorporation of another speeder, but means the HQs will ride with regular bikers and not fancy black knights.

 

I'm interested in hearing opinions, and wondering if there are other suggestions people have. Thanks in advance.

 

[facmanpob]

Well, as someone who started a RW army last summer, my main advice would be to decide early on whether or not you want to be able to field 'pure' RW or not. If you want to field a 'pure' RW army, then you are probably going to have to purchase more bikes.

A quick 1500 point army could look something like:

Sammael

Int Chap w/ Mace of Redemption

RWCS w/ Apothecary and Standard of Devastation

2 x 6-man RAS with MMAB and LS Typhoons

6-man Black Knights

Immediately you see that you'll need 3 more bikes and a speeder. Going up to 1750 and then 2000 points could be done by adding Dark Talon and Darkshroud for 240 points, and a Techmarine and a 3-man RAS with meltaguns and MMAB for about 255 points (including extra kit for the Techmarine).

If, however, you don't want to field 'pure' RW, but will use them either with allies or DW/GW as part of Dual- or Multi-wing armies, then I would focus on the hard hitters, namely Black Knights.

Sammael

2 x 3-man RAS with meltaguns and MMAB

6-man Black Knights

Typhoon

is a shade under 850 points and can be built with what you already own, leaving you lots of scope for rounding out the force with other elements, but still giving you 4 scoring units and some heavy hitters.

I hope this gives you some ideas