ravenwing box set surprise

[stev]

So as a surprise for my Dark Angel playing brother i have got him a ravenwing box battleforce...he not the keenest modeller/painter so i thought i could put it together for him...my question is...what is the best way to assembel equip everything. hell be playing mainly world eaters, tyranids and necrons. He usually plays quite definsively, holding back and shooting and hen deepstriking in terminators where there is a problem. i thought the ravenwing squadron would give him a different approach for variety. i was thinking multi melta on the attack bike for taking out tanks and necron vehicles and i dunno the landspeeder typhoon just lools cool...that with a heavy bolter or autocannon for clearing hordes of chaos or nids? That would have to be a seperate fa slot choice i think as a support squadron?. Id appreciate any advice from more experienced dark angel playees!

[march10k]

Well, I'm willing to make suggestions, but I'm too lazy to look up the box's contents...care to list them?

[stev]

Lol its basically a ravenwing attack squadron i think...6 bikes with veteran sarg bits, an attack bike, and a landspeeder. i think all the weapon options for the speeder and attack bike are on the sprue...not sure bout special weapons for the bikers but i might be able to scavenge the ole bits box for them.

[Cypher 102]

For the special weapons you'll probably want meltaguns. Anything the attack squadron can do with plasma guns the Black Knights can do better. For the land speeder and sergeant's loadout, magnets are your friend.

[march10k]

I agree about the meltaguns, they are better than plasma on regular ravenwing, and are the default option.   Depending on the metagame, flamers might be nice...nothing like doing a first-turn flamer-template driveby on an aegis line with lots of crunchy guardsmen clumped up behind it!  In my last shop, that was a pretty common scenario!  Even if you go for the flamers, definitely take the multimelta on the attack bike.

 

For the sergeant...power sword, no question.  The squad is small to start with.  After a casualty or two, you'll be worried that the squad might be wiped out before the power fist gets to swing.  Plus, there's the problem of challenges.  You also don't want to be in a challenge against a power weapon when you yourself have a fist.  Too much chance of getting killed at initiative when you are waiting to strike last.  As for the theoretical problem of running into terminators...well, that should never happen to bikes!  If your bikes accidentally get locked with termies, you've already lost the game three turns ago because you simply don't know how to play, and if they get locked with termies on purpose, then that purpose certainly has nothing to do with actually killing those termies!

 

For land speeders, your instincts are good!  Typhoons are the way to go. They let you plink away with krak missiles from a safe distance, while the tornado forces you into "glanced to death by bolter-torrent" range, and the cheaper options just aren't worth the points.  As you noted, though, the typhoon takes up a separate FOC slot, while the tornado doesn't.  Still, how many FA slots is he going to be using?  I have two tornadoes and two typhoons, but the tornadoes haven't seen the tabletop since...2009?  The typhoons, though, those are solid gold!

[Cactus]

 As you noted, though, the typhoon takes up a separate FOC slot, while the tornado doesn't.  Still, how many FA slots is he going to be using?  I have two tornadoes and two typhoons, but the tornadoes haven't seen the tabletop since...2009?  The typhoons, though, those are solid gold!

 

Not any more. The land speeder bought with the attack squadron now has all the same weapon options as the land speeders in the support squadron.

 

However, not all these options are in the Ravenwing box. You get a heavy bolter and multimelta for the gunner's seat, three twin-linked heavy bolters for the same position, and three chin-mounted twin-linked assault cannon. The twin-linked weapons can be assembled as single ones for models that aren't Sammael, but you're still lacking the heavy flamers and chin-mounted multimelta and heavy bolter.

 

I agree that a typhoon with heavy bolter is the best choice from the bits available, and possibly the best choice all-round.

[facmanpob]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a CC weapon upgrade for the Sergeant. I ran some numbers in the army list sub forum on whether it was worthwhile upgrading to a vet sarge with a power weapon (25 point upgrade). It's not worth giving a PW to the standard sarge as he only gets 1 attack, and with the vet sarge it ended up being counterproductive (imho) as there was an increased chance of causing your opponent to fall back out of combat stranding your unit for your opponents shooting phase. What you actually want is for the combat to carry on so you can Hit & Run in his turn freeing your bikes to do what they do best - shoot things! :)

 

I would build 6 bikes with 2 melta guns, an attack bike with multimelta, and a standard load out Typhoon speeder. 311 points in total iirc.

[stev]

Cheers guys...now related question...i know ravenwing are supposed to be easy to paint and im a crap painter so thats good...i dont want golden daemon standard or anything, just game worthy. so the idea is silver on the silver bits, gold on the gold and edges with a grey blue colour, the a black ink over the whole thing. will that look decent? And how do i make the tyres look different from the bike?

[Bunta]

dry brush the tyres where they would touch the ground with grey then black wash them. Then dry brush again with brown or what ever suits your base this time going up the sidewall of the tyre a little to make it look like dust from whatever surface they are travelling across.