Sponsons, do you use them ?

[Dexo]

I am 90% thou the assembly of my first leman russ tank, but can't decide to use sponsons or not ?

 

Do you use sponsons and if yes with type ?

[teblin]

a pair of heavy bolter sponsons are cheap, and add some great anti-infantry dakka.

[johnyocum]

I put the sponson on there, but don't glue in any of the inserts.  I rotate, keeping the sponsons matching somewhat to the main gun.

 

Heavy Bolters with the Battle Cannon or the Punisher

Plas Cannons with the Executioner (or whatever the big plasma cannon main gun is)

Multi-Meltas when I think I'll need close-in anti-armor.

 

If you leave the sponsons empty, then you can say you didn't pay for the guns, and you don't have to use the sponsons if the guns aren't glued in.

 

 

Maximum flexibility for minimal money.

[hendrik]

magnetise them!

i leave off the sponsons when i equip the tank with an ordance gun, when i give it a heavy gun i give it sponsons, points allowing

[librisrouge]

I use sponsons on all of my non-ordinance Russ. Usually heavy bolters, with a heavy bolter hull weapon. The exterminator, execution, and punisher all benefit from more shots thrown down wind and the heavy bolters accomplish this on the cheap.

[WarriorFish]

I've gone off sponsons a little, and never take them on the ordnance Russes. Otherwise as has been mentioned you can't beat a couple of extra HBs especially if your unit will be targeting infantry and light vehicles. I never upgrade them to more than that though, seemed too expensive for the gain and always makes the tank a high target priority.

These days I mostly take none and save the points. Demolisher, Executioner, Eradicator - they all perform perfectly well without any additional weapons and the savings soon add up.

Maybe I'm just still bitter about how my classic Russ models got beaten with the nerf stick in 6th

[Centurio]

I use standard Leman Russ with no sponsons and hull heavy bolters to save points.
(the standard Russ with no sponsons is nice and cheap.)

I use the Vanquisher with hull lascannon and no sponsons.

When I use Executioners they have plasma sponsons and a hull lascannon because it makes them so deadly.

I use heavy bolter sponsons and hull heavy bolter on my Eradicators.

[Rosco151]

I run my Punisher / Exterminator with Hull & Sponson Heavy Bolters to really chew through some squads. Pretty good chance of blowing a light aircraft out of the sky there as well. If I plan on getting close to the enemy, I might swap them out for Heavy Flamers. In a target-rich environment (Orks / Nids / Other Guard) it's a crime not to take sponsons as well.

 

My Vanquisher gets Hull Lascannon and a lot of the time I take Sponson Multi-meltas or Plasma Cannons if points allow. Otherwise I'll just slap the Heavy Bolters on there as well in case I get the opportunity for anti-infantry with no armour targets left.

 

I never leave the sponsons off personally.

[Seahawk]

All my tanks have sponsons, all the time. So many guns makes people scared, and that's a good thing.

 

Otherwise, extra guns should match the turret. Anti-infantry with anti-infantry, anti-tank with anti-tank.

[clanfield]

1. nine russ tanks 5 with 4 with out ,I match heavy bolters to most that have my vanquisher I run with out

[Beachymike123]

i take sponsons for a couple of reasons. 1st, they give us extra guns which, although only BS1 if you fire ordnance, still comes in handy to maybe plug some extra casualties on a unit that just had a large blast marker on it. 2nd, i think of sponsons as either a potential big gun saver or a way to keep up firing rates if the big gun goes. i'm not a fan of plasma cannons sponsons though, so i don't usually take them. its usually HBs or MMs depending on the situation. 

[FashaTheDog]

Sponsons are fine on my Syrinx 2112^th tanks, but it'll be a cold day in the Warp before my Krieg tanks get them!  That extra internal space must be set aside for all the extra awesome the army brings to bear!

[cypherthefallenangel]

Sponsons are fine on my Syrinx 2112^th tanks, but it'll be a cold day in the Warp before my Krieg tanks get them!  That extra internal space must be set aside for all the extra awesome the army brings to bear!

Don't the krieg vanquisher cannons get armorbane? cause I would totally take a vanquisher with plasma cannon sponsons. Park it way back and rain the pain. expensive but worth it.

As to the origional post magnets.. Magnetize everything and try out different combos to find what you like. Plus if you magnetize the main guns too, 1 LR kit can be run as all 3 tanks or 6 with the LR demolisher kit and normal kit. Magnets are your wallets bestfriend in this hobby.

[shortysl]

Why leave off sponsons on an Ordnance armed Russ? They have been FAQ'ed as Heavy Vehicles meaning that they can fire everything. Lumbering Behemoth? I always have sponsons fir exactly that reason.

 

Never mind; it's a replacement of Lumbering Behemoth. Disregard my comment please.

[WarriorFish]

You have my sympathies shortysl, we can all remember that feeling we got when we discovered how Russes now work all too well

Every cloud has a silver lining though right? So that's more points to save up towards another tank, and who knows? Maybe my old Russ tanks like sitting on the shelf gathering dust..?

[FashaTheDog]

Well sponsons on Leman Russ with ordnance are great if you just start rolling 6s to hit with those weapons instead .

[WarriorFish]

A lot of things would be great if you just rolled 6s :P

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

According to Forgeworld Russ sponsons still fire at full BS if the ordinance fires. I know this isn't official GW ruling but I know if at least one tournament (Astrontomi-con) goes with that interpretation.

 

That said, I don't think the sponson options synergize well with the LRMBT cannon. Multimeltas are nice on a Demolisher though. I've seen MMs put on Vanquishers for maximum AT with good success (in the context of multiple Vanquishers advancing together).

[Tankenstein_PhD]

If they don't have to fire snap shots all the time then bolter sponsons work alright with the standard Russ. That cannon pulps any infantry without a 2+ save nicely, and more dakka helps with killing more grunts.

 

And thinking about it I can see MM sponsons being of some use with the Vanquisher. Not just against vehicles, but for killing MCs as well.

[WarriorFish]

Worth a try, even more so with Pask but I don't have a normal turret for the new modular Russ kit. Looks like it's getting difficult not getting that new Vanquisher model I wanted...

[Evolutionary Fault]

If you can spare the points, take the sponsons.  I've got 8 Russes, and I think only the one doesn't have sponsons.  I glued them on in third; and haven't the gall to rip them back off.

 

While it's a bit of a waste on the ordnance varieties; here are 3 reasons to take them, points permitting:

 

1-Weapon destroyed.  especially now that it's random, trip HBs can be a godsend

2-New models.  Ever since the came out with plastic russes, you have the option to get EXACTLY the right side arms.  don't waste it.  I still have a hull with two metal PCs...  That, and having all those new turret options means you'll miss sponsons a third of the time.

3-Danger Close.  there have been a number of games where I've actually skipped out on the turret to put 9 HB shots into a squad of wyches/guardians, saving my russ from the inevitable Haywiring/witchblading that was about to come.  More reliable, and you don't scatter back on yourself.

 

Quite frankly, I'd change the question from "Do I take sponons?" to "Do I take Ordnance?"

 

Executioner, Punisher, Exterminator; winning.

[FashaTheDog]

Quite frankly, I'd change the question from "Do I take sponons?" to "Do I take Ordnance?"

 

My Krieg still think sponsons are rubbish.  Not for any rules reasons, but because you never see their Mars Pattern Leman Russ sporting them. It is purely a matter of image.  Not even my Shadowsword, the Wrath of Martyrs, can be bothered with the silly things.  The side of the hull will be better utilized as an extension of the ever growing ossuary that is the tank's kill record; random bones for normal tanks, skulls for super-heavies, and gilded relics for titans.