thinking of an armoured battle group

[Dusktiger]

due to some incoming funds thanks to a painting commission in the next couple months, i'm thinking of making an all-tank A.M. list.  I've always liked the leman russ tanks and all their variants, but never cared for the guardsmen models themselves.  But since the Armoured Battle Group in IA1-2^nd Ed. has been updated to 6^th/7^th edition rules, i think i might finally give it a go.

 

There's a big box set of 10 Leman Russes at my LGS; back from when Apocalypse first came out.  No one's bought the thing because of the price.  I'm thinking i'll use the money from this commission im about to start to buy it, and then get my hands on alternate barrels for the variants i want to make.

 

So that said, i was playing around with some ideas on how i want to field all 10 tanks to make the best of what the box will have.

 

For the HQ, a Company Command Tank (basic Leman Russ). i'm going to model it with an Artificer Hull, and Improved Comms.  doing this lets me take the other 9 i want in a 1750 list.  and when i want to goto 1850, i can replace this with General Grizmund and have a spare 10pts for something.  taking him, i'd use his +1 BS on the Punisher squadron below for 60 BS4 shots, plus the heavy bolters.  that might kill stuff; probably.

next pair of tanks will be Elites;

2 Commissar Tanks (Leman Russ Vanquishers) both will take Co-axial Heavy Stubber, and Beast Hunter Shells.

Finally, the Troops;
the first tank squadron will be a pair of Leman Russ Exterminators with Heavy Bolter Sponsons

the second tank squadron will have a pair of basic Leman Russ tanks, no options.

the 3rd and final squadron will be 3 Leman Russ Punishers.

 

and that gives me my 10 Leman Russ tanks. 

 

So i'm wondering if anyone has suggestions on good conversions or body variants, or if there's any wargear options i should look into adding on the tanks that i missed that would be must-haves.

[hendrik]

game mechanics, and in real life as well any armour on the field without infantry support is going to have a hard time. even more so when the battlefield is only 6 by 4 feet and has lots of terrain. what this means for the armoured company is that you will need to take iron fist squads, or use allied infantry to fend off the opponents infantry that gets in too close. personally i'd make the command tank a vanquisher with beast hunter shells as well. also, teaming up all those leman russes is a waste, given that you've still got 2 troop slots left open. consider having more squadrons so you can fire multiple different targets (as target priority is a HUGE deal with an armoured battalion)

 

Conversion wise I opted to elongate all my barrels, to give a more WWII vibe to my russes. I'm using these both as vanquishers and normal russes, depending on what ammo they pack (if a macharius can do it, so can my russes! and my opponent is OK with it, given that i clearly tell him beforehand what is what). the conversion was made by inserting plasticard tubing (8mm diameter) into the end of the normal leman russ barrel).

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb281/amorfatipictures/DSC_8047_zps65751cab.jpg

 

To help witht he feeling of a pure tank company I would include lots of stowage, and added extra armour (welded on tracks, shrutzen armour, bundled treetrunks,...) as was often done by WWII tank crews. Offcourse, that depends on what feeling you want your armoured battalion to have. There is some good fluff about general grizmunds armenian armoured company in the gaunt ghosts book Necropolis. I highly recommend you pick it up!

[FashaTheDog]

As hendrik said, you may not want three squadrons as Troops since you can have six of them so split the seven tanks into six choices for greater flexibility.  While Punishers are neat, you might be better served with fewer of them, instead taking some Demolishers and Executioners as you have very little AP2 in your list and more is always better.  Consider that on average only ten of those shots will hit and only 6.3 will wound a Marine resulting in an armor save, so 2.1 failed saves compared to a battle cannon forcing those Marines in cover and probably covering at least three of them so they are forced into keeping their distance from you or dying outright.  A fun tank hunter variant that allows you to take hull lascannon and multi-melta sponson without penalty is the Annihilator.  Also worth considering for points saving is taking a Thunderer or two as they are fairly simple conversions, sealing the turret ring and mounting the demolisher cannon on the hull spot. 

 

Now for non-Leman Russ additions, also consider Sentinels, Hellhounds, a Colossus, Griffins, and Air Support Squadrons.  These units will help you deal with issues a lack of infantry will cause, especially in dealing with stuff in cover or out of sight.  And Avenger can help with both ground and air targets as needed.  Scout Sentinels, can give you some flexibility through outflanking which can force your foe to need to deal with them, sparing your more expensive tanks.

[Dusktiger]

Hmm, ok, I see what you're saying. One thing I'm gonna be adamant about for this army is no infantry models; I don't like any of them except maybe death corps but I don't any to spend a bunch on FW infantry or conversion kits as my GS isn't good enough for that scale; I can do the work on tanks though, and have made custom whirlwinds for a sororita army before.

 

Ideally, since I might buy this 10 Russ kit cause it'll save me up to $200 on buying individual tanks, I'd like to use all 10 frames. The idea of converting some into thunderers hadn't occured to me though; maybe I'll do that.

 

Vanquisher guns are S8 AP2 are they not? I thought that's what the IA book said. Same with beast Hunter shells. Though I understand your point and would like to fit an executioner or two in; I like the looks of that gun a lot.

 

I do also like sentinels and the avenger flyer; I could toss some of those in. A friend plays infantry wall style and has about 6 sentinels with plasma cannons that seem to never scatter. My marines don't hit Bulls eyes that often! So I know they can be very effective.

 

And I think your right about the punishers too; I was only going to do a pair to benefit from the generals rule but it seemed like a "eh why not, you have a spare tank" situation.

 

If you were to swap specific tanks out from what I posted, what would you replace, and maybe give a tip as to why so I get an idea of what your thinking in terms of doing that swap.

 

My experience with Russ tanks is barely existent, as no one here plays them; they think they're lame and prefer infantry but I'm the complete opposite. I love tanks and I'm thinking of ways to convert some to look like designs I've come up against in World of Tanks.

 

I'm also guessing that I should be careful with sponson choices; they seem like they might be a point sink trap to try avoiding unless I have the points to spare and they synergize with the main turret weapon. Does that seem about right?

[hendrik]

invest in magnets! magnetise sponsons, and main gun armaments whereever possible.there are some great tutorials on this board.  However, those russes being the older version means you'll have to be creative. As far as i'm aware those kits only contained HB and HF options so you will either need to trade/buy the individual PC/MM sponson bits, or convert them. For the main weapon i believe the easiest option is to go for the 'insert the barrel' route, meaning you'll have to make a custom vanquisher, leman russ, eradicator, punisher and demolisher barrel, allowing you quite some variety. You could do this by changing the barrel lengths and mouths. from short to longest this could be: demolisher<eradicator/punisher<leman russ<vanquisher. all of this can be done easely by getting some plasticard tubing of 6, 8, 10, 12 mm, not to mention plasticard tubing is cheap!

here's a quick sketch for you how i would do it, allowing each tank to be any of those options. along the way you'll maybe even figure out a way to make the executioner plasmacannon and exterminator autocannons. (with some greenstuffwork and some wiring around a barrel you could make the oldskool FW executioner cannon)

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb281/amorfatipictures/20150211_233050_zpshzbcplix.jpg

[FashaTheDog]

I will give some more list advice later, but one of the things to consider is Forgeworld.  As hendrik says, you can magnetize a number of options, but some may prove to be too much of a pain for whatever reason and that is where you just drop £15 on a turret.  It is reasonable enough of a cost that you can pick up a few here and there to give yourself more options without new models.

[Dusktiger]

so looking at your guys' suggestions, does this look like a better basis to work off of? this time i split each tank off onto its own.

1850 Pts - IA: Armoured Battle Group Roster - Tank Company

Total Roster Cost: 1735

HQ:
   1 Company Command Tank (Leman Russ Vanquisher) + Artificer Hull + Improved Comms + Beast Hunter Shells + Co-axial Heavy Stubber

Elite:
   1 Commissar Tank (Leman Russ Vanquisher) + Beast Hunter Shells + Co-axial Heavy Stubber
   1 Commissar Tank (Leman Russ Vanquisher) + Beast Hunter Shells + Co-axial Heavy Stubber
Troops:
      1 Leman Russ Executioner
      1 Leman Russ Exterminator + Heavy Bolter Sponsons
      1 Thunderer
      1 Thunderer
      1 Leman Russ Punisher
      1 Leman Russ Punisher
Fast Attack:
   1 Scout Sentinel  + Camo Netting
   1 Scout Sentinel  + Camo Netting
   1 Scout Sentinel  + Camo Netting

[hendrik]

I prefer the demolisher over the thunderer due to its turret,allowing a much wider range.I'm also not sold on the scouts as they lack the punch you need.

pointswise a vulture with twin linked gatling cannons is always better than the punisher. Consider converting one and using it instead of the sentinels. Change the punisher into an eradicator to deal with 4+guys in cover.also consider dropping one vanquisher for a battle tank,since the way i understood it you're not facing vehicles that much

[WarriorFish]

Great advice in here comrades, I'm mostly wondering when we'll see pictures now ;)

[Dusktiger]

it'll be a while before anything i build comes up; this will be bought using money from the paint job im doing soon and he's asking me to do it in smaller chunks that are more affordable. so batches of $125 every few weeks, depending how fast i can pull off a complete red corsairs army.

but so far, with suggestions I've knocked the tanks part of the list down to this:

Total Roster Cost: 1530

HQ:
1 Company Command Tank (Leman Russ Battle Tank) + Artificer Hull + Improved Comms + Infernus Shells

Elite:
2 Commissar Tank (Leman Russ Vanquisher) + Beast Hunter Shells + Co-axial Heavy Stubber

Troops:
1 Leman Russ Executioner + Heavy Bolter Sponsons
1 Leman Russ Eradicator
1 Thunderer
1 Thunderer
1 Leman Russ Executioner

Fast Attack:
1 Vulture Gunship + Twin-linked Punisher Gatling Cannon

Looking at the vulture and its rules, i can see that's a better choice for fielding a Punisher cannon than the Russ version.

so far im liking the look of this much more, and i'm sitting with another 220pts to make it 1750, 320 for 1850. local trend is 1750, so i'd like to make the list fairly solid to that point, and make 1850 be mostly adding wargear options or something to that effect to the main list.

[Dusktiger]

so i feel pretty good about the list i posted on the 12th, and will probably work towards those tanks.  ive been thinking of what vehicles i want to finish up to 1750, and i do like the look of sentinels.  do you guys have suggestions on what kind of weapons i should consider putting on them?  im thinking of something along the lines of 1 or 2 pairs of them but havent thought much of what weapons to put on them.  they're probably going to act as either fast moving protection to the tanks when they start to be flanked, or to run across the table to grab objectives.  given that, im assuming i should focus on infantry killing choices rather than armour hunters

[hendrik]

MAGNETIZE!

list wise i would go with multilasers, due to a good amount of shots,capable of hurting some infantry.

[elmo]

I only have 3 things to say:

 

Magnets, Magnets, Magnets

 

OK, 4 things...

 

Photos!

[Dusktiger]

So multi lasers are actually an ok thing to leave on them? I wasn't sure since they're a default weapon and seemed a little blah at first glance. Everyone I've played over the years is mainly power armour, though lately I have been playing against necrons and once in a while a wraithguard army. But I think that guy is slowing down on playing it because he usually makes theme lists and it just happens he made one that doesn't suck for a change and it wins more than it ties let alone lose. Faced guard...3 times? Over 7 years. First was in 5th against a fully painted vostroyan first born, and the last 2 was with the latest book, using the same collection but played by 2 different people; the painter, and then the owner of the army. That sold me on wanting to have some sentinels.

 

I'm just wondering if I should get a venator or two then if multi lasers are good; I like the model but I'm not sure if it's weapon options to point ratio makes it worth getting them.

 

And brothers; brothers. Of course there would be magnets. Enough to scare any face pierced teenager away from my display case. I've already taken a good look through all of Elmo's tutorials on the tanks to get an idea what I'm looking at. It was a little confusing at first reading the sizes since none of my sellers use mm for the sizes. Canada is a little funny in that area; we measure road distance and temperature in metric, but do height, length, weight and small measurements in imperial. I know they keep trying to teach the kids to use all metric but the parents don't know it so the kids keep learning how the parents do things in the end.

[hendrik]

multilasers are not da bomb, if that's what you mean, but in a list with such a low model count you want some cheap units as well. giving more expensive weapons to your sentinels could just as easely give you another sentinel, hence my suggestion to stick to the multilasers. all in all, they ain't bad.

personally i would hold off on a venatator untill you get some of the tanks build up and get some gaming experience playing the guard. you'll discover what you'll like and what you dislike, heck, you might even get convinced you do need infantry support ;)

[march10k]

Multilasers aren't terrible...but even heavy bolters are better, in spite of only being S5.  The thing is, AV11 isn't particularly common, and you really need to be shooting AV11 or worse for multilasers to be a reasonable anti-vehicle weapon.  The relative scarcity of AV11 and AV10 targets means that multilasers default to being anti-troop weapons...and against infantry, S5AP4 is vastly superior to S6AP-.  If you can get an autocannon for five points more (as is the case on sentinels), that's always a FANTASTIC investment.  S7 is almost unbelievably superior to S6 against light vehicles, and it's AP4, to boot!  That said, there is something to be said for three shots instead of two...my forward sentries seem to be a lot more deadlier with their autocannons than my sentinels are!  To be honest, the best use I've found for multilasers is using volume of fire from 5-10 of them (15-30 shots) to put down that last 1-2 models in an enemy squad after making it bleed with AP shooting.

[Dusktiger]

so im thinking of picking up a leman russ on monday, which leads me to a serious question brothers. PAINT SCHEMES!  does anyone know of a good resource i should look up that shows examples of different patterns done on the russ frame?  i have no idea what colors i even want to focus on, it's going to pretty well fall down to what has the best aesthetic execution of certain colors that will decide it for me.  i'd be fine with arctic, or desert, or forest ideas.  or even not going camo at all, and just doing a striking color.  Any suggestions?

 

feel free to keep offering differing view points on weapon and unit options by the way; i appreciate hearing multiple views and experiences from different people as i decide what way i want to go with the army for myself.  i find that having more than one view to listen to and judge how i should continue forth is much more ideal than a singular opinion by one frater alone.  afterall, some of you might know something they missed.

[WarriorFish]

You can paint whatever you like of course, so if you've not got any particular ideas at the moment it's going to be hard. A single colour tank looks good, especially if it matches the trooper scheme of course. Can't go wrong with something like that really and it can make for a bold display on the table top. However Guard is a great excuse for camo and a tank is a large canvas to work on. More work yes, and you need to get the scheme and colours right but when you do it is well worth it :)

 

I'm partial to desert schemes but while a bit more difficult snow camo can look great along with urban. As I said, it's mostly about getting the right colours and a good pattern - not too complicated so it doesn't take forever but it must look right or the camo will look rubbish. I wish I had the images (or rather, GW didn't drop the entire content from the old site... very poor form) but there are some great alternate camo schemes rather than the "standard" ones, for example black/grey night worlds or red deserts so you could do something quite different :D

 

As for multilasers they're pretty good for a standard weapon. A good strength means they can threaten light armour in number or put solid wounds on things, I find they make for great support/back up weapons to reserve for when your initial rolls didn't quite cut it.

[hendrik]

Perhaps you need to get the imperial armour volume one book first. It contains a ton of shemes,and the actual rules

[elmo]

And brothers; brothers. Of course there would be magnets. Enough to scare any face pierced teenager away from my display case. I've already taken a good look through all of Elmo's tutorials on the tanks to get an idea what I'm looking at. It was a little confusing at first reading the sizes since none of my sellers use mm for the sizes. Canada is a little funny in that area; we measure road distance and temperature in metric, but do height, length, weight and small measurements in imperial. I know they keep trying to teach the kids to use all metric but the parents don't know it so the kids keep learning how the parents do things in the end.

 

Glad to hear it. As for metric to Imperial...that is why this is included ;)

 

 

 

Common Magnets and Size Conversions

Cylindrical magnets, these are the ones I have now settled on as being standard for my models. Sizes are diameter x height in millimetres:

2 x 1mm

3 x 1.5mm

6 x 2mm

 

Metric to Imperial

1mm = 3/64"

1.5mm = 1/16"

2mm = 5/64"

3mm = 1/8"

6mm = 15/64"

[Dusktiger]

curses!! my LGS's owner was gone for a week and the co-owner didnt think leman russes were "important enough" to reorder last week like he was supposed to. all they had on the shelf was a single piddly sentinel and a chimera. i think i spotted a hydra farther down, but i want to start the russes first. so it's going to be another week or two before i can start a tank and begin posting pics.

looking at the IA 1; 2^ndEd book, i didnt realize there were all those painted examples earlier into the book; i went straight to the camo patterns section expecting everything to be in a neatly organized, named, gallery. now that i've looked at all of the leman russ schemes, there were a couple that looked appealing to me that i could manage with the lack of airbrush.

pg 32, the 2^nd example showing a Cadian 142^nd Armoured Regiment. i think that's a pretty nice one.

or this Valhallan 28^th Armoured Regiment on pg 44. i think i could do something like this by spray painting it bone and then drybrushing a white with a round edged brush.

[WarriorFish]

They both look cool, but you don't need an airbrush to paint tanks :)

[elmo]

Just a couple of thoughts on how I would do it

Use low adhesive decorators tape to mark out the shape and use a sponge to apply the darker colour over the lighter base coat

Light sand base with Ivory white (both Vallejo colours) sponged over as the lighter stripes

Just my tuppence worth ;)

[Dusktiger]

that's pretty much exactly what i had in mind, though i hadnt thought to use a sponge instead of a brush.  the grey one i think im going to spray grey primer, and then i have a couple bottles of germany grey i use for my red scorpions tanks which ill do the dark stripes with.  and that red and white stripe; so nice! i dunno, i just really like it.  quiet you, it has nothing to do with how it's only missing a maple leaf to bear certain homeland patronage. shush!

[FashaTheDog]

Alright, as promised some advice.  It is in the form of a quick and dirty list summary.

 

Special Ammo

Infernus: A neat crowd control shell on par with a heavy mortar with ignores cover, but not barrage.  The cost is right for any eligible Leman Russ making it a really good candidate for auto-include on your HQ and Elite regular Russes.

Illum: Not as useful now that Night Fight is only stealth, but it could be worthwhile if you have 10 points burning a hole in your list.

Augur Shells: At 20 points, this option is pricy, but against units with an egregious amount of hull points, such as super heavies, however, this is a rather nice option as you can chip away at hull points and armor facing.  I find that a few such tanks with this in Apocalypse is where this option shines. 

Beast Hunter: I practically consider this mandatory on Vanquishers chosen.

 

Mine Plough: While the effect is the same as a dozer blade for dangerous terrain, the extra five points gives you 2-4 free S2 hits on tank shocked units instead of +1 armor facing for ramming purposes.  To be honest it is probably not all that great, but it is very appealing to take it and make 'squishing' noises as you tank shock.

Artificer Hull: A really good insurance policy on the tanks that can have it, even at its cost.

Armored Track Guards: Not a bad way to keep mobility on the tanks that need it, although for the cost and random nature of damage, it is not a must take.  Thunderers obviously will benefit the most from this upgrade.

Improved Comms: Not a huge fan of this one due to the cost and 50/50 chance at successful orders.  A lone tank may benefit if you plan to hold it in reserve thanks to the FAQ'd +1 to the roll, but larger squadrons can make this a bit too costly for what you get.

Anti-Grenade Mesh: Useful, if costly.  I would treat this as a modelling upgrade or 'I've got the points, so why not' upgrade.

Anti-air mounts: A terrible option as you are paying 5 points to make your 10 point S4 upgrade skyfire.  Only a few flyers will be "bothered" by this and then you are diverting firepower of the tank away from ground targets.  Best to avoid this.

 

HQ

Company Command Tank: You do not get all the variants to choose from, namely the Demolisher, Punisher, and Executioner are missing.  The real shame is the Punisher here.  Basically just like your Troops choices, but with ability to issue an order.  The order Concentrated Fire is going to be your go to issued order, although Full Speed Ahead does offer late game objective grabbing if you are really close, but not quite close enough and Erratic Maneuvers  is situational, usually a hail Mary if an assault looks inevitable and your shooting with that tank would not be as useful as the tank remaining alive (line breaker, objective scoring/contesting).  Bear in mind, though that orders on tanks are more likely to be botched or fail, but on the flip side, you also have a better shot at inspired tactics too, so consider them a bonus and not a tool to power your army up like normal Guard do.

 

Armored Fist Command Squad: This is your standard IG command squad, but good news is that it comes at a discount since the Chimera is included in the cost; 10 points for Platoon, 20 points for Company, so the upgrade to the latter is the better deal.  Also don't forget the old plasma pistol, power fist, and power weapon cost here for added savings.

 

Salamander Recon Commander: It can issue orders and has Scout, but the Auspex Surveyor is the real treat on this.  Reducing a cover save of an enemy unit within 18" until the end of the phase can really help you get the most mileage out of your powerful, but limited arsenal.

 

General Grizmund: A basic Leman Russ with a load of upgrades, but no sponsons.  His warlord trait makes a single squadron of your choice BS4 which can be meh if you only take single model units or pretty nice if you run larger squadrons.  Considering the list, this is better in larger games than small, especially paired with his high cost.  His banner, however, does help to justify the cost as all friendly tanks within a foot get to re-roll their first failed to hit.  This means allied Battle Brothers benefit too.

 

Oddball Captain Schfeer: I'll be honest, I am very biased towards this expy.  Sure his warlord trait can help send your foe running from you and tank hunter on a Vanquisher is a good, but for his cost the fact that you will want him up front and center in a tank more accustomed to hanging back might not be the most effective use of points, especially with the lack of sponsons.  Still, model up that loud speaker and putty up a 28mm Donald Sutherland and go nuts!

 

Elites

Commissar Tank: Similar to your Company Command tank, but without the orders.  Instead IG units within 6" are Ld 10.  Not a bad trade off if you have infantry at all.  Either way, the extra options and BS are well worth it.

 

Destroyer Tank Hunter: Can be taken 1-3 per squadron.  A great long range tank hunter, best taken alone with a camo net.  A pintle weapon is worth it though to make it 50/50 that a weapon destroyed result will not neuter it. 

 

Atlas Recovery Tank: Not really worth the Elite slot, but definitely a fun fluffy addition.  Being able to tow an immobilized vehicle to a new firing position sounds great, but is very situational at best.

 

Armored Fist Storm Troopers: Not bad compared to the Tempestus Scions as they are only 5 points more base, but 4 points per model with a discount on the power weapon and plasma pistol option.  They have the deep strike rule, but as they must take a Chimera, they cannot use it.  Really a specialist option that is 'meh' in the list, although creative use can make them worth it to some lists.

 

Tech-Priest Enginseer: Does not take a slot, which is a huge plus.  The Trojan they can buy is a nice way to buff your artillery or tank shooting while the transported unit inside can play Fix-it Felix.  The Trojan is cheap enough for what it does that it is a really nice buff to most lists.  Trojans are also easy to convert from a standard Chimera too.

 

Troops

Battle Tank Squadron: Just like out of your IG Codex, but with the option of an Annihilator, which is a great tank hunting variant at a reasonable cost.  The Vanquisher in this list is also better thanks to the ability to buy co-axial heavy stubbers. 

 

Siege Tank Squadron: Like your IG options, but the Thunderer is the poor man's Demolisher.  It does lack a turret and only has a single weapon, but it saves 25 points giving you the option of squeezing a little more firepower out of your list if you need to.

 

Armored Fist Squad: Just your standard Infantry Squad out of the Infantry Platoon of Codex IG that has a Chimera included in the cost.  Only benefit here is that plasma pistols and power swords are still 5 points cheaper like everywhere else in the list.

 

Armored Fist Veterans: So they are more expensive than the IG Vets as you only get five for the cost of the Codex ten and all their doctrine options are 30 points, but they come with tank hunters per the FAQ.  As they can take the fast Centaur for 40 points to make them rapid response, this is worth looking into for a quick means of hitting something hard.

 

Transports

Chimera: Just like your IG version mainly, but with a few options not available there.  Also it is 10 points less than the IG Codex.

 

Centuar: Fast with a transport capacity of five.  It can also tow artillery units. 

 

Fast Attack

Scout Sentinel: Like your IG ones, but with a multiple rocket pod option for crowd control operations.

 

Armored Sentinel: Again just like the IG, but with the riot gear multiple rocket pod.

 

Vendetta/Vulture: This is 0-1 and the Vendetta has the old rules with the awesome Forgeworld aircraft upgrades, so yeah, great buy here although I would imagine that for fair play using the rules and cost out of the IG codex might be a bit friendlier.  The Vulture, however, is basically an Apache in 40K.  Essentially think of the Vendetta as anti-tank and the Vulture as anti-infantry with the option of mission customization. 

 

Tauros Strike Squadron: Not a bad fast unit.  It can be fitted to a number of roles similar to the Scout Sentinel, but with greater speed.

 

Salamander Recon Squad: Treat it like a souped up Scout Sentinel that cannot be in the assault and you cannot go wrong here.  Te heavy stubber pintle mount and improved comms are nice upgrades if you have the points.

 

Hellhound Squadron: Just like in the IG codex, but with a few more options.

 

Heavy Support

Hydra Flack Tank: Similar to the IG option, but with so cover ignoring ability.

 

Ordnance Battery: The Basilisk is tried and true from the IG Codex while the Medusa used to be.  Essentially the latter if you are not familiar with it is shorter in range and better at killing.   

 

Griffon Strike Battery: Again taken out of the IG Codex, but it does better against 4+ saves than the Wyvern and uses a single larger template.

 

Colossus Bombard Battery: Taken away from Codex IG because they can't have nice things.  This is an ignores cover MEQ slaughter device.  Beware the minimum range and inability to fire direct making a 24" safety zone in front of it. Fortunately you can put tanks there.

 

Armored Fist Heavy Weapons Squad: Essentially an Infantry Platoon's Heavy Weapons Squad with its own Chimera and the option of a vox caster because, why not.

 

Armored Fist Cyclops Squad: A pair of Cyclops, which are mobile demo charges, along with their operators in a Chimera.  Hide the operators somewhere they cannot be shot and rush the independently operating Cyclops into melee where they detonate at I10.  Then if not playing where units killed give up VPs, forget the pair of Guardsmen and enjoy your extra Chimera.

 

Imperial Navy Air Support: The Thunderbolt is tougher all around than the other two and just a work horse.  The Lightning is an interceptor and most fragile of the three, albeit with better jinx saves, but it can be outfitted for other roles.  The Avenger is not as tough as the Thunderbolt, but has all the armor up front instead of spread around and is a ground attack craft that can take other roles as well.  All things being equal, the Avenger is typically the best for cost and value, although Dan Abnett's Double Eagle will have you wanting to field Thunderbolts instead.