A (not so) Humble Review of the Vulture

[Master Antaeus]

The Vulture is a variant of the ubiquitous guard Valkyrie that sacrifices the Valk's transport capacity for.... actually not much better armaments, as we shall see below.

 

On paper, the armor, type and footprint (that's how much space it takes on the table) are all the same as for a Valkyrie, except it only carries guns.  Got that in your head?  Great.

 

Pros:

-Sorta cheap? (in points, not dollars) and you never have to agonize over what unit will ride in it.

-Massive armor for such a cheap flyer.  Almost immune to non-dedicated ground fire.

-Has hover mode so you don't spend so much time off the board.  Also nice for that last turn objective grab as by the end of the game, your opponent is hopefully running low on things that can kill your Vulture.

-An absolute champion at forcing flying monstrous creatures to the ground.  This can be a con as you'd better have what you need in place to kill the big guy, or he'll charge your not at all assaulty AM/Scions line.

-Has Strafing Run and Vector Dancer.  I had not noticed this until I started the review.  It will be factored in forthwith in games.

 

Cons:

-It's enormous (just like the Valk).  Yes, there are bigger vehicles and even bigger flyers, but its wingspan, weapons ranges and battlefield role mean it will nearly always be blocking LoS across the field.  Good players can take advantage of this.  I am not that good.

-No good loadout will allow it to go hunt flyers for you unless you happen to get behind one, or the flyer is a Storm Talon or a really fragile Forge World flyer (Lightning, Hellblade)

 

Loadouts:  it will always have the nose mounted heavy bolter, so I won't list it over and over.  Actually, since the tail booms are almost always pointed toward you (the owning player) it's easy to forget the heavy bolter.  It also comes with a searchlight and extra armor.  Neato!  Actually, search lights on flyers are really good if you remember to roll for night fighting at the end of the game (since it's going to be in reserves during first turm)

 

Stock: TL multi-laster, two hellstrike missiles.

Thoughts: Just... don't.  Hellstrike missiles are ordnance, so if you shoot them, you.. just don't.  Don't do it.

 

Tank/Flyer Hunter:  TL Lascannon and six hunter-killer missiles.  Decent at hunting flyers and tanks, but for 10 more points, you can get a Vendetta which has better tank hunting capability AND carries troops, though is not as maneuverable.

 

Anti-Infantry: Four multiple rocket pods.

Thoughts: Same cost as the Punisher gatling gun (below) and can cover a huge amount of the table with Str 4 templates, but most people expect the punisher, so you might catch someone unawares.  If you can't for whatever reason model the punisher, then this is probably a good option as it looks almost as good.

 

Anti-Sanity: TL Punisher Gatling Gun

Thoughts: The final word in dakka.  The PGG with strafing run is just ill and you can even fire your heavy bolter for even more Str 5 mayhem.  It's pretty expensive (for being an anti-infantry platform) but it is *so* satisfying.

 

Bomber: Multiple rocket pod and tactical bombs/hellfury missiles

Bombing anything nearly always means showing your rear side to it, which is never ideal for 10 more points than the two hellfury missiles you can buy, you can get a multiple rocket pod, which you can enjoy all game, rather than twice.  I dunno, maybe there is some magic recipe with this, but I tried it once and found myself spending the entire game that I had guns that could shoot more than once.

 

Upgrades:

 

Flare/Chaff: Honestly, this vehicle is so well protected already that these points could probably be better spent elswhere.

 

Armored Cockpit: Already has extra armor, which isn't quite as good as this, but I would classify it as a vanity upgrade for your favorite centerpiece unit.

 

Illum Flares: If you play people who remember to roll night fighting in the late game, then your vulture, if it is still alive, can "bomb" an area while searchlighting and shooting another.  For the cost of a storm bolter on a Taurox, this is pretty good... If you remember the night fighting AND remember you have this.

 

Infra-red Targeting: For very, very cheap, you can pick units out at night.  Not a bad choice as, late game, this can be the difference between shooting a unit off an objective and not doing anything to that unit.  On the other hand, your vulture does come with a searchlight and as long as there isn't too much anti-air left, you probably don't need this.

 

Distinctive Paint: I used to think this was a vanity upgrade; an excuse to paint a scantily clad woman with a motto like "damn the torpedoes" on the side of your flyer, but actually, I play Scions and they have a terrible habit of breaking from shooting when I really need them not to.  It costs as much as a combi weapon for a Sternguard, so isn't an auto-include, but don't let that stop you from painting your scantily clad pinup on your Vulture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SpecialIssue]

The Vendetta Valk is such bad unit design - its basically an auto-include for most roles an aircraft ideally fills.

 

If they killed it from the fluff/codex and made the Vulture able to get three twin-linked lascannons - now we're talking about a really cool gunship. Valk transports escorted in by hunter-killer Vulture gunship support. Thats gonna get anyone's pulse racing.

[WarriorFish]

Another good write up, maybe I'll get a Vulture one of these days...

[CoffeeGrunt]

Forge World have a booth at Comicon, so the Punisher Vulture might happen for me. :P

[Seahawk]

  Actually, search lights on flyers are really good if you remember to roll for night fighting at the end of the game (since it's going to be in reserves during first turm)

 

 

Illum Flares: If you play people who remember to roll night fighting in the late game, then your vulture, if it is still alive, can "bomb" an area while searchlighting and shooting another.  

 

That you wrote this twice indicates to me that you are still playing 6th edition. In 7th edition, you only ever roll for Night Fight at the start of the game, and it only ever happens on turn 1. There's no possible way to get it on later turns unless you and your group just make stuff up.

 

Otherwise, great review!

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I have been  wanting a vulture, and the idea of having a flyer with Hover, and the ability to take a TL lascannon, and rocket pods just makes me happy, or TL PGC, or tons of other options. Sadly, the Elysian Vendetta with HB sponsons, kills it, It's 10 points cheaper, has 3 TL lascannons, and 6 S5 AP4 shots and can drop a melta squad. It lacks strafing run and isn't as maneuverable, or versatile, but you take the Vendetta for the Las. 

 

Still, good write up save for the 6th ed nightfighting confusion. One of these days I might break down and get a Vulture or two.

[Master Antaeus]

@Seahawk

You are half right.  I have been playing in an environment where night fighting is very prevalent, so when 7th rolled around, I always forgot to roll it, hence my assumption that the old rule was still in place.  Good catch!

[CoffeeGrunt]

Why would you take Heavy Bolter Sponsons on a Vendetta, out of curiosity? They don't fit its tank-huting role and it can only fire four weapons at full BS IIRC.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

You're right, it doesn't fit with the Anti tank role, but I like versatility, and it's a fluffy/procedural thing. The closest real world equivalent, is the MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator, while lacking the troop capacity, fills much the same role. It still has door guns, despite it's usual armaments of hellfires and 30mm chaingun. 

 

I basically take them, since it's only 10 points, to add a bit more anti infantry, as I may not have good targets for the vendetta's lascannons. If I know I'll be facing off against armor, I'll drop them, but it's an auto include for my All-comers list.

[Seahawk]

In my case, I slap sponsons on everything, because more guns. MOAR GUNZZZ

[CoffeeGrunt]

I dunno, at 20pts for the pair, I just feel the points are better spent elsewhere. Each to their own, though!

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I usually take from Elysians for my flyers, so it's 10 points. If I go out of the C:AM, I leave it bone stock.

[march10k]

Not a bad write-up.  You did leave out a few things...if you're pressed for points, autocannons and HK missiles is good enough for tank hunting,  since vector dancer gives you plenty of rear armor shots.  twinlinked punishers suffers from only being S5....four rocket pods is statistically superior to twinlinked punishers.  Overall, hits the high points, but feels somewhat incomplete.  I'm also not sure what you mean by the large model blocking LOS...it's so far off the ground that a model would have to be sniping from a bell tower to have problems...

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

SHHHH!!!! Don't tell them my hiding spot!

 

True enough though, most models aren't going to have a problem with LOS.

[CoffeeGrunt]

The Punisher does have the edge when Snap-Firing or shooting at other air targets, but the most popular Fliers being AV12 or T6/3+ MCs makes it a bit ineffective. Still, it's got the dakka to be a good generalist, plus all those shots at BS4 vs ground targets have the potential to put some serious hurt on. I had some fun flanking vehicles when I gave one a test run, and it was a tonne of fun.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I really want a couple vultures now.

[march10k]

I want one with FOUR rocket pods, muahahahaha

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

A squadron of 2 with TL lascannons and Rocket pods will do fine for me (magnetized for the other options naturally though).