DA Transformation

[march10k]

Since around 5th edition, I've played mechanized deathwing almost exclusively. But all that time, I've been nostalgic for the days of my 3rd edition greenwing lists...and so I'm thrilled to see the return of viable (even without a dakkapole) battle company lists...I'm currently able to field about 85 marines, but I'm seven jumpers and a tactical squad short of the full hundred...so that's a project. I suppose I'll also expand my armory to include a total of four razors and four pods (I only have one of each, but I'm swimming in land raiders, lol) to take advantage of the freebies.

Separately from that, I'm considering how to modify/expand my black and tan forces...others may complain that DWK got nerfed, and I'll agree that their peak maximum potential for single-round damage did take a hit...but they also got a lot better outside of that single round of smite-mode. I find them much improved, to the point where I'm willing to field more than a single squad of them. There are other factors here, like the issue of thundernators getting more expensive and no longer counting as troops...but the bottom line is I like the new DWK, and I'll probably add a second squad of them...after finishing off the 5th company (meaning just in time for the next codex?)

Finally...ravenwing. The darkshroud seems really awesome now, and I've long wanted to convert one by chin-mounting the gun and converting the gunner's hole into an interrogator-chaplain's pulpit. I may now find that its increased utility adds enough motivation for the project to actually happen. My dark talon, which I built because it's a gorgeous kit, is suddenly pimptastic. The only problem is, how do I field it outside of a combined arms detachment? The nephelim is also improved, with S7 missiles, but not nearly enough for me to consider buying and fielding two of them, so the silence squadron is out.

I do love the combination of an RWAS with a DWSF...12" bubble meets ultimate (except turn one, I know) DWA timing flexibility, so I may use that combination when not playing with a demi company or two...or even with a demi company in a slightly larger game. Towards that end, I've ripped the meltaguns off of my bike squadron (yeah, singular, I have four speeders, but only seven non-character bikes, including the lone MMAB, LOL) and replaced them with grav guns, which I think is a remarkable addition to the RW toolkit. One of them is still on the painting table, but here is the first completed one:

What projects has the new codex spawned in your world? (you can see the next three jumpers, as well as bases for the rest of the second assault squad in the background)

[Wraith776]

Same as you I'm aiming to finish off a full battle company before the next codex. Already have all the tacticals squads and some of the devs but need more assault marines and another 4 razorbacks and drops pods :P

[JustShowMePictures]

I'm a hardcore fan of Dark Angels so many times I would even try to escape reality with lucid dreaming, I would be in the Rock where I would often train with Belial in the training center and help Sapphon with the Fallen torturing, but one day as I was talking to Sapphon, we went to my dormitory for a private talk. He immediately said, "You know you could live with us forever.." I gave him a confused look and he continued, "We understand that you live on earth and you REALLY wish to live here". I then said "How..How did you know?" He then giggled and said "Because we've been watching you, silly!" And the a bunch of Watchers popped up out of nowhere.

This was a dream come true and I almost cried right there. She then said, "I talked with Supreme Grandmaster Azrael and he agreed that you would be PERFECT for Deathwing, you just have to do...one thing". He then held my hand and looked deep into my eyes and said "...You have to kill yourself for the transfer to work correctly." I then gave him some questions, "How long do I have before the deal expires?" He then said "Cid said 3 months.." I added by saying "What's the most painless way?..." He giggled again, "Suicide will require pain buuut...if you want it quick...Get a melta gun and a nice shot to the head works.

I then agreed and he gave me a kiss on the forehead, "I know this will be tough but once it's over and done, you'll get to live here!" I then woke up and this was last week and i purchased a gun. I might actually kill myself because that dream just felt too real to be fake and my life isn't doing so grand.

[HandofAnubis]

I think a lot of us may be in this boat ha! I have put together 3 drop pods, a full Silence Squadron, a RW Battleforce, a Dark Vengeance expansion set, and 4 boxes of scouts in the last month or so. Two Assault Boxes and two new Dev boxes on deck next waiting to be put together along with a ton of other stuff I have been procrastinating on. This dex has really got me going again. Ill get my first game with it in tonight!

[Epher]

Nice looking biker!  Funny that this thread should crop up, I just made a list today of what I want to build.  So the plan is finish a battle company with 6 man tac squads in Razorbacks and one drop pod.  The plan is to have two dreadnoughts in drop pods.  I have most of the marines done so it is a matter of building and converting the transports.  On top of that, I am converting a land speeder tempest into Sable Claw and then magnetizing three Nephilim.  My head just hurts thinking of all this work.  Anyways, one model at a time! 

 

My thoughts on magnetizing the jets is to be able to run three Dark Shrouds and Sable Claw in a Ravenwing Strike Force.  Auto arrive on turn 2.  Sableclaw and any terminators can drop in on the locator beacons on the drop pods.  S10 pie plates of doom and stasis bombs for all!!

[Interrogator Stobz]

Yep, times have changed all right. Definitely some rebooting going on in the workshop.

 

My main changes are much like yours, adding some grav to my RW, I have also grav'd up a command squad and have moved a whole lot of weapons around on my greenwing Vets, Command squads and Sergeants.

 

New models will be: a converted Darkshroud and at least one Darktalon too, as you say, they look gorgeous and are now worth buying.

 

s

[RayJ]

I have spent some time retooling all the squads. I'm in need of grav cannons, but definitely not in any need of more marines with 200 power armored bodies in the collection. I try to snipe others' leftover bits when they finish building their new stuff.

 

It allowed me to get a lot of DW and RW bits to bling out DV squads and get enough grav guns.

 

I've also had to retool one of my RW command squads since i can't have multiple apothecaries and banners

[deadangel101]

I have moved from pure Deathwing to DWSF, RWAS and a CAD consisting of greenwing gun line and some black knights. In all, about two thirds of my army is getting changed completely. I plan on making final purchases next week, but I still have a lot to assemble, and almost all of it to paint!

[Hidicul]

I've converted my sable claw into a typhoon and built another typhoon, need one more for the support squadron, ripped off the weapons from my rw to make gravs, made a command squad with gravs storm shields and banner, switched a vengeance to a dark shroud and put together a min model demi-company. Debating on switching my jet fighter to another talon. After that not sure what I'm going work on.

[march10k]

The sign of an excellent codex is that it gets us building more of the stuff we already have and retooling existing models instead of chasing the shiny new easy button!

[Jazzhands]

I got two new speeders and more coming next month so i can run double support squad.

 

Will be retooling bikes with grav soon too

[IanSturrock]

I've been buying up 2nd hand speeders and attack bikes... have doubled up what I had, to around 10 of each now. Now I just have to paint them.

 

In other news, anyone wanna buy a bunch of Terminators? (I will likely use some, still, sometimes, but I can't see me ever using more than 15-20 of them plus a couple of HQs).

[march10k]

LOL...never sell!  First, I can't bear to part with anything I've painted, including my tau that haven't seen the table in ten years...Second, who knows what the next codex might bring?  You could wind up regretting offloading the deathwing and end up buying new ones to paint.

[RayJ]

I offloaded a bunch of speeders and pods under the last book. I'm definitely regretting that now :)

[march10k]

And the Unforgiven rode to war (with apologies to the Tomb Kings):

I finished retooling for grav, replaced the missing arms on one biker (haven't used him in years, he's the substitute when not using a sergeant with a fist or sword), re-based him (he was still on an old horse rectangle base), replaced a missing pennant, and added the moss hummocks that all of my DA bases except the bikes already had. They're ready for NOVA!

[Jazzhands]

And they are looking damn fine!

 

As for terminators keep them! I have already fielded that many with only a rw attack squad on the table for turn one. Scary stuff but it paid off

[FinylCut]

march10k:

 

Great topic, brother. Thanks for starting it.

 

I started some terminators, which I'd acquired over the years, during ETL 4. It's a coincidence I was working towards completing your old 5th/6th edition mechanized Deathwing list you which mentioned in the first post. In blew 7th and out went the desire to complete said list, or perhaps it was fear of assembling and painting two land raiders. Regardless, I've recovered from the event, and find myself working on a terminator librarian. I've got five Deathwing Knights assembled who claim to be next; however, I'm not sure if I'll change direction. I have a respectable mass of raw plastic from over the years from which to choose.

• Black Knights?
• A dreadnought?
• Sammael...?!?
• Dark Talon?

In short, I'm not sure what projects the new codex has generated, or if it is simply providing more incentive for the singular, overall project: Unforgiven.

 

Thanks.

 

FC

[march10k]

Hmm...from that list...well, it looks like you're headed for a combined arms detachment.  That's the only way I can see you fielding the stuff you're interested, especially in combination.  For the DT, it's a silence squadron, which requires two escorts, or a CAD, or unbound.  For the Dreddy, either deathwing, CAD, or demi.  Sammy has options.  BKs are going to be a RW formation, CAD, or unbound...overall...that says CAD.  2x5 scouts/tacs, Sammy (or another HQ, but you specifically mentioned him), and you can have a dreddy, BKs, DWKs, and a DT in the same list...all your favorite toys, at a tax as low as 110 points worth of superscoring objective-campers.

[IanSturrock]

Your other option of course is CAD + another formation or formations. You don't have to miss out on all the lovely formation benefits we can get these days. Certainly if you're going to be fielding any terminators, then one or other of the termie formations is going to be your best bet.

[march10k]

That's a good point...HQ+2T lets you plug anything you want in with your formation(s), and if the HQ would have been taken anyway as "additionally allowable under the formation," then only the two troops choices are a "tax."  We have pretty good troops, so it's not even a painful tax, at that.

[Master Avoghai]

Well, the first things I've mounted are those guys...

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/Masteravoghai/Dark%20angels/8D65E881-9F89-4B79-8CE3-29EF39863D8D.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/Masteravoghai/Dark%20angels/30C06F17-F6B9-4DE1-A615-82701B2EF0B0.jpg

 

:rolleyes:

 

I've also start to gather grab guns to equip bikes. One squadron has swapped its meltas, another squadron will be mounted soon...

Oh and I need to magnet my 2nd flyer and get a third one... (^^)

[FinylCut]

Greetings brothers.

Thanks for the feedback march10k and IanSturrock. Based on this, I took some time to actually read and understand the rules and benefits of formations/detachments in our new codex. Consequently, I've determined my most pressing need is for Sammael and another land speeder. By using magnets, I'll make a single speeder which can function as either. This will allow me to field the Ravenwing Strike Force, while alternatively allowing me to have the numbers for both a Ravenwing Attack Squadron and a Ravenwing Support Squadron by bringing my speeder total to four; however, I will also need a Darkshroud for the latter formation.

Now, having a much clearer understanding of the new codex, I can confidently state the upcoming projects are:

1. Sammael  (Sableclaw) - magnetized to allow for use as a basic speeder
2. Darkshroud

This plan gives me the biggest bang for the effort, provides incentive to finish the big man himself, and rewards that effort with a new kit I've never built. The post ETL lull begins to lift with newfound direction.

 

Thanks again.

 

FC

[march10k]

Avoghai...eight grav cannons?

[Master Avoghai]

Yup... I plead guilty sir... :blush:

 

I have the pod for those guys too... Actually the new "free transport for all" push me forward to finish the company transports. I have 6 painted pods, and 6 more waiting to be painted.... And 3 rhino chassis too :rolleyes:

[march10k]

nice, I have one pod (FW...OOP) and one razor (TLLC), I'll be adding three more of each as soon as my company reaches 100 strong.  I still  need a full tactical squad, four men for the second devastator squad, and eight assault marines.  Since I'm not dropping the packs, I'll only have eight free transports (though not totally free, I'll be paying about 20 points each for the razorbacks)