Flyers Bases

[McElMcNinja]

I was recently playing against a Custodes player and I purposely screened my DP with some Plaguebearers in a way he couldn't charge his bikes in. He declared the charge against both units and as I had no overwatch he rolled his dice.

Not expecting him to get to my DP I was rather shocked when he took the bikes off their flying bases and set up his bases in contact with my DP. I stated I didn't think that was allowed. He said people remove flyers from their bases all the time, but I've never seen that done except when they land on top of a building or something. To me that's just to protect the model from fall damage.

 

I know that can't be right and boo on him, but just looking for some confirmation.

[MegaVolt87]

Flyers go from the base for mvt and melee I think? So if the base and model can still fit, its ok? Was your opponent taking them off the bases every move? Some models are a bit heavy to move even attached to the base. Maybe they didn't want to damage everyone's models if something went wrong? 

[Slasher956]

Ok,  Arn't flyers is a specific type of unit?  rather than just units with the FLY keyword*

 

However there are no rules for removing a model off its base.  In fact its the opposite.... the rules all talk about measuring to/from the base.  If you remove a model off the base then where /how do you measure?  The only models where you COULD do this (remove off base) are ones with the HOVER special rule (or equivalent) which states you can measure to the HULL even though it has a base.

 

Thats the rules side of things... now with jet -bikes (shinning spears, Custods etc) some people do remove the model off the base and put the model to one side however the BASE stays where the model should be for measuring - this is due to shape of the model and fitting it in to combat, and the actual model is irrelevant as all measurements are from the base.

 

 

EDIT - *Rhetorical question, but once I'd started reading the OP I knew what you meant... 

 

EDIT 2 - Ok re-read of your OP and its what I was sayng about the bases being where the model should be.  .. This is normally allowed as a house rule (remove model & just use the base) as it doesnt penalise you for the type of model or how its modelled.... for example the shinning spears hang over the front by about an Inch meaning that you cant get in to B2B directly forward

[Panzer]

Everything gets measured to the base if it has one unless it's noted differently on the datasheet like it's the case for the Repulsor for example:
 

Hover Tank: Distances and ranges are always

measured to and from this model’s hull, even though it
has a base.

[McElMcNinja]

So it sounds like what he did was legal, even though the unit would not fit in the space available had the models been on their bases.

Normally other opponents using flyers would turn their bikes sideways to get into base to base. To prevent that I had kept my Plaguebearers close and I just wasn't expecting someone to remove the model.

Thank you for the clarification.

[Panzer]

It's kinda a grey area really. Normally models aren't supposed to be able to get detached from their bases. Gaunts are much longer than their bases as well so often have trouble getting all the models in range in melee and T'au Drones often can't fit under a building because they are too tall on their flying pins if they are glued to it (especially the Recon Drone from the Pathfinder box).

 

Strictly speaking he did nothing illegal. Practically though he has an advantage over people who have glued their cumbersome models to their bases. Personally I'd allow him to do it in this case but if he'd try to squeeze them inside of ruins under a low ceiling or whatever to hide them by taking them off of their bases I'd draw the line.