How viable is a Catachan army right now?

[Dark_Vengeant]

They seem a shadow of their former selves.  Catachan used to have its own codex, and it was one of GW's biggest Guard sellers, and they have really just let that army go to pot.   I sadly sold my 3000 pts of Catachan I played back in 2nd, 3rd and 4th ed.   I would love to resurrect that army but it appears it will cost me a fortune as it is all mail order on GW site, and ebay people are charging insane amounts for those terrible old molds lol. 

 

Based on the datasheets it appears you can have a mock "catachan platoon" but it would be using the regular vanilla guard rules unless you intended to use just lasguns and flamers. 

 

Thoughts? Advice?  
 

I'm considering running a small company of infantry and then augmenting with a few vehicles (hellhound, chimera, sentinels).    I really enjoy lots of mortars, so I might do two mortar teams (x3) and a team of missile launchers. Gotta pack light in the jungle!

 

ps. GW is brutal for splitting the 20 Jungle Fighter Box into a 10 man box and charging more for it......

Edited September 21, 2023 by Dark_Vengeant

[Orion]

The heavy weapon teams are gone as far as I can see, which really sucks.

 

But I'd just do what makes you happy. People's advice might drift into the "objective truth" of costs, quality of models, functionality on table top, without really empathising with your interest and enthusiasm for the subfaction. "Because you think it's cool" should probably be your North star in this situation.

 

I personally think it sounds like a great idea. I'd personally make sure to pick up some of the old metal models. And make sure you add some leaves and netting to your vehicles!

[tychobi]

Don't get stuck on what GW calls Catachan. Make a jungle themed army that makes you happy. Don't let a label wreck your fun. Put some marbos on orangutans as rough riders and bushes on your tanks, make the army of your dreams!

[sairence]

4 hours ago, tychobi said:

Don't get stuck on what GW calls Catachan. Make a jungle themed army that makes you happy. Don't let a label wreck your fun. Put some marbos on orangutans as rough riders and bushes on your tanks, make the army of your dreams!

 

Absolutely this for flavour. You can absolutely style your army as Catachan, there's some pretty sexy third party models for different looking units.

 

Other than that, you can simply use different datasheets to highlight different branches of your platoon.

 

Like the Catachan datasheet is your scout/assault units, the regular infantry datasheet is your line jungle trooper with heavy weapon support, and so on.

 

There's really no reason to get stuck on the 3 datasheets GW specifically calls out as Catachan, when it's so easy to convert a Guard army for a specific theme.

[Cadian Bandstand]

GW confirmed new models with every codex release in 10th. My money is on a Catachan refresh with our 10th codex. Makes sense in my mind, old sculpts and currently supported in 10th

[TCC]

I’m 99% sure we will be getting new models soon - GW have just changed the rules to make them really great and they have done this to purge the system of old stock IMO ready for the new models. Give it 3-6 months for the new models.

 

FYI I picked up 2 new boxes of Catachans for £20 each delivered of ebay - from one of the big vendors.

 

 

[Dr. Clock]

I'm going to run Iron Hand Straken and a squad of Catachans in one of 3 Chimeras on Sunday... I think you can do alot worse than the cheap flamer squads even though the temptation is to use Cadians or Infantry squads instead. Right now combined arms is really what the list / detachment encourages more than melee, or any kind of spam really. I definitely wish they'd done something a little more impressive for Catachans in melee, but they're also dirt cheap.

 

I'm guessing that very few would question the use of Catachan models as any Battleline unit in the list -  especially if you come up with a way of differentiating 'Catachans' from 'Infantry squads' through some unit markings (red bandanas and black bandanas or whatever).

 

As others have said: build the army that appeals, and sort out the rule that best fit your vision after the fact. The rules will change - the minis need not.

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor

[crimsondave]

I did 40 and a command squad with the reptilian overlords version from Wargames Atlantic around the end of last year, first of this year I think.  They came in boxes of 20 and were cheaper.  I did source some 3d prints from Etsy for some of the command squad.  Just another option if you don’t mind 3rd party.  I guess it’s not an option of your gonna do GW tournaments.

Spoiler

 

[Emperor Ming]

They direly direly direly need a new kit, with multiple special weapons, heavy flamer could be their thing maybe,

 

Poor sgt he needs access to a chainsword

[Remain_Indoors]

On 9/21/2023 at 11:46 PM, Dark_Vengeant said:

ps. GW is brutal for splitting the 20 Jungle Fighter Box into a 10 man box and charging more for it......

 You're a couple of decades late for that argument, but oh yes. Remember the good old days when twenty Catachans were £10 (insert equivalent monies here)? I really should have invested my paper round money better.

 

Models wise, i'd consider waiting a bit longer. There are indications the Catachans are getting something, whether its in the form of a Kill Team box or a proper new Infantry Squad kit.  Like you said, the models are showing their age.

 

Rules wise i'd embrance the fact anything can be 'Catachan', even units like Krieg and Cadian Shocktroopers. Use alternate colours, or conversions to differentiate them and suddenly you have three times the number of Battleline and ways to show different units. For example my own regiment, the Alacanti Farstriders, use standard infantry for their main units, and Cadian units to represent a company of specialist Riflemen.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Don’t forget when the codex drops we’ll likely get a ‘Catachan’ detachment.

 

I imagine it would some how boost flamers and sentinels.

[Dark_Vengeant]

I picked up 4 heavy weapons teams, Straken, Sly, and Sgt Harker, and I will likely sit on those until GW pushes a new "troops" kit such as a KT or a revamp with the new codex. 

 

[jarms48]

How viable are Catachans now? Very. There's 2 ways to use them:

- Infantry spam and flood the board with pre-game scout move infantry. Make sure you take their cheap characters. Basically play them like Guard in 8th and 9th. Purely an objective game.

- Mechanised spam. Lots of 10 man squads in Chimeras, this gives Chimeras scout moves as well. I would also take their cheap characters. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

On 10/4/2023 at 4:33 AM, jarms48 said:

How viable are Catachans now? Very. There's 2 ways to use them:

- Infantry spam and flood the board with pre-game scout move infantry. Make sure you take their cheap characters. Basically play them like Guard in 8th and 9th. Purely an objective game.

- Mechanised spam. Lots of 10 man squads in Chimeras, this gives Chimeras scout moves as well. I would also take their cheap characters. 

Taurox with Catachans can cover a lot of distance by the end of the first turn

[Tokugawa]

On 9/22/2023 at 5:03 PM, Cadian Bandstand said:

GW confirmed new models with every codex release in 10th. My money is on a Catachan refresh with our 10th codex. Makes sense in my mind, old sculpts and currently supported in 10th

Other than that confirmed release window, it's also naturally to see new Catachans kit in any kill team box.

 

I suggest to totally avoid buying ancient Catachan models now. Catachan fans could collect and paint character models(e.g. Marbo) when waiting IG codex.