Tag: tau

What next for Aeronautica Imperialis?

Aeronautica Imperialis Logo

I’ve enjoyed painting my Aeronautica Imperialis models and even I am impressed that I have managed to build, undercoat and paint them in a relatively short timeframe. I did my Valkyrie Assault Carrier in a week! I would usually take a few years to paint them (if at all….).

I started to think about which models I would get next, and that got me thinking what we have seen that still needs to be released and also what could be released in the future and what I would like to see in the future as well.

Some of these are obviously core Games Workshop releases, some could be plastic kits and I think others might be Forge World models or upgrades to plastic kits.

Forge World have released some kits for Adeptus Titanicus, such as weapon upgrades, new titans and scenery. I would like to think that they would do something similar for Aeronautica Imperialis.

What I might get next?

So, there are now quite a few released models for Aeronautica Imperialis, Ork, Imperial and now T’au aircraft. I bought Wings of Vengeance, so I already have Ork Dakkajets, Fighta Bommerz as well as Imperial Thunderbolts and Marauders. I also bought a box of Valkyrie Assault Carriers.  I was lucky enough to find a box of Ground Assets recently, so I have those as well.

The obvious answer for me is a pair of Grot Bommerz. I do like the concept of these, though I am not a big fan of the actual models, but Orks is Orks, so they are next on my shopping list.

Aeronautica Imperialis Ork flyers from Warhammer World

If I get those then I might get the Heavy Ork Bommerz as well. Continue reading “What next for Aeronautica Imperialis?”

Skies of Fire

Well on Sunday over on the Warhammer Community site, there has been the official preview of the new Aeronautia Imperialis boxed set, Skies of Fire.

You’ll get absolutely everything you need to fly your first sorties, including a set of five aircraft for each side, a game mat and rulebook, dice, reference sheets, tokens and a transfer sheet. The T’au force includes three Barracudas and two Tiger Sharks, each with a wide array of weapon options. The Imperium’s forces consist of two Valkyrie Assault Carriers, which can alternatively be built as Vendettas, plus three Lightning Strike Fighters, one of which can be built as a Lightning Fighter.

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I had taken the leap and purchased the Wings of Vengeance boxed set.

After hearing that it had gone direct only and was to be superseded by a new boxed set featuring the Tau, I decided I had better buy it now before it was gone.

It’s not that I don’t like the new boxed set, much more that I prefer the Imperial and Ork models in the Wings of Vengeance boxed set. So much so (and quite unlike me) I have already started putting the models together…

These are lovely models, so I was interested to see what we would get in the Tau boxed set. Obviously there would be Tau, but I was intrigued who their opponents would be. Not looking at the rumours I did wonder if it would be a Xenos race, so was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the Imperial Navy.

I wasn’t anticipating that we would see the Valkyrie.

They look great.

I don’t think I will buy the boxed set, but I do think I might get a box of the Valkyrie Assault Carriers. As I said on Twitter I do wonder if we will ever see tanks and infantry in this scale for Adeptus Titanicus? Well this Valkyrie does show what is possible.

I am not a great fan of the Lightning Strike Fighters so happy to let them pass. As for the Tau, well they look like nice models, but not for me.

T’au XV104 Riptide Battlesuit

XV104 Riptide Battlesuit

The T’au XV104 Riptide is the pinnacle of the Earth caste’s battlesuit development. It stands twice as tall as the XV8 Crisis suit, but its movements are more like those of its smaller cousins than the mechanical stiffness displayed by Imperial walkers with their crude servo-motors.

Attacking the T’au

There are a range of huge dioramas in Warhammer World in Nottingham. One of them involved Imperial Titans attacking a T’au base.

Imperial Titans attacking a T’au base.

Including the powerful Warlord Titan armed with Mars Pattern Warlord Titan Apocalypse Missile Launchers

Imperial Warlord Titan

The Apocalypse Missile Launcher is a Titan-class support weapon capable of firing volleys of missiles to saturate a wide target area. The superior elevation and mobility of a Battle Titan as a firing platform makes the Apocalypse launcher a surpassingly flexible weapon. When mounted in pairs on the Mars pattern Warlord Titan, the Apocalypse launcher becomes even more deadly.

Supporting the titans was a Mechanicum Ordinatus Ulator.

Mechanicum Ordinatus Ulator

A rare and truly arcane weapon system of staggering power, the Mechanicum Ordinatus Ulator is of the smaller classes of Ordinatus, but nevertheless is one of the most potent war machines at the Imperium’s disposal.

The Ordinatus Ulator carries a trio of Volkite Culverins as its secondary armaments, but its primary weapon is the Ulator class Sonic Destructor. A terrifying weapon whose origins lie in the shadows of the Age of Strife, the Sonic Destructor generates a wave of annihilation that wreaks havoc across the battlefield.

Attack on the Titan

There are a range of huge dioramas in Warhammer World in Nottingham. One of them involved Imperial Titans attacking a T’au base.

Imperial Titans attacking a T'au base

The Reaver Titan was marching forward despite being repeatedly attacked by T’au forces.

Imperial Titans attacking a T'au base

T’au battlesuits  flew over the attacking forces attempting to stop them.

Imperial Titans attacking a T'au base

It was an impressive display and included a huge T’au Manta as well. The scenery is excellent representing a T’au base or colony.

Imperial Knight attacking against T’au forces

There was a huge display of Tau forces defending themselves against an attacking force of Imperial Knights.

Imperial Knight attacking against T'au forces

The Imperial Knights did appear to be significantly outnumbered, but were holding their own. I really like the Imperial Knight models and nice to see them in big scale compared to the Epic ones I have somewhere…

Imperial Knight

Fighting for the T’au was the KV128 Stormsurge.

KV128 Stormsurge

An absolute colossus of a machine, piloted by graduates of the Ves’oni’Vash, the KV128 Stormsurge is designed as an extreme heavy-weapons platform. Not as manoeuvrable as a Riptide, instead relying on thick armour and devastating loadouts, these hulking, squat ballistic suits are capable of changing the course of a battle in seconds with a decisive volley of astonishing firepower. Fitted with thrusters to counter recoil, bristling with pulse weaponry and missile pods, the Stormsurge is the T’au Empire’s Titan-killer.

It was an impressive display and included a huge T’au Manta as well. The scenery is excellent representing a T’au base or colony.

Tau Manta

A finished and painted Tau Manta at Warhammer World.

The Manta measures 630mm/25 inches long and has a wingspan of 860mm/34 inches! Weighing in at 12.5 kilos/28 pounds, it weighs six times as much as a Thunderhawk Gunship.

This is one big model. I was never sure how you could use it in games, the weight must make it challenging to use in tabletop games.

au Manta at Warhammer World

I certainly don’t have the funds to buy one, and no time to build and paint one. As it comes with two Devilfish, two Hammerheads, eight Battlesuits and six Gun Drones, I don’t think I would even have the time to build and paint those.

Bring back the Epic version, well bring back a version for Adeptus Titanicus.

How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Tau Empire

Citadel have released another guide on painting Citadel Miniatures, this time to coincide with the release of the Tau miniatures this one is (as you might have guessed) is about painting the Tau.

How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Tau Empire

The valiant Fire Warriors, advanced battlesuits and sleek vehicles of the Tau Empire fight at the forefront of their great Third Sphere Expansion. In this Army Workshop, the talented Studio army painters demonstrate how to paint a varied selection of Tau Empire miniatures using the Citadel paint range. Example miniatures featured in this extensive painting guide include Commander Farsight and a mighty Riptide Battlesuit painted in the colours of the T’au Sept.

Always think it is useful to know the paints that others have used, so you can at least get a similar effect.

Get the How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Tau Empire guide in the iTunes Store.

Codex: Tau Empire – now available

Codex: Tau Empire is out and now available for your iPad. Can be a quick and easy way to get hold of the Codex and certainly useful.

Codex Tau Empire

Codex: Tau Empire is your comprehensive guide to unleashing the might of the Tau upon the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. This volume introduces the four Tau castes, the Ethereals, and their mercenary allies. This dynamic race has begun its Third Sphere Expansion, setting forth into the stars to grow the borders of their burgeoning empire and bring the Greater Good to the galaxy. This digital codex includes interactive miniatures galleries, lavish full colour artwork, and full rules for fielding an army of the Tau Empire on the battlefield.

Certainly at £29.99 it’s basically the same price as the printed version, so time to make a choice. Useful to have on the iPad if your opponent is Tau as you can switch very quickly to the digital version and not have to worry about carrying lots of heavy books around.

Update

Get the updated version: Codex T’au Empire Enhanced Edition