Easy Build Resilient Resistance



Some little tweaks have appeared!


The brand new Resistance Starter Army is currently up for pre-order, and it’s a real bumper box! With about twice as many models in as it used to have, it’s also seen a price cut, in what could arguably be called “the best thing to happen in 2020” and actually not be hyperbole!

But how on Earth did we manage to cram more stuff in for less money? Well, we had a chat with Dave about revisiting some old designs to make them cast easier and in fewer pieces. Not only does that mean we can fit more in the box, but as a Starter Army, it’s also easier to assemble, which is always nice.

By Air



First of all we can see that the Lifthawk now comes in a crazy two pieces.

Dave selected his delete key and got rid of a couple of the engines on the side! The engines still have the same rotating mechanism, but this version has them moulded on like this. The little fins have also been removed, making this basically a single piece aircraft!

We wanted to keep the option to take this big transport without the weapons (although, let’s face it, is anyone actually using it without the AA Cannons? They’re so helpful), so there’s a little sensor on the top which the cannons sit neatly over.

By Sea



The ubiquitous Kraken also saw a bit of a redesign, with the engines tucked into the sides in order to cast in one piece. We kept the ramp separate still, and it’s on the same hooks as before, so it can still be modelled up, down, or not glued on for both!



The Kraken is a brand new hovercraft commander for the Resistance, and from the start we knew that we wanted to use this chassis for more than just the one vehicle. So the version you can buy separately has the top as a separate piece which can swap out to make either the Hydra or the Circe, depending on your army needs. However, to keep the part count low in the Starter Army, we elected to make a different version in a single piece.



The hovercrafts also differ a bit from their separate cousins in that they have flat bottoms! Not that you ever see the bottoms of the others, but both have fans sculpted on the underneath. In fact, it’s so rare to see them that in a little behind-the-scenes gossip, the studio painted ones don’t even have the bottoms painted! :O

Having a flat bottom on the hovercraft isn’t just to save you painting time, it means they can be cast in a different way, meaning we can get more in a mould with more consistent results in casting. All that together means you get more stuff for less cost in your Starter Army!

By Land



By now a lot of you have noticed that the Jacksons are a little different in this set too.

This actually wasn’t a way to make things easier or more numerous, it was just something we thought was cool! A little while ago Dave sculpted a Kalium version of the Jackson (coming soon), and we loved it so much we asked him to make some more!

The Jacksons are a weird mix of military and private ownership, often used pre-war by security companies, and we wanted to reflect that in the models. Considering the Gun Wagons in the set are all quite random, we thought it’d be cool to give a few more variants of Jackson.

At the moment these are exclusive to the Starter Army, although with Kalium variants coming in the future, it’s safe to say you’ll be able to get them outside of this box eventually. You get 2 of each in the Starter Army, and while the official scheme has them all in military grey, we think they’d look great in all sorts of colours to fit with the more scrappy nature of some Resistance forces.



There we have it! With a few cunning changes by Dave, we’ve managed to double the contents of this Starter Army, and bring it down in cost. Now you can start any faction in Dropzone Commander and have a similar entry cost. That means it’s all about who you think is coolest!

And not to worry, if you still love the original designs, they’ll still all be available separately, but obviously the Starter Army is the best way to… well, to start an army!

Are you excited by the new Resistance? Fancy a buzzing army of hovercraft? Make sure to pre-order your Starter Army now, and let us know if you’re going to be a Kalium conscript, Scourge occupation veteran, or a Vega Scrapfleet ground militia fighter!

Teaser Armstrong Tuesday



The Resistance are getting some old old old reinforcements this week!


If you’ve left the colonies, been fighting against the jellies, or otherwise avoiding abandonists and space hedgehogs, it goes without saying that you’re probably a Resistance player!

If you’ve been playing this ragtag crew (or hardcore military regime, depending on your preference) in Dropfleet Commander, you’ve already got access to a lot of toys. From modular Cruisers to the biggest Battleship in the game, there are plenty of things to choose from!

Although the newest Dropfleet faction haven’t yet caught up with the other races, but this week we’ll be taking one more step closer towards rectifying that!



Introducing the new Armstrong Destroyer! Actually, there are three different variants here.

Aldrin Colony Ship



The Aldrin is a robust little ship, dating back around 3 centuries in its design. It’s big and chunky, and designed for jetting out to find new systems. Ships like these would make blind foldspace jumps, hoping to come across a habitable place to colonise. They’re hardy enough to survive years in the void, and come fully equipped with enough space to house a whole colony’s worth of drop craft.

Armstrong Destroyer



The Armstrong Destroyer is an expeditionary vessel, usually the first into a star system, armed with an HF-8 Clearance Laser used for breaking up asteroids and other orbital dangers to help its fellow ships manoeuvre to their designated drop sites.

Of course, a laser like that is more use nowadays blasting ships apart!

Collins Support Carrier



And rounding off the trio is the Collins. A support ship through and through, the Collins is filled to bursting with fuel tanks and repair stations, making it invaluable on long-range missions. It’s able to repair and refuel smaller fighters on the fly, making it extremely useful to admirals trying to make the most out of their meagre stock of old-tech launch craft.



We thought you’d want to see how big this one is, so here you go!

This new set of Destroyers (although technically only one is a full-blown Destroyer) is out this Friday!

Not only does the set come with the options to make 3 of each class, but all those bridges are modular too, so you can make all sorts of different looking ships. You don’t even have to put a bridge on at all, making the classic “straight out of the shipyard” looking colony ship!

We’ll be back later this week to have a closer look at the models and the rules, so make sure to stop by then! In the meantime, feel free to have a look round the ever-growing selection of Resistance ships (or other ships if you like!) already on the TTCombat webstore!

Resistance Destroyers – What Do?



The Resistance colony ships are coming in tomorrow!


Open the doors, duct tape the landing ramp and get ready, because three new Resistance ships are arriving for pre-order tomorrow in the webstore.

But what exactly do they do? And why should you care? Well, read on to find out!

Aldrin Colony Ship
First of all, the “bare bones” version, as it were.



The Aldrin is our idea of what an old EAA colony ship would look like. Those that got sent out into the depths of space to find new habitable worlds to colonise.

Of course, with that in mind, it had to be tough and chunky.



With a nasty 6 Hull the Aldrin is right up there with the PHR Destroyers for hardiness. And a massive 2+ save makes it very tough! Of course, it has Ablative Armour so that 2+ can get crippled, but it’s still very tough!

It has a decent Scan, but is one of the slowest Destroyers on the block. And carrying on the Resistance style of poor Point Defence too. All in all, it’s very tough! The Aldrin is also able to enter Atmosphere, which makes it even more survivable. Very nice!

And what’s that? 2 Bulk Landers?! Niiiiice. That also means you’ll be able to free up your Cruisers for more offensive roles. Always handy!

Collins Support Carrier
Onto possibly the weirdest one next.



The Collins is something very different to what we’ve seen before, but a continuation of what started with the Lighters, and actually even the Gladiator. The Resistance have such varied Cruisers and Frigates that we wanted their more “stock” ships to have very specific roles.

So here’s a ship that fills a 100% support role. And it does so like this:



By boosting nearby fighters! Keeping fighters after using their Point Defence is something we’ve seen a tiny bit of before (UCM Command Cards I’m looking at you), but here’s a ship that does it all the time!

Armstrong Destroyer
And finally, the one with the big gun!



The Armstrong was originally manufactured for clearing orbital debris and asteroids for the other ships to safely get to their drop sites. Of course, clearing debris is a very time-consuming thing, so in the heat of battle, it’s best to direct those lasers towards enemy ships instead!



The Resistance are getting a burnthrough laser! Not only that, but it’s a Mauler type as well.

For those that don’t play Shaltari, a Mauler type weapon has a Lock value equal to the target’s armour value. So those with better armour will be more easily hurt than those with light armour! Otherwise a Mauler weapon works as a standard Burnthrough weapon, so can do up to 6 Damage in one attack. Although Maulers are always Close Action weapons too, so you’re going to have to get close.

Still, the Armstrong punches pretty well above its weight, and is definitely going to be a bit of a thorn in the side of your opponents!



So there we have it, a little info on our new Destroyers! The Resistance sure are in for a treat, bringing some nasty tricks with them. Although you’ll have to plan your fleet a little around these ships, we think it’s well worth including some to mess with your opponents. 2 Bulk Landers from Atmo! :O

These little beauties will be going live tomorrow (usual time is around 3pm for those sitting there hitting refresh), so make sure to pop over to the TTCombat webstore to get yours then!