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Sitting here putting the finishing touches on some Tau tanks, and reached for the flight stand stuff to put them together and...Question: Is there anything other than TFG rage against using the taller flight stems from say a gundrone flight base for a tank? The ones in the box for them barely get them off the ground (Insaniak is gonna love that one, inside joke bro! Love ya! ) and I think on my first two Tau tanks I have them on the higher stems there too, I know at least one is. I don't have any compunctions, the people I play with don't seem to and I know I've pointed it out to them, and I don't think I'll ever bother with tournaments soooo.....I can haz tall stands? I mean were talking like a few millimeters anyway, maybe a third of an inch(?)

Technically it wouldn't be the base it came with, but on a more practical note the longer stems are likely to snap more easily because of physics

Physics, HA! I defy them for my morning stretch! lol. Y'know, I've never had that problem with 'em so far. Strangely. My Hammerhead had some funky modeling on the base part so it has the shorter of the two 'long' flight stem pieces with a specially narrowed top to fit its smaller base slot. Even thinned as it is and enough play-wear to call it 'broken in' it hasn't snapped. I figured it would too being that brittle clear plastic. But I guess yeah they didn't 'come with'...technically...The set comes with drone flight bases for the drones and a short set for the tank without any real distinction! LOL Seriously we get SIX flight stems for THREE semi-aerial models! How was I supposed to know! Do you think it would be modelling for advantage? After all I'll be putting myself OVER most low lying terrain and even some infantry models so I wouldn't get that cover. The model gets its high cover save from Jink and Disruption Pod anyway. I guess you could say it has a higher field of vision/fire? But then the turret is one of the highest set in the game anyway so what does that get me?

Generally it comes down to the environment you're playing in. Most people playing casual games are unlikely to care but in a serious tournament setting - anything that's against the strictest interpretation of the modelling rules might be frowned on.

Personally I'd have no issue with it but the effect on line of sight does make it effect the game. I try and get my skimmers as low to the ground as possible as their speed and range (typhoons in my case) make up for height issues.

As said, it's technically not the right base for the model, so would require your opponent's consent.

The vast majority of players won't care.

Wait... they're supposed to have the short stands?

All of my tau vehicles came with one of each...

My Eldar vehicles came with the small sprue with 2 sizes.

Mine keep getting shorter in any case since I have to re-fit em every time they break.

If it is the skimmer base, they (at least they used to) come with two sizes. They both came with the model so are both legal.

As for snapping stems, I drill the hole on my skimmer to fit ~1/4" down the stem from the break off part. They tend not to break after that, unless it is something serious. You can always pin the bottom if that happens.

Homer

There are at least 6 lengths of flying base stand. The tanks use the smallest set while the longer ones come with drines and jetbikes, etc. However its a good point that the devilfish box at least will come with the full range as it also comes with drones

 Homer S wrote:
If it is the skimmer base, they (at least they used to) come with two sizes. They both came with the model so are both legal.

As for snapping stems, I drill the hole on my skimmer to fit ~1/4" down the stem from the break off part. They tend not to break after that, unless it is something serious. You can always pin the bottom if that happens.

Homer

Yes, I usually do that eventually. But then it tends to break at the bottom (even when pinned). I've also learned to place skimmers not at the edges of tables! Even if I'm careful, someone else will ..

 forrestfire wrote:
Wait... they're supposed to have the short stands?

All of my tau vehicles came with one of each...

There are two different sprues of flight stems, which each have two slightly different length stems on them.

One sprue has shorter stems for tanks, the other has longer stems for jetbikes, drones and the like.