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Indeed, looking at some pics of the FW manta I can understand why you doubt it! It's absolutely huge (can't understand what it's use is in game?)!

My only guess is that he may have mistaken it for a Barracuda or Orca...

1.) While the Tiger Shark seems the more likely big Tau flyer, if done at all, I personally really like the Orca, more sexy than the Storm Raven
And it has an official (Epic) Rocket Gunship version, the Scorpionfish (2 x Twin Linked Missile Pod, 2 x Smart Missile System, Tracer Missiles, Interceptor Missiles, Seeker Missiles, Multiple Markerlights, no transport capacity, see pic) and the Dragonfish Command Vehicle (floating HQ with Ion Cannon, 2 x Twin Linked Burst Cannons, Seeker Missiles).



2.) There were some vague rumours, that GW will make more terrain for 40k and Warhammer Fantasy. Now that would be something useful!

I really hesitate to say if the Tiger Shark would make it in for the flyer expansion. It just doesn't fit with the rest of what we've heard in regards to this flyer expansion.

Sure, it fits the criteria of being a flyer and all, but it's also pretty much a dedicated ground attack craft/heavy bomber like the Marauder/Marauder Destroyer.

The Barracuda though just seems to fit with the other rumored aircraft(Thunderbolt, Void Dragon, the Dark Eldar fighter/bombers, etc) in being both an air combat capable flyer and a ground support aircraft.

Tiger Shark, Orca and Thunderhawk are long term perspectives, not for this summer. Only Barracuda seems likely for Tau then.

Kanluwen wrote:The Barracuda though just seems to fit with the other rumored aircraft(Thunderbolt, Void Dragon, the Dark Eldar fighter/bombers, etc) in being both an air combat capable flyer and a ground support aircraft.

Well at least it was featured in Soulstorm, maybe GW will try to capitalise on the only non-marine flyer in that game that didn't compleetly suck.

HoverBoy wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:The Barracuda though just seems to fit with the other rumored aircraft(Thunderbolt, Void Dragon, the Dark Eldar fighter/bombers, etc) in being both an air combat capable flyer and a ground support aircraft.

Well at least it was featured in Soulstorm, maybe GW will try to capitalise on the only non-marine flyer in that game that didn't compleetly suck.

I loved the Fighta-Bomber, thought it was pretty fun to watch everyone get tossed around all the time.

Fighta-bomma and Thunderbolt are two of the models that come up every time the "Summer of Fliers" thing gets mentioned. I hope if the whole thing is for real that Chaos Marines will get something too.

Maybe a hell blade?

The recent pics in WD of an Ultramarine TH on the landing pad look odd to me.

The fact that the canopy/windows have been painted in seems odd considering the cockpit detail on offer in the current FW kit. It just doesn't look right.

To be fair though i haven't sat down and tried to compare the details to look for any differences. I don't own a marine army and not really that bothered.

A plastic Eldar Scorpion with gun barrels that don't go soft and droop at above room temperature, now thats more like it!

johnstewartjohn wrote:Maybe a hell blade?

More likely that they'd get a Thunderhawk, along with the Loyalist Marines.

There just isn't many aircraft for either of those two that are actually operated by the Astartes.

Thought most of the other rumours so far are pointing to a fighter/ bomber WD supplement? With the storm raven being the marine release?

Plastic Tiger Sharks & Barracuda's maybe?
Be nice to see.
Manta I doubt but Tetra and Remora's would be a nice addition.

johnstewartjohn wrote:Thought most of the other rumours so far are pointing to a fighter/ bomber WD supplement? With the storm raven being the marine release?

Stormraven comes out next month, along with the Blood Angels Dreadnought kit.

So I highly doubt it's a WD supplement, unless they just gloss over Marines for a unit release.

Kanluwen wrote:

johnstewartjohn wrote:Thought most of the other rumours so far are pointing to a fighter/ bomber WD supplement? With the storm raven being the marine release?

Stormraven comes out next month, along with the Blood Angels Dreadnought kit.

So I highly doubt it's a WD supplement, unless they just gloss over Marines for a unit release.

If that’s so then I can’t see them not doing a marine release. So that only leaves the thunder hawk.

It might be a WD/online supplement, ala Spearhead.

I can see that happening...

Alpharius wrote:It might be a WD/online supplement, ala Spearhead.

I can see that happening...

Clarification:
You mean the actual rules in White Dwarf, and a supplemental supplement available online?

Also: Spearhead didn't really introduce entirely "new" rules like flyers would. Existing units were just allowed in different quantities and given some special rules.

Good point - I still can't see a new rulebook/flyer supplement making a lot of sense, or selling enough to justify its existence...

Alpharius wrote:Good point - I still can't see a new rulebook/flyer supplement making a lot of sense, or selling enough to justify its existence...

I think it depends on what price point we see it at or how it's set-up.

If it's "Codex: Flyer Battles" and just includes supplemental rules to use flyers(and ONLY flyers) then I can't see it working too well.

If it's "Hostile Skies" and marketed like Planetstrike or Cities of Death and features flyers, anti-aircraft defenses, rules for full out aerial assaults, etc...I could see it working well with the same crowd that enjoyed COD+Planetstrike(aka: the folks who like doing big, lengthy campaigns tying into a big overarching storyline).

Lets not discount the possibility that GW would release a Space Marine fighter plane type vehicle- vis. the enclosed cockpit single seat landspeeder air support vehicle. I know this hasn't appeared anywhere else- its just conjecture/ speculation from my sick little mind.

Lionshammer wrote:Lets not discount the possibility that GW would release a Space Marine fighter plane type vehicle- vis. the enclosed cockpit single seat landspeeder air support vehicle. I know this hasn't appeared anywhere else- its just conjecture/ speculation from my sick little mind.

The Tempest is basically obsolete at this point. Its armament is available to standard Land Speeders.

Plus, Space Marines seem to trend towards "multi-role" vehicles for the most part.

Lets remember though, Planet Strike was a flop. (At least in my area and from what I read). Maybe it will be a smaller book this time with more of a new model focus?

Planetstrike was a flop because GW forgot about it the month after it was released. A month later they gave coverage to Planetary Empires and then a month later Space Hulk. By that stage Planetstrike was hardly ever mentioned. It’s another in a long line of examples of GW epic-failing when it comes to promoting their own products, taking their audience as granted, and misusing their monthly publication.

Anyway, A Tigershark in plastic is unlikely IMO. It is a big super-heavy, like Kan said, and wouldn’t fit as a release. I think each race will get a basic combat flier (Thunderhawk, Barracuda, Fighta-Bomba, Nightwing, etc.) and that will be it.

Kanluwen wrote:If it's "Hostile Skies" and marketed like Planetstrike or Cities of Death and features flyers, anti-aircraft defenses, rules for full out aerial assaults, etc...I could see it working well with the same crowd that enjoyed COD+Planetstrike(aka: the folks who like doing big, lengthy campaigns tying into a big overarching storyline).

Planetstrike was the aerial assault expansion – whole armies Deep Striking to bypass carefully constructed defensive lines. I think we’re looking more at a WD expansion.

Hostile Skies is a cool name though.

Is the Thunderhawk a super-heavy? It's a fairly large model compared to the other fliers mentioned...

It is. But it's iconic, and the only thing the Marines have.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:If it's "Hostile Skies" and marketed like Planetstrike or Cities of Death and features flyers, anti-aircraft defenses, rules for full out aerial assaults, etc...I could see it working well with the same crowd that enjoyed COD+Planetstrike(aka: the folks who like doing big, lengthy campaigns tying into a big overarching storyline).

Planetstrike was the aerial assault expansion – whole armies Deep Striking to bypass carefully constructed defensive lines. I think we’re looking more at a WD expansion.

Hostile Skies is a cool name though.

STOP THE PRESSES! HBMC and KAN just AGREED! A CELEBRATION IS IN ORDER!

Marine might just get the stormraven. It would require less work and would make some sense. A T-Hawk would dwarf the other fliers. Although I think that they (GW) are going to keep putting fliers into codex updates, as they have for the last 4 and they were all a relative hit.

Yeah but the Storm Raven isn't a 'flyer', much like a Valk isn't a 'flyer'.

And Kan and I agree all the time. It's just that sometimes he's wrong. Nobody's perfect I guess...

But, as we all know, Fast Skimmer= Flyer. There isnt a counter example to this. Has anything been confirmed by GW?

H.B.M.C. wrote:Planetstrike was a flop because GW forgot about it the month after it was released. A month later they gave coverage to Planetary Empires and then a month later Space Hulk. By that stage Planetstrike was hardly ever mentioned. It’s another in a long line of examples of GW epic-failing when it comes to promoting their own products, taking their audience as granted, and misusing their monthly publication.

Anyway, A Tigershark in plastic is unlikely IMO. It is a big super-heavy, like Kan said, and wouldn’t fit as a release. I think each race will get a basic combat flier (Thunderhawk, Barracuda, Fighta-Bomba, Nightwing, etc.) and that will be it.

The only one that really has me stumped is the Necrons. Whatever they get, it'll be brand new in all likelihood.

Fingers crossed for some kind of gigantic biomechanical gargoyle powered by the tears of Pariahs?

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:If it's "Hostile Skies" and marketed like Planetstrike or Cities of Death and features flyers, anti-aircraft defenses, rules for full out aerial assaults, etc...I could see it working well with the same crowd that enjoyed COD+Planetstrike(aka: the folks who like doing big, lengthy campaigns tying into a big overarching storyline).

Planetstrike was the aerial assault expansion – whole armies Deep Striking to bypass carefully constructed defensive lines. I think we’re looking more at a WD expansion.

Hostile Skies is a cool name though.

I hesitate to call Planetstrike the "aerial assault" expansion. I liken it more to a massed airborne assault, rather than an aerial assault.

That probably comes off as kind of weird, but think of the US 101st Airborne during Market Garden/Overlord for the "massed airborne assault" and the "aerial assault" being more akin to Operation Varsity.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Happygrunt wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:If it's "Hostile Skies" and marketed like Planetstrike or Cities of Death and features flyers, anti-aircraft defenses, rules for full out aerial assaults, etc...I could see it working well with the same crowd that enjoyed COD+Planetstrike(aka: the folks who like doing big, lengthy campaigns tying into a big overarching storyline).

Planetstrike was the aerial assault expansion – whole armies Deep Striking to bypass carefully constructed defensive lines. I think we’re looking more at a WD expansion.

Hostile Skies is a cool name though.

STOP THE PRESSES! HBMC and KAN just AGREED! A CELEBRATION IS IN ORDER!

Marine might just get the stormraven. It would require less work and would make some sense. A T-Hawk would dwarf the other fliers. Although I think that they (GW) are going to keep putting fliers into codex updates, as they have for the last 4 and they were all a relative hit.

Thunderhawks aren't as big as you might think, compared to the Barracuda or Thunderbolt/Lightning.

I mean, they're not tiny but they're not that absurdly large.

I liken it more to a massed airborne assault, rather than an aerial assault.

Absolutely. Planetstrike is all about what happens after stuff descends to the ground, and though I enjoy it there's no new aerial or "flier" element to it. Hopefully, that is coming as rumoured.

BrassScorpion wrote:Absolutely. Planetstrike is all about what happens after stuff descends to the ground...

Except it’s not, because the game isn’t centred around ground forces attacking a stronghold. It’s centred around groundforces bypassing the stronghold altogether before they even hit the ground via aerial insertion (ie. Deep Striking).