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Hello all this is Cothonian, got another new-guy question;

Recently I have been looking through Forge World's selection of tanks and I stumbled across the Imperial Guard Macharius Vulcan, the huge super heavy with two Mega-Bolters on the turret.

Overall I love the appearance of the vehicle, the general hull and turret layout is very appealing to say the least. However what I've been considering is how useful they are tactically on the field. Overall it appears to be a massive infantry grinder, I'd assume that this with a bunch of anti-vehicle equipped Leman Russ's could make for a fairly effective combination. Of course as of now however I only know it's appearance and only have a rough idea of it's full loadout. Also alongside the tank (which is quite expensive by itself) I would have to purchase another rulebook to gets it's stats.

In summary I love the appearance of this unit, but it is way too expensive to act only as a display piece. So anyone ever use or have to face on of these in battle? Do you think they are worth the investment?

Also for those that have used them, what are your thoughts on tactics?

Only 1 Mega Bolter I'm afraid, despite what the twin-barrel setup looks like.

It's a good unit if you want a Super Heavy but want to save points over a Baneblade for example, but personally I'd go for the Vanquisher variant. Honestly, you're better off going for the Stormlord if you just want a Vulcan Bolter, but the model's fantastic, and can easily put some firepower into your army.

Stormlord has transport cap of 40, 20 can fire out the top, better weapons, better armour/HP, and can fire at dual targets whereas the Macharuis can only fire at one, twice.

I like the macharius vulcan. It is a cheap way to add a double shot vulcan mega bolter to the army. The stormlord is however a better purchase usually as the extra toughness, transport capacity, and the ability to shoot multiple targets are well worth the extra points.

The double shot vulcan mega bolter is a MC and light vehicle murderer. It does well against most types of infantry as well (though a ruins and an ADL can reduce damage dramatically). It can even do decently against flyers. One of the reasons I like this tank though is that it can be taken in a Death Korps of Krieg Assault Brigade list where the enginseer can give the gun +1 to armour penetration.

Those are good points, I'll admit that prior to this post I was unaware that the Stormlord also served as a massive transport, with numerous gun ports for that matter. Having a giant transport thundering down the board unleashing a payload of conscripts into the midst of the foe is an amusing idea as well (though not necessarily good tactics I'll admit. )

The idea of the Macharius Vulcan also being a (relatively) inexpensive Monstrous Creature killer is very appealing, as I have heard that those are often the weak point of the Imperial Guard.

Well thank you for the input guys! Greatly appreciated! Now to figure out which one to eventually get... probably a lot more reading on my part before I make any final decisions.

I'll admit though, I still much prefer the looks of the Macharius to the Stormlord.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I just remembered one more question that I meant to ask, how well do you guys think the Macharius Vulcan would fare against a Tau Riptide? The Macharius would likely have Leman Russ's and assorted infantry in support, the Riptide would likely have Crisis Suits and Fire Warriors in support.

I ask because my opponent is Tau, and I think it will only be a matter of time before he gets a Riptide.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! Greatly appreciated!

-Praise The Emperor-

Against a Riptide, probably not that well.

Using IA: Third Edition, we get 15 shots, of which 8 will hit at BS3

With those 8 hits, on average 4 will wound.

Ap3 against 2+ save means less than 1 wound per round, maybe 2 if you're double-tapping.

Not good considering it's 405 points that you've sunk into a 200 point Riptide (or close enough). If it had Rending (and I'm pretty sure it used to) then it'd be a pretty awesome MC hunter, but not that good as it stands.

Vulcan doesn't do well against the riptide. It will murder the broadsides, crisis suits, and firewarriors though. It will also be a pain for your opponent to remove. Against a riptide you will usually want plasma of some form (leman russ executioner is very good).

The ability to knock out the Crisis Suits and Broadsides if a major perk to say the least. In regards to being a pain to remove, even if my opponent kills it the vehicle turns into a giant roadblock hehe.