Ailaros wrote:
Yes, regular tacs can use stormbolters, they just can't do so relentlessly (shhh). It's a two-handed vs. one-handed kind of thing.

Anyways, to the OP, what's wrong with a pintle super-small arm? Pintling will make any gun easier to shoot when it's on a vehicle, and not all vehicle mounted weapons are as large as they can possibly be and still fit on the turret. I mean, why does the humvee have lugs for only a .50 cal machine gun when they could have a pintle 20mm cannon, or pintle 25-pounder?

 DanielBeaver wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Daniel, that's excellent. Where'd it come from?

Pentagon Wars, an HBO movie from '98. It's a great illustration of how the design process can go awry when you start having the "why not just add..." conversation. The rhino always struck me as a most practical vehicle compared to a lot of other 40k tanks (and not surprising, since it's clearly inspired by the M113 and other similar APCs). The fluff described a Storm Bolter as being similar in function and performance to something like an LMG, so it seems perfectly at home as a little pintle-mounted weapon. Being small and sharing ammunition with the embarked squad's weapon are very attractive features - it means you don't significantly increase the rhino's profile, or use up much of it's internal volume. Once you start bolting on heavy weapons, you need to start carrying ammunition (or reactors/power cells), you need to build up supporting structures for it, add a turret, weight, etc. It's odd that this thread has come up, because we DO have a hybrid vehicle in the fluff - the Razorback, which has a big damn gun on top, but can't carry as many troops, and doesn't have a lot of armor. Similar to the Bradley (which, incidentally, has proven itself to be a lot more useful of a vehicle than the impression that the movie gives you).

 Wyzilla wrote:

 Xenomancers wrote:

 DanielBeaver wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Daniel, that's excellent. Where'd it come from?

Pentagon Wars, an HBO movie from '98. It's a great illustration of how the design process can go awry when you start having the "why not just add..." conversation. The rhino always struck me as a most practical vehicle compared to a lot of other 40k tanks (and not surprising, since it's clearly inspired by the M113 and other similar APCs). The fluff described a Storm Bolter as being similar in function and performance to something like an LMG, so it seems perfectly at home as a little pintle-mounted weapon. Being small and sharing ammunition with the embarked squad's weapon are very attractive features - it means you don't significantly increase the rhino's profile, or use up much of it's internal volume. Once you start bolting on heavy weapons, you need to start carrying ammunition (or reactors/power cells), you need to build up supporting structures for it, add a turret, weight, etc. It's odd that this thread has come up, because we DO have a hybrid vehicle in the fluff - the Razorback, which has a big damn gun on top, but can't carry as many troops, and doesn't have a lot of armor. Similar to the Bradley (which, incidentally, has proven itself to be a lot more useful of a vehicle than the impression that the movie gives you).

Bradley is a damn fine vehicle.

If you like riding around in bait that dies to a light breeze that can't even transport your full squad, then sure.

Bradley's are fantastic for smacking up impoverished terrorists, but it's gonna fold if it ever is used in an actual war in the likes of WWII. Bloody thing is made of aluminum and gets gutted by RPG's.