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I'm very new to this, so I was hoping for some advice in using my Aquila Lander to its full potential.

Please refrain from the obvious, "Drop it and use it for an impressive reconstruction of the scenery piece..." or "Leave it at home and bring a..."
If you know what I've put myself through with this fething kit, you'd get why I want to use it now and then.

It can carry seven figures, if I recall correctly, what could I feasibly put in there to make it worthwhile?
The front weapon is Heavy Bolter or Autocannon or Multilaser. That's it. It's also now lost the cloaking ability.

Typically we play 1000-1500 point games which in my case are infantry-heavy...
I'm not expecting to to turn it into a Valkyrie, but putting it to more efficient use than a taxi for CCS would be nice.
Thanks for any input.

Oh my god...
The original assembler deserves a nice probing.
How about a Meltagun or Plasma Gun special weapon squad in there?

I didn't mention in that topic, that at some point it had also been covered in tea/coffee. Not for aesthetic effect, it was just splattered with it.

I'd not thought of meltas (my short sightedness because I only own one), but that could be quite fun. Just pop them out and bother a tank...

I'd agree with above posters. Some kind of squad who wants to get up close and personal. Fun things include:

Demolitions veterans with melta guns

Special weapons squads with 3 demolition charges

Inquisitor and retinue with...?

Culexus assassin for zooming 12" no psychic power bubbles

Beautiful model, well done on getting it back to glory.

I'm very tempted to sweep in with absolutely nothing useful in it apart from a Lord Commissar, and just use it for a grand entrance.
"I have arrived, you may now begin."

However my next big event has me playing as part of a 4 person team, and they are not overly keen on me wasting 110pts just to showboat.

Two ideas:

1) Plasma/melta command squad shuttle. Like a valk, except cooler and not as good.

2) put warlord in, fly around at high speed doing nothing useful but hiding warlord, and giving your opponents anti air something besides valks to shoot at..

The demo SWS squad. Yes. "Whats in that?" "SWS" "LOL!!1! SWS are the useless!OMG!!" *BOOM*

One thing worth mentioning is that unlike Valkyries, it has the Deep Strike rule. You could use them in the same sort of role as a Drop Pod - Deep Strike it in Hover Mode with a Veteran or Company Command Squad kitted out with Specials right where you want them*.

* Scatter roll dependent of course

I can definitely see why you would want to use it.

Perhaps you can try a unit I regularily throw into any flyer I have in a list. In the case of an aquila lander it is actually a dedicated transport for the unit and thus doesn't take a FA slot. That could be worthwhile to create an Air Cav list.

Company Command Squad (120pts) Flak Armour, 4x Plasma Gun, Company Commander

For this purpose I would make sure this is not your warlord unit, either make a sarge in a blobb infantry squad the warlord or use the second HQ slot for the unit.

This unit is brutally effective if they can get within 12" of a target. There is an excellent chance they will get in range of something good with a flyer transport. Depending on the target this unit has 8 Str7 AP2 BS4 shots with either ignore cover or tank/monster hunters. This unit will on average half decimate any of the major units in the game (imperial knights, wraithknights, etc.) or almost assuredly decimate things like scatbikes and cult mech destroyers.

Thankfully one thing I can get is Plasma! I'll give that a test for sure.

All sorts of tomfoolery being discussed at the moment, including using this as a confusing distraction containing very little, and popping out a Hades Drill...

"Look at the Aquila, look at the Aquila, the Aquila, the the Aquila, not around the Aquila, don't look around the Aquila, look at the Aquila, you're under. I have not been drilling under your position, and am not about to pop out over here and ruin your day..."

Put it at the back of the board on a Skyshield and use it as the focal point of a "fall of Saigon"-style scenario.

Or use it as a "fluffy" transport for an Inquisitor and retinue.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
Put it at the back of the board on a Skyshield and use it as the focal point of a "fall of Saigon"-style scenario.

Or use it as a "fluffy" transport for an Inquisitor and retinue.

Oh, thhbbbtt...

I'm loading up with Tanith plasma having managed to grab a half dozen of the little suckers.

Though when not being thematic, you're absolutely right, quizzies all the way. My only issue is that Gideon Lorr is my main fella and fluff-wise he just.. is a big bag of crazy who wouldn't get in a vehicle with a visible navvy.

My friends managed to piss on my dream talk me out of pairing it with the breaching drill.

interesting thought is you load it with stormtroopers and they show up to the party from reserves and derp someone in the face with hotshot volley guns

Buttery, after your stellar work in recovering what was a load of rubbish, i suggest sticking a lone Quizzie inside.

Keep the lander flying around and:
1) if you are winning, drop the quizzie turn 5 or so to claim the spoils of war from the bloodied hands of your workhorse guard.

Or
2) if you are loosing have him say 'toodlepip old chums' and fly off the board.

Of course if you want to get stuck in then transporting plasma guys is a grand idea too.

Ether wrote:
Culexus assassin for zooming 12" no psychic power bubbles

Since it can deep strike, this is probably one of the most efficient uses for it.

 Mr. Burning wrote:
Buttery, after your stellar work in recovering what was a load of rubbish, i suggest sticking a lone Quizzie inside.

Keep the lander flying around and:
1) if you are winning, drop the quizzie turn 5 or so to claim the spoils of war from the bloodied hands of your workhorse guard.

Or
2) if you are loosing have him say 'toodlepip old chums' and fly off the board.

Of course if you want to get stuck in then transporting plasma guys is a grand idea too.

This fella(?) gets it.

Thankfully the first outing is going to be fellowship-based and not super competitive.

Ha!

Stick something REALLY derpy in there but make a really big deal about it coming in.

Have it flanked by Valks or other Air support.

Don't worry about the casualties.

(Thinking about this makes me want to reform my guard - sniff!)

I do own a fabulous cross-dressing commissar, but sadly it's not made from GW parts.

I'm taking on board all the serious responses as well, folks! I just have very limited time to get a team painted up, so have to grin and bear it with what I've got done.

Put a demo SWS in it and look for a target of opportunity. (Since you'll probably only get one shot).

You can convert a few demo guys for cheap/quick. And the combo could prove to be a surprise to an unprepared opponent.