Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

How do they get back up to the Battle Barges? Has this ever been explained? By my calculations of looking at the model and thinking about how big rockets are for their payload, I imagine something *way* bigger than a Thunderhawk would be needed to bring them back into orbit, at least in one piece.

Transport Thunderhawks are sometimes used to tow them back (the ones that transport landraiders and rhinos)

^What he said.

It was covered in Imperial Armour.
They modify transport thunderhawks for pod retrieval and ferry them back up that way (those that can be recovered).

It only gets done IF they control the battlefield, though. If they get their kiesters kicked, they leave them behind for later retrieval.

Drop pods are one way trips, you need a thunderhawk transporters to recover them.

If you can haul 2 rhino,s or a land raider, you can haul a drop pod up.

Wiki lists a drop pod at 14 tons, a land raider at 72 tons. And 2 rhino,s combined at 60 tons.

How can you struggle to lift a drop pod?

jhe90 wrote:
Drop pods are one way trips, you need a thunderhawk transporters to recover them.

If you can haul 2 rhino,s or a land raider, you can haul a drop pod up.

Wiki lists a drop pod at 14 tons, a land raider at 72 tons. And 2 rhino,s combined at 60 tons.

How can you struggle to lift a drop pod?

He's not talking about weight he's talking about shape, it'd be hard for an activated drop pod to be lifted up by a transport thunderhawk considering the dimensions.

A chinook can lift awkwardly shaped things too, you just need the right gear. It's not a far stretch to say there is probably a rig that has a claw that grabs the pod, and ends up rotating it to secure it to the bottom of the transporter.

I always thought drop pods were use and forget.

Drop Pods are retrieved when possible by Thunderhawk transporters designed for that purpose, but they are largely disposable.

Cool. These all make a lot of sense. The only thing is that I can't imagine Space Marines leaving behind a vehicle - Aren't they super hardcore about recovering *all* of their equipment?

I always imagined that collecting them was the work of the serfs long after the battle when the line has moved forwards.

Closing them up and transferring them to ships to be taken back up.

I also get the impression that under less successful situations they are left behind, probably with some kind of self destruct.

Maybe a tech marine in charge of recovery with serfs and servitors on hand for tasks not be fitting his expertise.

Equipment is valuable, space marine level gear more so.