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I'm building me a squad of tankbustas, and I mostly model without too much consideration for gameplay, but it's starting to creep into the way I'm building my army. So I'm curious, how do you loadout your tankbustas? Are they typically close-combat, ranged or some combo thereof? Barebones vs. Nobz w/ Klawz, tankhammers, etc? Have they been successful? I might also add that I'm really not that into vehicles (I know, I know...), so if they're only useful in a trukk, I'd be curious to hear that too. Thanks!

I keep em barebones for me, roughly 6-8 in a trukk. Tankhammas are redundant and too pricy, most targets you're aiming for the tankbusta bombs will do more damage or flat out ignore their armour and the tankhamma is unwieldy anyways so you can't. Worst of all you trade out your rokkit launcha so you lose damage output in the shooting phase. They're effectively very efficient suicide units, which means you keep them slim so even if they get wiped its not too much of a loss in investment, particularly given that they're only as survivable as a 6 point boy at over double the cost.

I am sad to say that generally speaking, given their short range and their ability to let loose a salvo and charge into a vehicle or MC afterwards to finish it off, a vehicle is their best of doing so. There's a few ways you can try getting around this (giving them outflank via Mogrok's Boss Boyz) but even in cases like this they're better off having a vehicle to ensure your opponent can't ignore or outright wipe them from the table before they can do anything.

I use tankbustas a great deal and have found them to be best served in a gun wagon (if you are allowed to bring it) with no upgrades other than a bomb squig or two. I like to bring at least 6. I only ever use them to take out vehicles and most of the time they will die in this task so I find giving them a nob or tankhammers to defeat the point. If you cant bring gun wagons then bring them in MSU squads in trukks.

I avoid the tankhammer because its 15 points for something the melta bomb will do better at. If they end up in a combat with something thats not a vehicle or MC I made a mistake in their movement.

The bomb squigs are a solid investment for 5 points each. They have earned their points back a great deal in how all, but ensure a hit on the target.

As many as you can afford in a Trukk. Don't bother with Tankhammers (they all come with Meltabombs anyway), Bomb Squigs are not necessary though can come in handy for a few reliable hits and if you have a Nob just give him a Bosspole (since he'll have a Rokkit and Meltabomb already).

I know you said you're not into vehicles, but the Trukk really helps them zip around the battlefield and get into position to shoot vehicles. Plus you can assault out of them into a vehicle to blow it up with the meltabombs when you really need to kill something (like an Imperial Knight).

If you take one or two of those rokkit hammers then it"s not necessary to take a pk on the nob. Big choppa or normal choppa will do fine. Bomb squigs are good since they rarely miss. Other then that or even without any of it you are still fine. What makes these guys shine is that every model in the unit has melts bombs. Any vehicle, building, gun emplacement or monstrous creature you assault is going to be removed from the table.

15 in a battlewagon. Really expensive, but when something needs to die, it needs to die.

Huge bullet magnet, though..:(

Squad if 6 or 8 with bp nob (no other upgrades ) in a warkopta, when talking about transports that can get to the enemy the fastest and with most style, then nuthin beats out the warkoptas.

10 of em, a nob with boss pole AND most importantly, a gun wagon with a ram.

13 front armour, 12 side and enough protection to keep them alive while they kill everything!

i dont get the point of tankbusta's tankhammer. Its high strength but ass for AP despite it literally being a rokkit on a stick and its expensive/unwieldy.

Tankbustas are usually best left bare in a trukk. Think along the lines of a MANz missile with'm, theyre point is theyre deadly enough even at low numbers to do some serious damage, or draw a lot of attention. Difference between the two? Tankbustas dont HAVE to charge or even get out of the trukk, so they may not be as powerful technically but theyre much much more versatile.
Both want to be really cheap so they dont feel like a huge loss when they die. Low enough costs also make people NOT want to deal with them right off the bat because its not a very high points advantage to kill them.

I always run one squad with bomb squigs and the rest bare bones, to try and get the Glory Hogs FB on a rhino or something.

My preferred load-out is a min sized unit of 5+ Tankbustas, w/ Nob, BP, in a Trukk. Add Bombsquigs to taste. I always take them; 5pts for a one-use Str8 AP4 attack that always hits on 2+? Yes please.

the_scotsman wrote:
I always run one squad with bomb squigs and the rest bare bones, to try and get the Glory Hogs FB on a rhino or something.

I tend to forget that rule.

Normally I use on or two squads. Either 8 in a Big Trakk/ Junka or 6 in a trukk. I never give 'em a nob or any other upgrade but squig bombs. They perform marvelous against both vehicles and units with a 3+ save. For some reason my tankbustas always shoot 'like marines' scoring hits way above their statistical capacity.

tbh thats probably the only way theyre going to get that rule.

Orks not going first usualy always give up firstblood, especially if theres trukks around. Tankbustas killing a vehicle turn 1 is rare as it is due to terrible BS and not many options after moving 6" to avoid snapping. Bomb Squigs can somewhat mitigate that problem and if you can snag that rule wee free points!

5 naked on foot or 15 with Nob, Bosspole, and BC on foot.

Last game I took one 5 ork mob and two 15 ork mobs. The 15's did way more than 3 times the damage of the 5 Ork Mob. Tried and failed to get First Blood on a vehicle (drop pod) but ended up focusing on the contents of the pod first!

I've gotten that extra point exactly once but it's fun bragging rights and about a billion times better than their former crippling Glory Hogs rule.

I suppose it's unnecessary because it's true that a mistake was made if the opponent ties this squad into melee with troops. Mistakes happen and I don't mind having at least one hidden ID weapon which turns out to be on a non character model allowing the nob to duel at his normal initiative.

Some of my favourite moments have been running my bustas with a weird boy with da jump. If you get kill bolt too, even better.
Leaping into the backfield to take out high value targets is utterly demoralising for an opponent who was relying on that str 10 large blast. Plus glory hogs and bomb squigs. I always take as many bomb squigs as I can, nothing beats hitting on 2+, with tank hunter.

I build mine ready to smack tankbusta bombs on tanks and imperial knights. They also fire some rokkits at the enemy and statistically they are some of the best units against against eldar. I like to give them a nob with bosspole and perhaps a squighound or two. I like to take severtal smaller units. They work a whole lot better when in an open topped transport vehicle.

For modelling ideas I would suggest some maniacally swinging with tankbusta bombs, and maybe one squig handler. And maybe convert a trukk with trigger happy tankbustas.

Most of mine are holding their rokkits in a firm grip, but that is due to it being the easiest way to show the models as being tank bustas.

During the game last Thursday night my 5 Ork TB mob shot and assaulted a 3 strong Tau Stealth Suit unit. I won combat and they failed Ld and ran off the board. only lost 2 Boyz. On the next turn they assaulted a second squad of 3 in cover two levels up in a ruin to absorb overwatch so my 15 Ork TB mob could assault. I had to conga line them straight back from the ruin since the closest model couldn't see through the floor but his buddy 5" away could see the a single stealth suit through a window. So one mob helped destroy two units. A fair trade.

I apologize if this counts as thread necromancy, but have opinions on tankbustas or their loadouts changed since the release of the FAQ? I don't play all that often, but when I do get a chance, I'd like to be ready to deal out the most damage possible w/ my rocket-wielding lads.

My opinion hasn't changed, yet. I'm waiting until the official and final FAQ is up.

I think the overall rule for Ork units still applies: keep them cheap.

If I was in an area with a lot of Knights and marines I would use the tankhammers every game...but otherwise I think the best bet is as many min sized squads in trukks is the best route.