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.

I got my two Imperial Cruisers today, but no instructions came with them. While the models are simple enough to not really require any, I am curious as to how you can crank seven variants out of so few parts.

Oh, I should probably add that I bought these for Rogue Trader purposes.

I've magnetised my cruisers thusly:


1. ingredients...


2. magnets from first4magnets.com, fast and cheap, recommended.


3. drilling the holes.


4. magnet fitted.



5. weapon bays, including the pesky hanger bays, with some cross barring staple bits.


6. some fully magnetised cruisers.


7. fleet assembled...


8. blue fleet of death...

Oooh, nice.

Quick question about those three side panels: I know one represents hangar bays, the other macro cannons or something, what do those four tubes represent that all ships seem to have?

Hang on, I thought you were severe anti-GW.

BrookM wrote:Oooh, nice.
Quick question about those three side panels: I know one represents hangar bays, the other macro cannons or something, what do those four tubes represent that all ships seem to have?

Hang on, I thought you were severe anti-GW.

I am doggedly against GW's behaviour and pricing on a very great number of things. I had an opportunity to obtain these ships at a very good price. The game it's self has an excellent rules system.

The four tubes represent 'weapons batteries', a ubiquitous term for plasma weapons, lazers, solid shelled weapons etc, all grouped into the one title with one in-game effect (as you're dealing on such massive scales), the 'macro cannons' are actually 'lances' ie continous energy beam weapons capable of cutting into an enemy vessel's hull, the third option which is the zig-zagging structure is the hanger bay. Let me guide you through this picture:

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
6. some fully magnetised cruisers.

Left to Right:
1. Lunar class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, lances aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.
2. Dominator class cruiser, weapon batteries both fore and aft, she is nova cannon armed at the prow.
3. Another lunar class cruiser, she has had the nova cannon upgrade to her prow.
4. Dictator class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, hanger bays to the aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.

Good work on explaining.

You can always look in the profiles of the rulebook which also help along. Free d/l at GW.

Hee hee, every time I see a thread like this I am tempted to scan and post the quick-start guide from the box set (an obvious IP no-no, of course!).

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Left to Right:
1. Lunar class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, lances aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.
2. Dominator class cruiser, weapon batteries both fore and aft, she is nova cannon armed at the prow.
3. Another lunar class cruiser, she has had the nova cannon upgrade to her prow.
4. Dictator class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, hanger bays to the aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.

Oooh, thanks for that. I like the look of the Dominator but for some reason the kit comes with enough weapon batteries for just one vessel, why am I not surprised.

Oh well, maybe I'll turn one vessel into a cargo carrier, with launch bays at fore and aft, make it the sister ship or something like that which has undergone a retrofit or two.

Ruckdog wrote:Hee hee, every time I see a thread like this I am tempted to scan and post the quick-start guide from the box set (an obvious IP no-no, of course!).

I got the box set, but without any form of instructions whatsoever so I fail to see the funny.

If you wanted to make a real 'jack of all trades' ship, perhaps to represent an ultra-successful rogue trader or a frontier patrolling solo warship, the Mars battlecruiser would be the way to go imo.




She is a battlecruiser rather than a cruiser (note the lances on her dorsal instead of masts) and is equipped with a nova cannon, weapon batteries to the fore and hangers to the aft. 1 ship like this really is the 'star destroyer' or 'peacekeeper command carrier' of her type, a ship capable of suppressing an entire star system or taking on a modest pirate/raider force by herself.

BrookM wrote:

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Left to Right:
1. Lunar class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, lances aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.
2. Dominator class cruiser, weapon batteries both fore and aft, she is nova cannon armed at the prow.
3. Another lunar class cruiser, she has had the nova cannon upgrade to her prow.
4. Dictator class cruiser, weapon batteries to the fore, hanger bays to the aft, she is torpedo armed at the prow.

Oooh, thanks for that. I like the look of the Dominator but for some reason the kit comes with enough weapon batteries for just one vessel, why am I not surprised.

Oh well, maybe I'll turn one vessel into a cargo carrier, with launch bays at fore and aft, make it the sister ship or something like that which has undergone a retrofit or two.

Ruckdog wrote:Hee hee, every time I see a thread like this I am tempted to scan and post the quick-start guide from the box set (an obvious IP no-no, of course!).

I got the box set, but without any form of instructions whatsoever so I fail to see the funny.

Maybe it was missing from yours? There was a black and white "Quick Start Guide" in the BFG box set that included a simple scenario that introduced moving/shooting rules, a comic featuring the Macharious of Execution Hour fame, and a series of exploded isometric diagrams that explained how to assemble the various Chaos and Imperial classes. Unfortunately, this handy little guide never made it into a PDF .

As for the WBs, yeah, they only give you four per pair of cruisers. As an IN player, I never semed to have enough of them! Buying the Apocalypse and Emporor BBs helped some, though.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:If you wanted to make a real 'jack of all trades' ship, perhaps to represent an ultra-successful rogue trader or a frontier patrolling solo warship, the Mars battlecruiser would be the way to go imo.




She is a battlecruiser rather than a cruiser (note the lances on her dorsal instead of masts) and is equipped with a nova cannon, weapon batteries to the fore and hangers to the aft. 1 ship like this really is the 'star destroyer' or 'peacekeeper command carrier' of her type, a ship capable of suppressing an entire star system or taking on a modest pirate/raider force by herself.

Oooh, that is sexy in a disturbing way. Should the lady trader strike gold the fleet might expand to include one of those beasties.

Anyway, I've built one like a Dictator class cruiser with a torpedo prow, the other a mongrel of sorts with lance batteries on the fore and aft, I'm a sucker for little turrets and with a nova prow.

I've also noticed that my cruisers have big square boxes in the bottom of their wings, what are these for?

Looks, apparently. I always thought there should be some piece that fits in there, but that's not the case.

Just saying that ain't the normal Mars BC. It is a conversion.

Also: you need to fill the torp tubes.

Looks cool though. But an oddbal for a Rogue Trader. Not easy to access if at all.

That is a nice looking ship there, Stompa.

horizon wrote:Just saying that ain't the normal Mars BC. It is a conversion.

Also: you need to fill the torp tubes.

Looks cool though. But an oddbal for a Rogue Trader. Not easy to access if at all.

I agree about it being a nice conversion; I think the Chaos cruiser bridge really does a lot for the profile of the IN crusier.

Yeah, definitely the ship only the most powerful of Rogue Trades would have! I wonder how much it would cost for a RT to get his hands on a Nova Cannon shell?

BrookM wrote:
Anyway, I've built one like a Dictator class cruiser with a torpedo prow,

That's called a Tyrant cruiser.

BrookM wrote:
the other a mongrel of sorts with lance batteries on the fore and aft, I'm a sucker for little turrets and with a nova prow.

That's a Gothic cruiser, other than the nova prow, which Gothics traditionally don't have. You could write up some interesting fluff about her being fitted with a nova at a captain's request or following her damage in a famous battle.

horizon wrote:Just saying that ain't the normal Mars BC. It is a conversion.

Also: you need to fill the torp tubes.

Looks cool though. But an oddbal for a Rogue Trader. Not easy to access if at all.

It's also not mine, just the first clear image of one I got on google. I've got a traditional mars myself, but I do like the look that chaos bridge gives to them.