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Okay, the model is a bit silly-looking, but would it be worth it in an army?

It has 2 move and shoot markerlights, which the new rules are making look very tasty.

Hammerhead armor.  Not bad a'tall, especially on a skimmer.

You can give it an SMS so that the tank never actually has to expose itself to enemy fire and it can still bring some hurt even when the seekers are gone.

I don't know the point cost of this tank, but going from what I know from the old codex, 100 to 130 points wouldn't be a bad price to pay, considering the cost of seekers and mobile markerlights.

The problem is that it's taking up a place that a standard railgun-toting Hammerhead could be in. Not sure if the SkyRay is good enough for that.

In a list with some Pathfinders, this could have some good utility... but even then - is the tank worth considering?

It really depends on your list, if they dropped the price on the seeker missiles, and if your using other units with marker lights I think it will be good but I am also wary that it takes the place of a Hammer head. . .

Perhaps if you built your list to showcase the new marker light rules. . .

Pule Carbine Fire Warrior Squads with a Markerlight and a target lock, (Remember the Markerlights can lower ld for pinning)
Devilfish with a markerlight, a multi-tracker, and Decoy Launchers

Pirahna squadrons with Marker lights or pathfinders either or to be honest
(I really hope they made Pirahnas either fast vehicles or jet bikes)

Crisis Suits with Markerlight Drones

2 Rail heads

1 Sky Ray with SMS, Marker Lights, and
(Normally I would follow the IG commandment of 2 or 3, never solo but because it can hide this might be reasonable)

If your army does not use pathfinders then the skyray will not fit your army, it will take all game for the tank to fire off its own seekers!

If you have pathfinders then the skyray starts to do what it is meant to, unloads all missiles on turns 1-2 then starts acting like a mobile markerlighter for the rest of the army.

The price was between the Ionhead and Railhead.

Imo it makes a pretty decent Wraithlord killer (something tau really lacks!)

Pathfinders and the skyray itself light up that wraithlord with 5-6 markerlight hits and it then launches as many missiles at the thing as possible on turn 1 (though if it starts in cover you must wait for it to move out, if it stays in there then fine, ignore it)

After this the tank just goes lighting targets and harrassing the enemy with its 6 burst shots a turn.

Without a pathfinder unit in the army the skyray seems pointless, it is shooty 1 missile per turn on average while the railhead is firing a railshot!

You take your pick.

I thought that the SkyRay had 2 Markerlights that could fire 2 missiles in a turn, should both the Markerlights hit. THis is assuming that no other markerlights are present in the army.
That doesn't sound too bad - 2 seeker missiles a turn (for 3 turns) under it's own markerlight power.

Hmm. Thinking about it now, taknig the cheapest secondary weapon option might be the way to go if you plan on using the tank as a mobile-markerlighter. The markerlights have a range of 36", and you'll most likely be out of range of whatever your marking to actually shoot it with the secondary weapon as well.

The railhead and skyray are comparable cost-wise. I think depending on your army comp, one may suit you better than another.

The skyray will get the edge when you have very little marker-lights in your army. Purely because a single markerlight hit guiding a stealth team, ionhead, or fish of fury will be decidedly more valuable than a single railgun submunition/slug. There are a lot of fans of the railhead who I think will fight this notion at first, but slowly realize that the skyray serves the same role as the hammerhead only slightly differently. For those who are interested: the skyray performs nearly identically to the Railhead for anti-tank up to AR14 where the HH gets .33 results per turn vs. the Skyrays .17

Skyrays loses out when you already include a small amount of markerlights (2-6), as the shots that need marking will already be covered by someone else, and could be used to guid a Railhead if available.

Skyray goes back to winning when you have an abundance of markers(6-12), for rapid deployment of crazy amounts of dirt cheap seeker missiles.


That's my take on it anyways. I was quite suprised to find that a single markerlight at BS4 outperforms a Railgun submunition if used to guide an Ionhead or better vs. the unguided equivalent. Considering the Skyray brings 2 of these to the fight, and can perform every other duty of the railhead just fine, it got interesting.

Offtopic slightly, I agree that turret looks a bit odd - too much like an air spoiler on the back of a boy racer's car perhaps? I'll be keeping an eye on the Modelling forum to see if someone comes up with a conversion that looks a little less odd...

Offtopic slightly, I agree that turret looks a bit odd - too much like an air spoiler on the back of a boy racer's car perhaps? I'll be keeping an eye on the Modelling forum to see if someone comes up with a conversion that looks a little less odd...

Well Clang, you see, GW understands that the only way to have multiple missiles is to HAVE multiple, individual missiles. No silly "rocket pods" here! Further, missiles only hang from UNDERNEATH WINGS. (Unless they're shooting out of organs.)

Yeah, there's a lot of "convert me" potential in the Skyray, mostly because the original is just too silly to use.

I'm surprised at hearing the price of the skyray as comparable to a hammerhead. I thought I had heard it was about 120-130ish points. I'm not sure I'd want to pay more than that (actually, I'm not sure I'll use one anyway...)

I just don't see it worth replacing a railgun for. It demands more markerlights to really be effective, which just increases its cost (to some extent), and I'm concerned a skyray and a pathfinder squad might by too much markerlight and not enough guns to benefit from them.

In certain armies, the skyray will do well. In others its a waste. Its like a whirlwind, but with limted capacity in marklight heavy armies, plus it has 2 network ones that will help others.....

The railhead and skyray are comparable cost-wise. I think depending on your army comp, one may suit you better than another.

Not really, at base Sky rays are 125 points and Rail-heads are 140. Sure 15 points may not sound like much, except that a kitted out railhead with SMS is about 180 points. Sky rays can get that much by adding on the same upgrades and two more smart missiles. But realistically I can see a Sky ray hovering in the 155 points range (multitracker and two more seekers). Bargin price at 135 points if you leave off the extra seekers and just plan on using the markerlights for other units.

That's my take on it anyways. I was quite suprised to find that a single markerlight at BS4 outperforms a Railgun submunition if used to guide an Ionhead or better vs. the unguided equivalent.

This doesn't make too much sense to me. Are you saying that a marker light guided ion is better than a non marker light guided sub munition round? Sure ion heads are probably better at killing MEQs than the submunition round (you have to cover 6 with the template), but I'll take the subumition round over the ion against anything thats not in power armor.

Anyway, back on topic. I think the sky ray will really come into its own in smaller point games. Lets say 1000 points or less. Its cheep, good armored, and can kill what shows up on the table. At 1000 points your not going to see landraiders. You might still see a monolith, but then just send the seekers after the necrons themselves. No WBB roll unless orbed, and just force phase out that much faster. You will still probably run into a Russ or two against guard and some other armies, but here you just have to angle for side armor shots or ignore them.

Considering the Skyray brings 2 of these to the fight, and can perform every other duty of the railhead just fine, it got interesting.

This is just false. The Rail-head is perfect for taking out landraiders, monoliths, statured deamon princes, characters in termi armor that get too reckless, 2+ save TMC, just to name a few. These are all things the sky ray has no buisness shooting at with its seekers.

I'll give you that the skyray does not loose its usefullness when it runs out of seekers and is a little more resistant to weapon destroyed results (you have two markerlights that I believe are seperate weapons). But in a high points game where the big nasties come out, the Rail gun (no matter where it comes from) is still a very much needed weapon.

I'll be keeping an eye on the Modelling forum to see if someone comes up with a conversion that looks a little less odd...

Yeah, there's a lot of "convert me" potential in the Skyray, mostly because the original is just too silly to use.

I have my own plans, but unfortunatly it wont be happening any time soon. Basically take a hammerhead kit. Mount the turret part (less railgun or ion cannon) at a 90 deg. to the norm (so the cut out part is flat and facing forward). Mount two sensor bits from the landraider kit (the ones that stick out ontop of the sponsoons that hold the guns in place) onto the flat area at the extreme ends and those become the two marker lights. Next (and here you have to be willing to cut the hammerhead hull) cut out the two mechanical ports on top of the main chassy located by the connection point for the thrusters. Extrend the cut out a little forward and then mount the seeker as if rising out of each of the ports from inside the main hull. The truely creative (which I consider that I am) will leave the back door open (so you can see the inside workings) and convert up some sort of conveyer or lift mechanism that will move the seekers into launch position.

Anyway, thats what I envisioned for my Sky ray if I ever consider using one, I don't tend to play many small point games.

I'd only take a skyray if I took pathfinders.

Well Clang, you see, GW understands that the only way to have multiple missiles is to HAVE multiple, individual missiles. No silly "rocket pods" here! Further, missiles only hang from UNDERNEATH WINGS. (Unless they're shooting out of organs.)

Would you put a Skyray turret on an Exorcist? That'd be one wicked spoiler for the Rhino.

BYE

One think you over looked is that with out other markerlight the range is 48" (36" for the makerlight and a 12" move), to the Railheads 84" (72" with the 12" movement upgrade).

Honestly, anarchy, are you ever going to have an 84" straight shot anywhere on the board? When 1/4 of the table is covered in terrain?

You might want to remember that the skyray will not be both shooting and painting targets for others!

It is one or the other!

If you want to think of it just as a shooting platform it will be carrying 8 seekers, painting ONLY for itself and getting those 1.32 hits a turn it will take all 6 turns! to fire off those 8 missiles!

Iirc the markerlights are classified as defensive weapons and as such cannot function while the tank is shaken/stunned!

You could easily just go with the 6 missiles and not have fired them all by turn 6 when the game normally ends!

Course you can just use it as a mobile markerlighter with say 2 burst cannons, then your paying 145 (MT,TL,DL) for the 2 bursts and 2 markerlights with the option of unloading a few missiles here and there but those turns you will not be painting any targets for the rest of your army.

Considering the skyray on its own is hitting with 1.1 missiles a turn.
Ionhead hitting with 2 Ionshots and Railhead getting its 0.66 railshot hits.

The skyray does not look too hot as antitank to me.

I do like the tank however I would not use it without a pathfinder team.

A 8 man pathfinder team and the tanks own markerlights should allow it to exhaust the full 8 missiles in the first 2 turns and then allow it to paint targets for the rest of the army (chances are those pathfinders are dead or relocating by turn 3)

For any army already using pathfinders the skyray seems a steal to me, 145pts for 6 missiles, 2 bursts and the 2 moving markerlights!

Other armies without the pathfinders need to think whether or not they are willing to put in a unit of pathfinders just to take full use of the Ray.