Full Army Photo

I'Orek First Expeditionary Force

This is the full army at 1997 points. Here's a view from a lower angle:

Unit Photos

These are the Firewarriors that steal the Devilfish behind them from the Pathfinders (also behind them). Thanks 5th Edition! Note that the army is entirely WYSIWYG; the little Firewarrior grenade packs on the vehicles are Flechette Dischargers, the back of the Burst Cannon with the green part is the Disruption Pod, the backwards Target Lock is the Targeting Array, and the Multitracker is a... well, a Multitracker.

This is my Ion Cannon Hammerhead and dedicated Firewarrior Devilfish. The Broadsides are behind them, with my Railgun Hammerhead in the background. There are some Firewarriors crowding the foreground and a few Crisis Suits in the middle.

This is the Shas'el in the center-left with his two Shield Drones. The RailHead is in the back, Kroot are mugging in the foreground, and the Pathfinders and their soon-to-be-jacked Devilfish on the right.

All my Crisis Suits. Three Helios, three Fireknife, with the Broadsides in the background and Shield Drones scattered about. Again, the Kroot are popping their heads into the shot.

My two Piranhas. The Gun Drones are magnetized into the Piranhas.

All of the skimmers are on a removable magnetic mount for the base stands. It makes transporting them much easier, as well as allowing me to move them accurately and leave a small crater-thing when the get blown up.

Army List

HQ:

• 1 Commander Shas'el, 2 Shield Drones (Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Hard-wired Drone Controller, Hard-wired Multi-tracker, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle)

Elite:

• 1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader, Flamer, Bonding Knife, Hard-wired Multi-tracker, Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle), 2 Crisis Battlesuits (Missile Pod, Plasma Rifle, Multi-Tracker)
• 1 Crisis Battlesuit (Team Leader, Flamer, Bonding Knife, Fusion Blaster, Hard-wired Drone Controller, Hard-wired Multi-tracker, Plasma Rifle), 2 Shield Drones, 2 Crisis Battlesuits (Fusion Blaster, Plasma Rifle, Multi-Tracker)

Troops:

• 6 Fire Warriors, Devilfish (Burst Cannon, Smart Missile System, Disruption Pod, Flechette Discharger, Multi-Tracker, Targeting Array)
• 16 Kroot Carnivores, 6 Kroot Hounds
• 8 Fire Warriors

Fast Attack:

• 7 Pathfinders, 1 Shas'ui (Bonding Knife), Devilfish (Burst Cannon, Smart Missile System, Marker Beacon, Disruption Pod, Flechette Discharger, Multi-Tracker, Targeting Array)
• 1 Piranha Light Skimmer (Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array), 2 Gun Drones
• 1 Piranha Light Skimmer (Fusion Blaster, Disruption Pod, Targeting Array), 2 Gun Drones

Heavy Support:

• 1 Broadside Battlesuit (Team Leader, Smart Missile System, Bonding Knife, Hard-wired Drone Controller, Advanced Stabilisation System), 2 Broadside Battlesuits (Smart Missile System, Advanced Stabilisation System), 2 Shield Drones
• Hammerhead Gunship (Railgun, Smart Missile System, Targeting Array, Disruption Pod, Flechette Discharger, Multi-Tracker, Target Lock)
• Hammerhead Gunship (Ion Cannon, Two Burst Cannons, Targeting Array, Disruption Pod, Flechette Discharger, Multi-Tracker, Target Lock)

Total: 1997 Points

Why I Started This Army

I started this army for all the wrong reasons. This was created when 4th Edition was on its way out, and I had just sold off about $600 worth of Lost and the Damned stuff for $150 just to get it out of my sight. I had no other playable army at the time, aside from a really crummy Space Marine army, and I had no interest in Space Marines anyway. The end result was that I was army-less and had a clean slate. Five years before starting this Tau army, I had attempted to start another Tau army, but could NOT get the painting to work out. It was a combination of bad technique and a poor painting environment, but I trashed the idea. Starting again, I decided to start Tau to: 1. Prove that I could actually paint Tau 2. Play an under-represented army 3. Play a non-Tier 1 army

I hadn't been playing 40k much in the previous five years, and I figured the best way to seriously get back into the game was with an army that would make me work for my victories. The problem is that I've never been really inspired by Tau like I have been for other armies I've played, so the painting on this dragged out almost two and a half years. Now that I'm done and have a playable force, I feel much more relaxed about painting what I feel like.