so despite all the negative press they have received, i went ahead and got a box of raptors (finecast) and a jump lord with dual claws. i put two melta guns on the raptors, and basically i treat them as a tank zapper unit that can also do serious damage on the charge.
i debuted them last game, and while i never got the chance to shoot at a tank, they did charge and wipeout a 10 man tac squad of marines in two rounds of combat without taking a loss. the best part was after the charge there was only one marine left. he died at the start of my opponents assault phase, which worked out optimally for me.
so even though chaos fast attack is considered a waste in the codex, i really like this squad and had a great time using them. so if anyone is on the fence about them...go for it.
one word of warning though, they are delicate models. i had to use nickels to weigh the bases so that two of them would stand upright. and be CAREFUL handling them. other than that though, they rock.
I thought Finecast models were made so you didn't have to be so careful handling them? Are you saying the models are fragile or they just don't glue together easily?
Mmm, sounds you got Lady Luck on your side during that battle: charging 5 Raptors and the Lord into a 10 man Tactical squad without taking a single loss? Nicely done.
On the other hand, a Tactical squad is only about 150/160 points. The Lord alone, with a jumppack and pair of claws comes very close to this points-wise. I hope he did more during that battle?
I like Raptors, but only as a situational choice. If I know which army I'm going to face, they can become a viable choice. They work wonders when equipped with two flamers and jump into a sea of bodies. Imperial Guard Infantry squads, hordes of Daemons, dive in flame first. Sure, I miss Hit and Run, and the champion with at least a power weapon is almost mandatory. But the Raptors are fast, have a good profile, and work good in combination with Lash-Princes, jumppack Lords and Rhino-born Marines.
On the other hand, a Tactical squad is only about 150/160 points. The Lord alone, with a jumppack and pair of claws comes very close to this points-wise. I hope he did more during that battle?
.
Tactical squadswith no upgrades cost 170 in C:SM/C:BA and 165 in CA and everyone and their nan takes a powerfist and melta gun at least in their tactical squads that makes it 200pts per unit... more than enough to make a difference and say bye bye chaos lord
why not do squads of 20 raptors you never see that getting done!!!
I tried them once, but a whole load of failed armour saves left only my lord to make combat, where he only hit oe attack and failed to wound, even with re-rolls. The problem is that small units are fragile and large units expensive.
The "if you're on the fence" comment got me. I just ordered them. They've always been one of my favorite units model-wise.
I also play on a wide-open mountain board, and feel that they may find a nice home there.
Thanks for opening my wallet just a little further.
I once considred a list like that...it'd cost 400+points but would bring the fear of god to your opponents.
The problem I usually have with Raptors is that they can usually be replaced with the cheaper Summoned Daemons, they have the same combat stats and have an invulnerable save.
I occasionally run a raptor squad of 5-6, with a pair of lightning claws for the champion, Icon of Slaanesh and a melta or two. Fantastic unit to tag-team with a normal or Plague marine squad in a rhino. The most important upgrade is the IoS as you really want to hit first to make those costly jumpers last a few rounds.
And I'm not very impressed with the "fine"cast raptors. The smoke-thing which connects them to the base broke on almost all of them and there was a lot of GS work required to make them look presentable. Apart from the weight, I liked the metal raptors better.
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