could very well be true. I long ago made a decapitator model as a sub and wondered why they made a model for "Kruella" the vile, who is next to useless, but not a model with such a cool back history like the "decapitator."

 

I will take an educated guess on this but I am pretty sure there was never any dedicated model for him. I know I have never seen one and I believe the others will agree that there isnt one. I have seen one model that was just several different pieces form different models but nothing there made specifically for him - I think GW was selling it more as a kit than a real model.

Here it is:
Games Workshop US Online Store

On the other hand, I have made 2 of these models and had alot of fun making him. I have used him against the Tau the most and have even used him against the Space Marines (with little luck).

This is my unfinished "poor-mans" Decapitator since I used mostly warrior parts.

The decapitator weapon is one of the blades off the Drazhar model and the cut-off head in the lower left-hand is from an Orks model. The blade on the left hand has a broken off blade so it is supposed to be double-bladed.

 

My personal mode, not painted but very neatly converted.

 

Do you think decapitator is useful enough to be put in a 1500 pt army?

I was thinking of using the normal raider army type lead by a dracon/archon and i'd also have the Decapitator as a objective taker or serving several different roles that range from Tau slaughter to psychological warfare.

Anyway, i think it's kinda cool the he doesn't have a set model...It just means that you can shape him to suit your tastes :w00t:

 

Technicaly yes, but there are still standards as he has to stand on a standard troop base, 4 arms and some weird head slicer weapon which can be anything. But overall, its prety much up to your imaginaton.

As for combat efficiency, he is a little weakling. He is T3 model with 5+ cover save making him just as weak as a mandrake if not for that second wound that wil not help much at all. He can never join a different unit so what ever will shoot at him, will most likely kill him. The only reason why this model could be taken in my opinion is for fluff, at thats about it. He most deffinitely isnt worth *** points.

 

I agree with WraithGuardian on this one.

I think the fact that he has no plasma grenades means he will be attacking last and with a 5+ armor save at T3 he will die most assuredly. I would use him against non-power armor armies (since you have to take a squad of Mandrakes) and use him to intercept units running out of cover.

The other bad thing and this isn't evident in his profile but nowhere does it say that he gets a 2+ bonus on cover saves as do the other Mandrakes - it can be argued that he does not.

So, I think of him like an Assassin in Warhammer Fantasy Dark Elves - you pay 100+ points and he may end up killing one or two units before dieing. Is that worth it to you?

I have used him in games against the Tau and the IG successfully where he actually killed what he was supposed to and had gone around the board terrorizing foot soldiers. Of course that was when I thought he got the 2+ cover bonus of chameleon skin. Against the space marines he never lived past the round I exposed him.

But dont let this discourage you from using Mandrakes - they rock if you give them the chance.

 

I think the fact that he has no plasma grenades means he will be attacking last and with a 5+ armor save at T3 he will die most assuredly. I would use him against non-power armor armies (since you have to take a squad of Mandrakes) and use him to intercept units running out of cover.

He is I6 so he will probably strike first, and as for the cover save. He gets 3+ when in cover and 5+ when in the open.

 

He has shadowskin, shouldn't the change to the mandrakes apply to the decapitator?

I was thinking of fielding him in my raider army, just using him as a sort of ace-in-hole. So would it be better to take the decapitator and a squad of 5 mandrakes(compulsory, not attached to decap), or just a squad of 10 mandrakes?

 

He can NEVER join another unit, thats why he is so bad. no matter what you do, he can still be seperately targeted. And as for the shadowskinned ability, the codex describes exactly what it does, i dont have it with me, but if my memory isnt betraying me, it says 5+ cover save in the open and 3+ when in cover...or so I think

 

Providing he has the shadow skinned rule (+2 bonus to cover) isn't it also stated in the mandrake entry for shadow skinned that unless the enemy is in cover or is armed with frag grenades the mandrakes will strike first?

I dont have my codex with me so i can't be sure on the exact wording.

 

Yes it's under the shadowskin rule

 

Aye another oversight by old GW. Do they even playtest some of these special characters at all? Mr decap-attack looks like he was invented last minute and just tossed into the codex with some overpriced garbage special rules, a picture of a random mandrake and some scribbled up fluff.

Next time GW remember to DOUBLE CHECK stuff. the lilith dodge save thing annoys me grrrrr...

PS maybe GW where being clever and the didnt make a model for decapitator because he was meant to be the ultimate unseen stealth maniac that no one has even survived to say what the heck he looks like... or maybe not.