If you're moaning about how ugly the Taurox is...

[YorkNecromancer]

Step 1: assemble your new Taurox.

Step 2: pick your poison.
http://zinge.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=18_59
http://www.tankworkshop.com/Shop/agora.cgi?next=30&exact_match=on&product=Tank+Maker
I like http://zinge.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=18_59&product_id=226

Step 3: Turn tracks into Rapier Weapon Carrier chassis. Seriously - Quad Bolters and Graviton Cannons are awesome.

Done.

Now, can we get down to discussing how pretty the new stormtrooper miniatures are, as well as how insanely overpriced like we always do?

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

Amen to that.

Now into the storm troopers um heck ya. i know i will be getting a few of them just so i can model strom troopers with baretts on them. As for their price well that's GW so i have just come to accept it. just makes my decision to buy from 3rd party retailers all the more easy. Now for me the plans would be to run them in conjunction with the storm troopers i already have. roughly 30+ Painted up for inquisition so deffinatly not kasarkins. what i might use them for is fill ins for my missing special weapons instead of buying them from ebay for an arm and a leg if this kit has the bits then they will easily fill that role.

[Archon]

The fact, that you can convert this ugly thing, doesn´t make it any better or better looking. Its not ugly per se, for me the uglyest part are the four single track-"wheels" they are the reason the whole car looks ugly. The chassis is okay, the turret is okay. In general i´ll not buy a 38.- € tank-kit only to buy a lot of convertion kits/bits for 10-20 € more.

[Patrick Boyle]

Now, can we get down to discussing how pretty the new stormtrooper miniatures are, as well as how insanely overpriced like we always do?

After paying $50 for the new 5 man Sternguard plastics I'd say these guys, who to my eye are just as awesome, is a pretty good deal.

I don't really have plans for Guard at all, I'm already swamped with my Blood Ravens and plans for Tau that I have models piling up for, and the Knight I'm painting...but I'll probably get a box of these guys, because I think they look cool and at $35 they're not a crazy hit on my wallet.

[gensu11]

I agree that conversions are possible, but Archon has a point, adding 10-20 bucks to convert a 50 dollar model is more than annoying. And once you convert it, all you have is a MRAP, the least tactical vehicle in modern military history. Had the model not been as ugly I would have planned on getting enough for a company of infantry, as it is I might get one. But, your right, moving on, storm troopers look awesome, will definitely be picking 2-3 boxes up when the release. Thinking about using cadian torsos though, so that they can fit in with my Kasrkin.

[Mike Lawler]

Now that we can see an official picture of the Taurox.. it looks dumb.. even with wheels .. that thing is just really really dumb.

Those Stormtroopers though.. OMG.. the parts can't possibly get into bits shops fast enough. I might end up getting enough for a command squad but the real gem is the components breakdown and the poses. Normally there's just this certain lifelessness associated with a multipart kit (without conversions) and while there have been some decent ones in the past, they still felt like a multipart kit. They've done a really good job IMO of overcoming that aspect of this kit and they look far more dynamic. The grenade launcher looks a bit awkward still but the others are just.. fantastic. Since that's a Command Squad.. I'm curious as to what a Tempestus Infantry Squad will look like or if we're forced to pay $7 a model for RnF troops..

EDIT: Also, It looks like this is separate from the IG. I'm not sure what GW are playing at but this is strictly intended as a Scions of the Schola Progenium force... ie.. Storm Troopers and Commissars. 4th ed IG players will recognize this from mentions in the Doctrines section and it's come up in some of the novels as well.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

You mean like we had to do with the storm raven that was an 80+ kit? Or do you mean like people have already done with the chimera kits... you spend money on conversion kits unless you scratch build the components? not sure where the issue is? heck the chapter house kits as 35-40$ its been so long i cant remember what i payed for it. If you dont like the model you can fix it or come up with a good counts as not sure what part of that is hard to comprehend.

And ya stormtroopers are drool worthy. they are similar to some of the original art and older sculpts which i am very happy to see with this rendition. me i hate cadians so kasarkins are not my storm troopers i spent time and money to hunt down the metal ones.

[This Dave]

I agree that conversions are possible, but Archon has a point, adding 10-20 bucks to convert a 50 dollar model is more than annoying. And once you convert it, all you have is a MRAP, the least tactical vehicle in modern military history. Had the model not been as ugly I would have planned on getting enough for a company of infantry, as it is I might get one. But, your right, moving on, storm troopers look awesome, will definitely be picking 2-3 boxes up when the release. Thinking about using cadian torsos though, so that they can fit in with my Kasrkin.

Besides the horribly bad track units now that I've seen a 360 of it I also dislike the bank vault looking door on the rear. And who would ever mount the weapons on the sides of the thing and not use the turret? Unless for some reason turrets cost more points.

Those stormtroopers do indeed both rock and/or roll. Curse them for tempting me into yet another Guard army!

[Ben_S]

I think the Taurox would look great with my Squats. Somehow, I think it suits their aesthetic better than it suits the IG.

I'd like to see that Rapier conversion though...

[Ignatius]

I've got some ork mech boys waiting to add their touch for a new model battle wagon. Just add da right gubbins an bitz an ya gotz ya bang up orky tankz

[TheKennanator]

Honestly, I'm kind of done. The fact that they broke with the design language that they've sustained for the last 15 years to introduce a poorly conceived tank transport (to replace their much more realistic tank transport) tells me that they're just trying to get me to spend money on the new hotness.

Plus a transport with a battlecannon? Come on! Battlecannons used to be why you bothered taking a Leman Russ.

The game has become diluted, the company is predatory in its releases, unresponsive in its relation to the community it has created and subsequently neglected (remember Grand Tournaments? I do) and priced itself out of consideration. I'm not about to keep "putting up with" 10% per anum price hikes.

All that, and their latest release is just ugly, requiring me to spend even more money to fix it. At least their model design team has finally broken down with their rule team.

[Bail Ohmar]

Anyone who really thinks this is an ugly model needs to have a look at real world tanks in history. A simple Google search for unusual tanks brings up some right corkers.

[Mike Lawler]

Anyone who really thinks this is an ugly model needs to have a look at real world tanks in history. A simple Google search for unusual tanks brings up some right corkers.

The fact that there have been ugly tanks in history has absolutely nothing to do with a science fiction vehicle produced in a miniature kit by a modern company. There is nothing requiring that they pick the ugliest aesthetics in history. There is also nothing compelling me to purchase said kit.

[Jmaximum]

What exactly is the "Astra Militarum"? is this the elite of the elite? Do they surpass Karskins and/or Stormtroopers?
I guess I am asking: where do they fit into the hierarchy and lore.
The taurok APC looks like it was cobbled together by orcs. And why in the Warp would you mount the guns on the sides, which would conveniently shoot whoever pokes his head out of the side hatch????

[Deadlift]

I like both new kits, I ordered one of each and I think they will make a fantastic looking kill team.

[daboarder]

I like both new kits, I ordered one of each and I think they will make a fantastic looking kill team.

I love em too.

Im not picking them up for kill team, but I'm going to grab the troopers and a pair of taurox for necromunda. That truck is MADE for the underhive, right down to the bulkhead style doors.

stick a heavy flamer in one turret and leav the other as a chain gun, and I've got everything I need to run a convoy, arbites hit, or even ash wastelands mission.


OOOOO spider hunts are going to be AWESOME with these paired off against an giant spider.

[John Bower]

Okay, we've been used to a design 'trend' for a long time, but really, what military in the world has a 'trend' throughout its' designs. Just look at the US, everything from tanks to fugly looking amphibian troop carriers that frankly are a damned sight uglier than the Taurox. When I first saw it, I didn't like it. I've seen more pics now, and it does have potential; cheap kitbash for orks as a Battlewagon (or even a trukk), or just as is to use in a non standard guard army. Maybe for a PDF or mercenary unit. And price wise it isn't that bad, cheaper to kit your mechanised guard out with these than with Lemons, okay it isn't as good but it's a cheap alternative, and a troop carrier that can mount a battle cannon? Probably not a full on version more like the ork killkannon truth be told, S7 instead of 8 at a guess without seeing the rules.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

I look at both kits and i just see a ton of conversion options. i see a chance to finally make an all storm trooper army. Not sure how I feel about an elite guard army but why not. and to the haters if you don't like it you don't have to buy it....

I know i can already see some potential in the army book as well as in the transports. i kind of wish they had carried a larger unit then the chimera but that doesn't ruin the kit's for me. I am really interested in getting my hands on the real book and not the white drawf to really give them a good thorough read.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

Got 6 boxes of Scions and 3 Taurox on pre-order! SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK blud.

[Mike Lawler]

What exactly is the "Astra Militarum"? is this the elite of the elite? Do they surpass Karskins and/or Stormtroopers?
I guess I am asking: where do they fit into the hierarchy and lore.
The taurok APC looks like it was cobbled together by orcs. And why in the Warp would you mount the guns on the sides, which would conveniently shoot whoever pokes his head out of the side hatch????

The first place I remember them being mentioned is 2003 Imperial Guard codex.
p.43 Under Storm Troopers side fluff excerpt:
"Storm Troopers are trained by the Schola Progenium to perform covert operations and spearhead assaults. The special treatment and elite status given to Storm Troopers causes blah blah blah".

In the 1999 Imperial Guard Codex the Commissars are mentioned on page 6 as being trained at the Schola Progenium. It goes so far as to say that many Commissars begin as Storm Troopers.

[Tzeentch's Dark Agent]

The Astra Militarum is the new name for the Imperial Guard.

The Schola Progenium is indeed the place where the Militarum Tempestus train, as well as the Kasrkins, Stormtroopers, and Commissars.
By the sounds of it, the Militarum Tempestus are a variant of Stormtrooper, just like Kasrkins.

[Marco Brigo]

The Schola Progenium is where imperial orphans ara trained. They are indoctrinated into the Imperial Cult from a very ealy age (read also brainwashed) and that's why the most loyal servants of the emperor come out of there. Commissars were not Stormtroopers before. They are trained as Commissars as others are trained as Stormtroopers.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Schola_Progenium#.Uzf2mVcpsqc

Also, just to clarify, Militarum Tempestus should be just the new name of stormtroopers, not an elite variant like kasrkins etc.etc. Militarum Tempestus is a *******ized latin phrase that could refer to that. Even if it doesn't mean anything in latin and it's deeply wrong, if we take Italian (wich is very similar to Latin as most of you may know), Militare = Trooper and Tempesta = Storm.
If we check som late medieval latin (when the language was already very warped and twisted) we got also some references to Tempestus being used for weather and Milites meant soldier. So expet it to just be the new Stormtrooper name, they basically took italian, added um/us randomly to make it sound like true latin and here you go.

[YorkNecromancer]

Anyone who really thinks this is an ugly model needs to have a look at real world tanks in history. A simple Google search for unusual tanks brings up some right corkers.

The Taurox reminds me of two British military vehicles: the Morris C8, and the Humber Pig.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H20971.jpg/608px-The_British_Army_in_the_United_Kingdom_1939-45_H20971.jpg
http://www.mvt.org.uk/gallery_files/sutton_s_2.jpg

It's got the same boxy sided, armoured truck thing going on.

[Marc James]

Looks old fashioned,future gothic is the situation,but this just looks lazy,ugly and out of place,more of an orky wagon to my mind,but hey,I'm sure to see conversions that blow my mind!Way expensive too,price of a nice tank that!

[redking]

I think GW is going more modern. I think the Taurox is designed after a MRAP. For those that don't know what a MRAP is here is the wikipedia deff-Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; /ˈɛmræp/ EM-rap) vehicles are armored fighting vehicles used by various armed forces, whose designed purpose is surviving improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The first development in armored vehicles designed specifically to counter the land mine threat were initiated during the Rhodesian Bush War; existing technology was subsequently inherited (and matured) by the South African Defence Force after 1980

[This Dave]

I think GW is going more modern. I think the Taurox is designed after a MRAP. For those that don't know what a MRAP is here is the wikipedia deff-Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP; /ˈɛmræp/ EM-rap) vehicles are armored fighting vehicles used by various armed forces, whose designed purpose is surviving improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes. The first development in armored vehicles designed specifically to counter the land mine threat were initiated during the Rhodesian Bush War; existing technology was subsequently inherited (and matured) by the South African Defence Force after 1980

Since the Chimera is loosely based on the Soviet BMP I wish they'd have made this thing based on the BTR or even BRDM series wheeled APCs so it wouldn't look so out of place with them.

I can even take it being based off an MRAP or Buffalo if GW had given the thing wheels and normal hatches. Or even go fully or half tracked. But those individual track units are Terrible with a capital T. They make very little sense and since once again GW modeled tracks with full skirts all the way to the ground it should have a ride like a sled going over gravel. And that weird bank vault rear door seems really odd to me.

I guess I'll have to wait until I actually see one in the plastic so I can get a better sense of scale on it. If nothing else so I can figure out what wheels would go best on it.

[lævus]

I really want to like it, in fact I do really like a lot of it. But theres just something 'wrong' that I can't put my finger on.
Maybe if the body sat a little lower on the tracks

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/Laevus85/2cfac755-c940-4c4f-b90e-a9dc2f790f68_zps02b49df1.jpg (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/Laevus85/media/2cfac755-c940-4c4f-b90e-a9dc2f790f68_zps02b49df1.jpg.html)

(Obviously without the big gap infront of the rear track as the body would go all the way behind it)

[TheKennanator]

Its the slanted back and the weird shape of the tracks. It makes it look way to compressed.

That said, the Cadian garb that Laevus just posted moves the ball in the right direction for me. But the fact that its 4 tracks instead of a half-track ruins it. From a practical standpoint that thing's turn radius is measured in hundreds of feet as opposed to hundreds of inches.

[lævus]

the Cadian garb that Laevus just posted moves the ball in the right direction for me.

That picture has been chopped about as well, I brought the tracks up the sides by about 50% of their height. if not more.

Looking at the preview of the digital Codex it says that the blue scheme belongs to the Militarum Tempestus regiment the 55th Kappic Eagles, theres an image of the 133rd Lambdan Lions in a red scheme who according to the fluff in the book have "served as auxilaries to the Adeptus Mechanicus" for over two milennia.

Can I post an image from the digital codex? It's free to anyone to download from the iBooks store but don't know if it goes against any kind of rules?

[Hunter]

Am on the fence on this one , part of the aesthetics i like but something about the geometry of the whole thing looks really off.

maybe if it was wider or lower to the ground or something .

My first thought was it would have been awesome as a battle taxi for my catachan with flamers and brush cutting implements up front , unlike chimeras ,this thing looks like it has the muscle to power it's way threw the jungle .
perhaps putting some big climbing wheels up front and double treads in the rear with some over done suspension .

Before i even think about buying that overpriced (censored) just to kitbash it , i want to see what the new guard codex has to say.

[Mr Mystery]

I've come round to liking it

Initial pic we saw didn't do it justice.

[SON OF ROMULOUS]

I'm slapping wheels onto the front of it and then calling it a wraps I've alread looked at some of the wheel prviders pointed at above as well as some additional companies. With wheels on it I see no reason not to field it. I look at it with the same view i gave the storm raven kit... didn't buy one until chapter house came out with the extension kit then i gladly bought one and as happy with the end result.

[Eldar_Atog]

It's an ok model by itself but it just doesn't quite match the other guard vehicles that I'm used to seeing. On the other hand, the model looks like something an ork player would love to get their hands on. There are a lot of ways to orky up this ugly duckling.

[Mr Mystery]

The quad tracks give it a seriously rugged, hard wearing look, especially with the mahoosive engine.

I'm personally not fussed that amongst other Imperial vehicles it's design stands out. After all, the Imperium uses what it can based on availability of STCs and general ease of production. I'd welcome more unique aesthetics :)

[SquigBrain]

It's an ok model by itself but it just doesn't quite match the other guard vehicles that I'm used to seeing. On the other hand, the model looks like something an ork player would love to get their hands on. There are a lot of ways to orky up this ugly duckling.

Slap some horns and a def rolla on it, and voila! You have a battlewagon with a hard top! Well, once you fix those naff tracks you do, anyway. And how the heck does something that looks like that rate being fast?

[Sporkar]

Here's a half-track mockup from dakka-dakka
http://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/at2/2014/3/25/1c34d06f3c26eb0e21e004f5e1b97a18_56122.jpg
I think it looks pretty good.

[SquigBrain]

Here's a half-track mockup from dakka-dakka
http://www.dakkadakka.com/s/i/at/at2/2014/3/25/1c34d06f3c26eb0e21e004f5e1b97a18_56122.jpg
I think it looks pretty good.

It does, although I'm not certain about the scale of the wheels (those are Kromlech buggy wheels, I think), compared to the size of the Taurox. It really does look like an awesome ork vehicle. For the guard, though, not so much.