So, as I was looking over the Yme-Loc threads, I finally noticed the stats even for the Hornet in the latest version of the compendium.

Upon review of the stats, the hornet seems a bit overpowered to me, especially compared to falcons and vypers.

Here are the compendium stats:

Hornet
type: LV speed: 40cm Armour: 4+ CC: 6+ FF: 5+
Weapon: Twin Pulse Laser 2 x 45cm AT3+
Special rules: skimmer, scout

They are 250pts for 6 in the Saim Hann list, and can be taken as 35pt/model add-ons for windriders troupes in the Yme-Loc list.

So my question is, is everyone happy with they stats? I'm not.
I realize this is pretty close to what the 40k stats would make it, but they make the tank arguably better than the other elder vehicle, which feels wrong to me.

I think they should get either 40cm speed OR scout, but not both. I think they should have a shorter ranged gun so that falcons have better standing as the main eldar battle tank.

I propose the following stats instead:

type: LV speed: 35cm Armour: 4+ CC: 6+ FF: 6+
Weapon: twin scatter laser 30cm AP4+/AT4+
Special rules: skimmer, scout

This stat line would still allow the hornet to come through a wraithgate, but would tone down the shooting to bring it more in line with the rest of the elder epic vehicles. The downgrade to the speed is offset by keeping the scout ability. The downgrade to the FF ability is justified by the lack of a turret mount for the main guns and the complete lack of secondary (pintel mounted) guns.


OR, as an alternate suggestion, these stats could be used:

type: LV speed: 40cm Armour: 4+* CC: 6+ FF: 6+
Weapon: twin star cannon 30cm AP3+/AT5+
Special rules: skimmer

*[edited from 5+ which I did not intend]

This stat line trades the scout rule for extra speed, and I threw in a different gun for variety.

I'd suggest keeping the current weapon - its the only resin weapon it comes with in 40k.

I agree it looks overpowered - If keeping Scout id suggest going down to a formation of three for 150pts.

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I don't consider that to be something that should control: the baseline stats for the Hornet in IA11 have it equipped with 2 shuriken cannons, so one could argue that those should be what it is equipped with. In the end, balance will have to be the deciding factor.

As it is, the reason that FW only includes the pulse lasers is that they count on Eldar players in 40k having plenty of the other types of eldar heavy weapons from all the plastic kits that include the plastic sprue that has all 5.

Also note that there is precedent for having a different weapon in E:A than the one that comes with the 40k version of the vehicle. The 40k vyper has the shuriken cannon on its sprue, but the E:A vyper mounts a scatter laser for balance purposes.

It would be balanced if there weren't so many in a formation and they weren't obviously too cheap, IMO.

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Why the 4+ armour save?

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I'm guessing from the speed and hard to hit-ness, rather than armour thickness.

I tend to agree with others that the Hornet needs toning down. Obviously it is a hybrid of Falcon and Jetbike, but at the moment seems to be getting the best of both worlds and is in danger of being more usefull than either.

My suggestions are
Stats:-

Hornet
Type: LV, Speed: 35cm, Armour: 4+, CC: 6+, FF: 5+,
Weapon: twin scatter laser, 30cm AP4+/AT4+
Special rules: skimmer, scout

Cost: 250 for 5x Hornets

This makes them more shooty than Jetbikes but rather less than Falcons, and I agree with semajnollissor's reasoning about the choice of weaponry.

Armour is a toss-up between having similar stats to Vypers (and jet-bikes as they were sniff) because of speed and size etc. and other Eldar armour (Falcons etc). I went for better armour because of the LV classification.

Scout is the differentiator from other formations of the type and is in line with the 'character' of the unit.

It's a fast, skimmer Light Vehicle thing. The vyper and SM land speeder have 4+ armor for the same reason. I didn't think the hornet should have worse armor than those units.

While I totally agree with you, it did not stop the nerf to the Jetbike armour, which was originally set at 4+ for exactly the same reasoning. The 'issue' was that the Saim Hann list majored on Jetbikes and 4+ made that list overpowered, so all jet bikes were nerfed accordingly.

The question is whether the same argument could be aimed at the Hornet; IMHO leaving the assault stats the same as the Vyper should be as balanced as the Vyper.