I think it is important to also bring up this very simple fact that is clear to old timers like me (who started playing epic in AT and SMv1 timeframe) which is until relatively recently airpower was fundamentally NOT an integral part of the strategic play of the game, either being absent in toto or somewhat bolted on craptastically to the rules. The lack of a dedicate marine fighter is less due to fluff as opposed to simple economics and the 2 dimensional play of the older editions of the game. Now that 40k in all of its wisdom (sarcasm for those of you reading) has at least given a nod to aerospace operations for the marines it makes sense to run with the name and weapons loadout in EA where in all reality airpower should be part of core mechanics vs 40k where it's just an excuse to get teenagers to spend more cash for over priced crap that is shoehorned in.

Now that being said, the model designed by them in no way matches the fluff but you know what? I couldn't care less. Someone that shows up with a Tbolt painted in Dark Angels livery using it as a counts-as situation is damn fine for me. Personally I'm looking at ways to kitbash some reaper tru-scale and FW flyers to give something nice for my poor foot slogging marines (a legacy of my SM1/2 heritage). Someone doesn't like that and wants me to use it as a TBolt then i am fine with that.

Let's remove the modeling question from equation and instead refocus this thread back to the more important topic: stats for a marine flyer.

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Leaving aside the rules questions about this, the storm talon was released alongside a necron fighter which looks pretty cool, and an ork fighter, which is a really good 28mm scale interpretation of the fighta bomba.

It's not like they [i]can't[//i] make half decent looking fighters at that scale, it's just the whole design ethos for space marines is pants on head retarded and ugly as sin.

That's right, even if they did rip-off the Cylon fighters from BSG...

That's in the proud tradition of GW since time immemorial.

Now, if they only had ripped of something for the rest of the range instead of going for machines crewing machines...

The cylon fighters ripped off one of the kilrathi ships from wing commander. :-)

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I do like the new Stormtalon Gunship that G/W just released ... too bad it ain't in 6mm ... It's not a Fighter Aircraft ... ... it's a Gunship ... Big difference ... And F-16 is a fighter ... a UH-64 Apache is a gunship ...

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[pedant]

UH-60 is the Blackhawk. AH-64 is the Apache.

[/pedant]

I think the model is stupid, however I'm not fundamentally opposed to Space Marines having air support. It's something that any planetary assult force would need - THawks need escorts or they'll just get shot out of the sky. They're not exactly low observable.

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Oops !!!! Slip of the finger !!! The only aircraft I have more time in the air than the UH-60 is the UH-1 ... As an old former 101 Air Ops Officer, spent a lot of time in or working with UH-1s, CH-47s, OH-58s, AH-1s, and later UH-60s and AH-64s ... T-Hawks would be comparible to a CH-47. Generally, a flight package could have CAV OH-58s, AH-1s or 64s leading the serials of lift ships, CH-47s, UH-1s/ UH-60s. With Attack Ships AH-1s or 64s flying flank security. The flight path and LZ(s) would be peppered by supporting fires of CAS, FA, etc. to suppress likely or known enemy ADA. So the same could be done with mix of GW models ... the various T-Hawks and Dropship, the Storm Raven, Storm Eagle, Storm Talon, etc. IMO the Storm Talon and Storm Eagle would be dedicated Gunships like the AH-1 and AH-64 ... The others would be armed lift ships ... in most cases very heavily armed like the Russian Hind-D ...

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so while the boards were offline I was skulking around Bolter&Chainsword more than usual and came across this Storm Talon conversion. The creator wasn't really all that happy with the out of the box look and did just a bit of platicard work and in my opinion this looks 1000 times better than the kit actually produced by GW. Go and take a peep and if anyone so happens to want to CAD this up as a thought experiment, all the better [looks at the friendly water mammal]

post

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He only left off the chin-turret, side mounts and moved the assault cannons under the wings.
An easy conversion you could to with a speculative Epic scale model

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A bit more than that. The wings were custom built from plasticard, he put the underslung missile rack (from a tempest I think), and of course the tail from a storm raven. Not an overly crazy convetsion but just enough to make it look "right". The assault cannons being wing mounted to make this look better with the larger wingarea

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So are we set about these stats?

Space Marine Storm Talon Gunship (Intercept Configuration)
Type Speed Armour CloseCombat Firefight
Aircraft Fighter 5+ n/a n/a
Weapon Range Firepower Notes
Twin Assault Cannon 15cm AP4+/AT4+/AA4+ Forward Arc
Twin Heavy Bolter 30cm AP4+/AA5+ Fixed Forward Arc

200pts for two.

And this (not it doesn't make the Land Speeder superfluous as you can't have Land Speeders as upgrade in most lists):
Space Marine Storm Talon Gunship (Escort Configuration)
Type Speed Armour CloseCombat Firefight
Armoured Vehicle 35cm 5+ n/a n/a
Weapon Range Firepower Notes
Twin Assault Cannon 15cm AP4+/AT4+/AA4+ Forward Arc
Skyhammer Missile Launcher 45cm AP4+/AT6+ Disrupt, Fixed Forward Arc

Notes: Skimmer.

Upgrade to any ground formation: Add a single Storm Talon for 75pts.

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We're going to run with the interceptor in our next game though thats going to be a bit. I think the ground support version is harder to justify.

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The more I think on it, the more I think the ground support variant is unnecessary. Other one looks good.

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I think the obvious place for the Storm Talon are the Dark Angels and the Black Templars lists?

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