Combat Patrol: Adeptus Mechanicus

 The new combat patrol format of entry level products for Warhammer 40,000 has given us some interesting choices so far in how to construct an army for new players. The Adeptus Mechanicus are on the march with a brand new combat patrol. The servants of the machine god are back and bringing their advanced weaponry and esoteric combat doctrines with them. Let’s take a closer look at what’s in the box.

(Photo Courtesy of Games-Workshop.com )

So, in this Combat Patrol box (which retails for $140 US/£85 UK) comes with 15 minis. This is a well-balanced box containing a mix of older Adeptus Mechanicus kits. It’s a rock solid core to build an army around and you, as a new player will get a lot of mileage out of these units. Let’s look at the individual units and go from there.

What’s in the box?

Ten Skitarii Rangers- These are the standard “troop” units of the Skitarii cohorts and they come ten to a box. They come with a full variety of weapon options and upgrades at  $44/£27.50  Note: These are also buildable as Skitarii Vanguard.

Three Kataphron Breachers- These are a standard Mechanicus heavy servitor unit. They come three to a box and come with a full range of weapon options and upgrades. They retail for $58 US/£35.00 UK. They can also be built as Kataphron Destroyers.

One Onager Dunecrawler- This is the standard dunecrawler kit that has been around since they released the army. It’s a heavy walker with a variety of heavy weapons available. It retails for around $75 US/£45.00 UK. This model comes with all available options.    

One Tech-Priest Enginseer- This is a mid-ranking member of the Adeptus Mechancius hierarchy and gives a variety of options on the tabletop. They retail for $33 US/£20.00 UK. It comes as is, with no options.  

Looking at the price points, we’re at a projected individual cost of $210/£127.50 UK. Those are serious savings, but a lot of these are the oldest kits in the range (and most of them were in the older Start collecting sets). You will need to spend cash on some of the newer kits to build a more varied army.

It’s a solid starting point for a new player getting into the army. The units are the core of an army and you will probably play them week in, week out in some capacity. It also gives you a jumping off point to pick up additional units. One of the best things about the army is that it has a lot of variability in the range. From this core, you can build a lot of different directions from this core.  

A 25 PL army is the suggested starting point for the 9th edition, and this starter is flexible enough to let you play strategically. This army is relatively slow moving, but can pack a lot of firepower in a small area. The Dunecrawler’s Neutron Laser is something that your opponent is going to avoid, and the Kataphrons can throw a lot of shots into whatever they can see. Playing defensively isn’t a terrible idea.  

Army Expansion

So, what should you get with your first combat patrol? Honestly, this is a box you could do worse than grabbing a 2nd of. Doubling all the units in the box is a solid start to the core of your army. What other things would make sense?

1.  Skorpius Dunerider- This is a neat kit and gives your Skitarii a transport to get them around the table. They can also build it as the Skorpius Disintegrator if you have no desire or need for transport.  

2. Archaeopter Transvector- This is a flyer that fills a similar role to the Dunerider. The upside of it being a flyer is that is has much greater flexibility on the battlefield and can get your Skitarii onto distant locations. You can also build it as a Fusilave gunship.

3. Skitarii Marshal- A new HQ with upgraded abilities it confers to other Skitarii units.  

That’s our breakdown, and if it turns out you want to get one, I would be sure to check out our good friend www.ministomp.com if you don’t have a local shop of your own to support in these trying times. That’s us out for the day, have fun, stay out of trouble, and engage the hobby your way.