Falcon Punt

Oh, the Falcon grav tank.

To be honest, I'm seriously beginning to wonder why I run the blasted things.

For 135, I get AV12/12/10, an S8 AP2 2-shot gun, and the Eldar Missile Launcher (S8 AP3, or S4 AP4 Pinning) on a BS3 platform.

For 135, I get a Wave Serpent with the same armor, an S8 AP2 Lance that's twin-linked, and a Shuriken Cannon (for three S6 AP4 shots) on a BS3 platform. I get more seats (Big whoop, as I'm pondering here the Fire Dragon ride, not the Dire Avengers' ride) and I get the almighty Energy Field. (I get good-natured ribbing on that being cheese, but considering all the melta and lascannon and ordnance death I see out there? Eh. I LIKE my cheddar-shield and it would only be REAL cheese if it stopped autocannons. Right, Jon? Fething Hydras...)

I mean, don't get me wrong. I've had some good runs with the falcons (like Falcon Red making 5 cover saves against penetrating hits in a turn, and then Falcon Red just recently dodging the crap out of heavy fire AGAIN, laughing in the face of point-blank meltagun shots...) but I'm really beginning to think that the Falcon's got no real use.

The holo-field? 35 points a head, 45 total to get the extra armor and always move. BUT. But, vs. meltaguns and autocannons, they can produce the quality and quantity of hits needed to just batter through the fields anyway. I mean, back in the 'glory days' of 4th, the holo-field combined with the '6's to hit on melee' and 'moving fast means glances only' nature of the game to make Falcons the (usually not shooting) scourge of the battlefield. (Well, only in the sense of points-denial, and killing something with their cargo).

In all seriousness, though, I'm about to convert one of my falcons to a Wave Serpent (...somehow) and then try to get me another Serpent in a trade. Still gonna keep two of my 3 falcon bodies intact to use as Fire Prisms, but this whole 'falcon' thing is really winding itself down. I'm just not SEEING it any more in a mech list.