Thousand Sons?

Honestly, I really want to like the Thousand Sons. I dig the fluff and the tragic history. It's the whole seeking of knowledge, even if it turned out terribly, terribly wrong. But, I've got two problems with it...the rules for the Thousand Sons, and the chaos codex itself.

The Thousand Sons
So, what perks do they have?

Pros
-Mark of Tzeentch
A 4+ invulnerable. These guys don't REALLY care about cover. They bring it with them, effectively.

However, the real question is how often you'll be rolling that 4+. Marines are often killed just by slamming enough wounds on 'em; it's the 3+ you're usualling leaning on.

-Fearless
Hey, when YOU'RE an automaton of the Dark Gods, not a lot fazes you.

-Inferno Bolts
AP3 bolters. Most folks get no saves unless you're in cover. Nail folks unless they've cover, then it's making 'em roll on the 4+. This would be cooler without cover.

-Slow and Purposeful
Shoot them bolters! It's combined with 'The Sorcerer Commands' where if you lose the sorcerer, you only get 1d6 for S 'n' P. Still, you can move up, rapid-fire bolters, and then assault.

Bottom line? Thousand Sons carry their own cover and excel and whipping AP3 bolter shots at infantry.

Cons
-Cost
This is the big one. 23 a head for a Thousand Son, and 60 plus psychic power for the sorcerer. A unit is EXPENSIVE. A minimal unit (4 sons, Sorcerer w/ Doombolt) costs you 162.

-Capability
This is the other big one. Thousand Sons carry...a bolter. That's it. No pistol, no grenade kit. Do you want a flamer? You have to take Winds of Chaos on the sorcerer. Do you want anti-tank fire? Bolt of Change on the sorcerer. Get into assault? Call for a friend, or take Warp Time on the WS4, S4 Sorcerer with Force Weapon and pistol.

Overall? They're expensive, and one-dimensional.

Overall
Use of the Thousand Sons must take into account their shortcomings. Ok, that's a bit of a normal thing, but in the case of the Sons they can't kill vehicles and, well, 5th is in part about nuking vehicles and holding onto objectives. At least K-sons can hold objectives out of cover without really caring about it. They also need melee support.

On the Chaos Codex
Dreadnoughts suck. Same cost for a loyalist (90 + 10 for the multi-melta) and you get the berserk chart. They get a case of the stupid, essentially. It gets comical when a Dread yells and runs up to something like a Seer Council...which promptly beats it down.

Lack of mobile multi-meltas. What I WOULD NOT give for a Land Speeder equivalent. Taking 3 bikes with two meltaguns is NOT the same thing. Nor is taking a small raptor squad with multi-meltas. Nor is a crazy-assed Dreadnought.

So, how do I try to compensate for this?
As I've hit up thus far, Thousand Sons need melee support, and the ability to kill armor. So, here's the first list I've cooked up.

Thousand Sons Draft, 1850
HQ
Daemon Prince
Mark of Slaanesh, Wings, Lash of Submission
155

Daemon Prince
Mark of Slaanesh, Wings, Lash of Submission
155

Elites
4 Chaos Terminators
3 combi-melta, one fellow with heavy flamer/powerfist
150

4 Chaos Terminators
3 combi-melta, one fellow with heavy flamer/powerfist
150

Troops
6 Thousand Sons
Aspiring Sorcerer w/ Doombolt
Personal Icon
228
Rhino
35

6 Thousand Sons
Aspiring Sorcerer w/ Doombolt
Personal Icon
228
Rhino
35

6 Thousand Sons
Aspiring Sorcerer w/ Doombolt
Personal Icon
228
Rhino
35

Heavy Support
Defiler
150

Defiler
150

Defiler
150

Total: 1849

How does it 'work'?
Well, honestly, it needs the Lash to get the most out of the Inferno Bolts and the Battle Cannons. With that, I can acutally do damage instead of force heaps of cover saves.

The Terminators, Defilers and Daemon Princes are all capable of dumping plenty of pain onto things in hand-to-hand. That covers that.

The Daemon Princes, Terminators, and Defilers all have the potential to pop vehicles, though admittedly the termies are reliant on the K-sons to get into position. The Thousand Sons can fire off a single anti-tank shot, I suppose. At the least a Rhino can cruise 6" and then the Sorcerer can pop out of the top and say "I THROW TZEENTCHY AT YOU!!" and try not to fry his brains.

Why Daemon Princes? A bit for attracting fire, and a bit for the melee potential. A sorcerer is infinitely more survivable hidden in a unit, but it's just a WS5, S4 power weapon that wants Warp Time to be a threat.

As much as I want to like Thousand Sons, I'm more likely to use the models and use the rules for Plague Marines or just regular guys with Icon of Chaos Glory. If supernatural durability is what marks the Thousand Sons, why not T5/FNP? It's a HELL of a lot more durable than T4 3+/4+.

Compared to the K-sons list...

Plagues as the Sons of Magnus
Well, seven Plague Marines w/ the Icon, 2 meltaguns, and a champ w/ fist are 226. 6 Sons, the Sorcerer, Doom Bolt, and an Icon is 228. The plague marines can punch out a vehicle, they can actually FIGHT in hand-to-hand, and they can meltagun stuff to death. Explain to me why I'd want to run the Sons in comparison to that? Plus, when it comes to small-arms fire (or even larger stuff, unless it's S8+ or AP2, the Plague Marines are more durable. They are, though T4(5), which is kind of annoying.

This has a crucial side-effect: I don't need to support them as much in melee. I also can expect them to pop tanks every now and then.