While I can't call my Astra Militarum complete, it is fully formed. Probably its comfortably close to 2500 points, but I've honestly not counted as I usually play 1k. With the Rogal Dorn completed, and the codex being a known quantity, I’ve explored a majority of elements I want to, so further additions will basically be for the fun of it. However, mechanised units are something I've yet to really try, hence todays subjects, the B.E.A.R by Watcorp Designs, a pair of 3d printed Chimera proxies seemingly created entirely in-house.
Any
regular readers, hypothetical as you may be, may recall that this is
not the first 3d print IFV I have built, but sadly that company
stopped trading, so I had to go elsewhere. After much consideration I
decided to give Watcorp Designs another try. Hopefully they'd do
better with one of thier more established products as opposed to the
then-new artillery I ordered from them. As for why two not-chimeras?
Well, I was tempted by the Taurox, but I came to conclude that a pair
of more durable vehicles with more dakka on them suited my force
better. One chimera is a target, even at 1k, but two is a dilemma,
especially if you present other tanks at the same time. The weapon
fit meanwhile would be optimised for the Combined Arms detachment,
meaning two heavy bolters to exploit the Lethal Hits rule. A pair of
heavy flamers would be quite workable here, but I honestly prefer the
longer ranged option, and the multilaser is a bit meh. As to why I'd
not be using Mechanised Assault? Well, that's more of an elite
infantrymen jumping in and out kinda thing, and not the vibe I'm
going for. Combined Arms is more of an uncomplicated buff, and its
stratagems help paired units like an IFV and the infantry the vehicle
is fighting
with...
As a kit, I'm happy to report that the Bear is generally in the "cheap & cheerful" category, with no difficulties to report beyond a learning curve and the postman playing silly buggers. There is documentation in the website but its not specific to this set, so I did make a few mistakes on the first one. The chassis here is made by four segments you glue together and then swiftly secure with a fifth, which I didn't quite get at first. Mind you, while the second hull went together much better, there's still issues with parts fit, especially with the troop compartment. You will need to do a non-trivial amount of prepwork, sanding and filling. I suppose you get what you pay for. A somewhat more pleasant surprise were the weapon options which proved to be more complete than advertised, and to an extent swappable. Magnets wouldn't hurt here, but relying on friction or a dab of blue tack isn't obviously unwise, even after painting. That’s the sort of thing that makes me more forgiving of the issues mentioned; the product seems an earnest one. In line with what was discussed above, I did kitbash the weapons, but it's not strictly necessary. Parts used include resin Ramshackle Games guns, and GW plastics, with small tokens to suggest portholes and thus the lasgun array. The models were then painted via the spraycan technique, with various weathering methods to conceal my mistakes.
Overall, these models came out ok. As vehicle the B.E.A.R feels a touch tall for a chimera proxy, although its footprint is a touch smaller, so swings & roundabouts, I suppose. Its not for beginners, you'll spend a lot of time finding out why these are cheap, but it feels quite feature complete, with it's own character. So, well done Watcorp, this one went a bit better.
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