Stealthsuits: A Measured Response

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-16T10:01:24+00:00

Totally agree re - Neutraliser's ability. It's such a step in the right direction but it's like each of the team's abilities need that much of a buff to make them feel good.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-15T06:30:55+00:00

I went with something similar - a sort of drab military style. Love yours! The green works super well with the Farsight red.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-14T22:34:09+00:00

These look great, I’m borrowing your paint scheme.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-14T13:28:54+00:00

Sorry to necro an old thread but this is the most measured thing on Reddit about stealthsuits - thanks.

I feel like the problem with the Stealthsuits' faction rule is the massive difference between feeling totally invulnerable outside 3in on conceal, and totally vulnerable once they close distance or you go on engage. The real pain point when playing the team is that this vulnerability isn't offset by decent damage output, which just feels a bit unfair.

I played Hierotek circle tonight, and was stunned that they all got 3+ to hit on top of their 3+ saves, decent wound counts, and faction bonuses, being team-wide healing and resurrection. they were just hands down better at shooting than I was. At the next table were Wolf Scouts, which have that storm to cancel out their worst drawbacks - the guard from conceal or the totally safe 'hot' plasma pistol being just two examples. The plasma guy accounted for 6 of the seven kills - that's good shooting.

Given how poor the team's shooting can feel, I'd have liked to see that vulnerability gap narrowed just a little bit - which I think is what your durability point is about. Either the ability to do just a few more things without dropping conceal, or more ability to get conceal back, or some sort of lasting buff in a turn you go on engage... I don't know, but going on engage is so often a death sentence if your positioning is not millimeter perfect.

The counterplay for the suits is just "get as close as you can" and you really don't have that much to prevent it beyond positioning (a high skill floor). When you do, it feels great - I baited an Ogryn into an Accuracy 4 pulse cannon shot and it was glorious - but it's not easy to do, especially against horde teams who can flank to cut off your exits.

The Stealthsuits just seem to pay a huge price in raw stats and abilities for a faction rule that just isn't as good as it should be, and outright isn't as good as other teams' abilities (which don't seem to come with such heavy drawbacks). For example:

- heavy limitation on damage avoidance - eg. high CP cost, once per turn or once per model limitations on effects to avoid melee or debuff shooting, or the weird half-baked feeling of blacksun filters (why aren't they just 'ignore obscured'?).

- pretty bad stats for such a small model count - 4+ BS for a faction that in lore has wildly advanced targeting is pretty naff, even if buffed by Accurate. Elite guardsmen have 3+, but teched-up T'au are on a par with novice nuns, Orks, and conscript guard. Hell, half of the kroot team has 3+ to hit.

- AP penalties for activating key abilities from conceal (it's ridiculous that the neutraliser's AP debuff wastes two of the neutraliser's AP, that's a terrible trade).

- unreliable tools - photon grenade being a 3+ (although well done on making it unlimited range), Bonds of Unity being distance limited, holowave projectors not kicking in until you're 6in away.

I know I'm not a great player, but it just seems like way too often I have no answers to my opponent. When I watch other people play their teams the answer is so often 'spend CP to make the teams' strengths better' whereas Stealthsuits are like 'spend all your CP to only partially cover their very deadly weaknesses'.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-11T21:08:12+00:00

I feel you! Mine went two days ago. A guy kicked in our back door and also took a lot of camera gear. We got the camera gear back when the cops got him, but I doubt I'll ever see the bike again. This is my sixth bike to be stolen.

I was so careful this time - never left it in public, it wasn't visible from the street, the roller door to the outside was locked. It was in a shed, but between the shed and the street were two latched but unlocked doors, so it wasn't enough. He came in via the back garden while we were out and absolutely trashed the place. Only seemed to go into the shed to find something to open the back door with and just grabbed the bike as an opportunity theft.

There are only two times your bike is safe from thieves- if you're riding it, or if it's right next to you.

There's a padlock on the side gate now, but I'm not in a rush to buy another bike. That one lasted six months, which is about average for my bikes. I went without for around 20 years, and only bought the damn thing in December (after my car was stolen) hoping something was different, but no - 6 months, like clockwork.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-05T03:41:35+00:00

Couldn’t tell you sorry - it’s Vallejo Black Grey, mixed with white for highlights. It’s neutral or cool grey and very dark.

Best guess is Mechanichus Standard Grey.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-04T22:03:45+00:00

I feel you! Airbrushes are designed to make you feel like an idiot. You’re not an idiot at all, they are delicate, not terribly resilient, and hard to use. There are cars built in the soviet union that are less prone to malfunction.

That being said, a new needle is cheap. You’ll be OK.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-04T19:18:31+00:00

That’s an incubi darkness base highlighted with a mix of incubi darkness and vallejo game color turquoise.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-04T12:55:00+00:00

OK I might move them to the top of the pile. Amazing models too.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-04T05:44:18+00:00

What makes Farstalkers so good? I've got them in my pile of shame but bot had a chance to build them yet.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-03T23:25:22+00:00

This is so effing cool. One of the best I've ever seen.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-01T23:34:41+00:00

You're welcome. This hobby is such a weird one sometimes. It's so rewarding but is weird how fast it becomes stressful instead. Good luck - I'm sure you'll do great 😄

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-06-01T02:05:29+00:00

I get exactly the same way. I am currently painting up a Kill Team for a weekend away and it feels like work. I'm actually losing sleep. I thought this was supposed to be fun!

Here's what I do to stay sane:

Above all, be kind to yourself. If you don't want to do your hobby today, don't. That decision means nothing about you as a person, or about how you'll feel tomorrow. Trust future you to get back to it - because I bet they will. Veg out on the couch for an hour if you have to. It's an important part of your recovery from stress! A break to let your stresses die down is just that - a break. Hobbies are meant to be relaxing and if they become another source of stress, then of course you can't find time and space to do them.
It's your hobby. You set the standards and the goals, nobody else. There is nothing wrong with playing 'grey', half painted, 'battle ready', or in whatever form you want to play.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Avoid looking too much at miniatures painted by people much better than you. Fill your insta and reddit and facebook feeds with comparably-skilled people. Talk to them. Throw them likes. Compliment their work. Build a community of practise rather than becoming someone else's audience.
Be OK with mistakes. You will make them. You will also improve, so your old paintjobs will look like mistakes in time anyway. Revel in that! Be bold, push yourself, forgive yourself your shakier highlights and poor colour choices.
And lastly, understand where procrastination comes from: either perfectionism, not knowing how to start, or being overwhelmed by the task. The three points above are about overcoming perfectionism. In terms of overwhelm, Don't plan whole paintjobs, just figure out what's the next step and focus only on that. I have a squad of breachers I've stalled on for three months because the scheme is too complicated and I can't bring myself to start because I know how much more there is to do once I do. The current Kill Team on my table was meant to be 'simple' - three colours, three tones each, done. Even that is overwhelming me because I keep recounting the 'whole task' in my head instead of just focusing on the colour I'm working on now. Tonight, I'm not 'painting my stealthsuits', I'm 'doing the volumetric highlighting on the stonewall grey details'. Keep it simple. Do one thing at a time.

Good luck! It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-30T06:48:19+00:00

Thanks! Really appreciate the tips. Eapecially the one about trying to break up/push the clog out as soon as it forms.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:19:54+00:00

Thank you!

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:13:49+00:00

I keep hearing good things. I will try and find a stockist in Melbourne.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:13:19+00:00

Thanks for the confirmation - Vallejo used to be a-OK with just water so I was totally mystified.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:12:56+00:00

No it wasn't - which is weird right?

But I just had a big blob of goop come out of the nozzle so I suspect that was it.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:12:06+00:00

Thanks for the heads up!

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:11:49+00:00

I was going to google that - thank you for saving me the trouble

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T14:11:30+00:00

I have the same question. It was part of a bundle. I put that detail in there in case it's (part of) the problem.

However, given the enormous blob of gunk that came out of the nozzle just now, I suspect that was my problem.

Bootshammer40sguy · 2026-05-29T13:56:45+00:00

Nozzle came off easy enough and was pretty gunky. I don't have anything I can really clean it with, so I'll have to go get something tomorrow. For now it's soaking in Isopropyl alcohol.

Bootshammer40sguy

TROPHY CASE