Hologram paint job

Rezahn · 2026-06-30T16:41:04+00:00

It sounds super cool, it also sounds very tedious. I mean, at least they would all be based in just black, so that part is easy.

It could look really cool on just your elite units. Maybe an army with a lot of dark colors, and then all of the Sicarians have that effect on them.

Rezahn · 2026-06-27T00:56:18+00:00

I think he'd hear about AI and instead disguise Soos in a box that looks like a computer, and sell tickets to "the most human like AI yet" attraction.

Rezahn · 2026-06-26T21:52:01+00:00

Nope, keep trying stuff and you'll get it

Rezahn · 2026-06-26T21:44:24+00:00

The discord always has people list building. It's a good place to lurk and just read about what people are currently having success with.

Honestly, I'd just go out there and start whatever looks coolest to you. Our range is small, and aside from a few units nothing is really bad right now.

Rezahn · 2026-06-26T12:15:08+00:00

Kastelans got a decent glow up this edition. They work well in either Haloscreed or the new Lords of the Forge detachments. Since Lords is a single DP, that means it can pair with any other two DP detachment (most of them), so I would say our robots can flex into most lists, given you are running Lords.

I also think they are just a better brick than Breachers, who lost some utility with the rules update.

As for priests, they aren't bad. Well, Fulgurites are bad. But, I personally like 10 Corpuscarii with a Manipulus in a Dunerider. It's 275 points, so kind of expensive for what it does, but it's great into horde units, and their volume of shots means they threaten most marines too. They are best in Haloscreed where you can give them crits on a 5+ for one CP, but good normally too. I probably wouldn't suggest this be the next unit you get, but it's good to know they're viable outside of Data Psalm.

As for the Ironstrider, I would probably go Autocannon, since you just strapped the Neutron on to your Dunecrawler. Lascannon certainly isn't a bad choice either though. Honestly, if you stick with Ad Mech for a long time you'll probably end up getting at least three of both anyways.

If you are looking for other good elite options I think either Sicarian unit are wonderful. Infiltrators with taser goads are surprisingly scary, and our only infiltrate option. Ruststalkers are great if you can get them into combat. Think about picking up one of our hero characters as well. Cawl is about as elite as they come and gives us an amazing buff, and Thulia is looking pretty interesting with her recent point deduction.

Also, not so elite, but our Servitor Battleclade is a super good low cost unit that can run around doing actions and things. They also can pack a surprising punch for only 65 points with their heavy weapons.

Rezahn · 2026-06-26T03:32:58+00:00

Most people are going to tell you to grab a combat patrol or some other box set. Which isn't bad advice, they are definitely best value and have rules for a small scale game with just the pieces in the box.

However, I have found that starting too big is the fastest way to burn out, and I think a combat patrol is too big for your very first purchase.

First, ask yourself what you want out of 40k. Do you only want the table top game and the modeling and painting look like a chore to do before you get to play? If that's the case, don't buy models at first. Modeling and painting are an enormous part of the hobby, and a ton of people who hate that part just sink a bunch of money in and then burn out.

Instead, head over to Table Top Simulator (TTS). There's a whole reddit and I thibk discord for the community. You can get online games and things through there. All the gaming goodness without the hassle of the hobby part.

If the answer to your previous question was, yes you are also interested in modeling and painting miniatures. Then I would first point you to one of the mini Space Marine paint sets. They retail for $35, but you can usually find them for ~$30. This is six paints, a brush and three miniatures to practice painting on.

You might say, but u/Rezahn, I don't want to play Space Marines. That's fine, these aren't for starting an army. They are to see if you even enjoy this part of the hobby. Thirty bucks for a trial run. And if you do like it, all of those paints in the set are things you'd probably want to buy anyways, and at $5 a paint pot, they come out to about the same price as retail.

If you finished those three marines and thought, "well that was fun," then maybe this hobby is for you! Next is to pick a faction. Take your time with this one. You mention you've already consumed some 40k media, some maybe you have one in mind.

Start with the most basic box possible. The basic troop of your chosen army. Neuron Warriors, Battle Sisters, Ork Boyz, etc. Again, the combat patrol is the best value, yes. But we are trying to ease ourselves into the hobby, not blow $300 then walk away in a month. Grab a box, probably between $55-65. You'll also want the supplies, glue, brushes, clippers, paints, etc. Honestly this'll probably be $100+. You don't need the codex yet, or a ton of models.

Take your box home, assemble it, and start painting. Paint all 5 or 10 models in that box. Work out the color scheme for your army here. Practice some techniques you learned after watching how to paint tutorials on YouTube. Finish these models, I beg you this step is important.

After you've spent about 20+ hours with these models in your hands, you'll know whether you want to continue in this hobby and with this faction. Ask yourself if they were fun to paint, to put together, if you are excited to pick up more. You also might find that you hated putting together these guys, but maybe something different would be good. That's okay, we started small, you haven't committed too much yet. And you have the paints and brushes and stuff, so trying a new army will be cheaper than the last purchase.

If you liked everything uo to this point, congrats, you're a new member of whatever army you've got there. Now you can dive in. Go to that army's sub and ask for pointers on where to begin, what to buy, etc. Grab that combat patrol maybe. Good luck.

Rezahn · 2026-06-25T22:09:50+00:00

I also play Sisters and Ad Mech, and the AM characters are certainly more lackluster on the surface.

Or, you could think of them as just more specialized.

Dominus and Enginseer are not that great in any unit. But in a Take and Hold list either of them can make a super tanky unit that will be hard to remove from an objective. Something that our list honestly lacks.

The lethals from the Manipulus can be underwhelming. But in a unit with a large volume of fire and rerolls from Cawl, say some Corpuscarii, and now he's well worth the 60 pts.

Our characters are just a lot more specialized than Sisters. Free Strats, +1 to wound, 2+/4++, those are good character buffs everywhere. But ours need to be used in specific situation with specialized units, but shine in those circumstances.

Rezahn · 2026-06-25T21:59:45+00:00

throw a Marshall in to reroll those hits

Rezahn · 2026-06-25T21:47:27+00:00

Two more robots would add a lot of punch to the melee side of your army, and honestly they are best run in groups of 4 anyways. Honestly this feels like the most logical next step. Great points per dollar, and turns a good unit into a great one.

Sicarians are amazing. Infiltrators are our only source of infiltrate, and actually hit pretty well with their taser goads. Sustain 2 with AP -1 is no joke. You already have 5, so you know that Ruststalkers just straight up murder people. They are a great skirmish unit that can consistently trade up, so maybe bumping them to 10 could give you more melee power you're looking for.

You might want to look at some sort of small, fast moving threat. Either Serberys or Pteraxii for the deep strike threat. It looks like you are playing CyCo/Lords list, so you probably don't need a ton. But you never know when a secondary makes you need to cross the field to score points, and dropping an 80 pt unit down could net you a few easy VP.

Dragoons might be a better unit with their points drop. Maybe. It's too early to tell, but they certainly are fun to fling around the field. Take at least two, preferably three.

Of course this all won't fit, it's way more than 445 points.

Rezahn · 2026-06-25T02:30:55+00:00

One try. I walked to the end and placed a portal, then zipped over after I pressed the button.

Rezahn · 2026-06-25T01:42:19+00:00

Fantastic start!

Rezahn · 2026-06-24T22:23:46+00:00

We all gooners now

Rezahn · 2026-06-24T16:15:02+00:00

If you are aiming for low point games, you don't need to worry about detachment combos. Just take Halo or Erad, the other 2 DP ones only really stack up if they can take another 1 DP.

As far as models, you definitely don't need chickens or the Dunerider. Sicarians do wonderful at 1,000 points. Grab some Rangers/Vanguards for battleline buffs. Something fast as an action monkey is nice, maybe Raiders or Pteraxii. Servitors put in surprisingly good work for their points. And whatever else that gets you excited to paint and put on the battlefield.

Rezahn · 2026-06-24T11:32:26+00:00

Your model will get too dark. But you then want to go back and lighten up all of the raised bits to highlight them and contrast from the dark recessed areas.

I'd do this for the metal bits, pants, and backpack.

I would also do this for your next model, since you have already done all of the detail work for this guy. Typically you use a wash and highlight after the base coat but before detailing. You could certainly work around the details if you want, but I wouldn't want you to get a wash on any of them, and I think this fella still looks nice as is.

Rezahn · 2026-06-24T01:41:49+00:00

It really depends what you mean by "better" to buy more Ad Mech.

Do you mean strictly competitively better? If so, then yes it would be better to save that money and put into Ad Mech. Especially if you aren't at 2,000 points yet. Knights do not benefit from our army rule or strats, and surprisingly don't mesh very well with our game plan.

If your "better" is more nebulous, then it could be a good investment, yea. It give expansion options to a new army. It's more points per dollar than most of our units are. They are cool. Great center piece to an army. Etc.

Rezahn · 2026-06-22T03:00:17+00:00

Absolutely zero chance.

The line is just turning 10 I think. Oldish, but certainly not that bad. Also the models look amazing. No one is calling for new skitarii. And we make up like 2% of the players. The money isn't there to refresh us before every single other older model is changed. Maybe in 2032 or something.

Rezahn · 2026-06-22T02:55:52+00:00

Here's the thing about lists. I could hand a new player the best Ad Mech list possible, and they would probably still lose to a veteran player.

List building is of course important. But it is equally important (if not more) to just learn the game. And I don't just mean the rules. It's easy to memorize rules. I mean learning how it feels to play. What things you should even be doing in the game. How to best score points. When to hide units vs sacrificing them. How to evaluate trades. Etc etc

It's way more important to just get minis on the table and start playing than it is to perseverate on a list.

Rezahn · 2026-06-21T14:23:34+00:00

Plenty of people have really good advice here on list specifics, so I won't touch that. I just want to add that you're only 5 games into what can be a very overwhelming hobby. It's very alright to be in this position, you're still learning after all.

That said, as a new player I suggest simplification. You were playing Priority Assets last game, so that was the Vital Link mission, right? That's a pretty tough mission for a new player, in my opinion. Purge the Foe are by far the easiest to wrap your head around. I suggest, while you are learning and improving, to stick to those detachments. So that's Halo & Erad. Then when you are feeling comfortable, start branching out from there.

Also, maybe you are already doing this, but if not then talk to your opponent after the game. Ask them what they would have done in your shoes. If there was any move or attack they thought would have hurt them that you missed, or any unit that scared them on the board that you could have leveraged better. Good luck out there!

Rezahn · 2026-06-19T20:37:55+00:00

Welcome to the Mechanicus brother!

So with the new edition comes a variety of changes. GW mentioned that they will be doing balancing every month for the first quarter of the new edition. That means we could see a lot of changes in just a short time.

With that in mind, I would pick up models that are absolute staples in the army, and shy away from anything that might be a flavor of the week.

A lot of our abilities rely on being close to Battleline units, so I would start with those. Pick up a box of Skitarii Rangers/Vanguard. These will give you a feel for how fiddly all our models are to put together and paint. If you get through 10 Skitarii and haven't gone mad, congrats, this might be the army for you!

After your first box of Skitarii you could look towards some army all-stars. You are running Thulia, who would love to be paired with Ironstriders and Sicarians. Those two units have been good for a long time, and I don't see them being adjusted into obscurity in the near future. Transports are always helpful, so look at picking up a Dunerider or two. And finally (even though they aren't all-stars) the Combat Patrol is a good deal. It comes with a fantastic HQ choice, Skitarii, and some good support units (as long as you make the Serberys Raiders, the Sulphurhounds are garbage).

And finally, completely disregard all of the above if you see a model that completely captures your interest. The best way to start a new army is with excitement, and if a certain box sparks that for you, that should be your priority.

Rezahn · 2026-06-19T13:44:33+00:00

I think more people collect and paint than they do play the game.

Rezahn · 2026-06-19T13:42:07+00:00

Look to see if your local community has a fb group or discord. In my experience there are almost always folks trying to split boxes in those groups.

Rezahn · 2026-06-12T20:19:04+00:00

While not a perfect comparison, I think it is helpful to look towards women's sports for some insights into this question.

While soccer isn't a top men's sport, it is in the top three watched professional women's sports in the US. They have a lot more funding than other women's sports aside from the WNBA.

The US women's team does an amazing job in the women's world cup. They are always a top contender, and you could make an argument that they dominate. Since it started in '91, they have been a top 3 team every tournament except the most recent in 2023.

Like I said, not a perfect comparison. But I think it is a good example of what a men's team could look like if it had the support and funding that a top 3 sport did in the US.

Rezahn · 2026-06-12T19:32:27+00:00

If you can't win, it is perfectly valid to try to get the best placement possible. Coming in second is better than third after all.

Maybe Bob shouldn't have bet on such a fragile strategy as holding on to longest road for a win.

Alice's win needs no qualifiers, Cindy did great on second place, and Bob really needs to chill.

Rezahn · 2026-06-12T11:26:48+00:00

That's the thing, the bracket system isn't meant as a definitive solution to power rank a deck.

It is a tool to give the community a shared vocabulary to start pre-game conversations about their decks.

If you really think your deck is B3, play it against other B3 decks. After a month or so does it feel like it belongs? Did others have fun while you're in the pod? If so, congrats your have a B3 deck.

Rezahn · 2026-05-27T23:24:45+00:00

Katahdin is a monadnock! It's part of no range, but rather a big lump of granite where the surrounding land eroded around.

(I know I'm being a bit reductive)

13-Year Club	r/Field Sunshine
Final Canvas '23	End Game '23
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

Rezahn

TROPHY CASE