Autumn of Fliers

[Harry]

Thats a Strombird .... different thing.

Stormbird is a super heavy transport.
Storm Hawk is a gunship ... a fast skimmer.

Its the difference between a CH 47 Chinook and Huey.



Yes I am now an expert in SM Gunships.

[Druchii Monkey]

"The Storm Hawk is a smaller, more agile transport from the same design lineage as the Storm Bird. Used extensively for small operations, as the Heresy progressed much of the STC data to build the Storm Hawk was lost although the Mechanicum have kept copies so that if it were to fall completely out of service a variant could be reintroduced at a later date."

So it's a transport right, of the same lineage as a Storm Bird so we might expect to see more similarity between a Storm Bird and a Storm Hawk than between a Chinook and a Huey?

Gunship to me implies an Apache style helicopter, but i get what you mean. Nevertheless a mini version of the Storm Bird as seen in that picture would be pretty cool and is the nearest we've got so far on a visual, unless someone else can provide a picture of an actual Storm Hawk?

[Bunnahabhain]

So it's a transport right, of the same lineage as a Storm Bird so we might expect to see more similarity between a Storm Bird and a Storm Hawk than between a Chinook and a Huey?

Given this is GW, the boundary between shooty death machine and transport is more than a little blurred- Land raider, Vendetta, Battle wagon, Falcon.....EDIT: Storm raven, Ceastus assualt ram.....
Relatively poorly gunned IFVs- Chimera, Razorback, wave serpent, devil fish don't really count here

[RedemptionNL]

This dude, quoting Harry's rumour, dug a picture up from years ago which might help people to visualise it.
http://natfka.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03...torm-bird.html

If the Storm Hawk is indeed real, I wouldn't be surpised to see it similiar in appearance to the Storm Raven. You know how much GW loves to reuse sprues for cost savings in making molds and consistent looks.

[Druchii Monkey]

If the Storm Hawk is indeed real, I wouldn't be surpised to see it similiar in appearance to the Storm Raven. You know how much GW loves to reuse sprues for cost savings in making molds and consistent looks.

I like the vertical lift jets on the Storm Bird and am hoping the Storm Hawk has something like these, and is smaller than the Storm Raven, with a flatter more agile look to it.

[baphomael]

If the Stormhawk is, indeed, true i wouldn't be surprised if it will expand the fluff for the stormraven to suggest that it is a particular varient of the Stormhawk unique to the blood angels and grey knights, which let's both codecies have something different but maintains a kind of continuity between marine chapter assets.

[MajorWesJanson]

Easy STC argument- The Stormhawk is a basic small transport gunship for a single unit, while the Storm Raven is a new "discovery" of data that allows the design to be modified to add a magnagrapple and haul around a Dreadnought and designed to support assault marines.

[The_Auditor]

Quotes from A Thousand Sons:

"He reclined in a converted gravity harness built into the crew compartment of a heavily modified Stormhawk transporter......"
"A dozen warriors of the Scarab Occult stood behind him in vertical restraints...."
"Within Ahriman's Stormhawk, internal spaces normally reserved for troops and heavy equipment were filled with banks of surveyor gear...."

If they chose to follow the fluff they have already put out, we are looking at something bigger than a Storm Raven, but smaller than a Thunderhawk. Perhaps capacity of 20.

Follow on from MajorWesJanson's theory. If the Storm Raven is a related STC to the Storm Hawk, then it would be a discard of some internal capacity if favour of dreadnought cradle externally.

However, I really hope the design is something completely different.

Also, the book heavily references the Hawk as a transport, rather than as a gunship with transport capacity. Read into that what you may.

[MajorWesJanson]

Quotes from A Thousand Sons:

"He reclined in a converted gravity harness built into the crew compartment of a heavily modified Stormhawk transporter......"
"A dozen warriors of the Scarab Occult stood behind him in vertical restraints...."
"Within Ahriman's Stormhawk, internal spaces normally reserved for troops and heavy equipment were filled with banks of surveyor gear...."

If they chose to follow the fluff they have already put out, we are looking at something bigger than a Storm Raven, but smaller than a Thunderhawk. Perhaps capacity of 20.

Follow on from MajorWesJanson's theory. If the Storm Raven is a related STC to the Storm Hawk, then it would be a discard of some internal capacity if favour of dreadnought cradle externally.

However, I really hope the design is something completely different.

Also, the book heavily references the Hawk as a transport, rather than as a gunship with transport capacity. Read into that what you may.

Design-wise, if they keep the wings, engines, and nose of the Storm Raven, drop the tail fin assembly and turret, and lengthen the body a tad, you can easily get a more transporty craft using some of the same parts.

[Alex_H]

I think the whole concept of a core space marine flyer is bad move personally. They should have just released the Thunder Hawk in plastic ala bane blade and be done with it. It would have sold bucket loads and not mired the whole personality and ethos of the angels of death. It spoils the overall game and blurs the armies to much together, and ensures that races like Eldar/Tau loose their distinct differences.

Leave the Imperial aircraft to the guard and fleet. The 40K range has too many holes in its model range without spending time and resources on something completely new just to sell the poster child some more. If the range anit broke don't fix it. If you need to release some Space Marine things, release some good re-sculpts of major characters (Ragnar/Dante spring to my mind). If they are good enough I am sure they would inspire the same increase in sales a flying tank would.

/Rant Mode OFF

[silverstu]

Honestly fellas ... I have no idea. It is so long ago I heard about the Tyranid stuff ...
... I can't even remember who I heard it from.
However I seem to remember he was pretty sure it was a Harpy.

Cheers H, I was just suggesting/speculating this might be an opportunity to release a Harpy kit seeing as it was a very strong prospect for the latest wave. They may of course hold it back for another later wave [I wasn't buying the "winged tyrant mistaken for a Harpy" line]. Mind you my purchase and paint list is already pretty long already this year so I'll not cry if the Harpy is a fair bit off.
Like the sound of these kits and expansions- I think they can still keep the feel for each army by how the flyers perform rather than just restricting flyers to specific armies.

[MajorWesJanson]

it would also be a good time for an IG Hydra kit as well.

[theDarkGeneral]

It kinda now makes sense...another expansion is suppose to be released before Apocalypse II and if a White Dwarf article does appear within the next few months featuring new models (shocking) i could easily see it tying in with 6th Edition, Chaos Legions and the Dark Angels! Would it sell?

LOL! Oh, and just a lil' birdie note, the plans for the plastic Thunderhawk Gunship and Knight/Warhound Titan were already done...i've heard a lot of reasons for them not being released however. Smaller and less expensive models however...that don't directly compete with Forge World...makes sense.

[Hokiecow]

Apocalypse II?

[Sildani]

theDarkGeneral, next time you talk to your birdies won't you please ask them about the large Eldar plastic kit that was supposed to have been released last autumn? A few reliable rumormongers (like Demon Prince Adramalech) said it was being done, and then... nothing. What might have happened, and more importantly, what the hell was it going to be?

[Asbjorn Nightrunner]

Can anybody else see a stormraven with a predator sprue...give it lascannons in the sponsons instead of hurcane bolters...would make it much more of a hunter killer than the storm raven.

[MajorWesJanson]

theDarkGeneral, next time you talk to your birdies won't you please ask them about the large Eldar plastic kit that was supposed to have been released last autumn? A few reliable rumormongers (like Demon Prince Adramalech) said it was being done, and then... nothing. What might have happened, and more importantly, what the hell was it going to be?

Honestly, I would guess that a potential large Eldar kit is being held back to release alongside either a new Apoc book or near to a new Eldar book, rather than just booted out on its own. Or at least they are waiting to do several large kits, like the Stompa and Shadowsword duo.

[Shas'O'Stormblade]

They would have to release an Apoc 2 because the current apoc rules would not be completely compatible with the new 6th edition rules. An update or revamp would be necessary.

[Starchild]

Thats a Strombird .... different thing.

Stormbird is a super heavy transport.
Storm Hawk is a gunship ... a fast skimmer.

Its the difference between a CH 47 Chinook and Huey.



Yes I am now an expert in SM Gunships.

The Stormbird used to be called the Eagle Transport (iirc) in the 1988 Epic Space Marine game set in the Horus Heresy. I think the Black Library authors went for the name Stormbird because it sounds more dramatic, plus it ties in thematically with the word 'Thunderhawk'-- the latter being the smaller and more agile vehicle. A model for the Eagle was never produced, however counters were provided in the game to represent them. They were portrayed as being roughly wedge-shaped and rather massive-- think two Land Raiders in breadth.

What I'm trying to wrap my head around is how a Storm Hawk will fit into the SM range and what role it will fulfill. SMs already have Land Speeders to provide fast heavy weapon support, so a heavy armament including missles will probably be the key feature here.

[Brotheroracle]

If GW makes a plastic Fighta-Bomma then I will start an Ork army. I love the forge world ork aircraft (Gretchin Bombs?!).