Especially dropping Burst 2 PS 5 Blast templates or a HF Large Teardrop. It was a one way trip anyways..
Oh I'd be happy too, if this one wasn't the same price as the other ones with barely anything to show for it. Compared to the Firebat, it has a much worse Thunderbolt (-1 Dam, -1B), a similar close range gun (BS15 B4 Dam 14 AP vs. BS18 B3 Dam 15 AP), +1 PH, +1 WIP (useless), and FD4. It's got Impact Templates on the Shotgun, but loses the ability to go Suppressive. For having a far worse long-range gun, no suppressive utility but better normal ARO, Impact Templates and FD4, the 3 point discount seems fine, especially given the Firebat is probably overcosted compared to the Go-Pod. But then you take into consideration that it's got half the health of every other flier and it just looks terrible for its cost. It wants to get into 0-8" to use its guns. It NEEDS to get into 0-8" to use its guns. And that means you're a coinflip away from losing your 26-33 point model to an 8-point DZ guard with a Chain Rifle. It's got all the usual Aerial upsides and downsides, at the same price, but terrible durability with only a slight edge in short-range offense to show for it. Price seems way off.
I agree about the price, feels like it's paying premium for Mim-6 and FD+4. Still, I'm looking from a perspective of having to defend against it. Maybe losing it is a coinflip, but it's cold comfort if it manages to hurt my DZ beforehand.
Most of my attack pieces are in that point range, and it's more likely to get there. Ramah should appreciate it.
It's not paying for Mim(-6), because every flier except the Go-Pod has Mim(-6). It's apparently mostly paying for the FD4, which while very useful on an attack piece I don't think it's a whole extra wound useful on a unit that's already going 8-16" in a single order. It shares the other flier's weaknesses of being squishy in ARO, Long-Range ARO Pieces (especially with MSV), and Repeater Nets, so it's not exactly going to get into your DZ for free with that S7 profile jumping around without cover. Sure, it'll wreak havoc if it gets there, but so far every flier (except the Red-eye, who doesn't need to bother getting to your DZ first) does that without having the downside of dying to a single template. I truly hope the STR 1 is just CB being CB and screwing up preview profiles, because it just doesn't math out otherwise.
I'd even say FD4 is close to useless on such profile. If you go first, 4" indeed makes no difference considering how fast these things move. And if you go second, you'll deploy it as far back as possible. I get that Aerials are meant to be squishy (well, except the Redeye I guess) and they are squishy even with 2HP, considering S7 + no cover + mediocre armor. But that same package with just 1HP for a 30ish points model is way too squishy for the price. As with every 2HP VS 1HP model in the game, the ability to survive at least 1 ARO most of the time is priceless, and it's even more important on this kind of profile. And while Mimetism(-6) is cool, it will be less impactful as it won't stack with potential range malus, considering this one will have to get within 8" to actually be threatening. Might be a typo, otherwise it looks a bit (a lot?) below the other flyers.
I like to see SOs that can do more then just press a button on an antenna. And the CoC is dirt cheap. Realy good unit, if WC will get a similar (sligthly more bc MSV) pricerange I will be Nomad happy. If you can bring the HSG into 8-16 to catch someone without cover its still a 12 on B3. With FD and 8" it could be possible to get into a good pos. on an unlucky midfielder. But still 1 str. IS weak - especially when you have to go close.
Just you remember Yu Jing was supposed to have the Heavy Infantry hat while PanO had the TAGs one, and Haqqs got the S5 HI because those were older models; all the while, the CA were the bad guys, Aleph humanity's guardian and Nomads the quiky cyberdek jocks that could be called and looked like some sort of retro-futuristic cyberpunks in a post-cyberpunk world, allied with the poor and outdated Ariadna. Seems like things change, as many like to point as a good thing for Infinity ;)
Seraph also has flamer, but in the auxbot. But his nanopulser will become pulzars in N5, that's not bad. Is transitioning from Anti-personal TAG to Anti-heavy TAG. But right now, Tik is still better and the only reason Seraph is not played in MO
Then there is the fact the MO Tik is losing AP ammo in N5, so suddenly the comparison looks a whole lot closer
The thunderbolt+2B is a B4 Normal ammo Damage 14 HRMC with only 1 fire mode. Bostria said that it was like a HMG but .... it is nothing like an HMG even the name comes to me more like some kind of rail gun.
They are giving out a lot of Immunity (ARM). They really want people to use Breaker rifles. Hey, they gave him an escape system with Eclipse smoke. Maximus will be harder to shift, but he lacks AP Ammo now. The E/M Carbine is useful, but it's only Burst 2. CC against him would be a bad idea, but E/M CC weapons would eat his lunch. He should be a interesting model to face