New HelBrute model

[The Madman]

Glad to have the Chaos Dread kit back, now I'm waiting for re-sculpts of the Terminators and basic marines to match the new style (and an extra vehicle sprue with the chaos trimmings on it.)

[DWest]

Being new (once more, after a 20 year hiatus) to 40K, and having not played my first game yet, I'm wondering in what way the rules for the Helbrute are "rather blah."

I myself prefer style over substance, but I am curious how Helbrutes are under-performing, if that's where they are. Thanks!

The consensus is, with the Hull Points rules, a mid-range vehicle is easier to kill than a similarly-sized/priced MC. Thus, Dreadnoughts in general are out of favor at the moment (excepting the AV 13 Ironclad and Furioso, which are more survivable), and the Hellbrute is a Dreadnought lacking both the Codex Marines' superior delivery options and the other Chaos Walkers' Daemonic upgrades. There's really nothing a Hellbrute can do that something else in the book can't do significantly better.

Myself, I plan on getting one and turning it into a Daemon Prince-- the look just screams "giant mutant Cataphractii suit".

[Beardicus]

After hearing rumors of updated kits for chaos to fit in with the dark Vengeance look, I went out and bought the dark Vengeance set. I hate the look of the old dated marines. A few weeks come by and when the rumor that they'd be release knights dropped which made me lose spirit. Now I'm extremely excited!

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Given that these have shown up in Visions rather than a WD Weekly and after looking hard at the details I'm gonna put it out there and call these conversions, very very good conversions.

I see a plasma gun and the tentacles from the forge/mauler fiend kit and its easy to change the head in the Helbrute kit, also why the exact same torso and left shoulder/upper arm from the original helbrute, I can't see GW being quite so deliberately copy/paste.

They are lovely models but I doubt they are anything more than very skilled conversions.

Then why (as a small example) do all three models have the exact same toes? They're completely different toes from the DV Helbrute, and they each have the exact same mutations - three teeth on right front toe, two on the left.

[Flame of Udun]

I dunno, consistency? either way, I'm not saying it looks bad, I'm just saying they look like conversions more than new sculpts, and if they are new sculpts why show them off in Visions rather than WD weekly? I just don't understand how GW does this stuff any more.

[Murphy80]

Whether they are terrible units or not, at least us Chaos players will have a new model to paint. There is THAT side of the hobby, at least, and if it blows up in friendly games . . . it's all in fun.

For competitive games, I'm looking at those new models running one as a daemon prince. I actually have a spare set of DP wings that might go good on the back. I'm wondering if one of these could even make a good GD of Nurgle, with a little greenstuff to blob it out a bit.

[Alienerd]

Has 40Kradio received a cease and desist? These images as well as every post revealing anything new has vanished from their Facebook...

I like how they're not too dissimilar from the DV one, I guess they learned from moans about massive gribbly toes on a machine!

[Xenith]

I dunno, consistency? either way, I'm not saying it looks bad, I'm just saying they look like conversions more than new sculpts, and if they are new sculpts why show them off in Visions rather than WD weekly? I just don't understand how GW does this stuff any more.

Because visions is where they show off that month's new models? That being the whole point of visions?

There are too many differences between this model and the DV hellbrute. Why would any converter convert the exact same model 3 times?

Looks like:
3+ head options
3 sarcophagus options
Right arm: Plasma, lascannon, reaper power fist
Left arm: scourge, powerfist
standard legs.

I hope they have a missile launcher option for the left arm!

[daboarder]

eh I'd be more excited if I hadn't already converted my own, due to the obscene time this has taken since GW released the plastic SM dread over a decade ago

[malisteen]

The consensus is, with the Hull Points rules, a mid-range vehicle is easier to kill than a similarly-sized/priced MC. Thus, Dreadnoughts in general are out of favor at the moment (excepting the AV 13 Ironclad and Furioso, which are more survivable), and the Hellbrute is a Dreadnought lacking both the Codex Marines' superior delivery options and the other Chaos Walkers' Daemonic upgrades. There's really nothing a Hellbrute can do that something else in the book can't do significantly better.

Myself, I plan on getting one and turning it into a Daemon Prince-- the look just screams "giant mutant Cataphractii suit".

The chaos dread wasn't especially well thought of before, and the 6e changes were not kind to walkers. It's most points efficient weapon options are close range set ups, but it lacks an effective means of getting into range quickly. Armor 12 leaves it vary prone to spontaneous combustion, and even if it does get in close, it has a tendency to get glanced to death by krak grenades. On top of that, the crazy rule, while not as hasslesome as before, still isn't great, and it's got a rather limited range of upgrades - being largely without access to the chaos vehicle armory.

If it had access to that armory, and an AV13 variant, and an affordable drop pod-esque delivery option (the forgeworld Kharybdis doesn't qualify in the least), then it might be ok, but as it is it just sort of dies too easily and does too little to bother with it.

Now, it isn't the worst thing in the book - that would be possessed, and you can still get some mileage out of a lascannon or autocannon + missile launcher build or the like. I wouldn't call it outright bad. But it is decidedly lackluster, not an exciting unit to play with or against.

I do like the model, though, both the dark vengeance one and this one, so I could still see myself picking one up. Eventually.