New automated sentry guns for my Imperial Guard and Planetary Defense Force (PDF) armies.

I want to thank one of our followers, Daveb, for a great idea.

While analyzing the defeat of the 17th Battalion, 4th Morkai PDF Regiment (Mutants seize Madad’za Channel), I commented on the effectiveness of the mutants’ unique ambush skills (the mutants are played using the 7th Edition rules for Genestealer Cults).

Daveb suggested the deployment of Tarantula sentry guns. These automated guns are not as accurate as regular troops, but their armor and cheap point cost make for an intriguing option against the wily mutants.

If nothing else, dealing with the guns could distract the mutants from charging precious infantry.

Now, as the “slow poke” that I am, it’s been more than three years since that advice was given. But I’m happy to report that I’ve finally finished painting my sentry guns—and I’m looking forward to an opportunity to put them to use.

I almost always stick with Games Workshop products, but I just couldn’t stomach the $58 price tag per Forge World version of a sentry gun. I wanted three, after all.

In real life, I’m not sure such massive sentry guns would work outside a fixed fortification. But, despite the obvious weight, the Morkai Planetary Defense Force has begun deploying these automated beasts with front-line troops.

So, I turned to Kromlech and bought three of their Legionary Sentry Guns with twin heavy thunder guns. Those were only $16 each.

The models are nice. There wasn’t too much flash or imperfections—some minor issues but nothing worth worrying about. They were easy to build and easy to paint. (I painted them with Citadel’s Tallarn Sand, with some rust and corrosion added to represent wear and tear.)

I look forward to seeing these sentry guns in battle. They aren’t very accurate (BS 2), but they will be something the mutants can’t afford to ignore (not with thee Str. 5 shots and a Toughness of 6 on the defense).

I recently bought two more. As part of the Mos Eisley Project, I put these weapons on the city walls. But, so the guns would stand out from the tan stones of the walls, I’ve painted these  guns (armed with Icarus Lascannons) in gray.

Next time I fight a battle on Morkai, I’ll be sure to put the sentry guns in my army, and we’ll see how they do.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.