Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol - Orks and Tau Preview

It's a good time to be a Warhammer 40,000 player, with the popular release of the series of Arks of Omen campaign books, new models coming out near-weekly, and a slew of announcements at Adepticon this past week - including news of a brand new 10th edition coming to Warhammer 40,000! On top of all that exciting stuff coming down the road, Games Workshop sent us two of the new Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol boxes to check out, which feature the Orks and the T'au. We've put everything together to give you a first look, so follow along as we preview these awesome new boxes.

Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol - T'au Empire

Timed to match nicely with the release of the newest Arks of Omen: Farsight book, this boarding patrol includes an impressive force of fighters all ready to slay the enemy "for the greater good." This box includes all the sprues you need to build the following: 1x Commander Farsight, 3x Crisis Battlesuits with accompanying gun-droids, and 10x Fire Warriors.

We've sharpened our snippers and are vibing on the plastic glue fumes to get everything all assembled for you to check out, so let's dive into each unit included in this box.

Commander Farsight's new model is truly stunning, even unpainted as he appears above. Putting him together was fairly easy, though you can get into real trouble if you're not meticulous with how you arrange his legs. I ended up having to do some hasty fixes as we attempted to fit him onto his tactical rocks, only to find that I'd completely mis-aligned him (that's a classic Giaco blunder).

On the battlefield, he's a heavily aggressive figure who wants to fly into melee combat as soon as possible. With his blade doing massive damage and his ability to let nearby units re-roll attack rolls of 1, this is the melee general the traditionally very shoot-y T'au need on their side.

Next up are the T'au Crisis Battlesuits. These suits are tough, heavily armed, and have a 10" movement speed (with flying), making them an extremely mobile unit for such heavy firepower. I absolutely love building these units, as there's some room to pose their arms in a variety of ways for great flexibility of visual style. They also look so cool flanked by their small horde of drones, which can be kitted out to be Shield Drones, Gun Drones, or Marker Drones.

If you're a mech-lover out there, these units are definitely some of the most Gundam-esque of the line. I know some people think the T'au don't match the overall aesthetic of Warhammer 40K, but for me seeing these clean lines and (traditionally) white-painted units going against the cacophony of spikes that is any given Chaos army sets a really nice contrast.

Finally in the box are sprues to build either a Fire Warrior Strike Team or (as we've built above) a Fire Warrior Breacher Team. The Breacher Team is all about getting in close and making a big difference on the battlefield. Their Pulse Blasters can shoot either short range (8") with a -2 AP, or long range (14") with a -1 AP. The Strike Team variant of this unit can fire further away with their classic Pulse Carbine, but they don't gain any Armor Penetration bonuses.

All in all, the three units contained in this box weren't too complicated to build, and the process went by fairly quickly. Putting them all on the table, they really shine together, each bolstering the other in ways that make a lot of sense together. If you're looking to build a T'au army, and want to get a taste of how they play, this is a good box to start. Though, as with all of these boxes, you'll need the T'au Codex to get the rules needed to play with these miniatures.

Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol - Orks

Now let's take a look at the Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol Orks box, which focuses around the character of Boss Snikrot and a gaggle of greenskins ready to rip and shred through their enemies. This box contains the sprues needed to build the following units: 1x Boss Snikrot, 5x Flash Gitz, 10x Beast Snagga Boys, and 10x Kommandos.

There's a lot of bang for your buck in this box, so let's go unit by unit and speak briefly about the role they play on the battlefield. We'll start with the big boss himself.

Boss Snikrot is a truly unique model for the normally bellicose and brawny Orks. Armed with his twin blades Mork's Teeth, he alone can dish out serious damage on the battlefield. He's also a "Kunnin’ Infiltrator" which means he can be set up anywhere on the battlefield as long as its 9" away from the enemy deployment zone. And, if he has the benefits of cover, you'll seriously boost his armor saving throw for any attacks made against him.

I love the look of this model, with the stikkbomb (which he also comes equipped with) smoking at his feet. This is one of those models that absolutely oozes personality, and he makes a great leader for the rag-tag group included in this box.

Up next we have the Kommandos. Originally released for Kill Team, this unit is made up similarly sneaky Orks ready to infiltrate the enemy line before exploding into a chaotic mess of bolt fire. They share many of the same abilities as Boss Snikrot, but also gain the benefits of lots of ranged weapon options.

I also love the inclusion of the two little dudes you see in the picture above. The Bomb Squig - which is a squig with a bomb in its mouth - can be used once per battle to send out toward your enemies and explode. The Distraction Grot is also a super-fun addition, as this little guy with snorkeling gear can be used once per battle to distract your opponents, essentially giving this unit the benefits of cover for a round. Neither of these models count toward the model count, have their own weapon profiles, or anything else... they're essentially just special abilities turned into gloriously rendered models!

The Flash Gitz would be utterly shocked at the concept of sneaking up on your enemies, which is it's kind of funny to see them paired up with Boss Snikrot and the Kommandos. They come equipped with ridiculously large guns that they are not afraid to unleash on their enemies, and their big, loud design means there's no way your enemy will lose sight of them.

Armed with the devastating Snazzgun, a Heavy 3, S6, -2 AP gun (in layman's terms: it hits hard), they're like a crew of walking mini-tanks. And the leader of this crew can also wield either a pistol or a melee weapon, though the physics of how they're able to hold all of this gear is suspect (I guess we just have to believe it'll work, and it'll work).

Finally, let's check out the Beast Snagga Boyz from the Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol Orks box. These absolute freaks on the battlefield are armed with pistols and crude weaponry, making them very dangerous close combat fighters. Fairly straightforward, you're meant to run in with these Boyz and absolutely dunk on your opponents in melee combat.

So that wraps up everything included in the the Warhammer 40K Boarding Patrol Orks box, and though the Flash Gitz might seem out of place, all in all this is a force that really shines in close combat (ideal for Boarding Actions).

What do you think of these two new Boarding Patrol boxes? Do you think one has the advantage over the other? Do they each hold enough value to get you interesting in picking up a box? Let us know below and tell us which you're most excited for.

The products used in the creation of this preview were provided by Games Workshop