Contemptor Kevin's Combat Patrol Issue 48 Review

Welcome back Combat Patrolers! It's bittersweet, as Issue 47 was the final issue I was able to review for Goonhammer.com. With Issue 48, we get to explore a new and fun way to engage in Tabletop Battles! Issue 48 takes us through the second Deffkopta issue, and allows us to finish building the unit and getting it onto the tabletop. This issue also features the welcome return to various narrative sections. How do Deffkoptas paint up? What do combatants in the 41st Millennium use in order to fight in close combat? Who will save Squad Askarton from their latest predicament? Let's find out by diving in.

As always, thank you to Tabletop Battles and Hachette for the opportunity to review these models, magazines, and materials.

Narrative Materials

We start off with "Kunnin' but Brutal", which is about how the Orks use their natural cunning to secure and exploit victories to the best effect. Some Orks are sneaky on the battlefield (Ork Kommandos, who can sneak around and murder foes far behind the lines even in secure rooms) or campaign theater (Wazdakka Gutsmek's Speedwaaagh!), while others (Mekboyz, Painboyz) are able to craft and maintain new horrors to use against their enemies.

Ork Deathskulls Big Mek with Shokk Attack Gun

Our next article focuses on something near and dear to the hearts of all 40K players: Melee weapons. Because in the 41st Millennium, battles can reach close quarters and when that happens you need something sharp, spikey, or blunt. The Death Korps of Krieg use Trench Clubs to bonk people on the head, while Genestealers use "bioweapons" and Death Guard Plague Marines use Plague Axes, which are also biological weapons. Deathshroud Terminators use Power Scythes, and Ogryns get heavy mauls because they use "Heavy Melee Weapons". Others, such as Space Marine Infiltrators, Aeldari Guardians, and the Leagues of Votann instead get grenades of varying effectiveness. When I brought the question to the TTBA offices as to what melee weapon I would use, Rob was emphatic: Xenophase Blade. So I suppose that's what I have to bring to the Grand Narrative.

Photo Credit: Musterkrux

The third narrative section is Bonds of Honour Part 12. The Silver Templar Aspirants are hurried through the Fortress-Monastary's main thoroughfare, and shown the local Apothecarion. The narrator tells them of all the new organs they will be implanted with and get to use if they survive. He then changes the subject to Squad Askatarton, which is in the middle of an Ork trap. They are surrounded bu Orks Kunnin' but Brutal. And then they demonstrated the second part of that phrase, by running into melee against the Space Marines. One battle brother watches as one Ork grabs a smaller Ork and uses the Ork as a club! Deffkoptas also attack, but their guns in this story apparently all had AP 0 and so the bullets just ricochet off their armor. After the Deffkoptas fire their shots, the Marines' sensors pick up new signals. The Space Marines huddle closer together, preparing for new Ork incoming when white hot blasts of plasma blow up the Orks. The Space Marines were concerned now: Orks do not use plasma. Who could it be?

Einhyr Hearthguard. Credit: Rich Nutter

Hobby Materials

This issue gives us a single Deffkopta with a Kustom Mega Blasta and Da Bomb. While Da Bomb does not have any function in Combat Patrol, in 10th Edition the Deffkoptas have an ability called "Deff from Above", which allows them to select one enemy unit they flew over during the movement phase, roll a d6, and on a 4+ that enemy unit suffers one mortal wound. This is kind of an underpowered ability for a weapon that appears to be modeled after Fat Man.

Goff deffkopta three-piece Rotörhead. Credit: Charlie Brassley

I had the opportunity to make significant work on this unit for painting purposes, only running into difficulty with an unexpected trip out of town. These models are mostly an accumulation of various bits from other 40Ks welded together, with a single Ork sitting in the center of the model. Painting the metallic bits was pretty easy: I hosed the black primed model in a transparent brown, then drybrushed Skullcrusher Brass and ProAcryl White Gold. I then airbrushed the shadows with Pro Acryl Transparent Brown, Army Painter Hivedweller Purple, and Army Painter Cloudburst Blue. I followed that off with a drybrush of ProAcryl silver. This creates an excellent and well-defined base from which to pick out details and paint our Ork Boy. The one thing I would change in the painting process is that I would not have glued the arms into the body of the Ork pilots. This made painting the interior of the arms difficult and their chests and heads more difficult than it would have been otherwise, as the head, chest, and inner arms are effectively bracketed inside via the Deffkopta's gunsights. For bases, I used some sculpted industrial bases. For one of the Rokkit and the KMB Kopta, I was able to drill holes into the base to use the model's preexisting peg to hold them in place. For the Rokkit model that was attached to a tree, I cut the tree off and glued it to a Sector Mechanicus pillar. I then pinned the pillar onto the sculpted base. This is a kit that's easy to get a good looking result, and offers the painter a chance to really have fun with freehand, color choice, and material variations.

The magazine also has a painting guide for the Deffkoptas. While I think my way is faster, for a novice hobbyist the guide is very in depth and will produce a pretty good looking model.

Gaming Materials

This issue features Scenario 30: Vroom Dakka Dakka. It features a map with four objective markers, and the Orks and Chaos Space Marines deploying in opposite corners. The CSM player gets the Dark Disciple and 10 Legionaries. The Orks get 10 Boyz and 3 Deffkoptas. The only scoring conditions are 5 VP for controlling one objective, and 5 VP for controlling more objectives than their opponent. The Deffkoptas start off in deep strike, and the Chaos Space Marines get to go first. I'm honestly not certain how things will go for the Boyz in this first turn, and I suspect with some luck the Legionaries are going to wipe the unit of Boyz if they can get in range. But the Deffkoptas are going to have the opportunity to mulch some Chaos Space Marines. So this mission is really about smashing toys together, which is an impulse I can understand.

Final Verdict

Another solid issue of Combat Patrol. We get a fun model that's easy to build, offers opportunities for painters of all skill levels to have fun in trying to make the model look good, and a mission where we get to bang our new toys against some other toys. We also get a few more narrative pieces featuring the Silver Templars. I'm not entirely certain that a section on the Melee Weapons of the 41st Millennium needed to have waited until issue 48; after all the previous issues have shown us a plethora of different instruments by which to stab, smack, bludgeon, or otherwise beat someone up with. Still, with this issue we have only one model from the regular Ork Combat Patrol left to build: the Deff Dread! I am looking forward to channeling my inner Greggles Hess and painting up a brutal Ork machine that struggles with the Kunnin' aspect.

Until next time Combat Patrolers!

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