Unit Review: Nachtjager
- Nicholas Smith
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Greetings one and all,
Today, we’re going to learn why the enemies of the Axis fear the night. A monster of terrible effectiveness born from the legends and nightmares of European folklore; in times past they had many names, but now, on the battlefields of the rift wars, they're known as the Nachtjager.
Models
The Nachtjager are made of white metal and consist of four different poses, each of which is dynamic and shows off their bestial nature. They come as a three-piece model with 1 main body and 2 wings, which are attached at the shoulder joint.
In terms of how they are to build, I won't lie, the first one I tried was horrible. Pinning and greenstuff was required, but when it came to the other three they were easy and just needed some super glue, as you'd expect, so I think I might have just got a bad cast with my first one.
If Warlord continues its current trend of bringing more models to plastic, then I think these are some that could really do with the plastic treatment. I can see the wings being easily snapped off just due to the weight of the piece alone.
Rules
Looking at the unit, they are very reasonable in terms of Requisition points, as two models only cost 60 points. The unit can even get another 4 Nachtjagers for 30 points each, which brings a maxed-out squad to 6 models, and only 180 points.
Their talons are +1 pen in close combat and looking at their movement rate, they are pretty quick too, especially when using their Flight special rule.Â
Their special rules really do lay out what this unit is for though, as the Nachtjager are designed to be a highly mobile close-combat unit. The combination of Deadly (2), Fanatics and Horror means they’ll get loads of attacks, they’ll stay in the fight until the last man, and enemy units need to make a morale check just to shoot them when they charge. Furthermore, the Rift abilities only enhance their abilities. The active ability is very nice for assaulting units in defensive positions, and lord help the enemy if you catch them in the open. The Surging bonus just makes them even more lethal, upgrading them to Deadly (3) and giving them the Fearless special rule.
Finally, their Talons become +2 Pen at Close Quarters. The Exhausted penalty makes them lose flight, which is a pain, but it's not like you won’t get the rift dice back quickly and I like to think the Nachtjager are simply enjoying the meal they just killed.
Summary
This is a unit that's been designed with a very clear purpose, and it has a great ruleset to back it up. Models are fun to build and paint, but I feel they could do with being updated.
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