# Tau Manta



## steampunktau (Aug 12, 2009)

Every day I look at the Tau Manta on FW, and every day I get just a little bit closer to clicking BUY NOW.

Its... so awesome...

I want it so bad =(

but...

can someone point me to the book or webpage that has the rules for the manta? It's not in anything I have


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Don't. Do it.

The Manta may be our dream, but with that big a resin piece there are so many things that could go wrong.

Although they probably won't send you a miscast one (because their policy on miscast is that the buyer keeps the first item and gets another! LOL) it will probably be in need of repairs constantly over time.

Not so much fun with a 1000£ item.


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## HOBO (Dec 7, 2007)

The Manta rules are in IA3...I don't know if they've been updated since then.

Personally I don't think any model is worth that much (or even half that much), but I'm not you, so don't let anyone dissuade you from getting 1 if you really want it.


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## C'Tan Chimera (Aug 16, 2008)

DON'T BUY IT 

I don't care how epic it is- NOTHING, especially plastic army men- is worth THAT much.


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## Dicrel Seijin (Apr 2, 2011)

This is the model that my friend wants (he decided the Eldar were not for him and has slowly been building a Tau army). Still, I have to agree with the others, at US$1575 (according to the latest exchange rate), it is far too much. However, if you can drop that much money regularly....


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## kiro the avenger! (Nov 8, 2010)

I REALLY want it to but I can't-ever
Also it's in imperial armour 3:the taros campaign


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## eyescrossed (Mar 31, 2011)

It's been updated in... Damn, can't remember which IA book. I think it's in Imperial Armour: Apocalypse.


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## Maidel (Jun 28, 2009)

eyescrossed said:


> It's been updated in... Damn, can't remember which IA book. I think it's in Imperial Armour: Apocalypse.


Yes - but thats only the rules to use it in apocolypse isnt it? Those rules are different to using it in a normal 40K game (not that you every would!).


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

Given that the manta is built with internal corridors and such, it would actually make for an excellent kill team table. It`s about the right size. :laugh:

Honestly, I`d never go anything that big. The biggest models I`ve ordered are Gauss Pylon and Barbed Heirodule, both of which rarely see use anyway.


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## eyescrossed (Mar 31, 2011)

Maidel said:


> Yes - but thats only the rules to use it in apocolypse isnt it? Those rules are different to using it in a normal 40K game (not that you every would!).


Updated rules are updated rules. Pretty sure it even has the rules for use in normal games (something about x Detachments or something). That, and as you said, when would you use it outside of Apocalypse? :biggrin:


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## Maidel (Jun 28, 2009)

eyescrossed said:


> Updated rules are updated rules. Pretty sure it even has the rules for use in normal games (something about x Detachments or something). That, and as you said, when would you use it outside of Apocalypse? :biggrin:


On fishing out the book - you would apear to be right - thats the most up to date rules for it.


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## steampunktau (Aug 12, 2009)

well it also has about $350 in suits and tanks that come with it, so its not just the manta you're paying for.

omgomgomg i want one


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## Serpion5 (Mar 19, 2010)

If you got the cash to drop mate, then go for it. Otherwise you`ll spend all your time thinking what could have been... 

Now, because I like mind games, a completely opposite perspective. :grin: 

I strongly have to advise against this mate. At the very least, refrain for a few months. If you really truly want it, the passion will still be there after you have waited for so long.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

If your net income is in the higher side off the economic scale for your country then by all means waste your disposable income on a manta, really no different from buying another TV/motor bike. 

Now if your just upper middle clase or even just middle class, then I would say no, unless you get some way to finance it out under 20% monthly interest. For that would allow you to distribute the cost over 3-5 months. Reducing the financial burden considerably.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

I want one. But I would rather get two or three Titans of various classes/models. And that thing has to take the whole fucking table??! Its HUUUUUUGE!

(Go for it! I want to see a project log! :laugh

Also, if you get one hope that the first one is in bad shape, you get to keep the scrap (ehrm, battlesuits, tanks) and they send you a new one. :so_happy:


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

Well. I got to go back a little on what I said.

Sure, it's 1000£, but what hobby doesn't have 1 or more things that cost that much alone? If you're ever going to be a professional guitarist, that's the very minimum value instrument you should be looking for. Hell, pro drum kits are 6000!

A good video camcorder for (beginner's) prof. use is 5,500£.

Anyway, let me help you some more. If you are:

1) Part of a vibrant 40K community locally
2) More than twice a year play 15,000+ points co-battles
3) YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THE STRENGTH TO PAINT IT

Then you have my recommendation of buying it.

(Hell, I'll probably buy it myself some day)


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## Kreuger (Aug 30, 2010)

Seriously, if you buy it, just put legs on it and make it a table. 

You'll get more use out of it.


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

It's got free shipping, that's a steal of a deal :wink:

I think your major concern should be whether you have the space for it, and whether you will enjoy making & painting it. I'm sure if a lot of us added up the cost of the models we own it'd come up to fairly insane sums of money.

I'd love to build & paint one of these, and i know it'd keep me busy for a long, long time....however there's a lot more things i'd prefer to do with that cash. I think i'd buy the orca between the 2 of them.


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## kiro the avenger! (Nov 8, 2010)

If you buy it tell me your address so I can steal it
Just kidding:biggrin:


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## Warlock in Training (Jun 10, 2008)

Wait the Suits and Tanks are usable? I thought they were part of the dumb thing and thus not removable or payable.


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## spanner94ezekiel (Jan 6, 2011)

"The Manta has been designed to have a fully working and detailed interior and has two decks: the upper deck is where you will find forty-eight seated resin Fire Warriors and six Gun Drones, overseen by a seated Tau Ethereal. They exit through doors that retract into the walls and then down to the landing zone via the hidden extendable ramp. On the lower deck are eight Tau Battlesuits, two Devilfish troop carriers and two Hammerhead battle-tanks. This whole deck drops down so the vehicles and Battlesuits can disembark and deploy rapidly. Further forward, towards the nose, four Air-Caste systems operators and two pilots control the prodigious amount of firepower that the Manta can bring to bear on the enemy: sixteen Long-Barrelled Burst Cannon, six Long-Barrelled Ion Cannon, two Heavy Rail Guns, Missile Pods and battery of Seeker Missiles as well as a Networked Markerlight turret. The kit includes two Devilfish, two Hammerheads, eight Battlesuits, six Gun Drones and one Black and one White Tau decal sheet. "

-Forge World-


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

No, the manta kit includes Devilfish, Hammerhead and Crisis Suit kits. By using magnets you could use them out of the Manta.


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## C'Tan Chimera (Aug 16, 2008)

Plus, think about this. You bring that thing to an Apocalypse game.

"I win by default" . 

What good is having a weapon of mass destruction if your opponent is on his hands and knees hailing you as a God Dr.Manhattan style before turn 1 is over?


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## Blue Moon (Sep 22, 2010)

MetalHandkerchief said:


> Well. I got to go back a little on what I said.
> 
> Sure, it's 1000£, but what hobby doesn't have 1 or more things that cost that much alone? If you're ever going to be a professional guitarist, that's the very minimum value instrument you should be looking for. Hell, pro drum kits are 6000!
> 
> ...


I have to agree, if your playing group have regularly huge games and you have the money, then go for it. Otherwise you'll have a fantastic model gathering dust (and from the size of it, it can sure gather alot of dust )


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## kain1989 (Dec 1, 2009)

I wouldn't get the manta because someone brought his into an apocalypse game. the problem is that the model is so huge, and so heavy, that it can't support itself, and the guy refused to move it because it was breaking. but then again i can barely buy a battalion box.


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## Mannimarco (Apr 27, 2011)

C'Tan Chimera said:


> Plus, think about this. You bring that thing to an Apocalypse game.
> 
> "I win by default" .
> 
> What good is having a weapon of mass destruction if your opponent is on his hands and knees hailing you as a God Dr.Manhattan style before turn 1 is over?



I wouldnt call the Manta an IWIN. Far from it in fact.

You know the kind of firepower you can cram into the points you spend on 1 Manta?


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## CardShark (Dec 20, 2010)

Personally I would spend the money on other warhammer models I mean you can build an army with that


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## steampunktau (Aug 12, 2009)

Mannimarco said:


> I wouldnt call the Manta an IWIN. Far from it in fact.
> 
> You know the kind of firepower you can cram into the points you spend on 1 Manta?


But at the end of the game, win or lose, you know you're the one with a bloody Manta and so can consider yourself the winner anyway


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## Dicrel Seijin (Apr 2, 2011)

What is the point cost for one of these anyway? And what kind of weapons load can you cram into it?


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## Mannimarco (Apr 27, 2011)

steampunktau said:


> But at the end of the game, win or lose, you know you're the one with a bloody Manta and so can consider yourself the winner anyway


Fluff player who likes to write up after battle short stories. The leader of my Vraksian renegades started off looking like the stock FW renegade commander and by the time we finished the campaign he looked more Sabaoth from doom 3.

You might have a Manta but hey Ive got all 4 daemon lords so guess who wins the war? :biggrin:

With the Manta your going for shock and awe but at the end of the day theres just so much in Apocalypse that can chip away at it.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

The point cost for a Manta is around 1,000 pts, and I think it's well worth it for a super heavy flyer with over 12 structure points and AV14 all around. The thing can fire almost 60 long barreled burst cannon shots, two super-heavy railgun shots, and 18 Ion cannon shots - plus (i think) an unlimited number of seeker missiles per round!

In addition, it allows you to deepstrike 72 Fire Warriors (if you have 2 devilfishes) , 8 Crisis Suits and 2 hammerheads.

Scared of not getting the first turn? Not with a manta.


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## yshabash (Apr 11, 2010)

steampunktau said:


> Every day I look at the Tau Manta on FW, and every day I get just a little bit closer to clicking BUY NOW.
> 
> Its... so awesome...
> 
> ...


Imperial armor 3 the tauros campaign

Personally I would say don't get it. Its too big, too expensive and the in-game rules aren't that great. Woohoo you can deepstrike the longest ranged tanks from it and it has rail-guns (and even if you kill a tank every turn of the game with them your still not going to even make up half your points.) The only thing that makes it nice game-wise is the fact it is a flier so you can only glance it on 6's. apart from that its just not worth the points in my opinion. You can decide that for yourself though.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

yshabash said:


> it has rail-guns


No, it has Super-Heavy Rail Guns. Meaning S10 AP1 D6 Structure Points.


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

There's a difference between a characterful plastic soldier 
and
A big lump of shaped resin.

Seriously, I know GW is expensive and all, but there's spending money and then there's wasting money...


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

MetalHandkerchief said:


> The point cost for a Manta is around 1,000 pts, and I think it's well worth it for a super heavy flyer with over 12 structure points and AV14 all around. The thing can fire almost 60 long barreled burst cannon shots, two super-heavy railgun shots, and 18 Ion cannon shots - plus (i think) an unlimited number of seeker missiles per round!
> 
> In addition, it allows you to deepstrike 72 Fire Warriors (if you have 2 devilfishes) , 8 Crisis Suits and 2 hammerheads.
> 
> Scared of not getting the first turn? Not with a manta.


Did they update the rules for the manta when I wasn't looking or something?
according to imperial armor apocalypse 2008 the majority of what you said is not accurate. manta is 1900+ pts, has less then 11 str points. Its highest AV is 13, and it has a special rule were you don't need sixes to hit it like all other flyers.

Also further demonstrating why people that have never played a proper apocalypse game with competent people should avoid giving advice about the usefulness of forge world models I will now direct attention to two other posters that have no idea what they are talking about.

MetalHandkerchief 
No the heavy rail gun is just a direct fire ap 1 destroyer strength weapon, and has no nonsense about removing d6 str points (Were the hell did you even get that from?).

yshabash
All though you seem far more knowledgeable then some of the other posters I have no idea where your getting glancing on 6 from. The updated rules for flyer mean it gets the following rules minus one such rule as stated in its datasheet. 

As a flyer the range of all guns fired at the manta are at -12" range, also flyers ignore the result that stops them from moving (Just not immobilized or two drive damaged which will destroy it out right). Also Normally all flyers have a 4+ inv save for moving so fast (Not sure if its cover or not), and no template weapons can target a flyer with the exception of AA mounted template weapons which will hit on 6. Also normally you would require a 6 to hit a flyer, but the manta has a special rule saying do to its size you hit at normal ballistic skill.

Note I have not used the specific values listed in the datasheet in order to conform to forum policy.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

If you have the money and you want it i say go for it, i have bought several large models from FW and i have yet to regret it, the important thing to remember is only buy it if you can afford the model and wont regret spending the money, if you are in any doubt about the purchase then dont spend it, though i use that mantra for all large purchases to be fair.
I think its an amazing model and if i had a tau army i would be seriously tempted, i am going through a similar dilemma at the moment with the phantom titan, i want it but i want to see what other weapons it will get fist as i want a powerfist.


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## MetalHandkerchief (Aug 3, 2009)

LukeValantine said:


> snips


Your panties. They are in a twist.

My knowledge of the Manta is limited to what people told me/ I can remember. I gave a vague description to:

1) Help him understand the scale of it's fire power
2) Stay within the forum's rules, meaning I have to be both vague and inaccurate.

And I think you are very close to breaching 2) there, so just take it easy.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

In other words you were incredibly misinformed, and are offended by someone calling you out on it. If you believe that anything I said was ment to offend you then by all means grow a thicker skin. You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding between being vague, and making completely fallacious statements that actually give no useful information about the model in question.

In regards to violating forum rules I fail to see how any thinking individual that isn't the party being called out on making blatantly false statements could interpret my post that way.

I can only guess that your are referring to either 1) Personal attacks will NOT be tolerated! 2)Trolling and/or attempting to bait others into a flame war will not be tolerated 3)You alone are responsible for the material you post. 

In regards to 1) I draw your attention to the fact that their is a fine line between calling someone out on passing here say as fact and mocking or inssulting someone. In respects to 2) my post was well within the inteded perpous of this thread and generated usfull information that will benifit the thread starter. In respects to 3) You often will have to post the stats verbatim to get in trouble, and all though I may be dangerously close in reading out the flyer rules I feel it was nessessary to do so when faced with such blatently false statments about what being a flyer means and will gladly remove said information at the request of a moderator or the thread starter.

In short nothing I posted was without the sole intention of showing the complete lack of accurate information many were posting about the manta, and since such information may affect a members near future I felt it nessassry to call out the falsities regarding the post.

Now that this imbecilic posturing is over with I recommend all future posts at least try to be truthful, or are solely directed at the original purpose of the thread starter.


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## eyescrossed (Mar 31, 2011)

Indeed. If you're giving information based of vague stuff you remember, then don't get offended (for some reason) when you're called out on it.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

eyescrossed said:


> Indeed. If you're giving information based of vague stuff you remember, then don't get offended (for some reason) when you're called out on it.


he can get offended if he wants to, he can leave his friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're are no friends of mine
I say, we can go where we want to a place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
and we can dance.


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## gally912 (Jan 31, 2009)

LukeValantine said:


> In regards to violating forum rules I fail to see how any thinking individual that isn't the party being called out on making blatantly false statements could interpret my post that way.
> 
> I can only guess that your are referring to either 1) Personal attacks will NOT be tolerated! 2)Trolling and/or attempting to bait others into a flame war will not be tolerated 3)You alone are responsible for the material you post.
> 
> ...


U mad bro?


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## Styro-J (Jan 20, 2009)

That'll be quite enough of that...

Anyway, the Manta is really good in Apoc. It has a ton of Lb (Long-barreled = enhanced range) Burst Cannons for massive small shot output. It has 6 Lb Ion Cannons (read as 3 twin-linked). Several Seeker Missiles, a twin-linked missile pod, a networked markerlight turret, and a deadly Railgun with a Sub munition option. 

Couple all that fire power with the ability to go wherever it wants to in a turn and you have a deadly force. The fact that it is a transport only makes its mobility that much more impressive. 

Also, its survivability is spectacular in that the scariest guns in Apoc (destroyer weapons) will have a lot of trouble taking it down since most Destroyer weapons use blast templates that can't hit flyers and even the ones that do will have to get past its invul save. With that many structure points it will be a pain to take down even for massed normal weapons.

Army wise the Manta is definitely worth its points. It really does just come down to whether or not you have what it takes to get it together, painted, and maintained.


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

bitsandkits said:


> he can get offended if he wants to, he can leave his friends behind
> Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
> Well they're are no friends of mine
> I say, we can go where we want to a place where they will never find
> ...


Is it safe to dance?


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