Adeptus Mechanicus Combat Patrol Review

Who Are The Adeptus Mechanicus?

Do you ever get sick of your troops running away from overwhelming odds? Then maybe the Adeptus Mechanicus is for you - they’ve solved this pesky problem by removing parts of the human brain! Simple yet effective. Of course they don’t leave a gap in the skull, they fill it with technology that put orders and directives directly into the brain. But they don’t stop there. Firmly believing that “the flesh is weak”, the Mechanicus have a habit of replacing body parts with machines too, with many of their tech-priests being more machine than man.

Stationed on Mars, the Mechanicus worship the Omnissiah - a machine god who is embodiment and bestower of all knowledge and technology in the universe. Typically this would be seen as heresy and the Mechanicus would be wiped out. But when you supply the Imperium with pretty much all of its weapons and technology, the Inquisition give you a free pass.

What’s In The Box?

The leader of choice for this patrol is a Tech-Priest Enginseer, who leads three Kataphron Destroyers (which can alternatively be assembled as Kataphron Breachers). Ten Skitarii Rangers make up the majority of the squad, which can be assembled as Skitarii Vanguard (both versions offer good ranged combat). For some heavy support the box contains an Onager Dunecrawler, which is one of my favourite Mechanicus units and looks great on the battlefield.

The Adeptus Mechanicus have a very unique look, and this box gives a great selection of units that show this off perfectly (especially the Onager Dunecrawler). Personally, and from a purely aesthetic approach, I’m not a fan of the Kataphron. They’re great in combat but I prefer a spindly look to my Mechanicus army.

Are They Difficult To Paint?

My word yes! Each slender miniature is richly detailed even down to the weapons, that are either covered in electrical wires, filigree or both. The Kataphron, although chunkier by Mechanicus standards, still has spindly parts that can cause frustration.

This isn’t to say you should avoid this fantastic army, quite the opposite, they’re something to aim for. Get an army under your belt, perfect those techniques and then dive into this iconic army. Alternatively, you could always just jump in the deep end and start with the Adeptus Mechanicus. Go nuts, start with their leader Balisarius Cawl. Do what feels right, I can’t stop you, I’m not your dad.