Dusting of the Gundam Project

Okay, the Tau are getting their new Codex...

There is the free downloadable Mobile Suit Gundam skirmish game rules on Facebook...

And I still have this guy... the first of a planned project from years ago (as in, with the second version of the Tau codex)...

Apart from him, I still have "a few" GunPla kits in my storage space... like about 24 of them, over which half are rank and file mobile suits like Geara Droga's and Zaku's in scale 1/144, which is when I want to introduce the Gundam game to the club, about equal to 15mm so I might be buying some scenery in that scale in the future.

So yes, perhaps it IS time to finally make work of the age old plan of building them all and use them as a Tau army.  Sure, the GunPla models are bigger then the regular Tau battlesuit (well, if they are on their flying bases, not so much actually) which is slightly gamewise a penalty.  Because of the (clusterf*cked) line of sight rules for 8th edition.  But that doesn't bother me one bit, as it won't be a competitive force in any way.

Instead, the goal is to create a force made for the occassional fun game and change of force from my Heretic Astartes.  See, I like two things in life, anime being one of them and the Tau with all their mecha suits are a force that always had a big appeal to me.

I do realise I'll need to create a printed out visual recognisition guide for my opponents, but that is a small effort and a single printed copy of about 7 - 9 different mecha pictured on it and what they represent should be sufficient after all.  The 'hardest' part is probably how to equip all the battlesuits to accomodate the GunPla models.

As it stands at the moment, the Tau have 4 "main" battlesuits on which variations are build.  The huge Riptide and Stormsurge, and the basic XV8 and Broadsides.  Apart from the ForgeWorld ones like the immense KX139, or the XV109 and the likes, as well as the XV9.
My idea was generally for the Broadsides to use 'ranged' Gundam models, like the above HeavyArms Kai, the Dynames, the Buster, etc.

The basic line troop suits, being the venerable XV8, would be represented by the most basic and noble of mobile suits, being both the GM and the Zaku models with a variety of weapons.

For the bigger suits, "legendary" Gundams will be drafted in, those main suits of series.  My Freedom for example, the most gorgeous Gundam ever made, will be a Riptide! 
Should I decide to take stealth suits, I still have two boxes of "balls" who would suit that job excellently, and any flyer support can be represented with flyer packs like the Aile or the Raizer kits...

And for that Lord of War KV139, the Psycho Gundam will make an excellent alternative!

I won't be fielding any infantry, though drones are possible in the form of the "funnels" weapon systems that some of the Gundams have.  I know that for a logistic sense, a lot of the suits will have only a single weapon system as a result (one gun models) but will have more of their support options as a result like markerlights and things, but for that I'll need to study the upcoming codex first... in due time, because I will have a lot to paint.  Not in model numbers, but those 12 cm high mechas take more time then your average 28mm infantry figure after all.

Uchiage!