[ct_drummer_boi]

I just recently bought an Apocalypse Armoured Company box and plan to use the Armoured Company Rules PDF. One problem, in the list its says for both the Hull mounted and Sponson mounted weapons I can choose from Heavy Bolter, Heavy Flamer, and Lascannon for the hull, and Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers for the sponsons. The boxed Leman Russ only has the outfit for a Hullmounted Las and a Sponson Heavy Bolters. Where can I get the pieces for or to convert into a Hullmounted Heavy Flamer/Bolter or a Sponson Flamer?

[Twiggen]

Basically this where you will need to be crafty and make some conversions. Not all Russes need sponson weapons, so that right there can get you some plastic bolters you can turn into hull mounted ones. For the heavy flamers it mainly depends on what you might be able to scavenge up from friends and your own bitz box. I made a hull mounted flamer for my Inquisitor's chimera from a plastic marine dreadnought flamer.

[Commissar_Will]

Hull-mounted weapon - heavy weapon squad HBs make for good hull-mounted ones, and most IG players have lots of them lying around anyways. Just remember to remove the ammo intake, otherwise it'll look odd. For a hull-mounted Heavy Flamer on a Chimera I just used the standard HF from the vehicle upgrade sprue, and because I don't like the "retro" Flamer head I replaced that with the end of a Dreadnought HF. By just cutting off the cloth bit, the same principle could be used on Russes.

Sponson weapons - by simply slicing off the barrel of the standard HBs and replacing them with the ends of something like the Termie of Dreadnought HF, cut off where the pipes begin, you could probably create a pretty convincing HF sponson. The Termie one might need a little adapting as it's pretty long from top to bottom, but it looks pretty cool and many SM players will probably have one or two lying around.

[Fishpaste]

As you play a few games, you'll notice that you almost never use sponson weapons. The use of the battle cannon precludes their use, and unless you've lost your B'cannon it is the prefered weapon. I personally own no sponson mounted weapons on my russes. I do, however, make sure they have the hull mounted lascannon, because if you receive a weapon destroyed result the russ needs a reason to exist; no one wants a 165 point heavy bolter. :P

That being said, there are some reasons to take sponson weapons on a few tanks. I found this an interesting read:

http://uk.games-workshop.com/apocalypse/tank-company/1/

[VerjigormDeExile]

If you're using the Armoured Company rules, an Exterminator isn't a bad choice. Give it lotsa heavy bolters, and it's a wicked anti-infanty weapon.

[ForbiddenKnowledge]

Think of the roles you want for you tanks as well - do you want some as cavalry tanks, charging forwards? If so, don't put sponson's on them - you will rarely need them.

If you want some support tanks, then maybe put something on them to complement their role - is this one going after tanks, or is it going after infantry?

Also remember, that a Leman Russ with three Heavy Bolters can lay down fearsome fire without using its battlecannon - and one with 3 lascannon can lay down some serious anti-tank, again with using the battlecannon.

I also second the above - an Exterminator with Heavy Bolters will put out 11 medium infantry pasting shots a turn, on the move.

I hate them

[Johnnyboy]

Originally Posted by Rafe

Also remember, that a Leman Russ with three Heavy Bolters can lay down fearsome fire without using its battlecannon - and one with 3 lascannon can lay down some serious anti-tank, again with using the battlecannon.

Leman Russes can't take sponson lascannons. the best you can go for is a lascannon and 2 multi-meltas but you can only do that with demolishers and the improved sponsons doctrine in the armored company pdf

[Dan_teal]

Originally Posted by Johnnyboy

Leman Russes can't take sponson lascannons. the best you can go for is a lascannon and 2 multi-meltas but you can only do that with demolishers and the improved sponsons doctrine in the armored company pdf

Actually, I don't feel that is that great, as all of those weapons are "main" weapons so you only get to fire one and no battle cannon.

How my Company is laid out is:

1)They all have hull lascannons for this reason:

Originally Posted by Fishpaste

As you play a few games, you'll notice that you almost never use sponson weapons. The use of the battle cannon precludes their use, and unless you've lost your B'cannon it is the prefered weapon. I personally own no sponson mounted weapons on my russes. I do, however, make sure they have the hull mounted lascannon, because if you receive a weapon destroyed result the russ needs a reason to exist; no one wants a 165 point heavy bolter. :P

2)The command tanks for each squadron and the Company Command Tank have sponsons so they can have some extra power if the Battle Cannon is destroyed (they draw more fire as they seem bigger to the opponent, and will probably have more need for sponsons late-game).

3)The other tanks only have the Battle Cannon and hull lc.

This will not only save you from having unused weapons, but it cuts back on points. When I totally kit out the Company it only runs at 1900 pts and is 10 legal Leman Russ tanks in one normal game.

[Hoarday]

Fishpaste is dead on about standard russes. Just give them the hull lascannon and nothing else in an AC (or in any list for that matter...). Same goes for Vanquishers.

When you will want sponsons:
LR Exterminator: Awesome choice for your command tank because it doesn't pile alot of points into one spot. Its also an n excellent place to put 3 heavy bolters so you can pump out 11 AP4 shots every turn at BS4

LR Demolisher: These ones trick you with fancy upgrade options. IGNORE THEM. You have a S10 pieplate. You don't want to fire a plasma cannon thats going to probably miss instead, especially when you can move and fire the demo cannon. HOWEVER for those first couple turns when your demolishers are haulin' ass up the table and don't have range with their main gun, you can use the 3xHB option again to give your enemy's infantry something to worry about.

[Tyndmyr]

I have a baal pred I didn't bother to use the heavy flamer sponsons on, and I'd be open to swapping bits. Course, if you play SM, you can always pick up a baal, build it as a normal pred, and have extra heavy flamer sponson bits.