Land Raider design flaw? Side doors and sponsons.

[Helias_Tancred]

Why do the instructions and pics of land raiders show the sponson weapons mounted BEHIND the side exit doors?

 

If I was assaulting out of a land raider and using one of the side doors, I'd want the weapon sponson in front of me and laying down suppressive fire as I exit and then assault the enemy position. Of course I could go out the front, but the side doors are there for a reason too!

 

I'm currently building a land raider crusader for my Dark Angel Deathwing terminator squads, and I'm seriously considering putting the hurricane bolter sponsons on the forward side doors, and not the rear.

 

Anyone else do this, or wondered about this design flaw?

 

 

[Race Bannon]

Aesthetics. In my oponion, the LR is visually "heavy" when the weapons are on the front due to the slope of the front tracks.

 

Models have to look good, not work well :P

[Silas7]

Yep When i was younger and had my dad buy my first landraider, i did the same thing. looking back I think it's because it gave the unit disembarking a few extra inches to assault later and because las-cannons will always be able to shoot something with 48" range, but i'll never build another LR with the sponsons on the rearmounts. Same reason I always center my razorbacks turret instead of offset to the hatch.

[Helias_Tancred]

Aesthetics. In my oponion, the LR is visually "heavy" when the weapons are on the front due to the slope of the front tracks.

 

Models have to look good, not work well

 

I think you're on to something Race! ,)

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Fun fact: The original LR box art had them that way and everyone at my old LGS back then built them like that. 

 

[Vykes]

When I bought my first landraider waaay back in the day (oh man, brother Chaplain Kage That be da image, mate!), the art and the instructions seemed to be really at odds with each other and my fuzzy brain never quite reconciled that.  So I ended up going with Las sponsons near the back (later on, justifying it with the internal logic that the troop compartment was at the front and the las-generators are in the rear with the engineering section).  Then the Crusader and such were at the front for breaching.

 

And these days I like the mk. IIB and Proteus versions because it melts my brain a little less.  But yeah, the las barrels even stop the door from opening downward, so the whole thing feels wonky, and with the Spartan's sponson placement, front looks more reasonable these days to me.  

[Iron Father Ferrum]

I put the sponsons in the front sections on both my LRs. In previous editions, it made sense because you could squeeze a little bit extra range from the doors. And of course, as you say, it's just common sense practically.

[Gederas]

Yeah, I'm in agreement on putting the sponsons on the front. It makes more sense for them to be there instead of at the back.

 

Aesthetics. In my oponion, the LR is visually "heavy" when the weapons are on the front due to the slope of the front tracks.

Models have to look good, not work well

I think that might be because Games Workshop pulled an Archer and built their tanks backwards

[Lord_Caerolion]

I'd always rationalized it by having that the lascannons require extreme amounts of power, and take up a whole lot of space internally too, so they're better suited towards the rear and the generator. The less bulky flamestorm cannons and hurricane bolters take up less room internally, so can be placed further forward where they won't get in the way.

[Toxichobbit]

Having the sponsons behind the side hatches annoys me as well, so I always build my Land Raiders with the sponsons at the front. I have done ever since my first "new"* Land Raider just before it's official release. There was a time when GW did that too and in articles/instructions said it's optional to put the sponsons at the front or back. Nowadays they seem to have embraced the grim derpness of the far future and officially put the lascannons so that they're blocking the hatches .

 

Aesthetics. In my oponion, the LR is visually "heavy" when the weapons are on the front due to the slope of the front tracks.

Models have to look good, not work well

 

I guess that's true ..... if you want boring balanced models! Or you could go with the mullet pattern, all (lascannon) business at the front and (Astartes) party at the back :p.

 

 

* I know it's not new, but my first Land Raiders were (and still are) the original plastic set from RT era.

[Panzer]

That's something I noticed as well and same as Race Bannon I could only justify it with aesthetics ... I'd always build them the logical way tho.

[Grotsmasha]

I believe (IIRC) that the original (metal) Crusaders were assembled with sponsors on the front holes on their boxes.

[Halandaar]

Yep, I always build mine with sponsons on the front hatches for the same reason. Disembarking directly into a Flamestorm Cannon blast / hail of Bolter rounds / Lascannon Freems seems counterproductive, at best.

[Sword Brother Adelard]

I thought the instructions made it clear that the slot choice is optional? Anyone got a picture?

 

Edit: or not... https://www.games-workshop.com/document/348699260/Land-Raider-Instructions

[Robbienw]

It looks cool, that's why.  Particularly on Lascannon ones!

 

The guns can stop firing for a second whilst the marines disembark, they can use the front assault ramp anyway rather than the side doors :)

[Captain Idaho]

I find Land Raiders look better with the weapons in the rear in my subjective view but the practical element to it I justify that Marines are well enough trained and slick enough for the tank to fire just before the Marines disembark and continue firing when they get out the way a second later.

[Mendi Warrior]

I cut the pear in half. I mounted one lascannon on the front hatch on the left side and the other on the rear hatch on the right side, then I alterned left - right on my second land raider.

 

don't worry, I am just kidding. Front hatch on both sides, doesn't seem logical to mount them on the rear hatch.

[Toxichobbit]

It looks cool, that's why.  Particularly on Lascannon ones!

 

The guns can stop firing for a second whilst the marines disembark, they can use the front assault ramp anyway rather than the side doors 

 

 

I find Land Raiders look better with the weapons in the rear in my subjective view but the practical element to it I justify that Marines are well enough trained and slick enough for the tank to fire just before the Marines disembark and continue firing when they get out the way a second later.

 

What about the increased difficulty of going hull down and being able to concentrate fire? It's more than just the guns being in the way of the doors. Not trying to say you guys are wrong or anything, after all it makes no difference in game and nobody should tell you how to build your models. Just curious as to if you have justifications for the numerous design flaws of having sponson weapons set so far back.

[Robbienw]

The only justification I have and need is that it looks cool :D

 

Not that I don't like them forward mounted as well.  I like a bit of both :)

[Captain Idaho]

Well if we're going to talk about real life efficiency in this debate then sponsons shouldn't even be a thing, right? ;)

[Toxichobbit]

Well if we're going to talk about real life efficiency in this debate then sponsons shouldn't even be a thing, right?

 

Depends. We all have differing levels of suspension of belief. 40k is fantastical, but it can also be realistic. The two aren't mutually exclusive and a mix is usually the best way to make any kind of fantasy/sci-fi more compelling.

[Captain Idaho]

Definitely. For my part I can quite easily suspend my disbelief in this circumstance.

[Aramis K]

None as dumb as the weapon placement on the Taurox Prime.

 

 

Side weapons blasting into the doors, rockets firing into the hatch and pintle weapon.

 

And unlike LR there's no assault ramp or alt build.

[Toxichobbit]

None as dumb as the weapon placement on the Taurox Prime.

 

 

Side weapons blasting into the doors, rockets firing into the hatch and pintle weapon.

 

And unlike LR there's no assault ramp or alt build.

 

Those side guns .... reeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

I actually have an unbuilt Taurox that I wanted to build as a Prime for my Kasrkin (or Scions, or Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, or upcoming Lucifer Blacks ... ) but I haven't done it yet because those side guns bug me so much.

[Panzer]

Looks like you could put them easily on the front tho. ^^