Cadian Shock Troops, 2021 Kit

Following the revamp of the Cadian Shock Troops box set now seems to be a good time to review the poor bloody infantry. The old Cadian Shock Troops kit came with 10 bodies and enough lasguns to outfit the unit with rifles. Options included two each of the Sergeant options, voxcaster, flamer, and grenade launcher. The new kit adds your missing sergeant options, a plasma gun, meltagun, and sniper rifle. To top it off, you also get 25 new heads to give your PBI a variety of customization options.

Building a Cadian Shock Troop Squad

Games Workshop has taken a step closer to giving us a complete Infantry Squad with the newest Cadian Shock Troop box. However, to make a full squad, we’ll still need to grab a Cadian Heavy Weapon Squad for the choice of heavy weapons to fit into the unit.

Now then, your Infantry Squad is composed of 10 men; 1 sergeant and 9 guardsmen. They’re basic humans, fairly squishy with Toughness 1 and 1 Wound. They’re also only average shots, hitting on 4+. However, they are cheap and common! Even after adding in a special weapon, a heavy weapon team, and upgrading your sergeant’s kit an Infantry Squad is still quite affordable. Never expect your lasguns to accomplish much, but thank the Emperor when they do. Rather expend them to protect the special weapon operator and heavy weapon team. Those weapons give your squad punch they need on the battlefield.

Expanding Outward?

Observant readers will notice we have 2 guardsmen bodies and 2 heavy weapon team left over. Since Infantry Squads work best in large numbers, we’ll use them to expand our army.

Adding additional Cadian Shock Troop boxes uses up additonal heavy weapon teams, but leaves you with more bodies. We have uses for them.

Getting a set of 60mm bases from GW lets us take those bodes and make additional heavy weapon teams. Standing figures make excellent crew for mortars. While the mortar legs are also used for the missile launcher, it looks good balanced on a shoulder using either a standing or kneeling lset of legs. The tripods are necessary for the heavy bolter, autocannon, and lascannon, but using magnets to make the guns swappable is a time honored tradition.

Each heavy weapon team you make serves to anchor another infantry squad. Before you know it, you’ll have filled a Brigade detachment!

Alternately, the leftover figures may be armed with unused special weapons to permit you to swap them around, form a Special Weapon Squad, or start your Veteran squad.

Where you take it thereafter is up to you.