Review: Kroot Hunting Pack (new T’au Empire army set)

Welcome to our review of the latest addition to the T’au Empire’s arsenal – the Kroot Hunting Pack army set. 26 brand new models and an updated Codex await. From seasoned leaders to savage warriors, and even the fearsome Krootox Rampagers, the Kroot are poised to carve their place in the annals of T’au history once more. So, grab your pulse rifles and sharpen your blades, for the hunt is on!

The new Kroot Hunting Pack army set can be preordered from Saturday, March 16, 2024. It goes on sale two weeks later, following a two-week preorder window. Please note that with all army sets, there will be only one production run, so it’s available only until stocks last.

Included in the box are 26 brand new models:

• a Kroot War Shaper
• a Kroot Flesh Shaper
• 2x 10 Kroot Carnivores
• 3 Kroot Rampagers
• a Krootox Rider
• the updated T’au Empire codex with a unique cover design
• a pack of 44 rules reference cards in a cardboard portfolio

Kroot Hunting Pack model review

Kroot War Shaper & Flesh Shaper

The Kroot War Shaper comes on a single small plastic sprue, this includes a 32mm base. The model, representing a seasoned battlefield commander of the Kroot, comes with a couple of optional pieces that range from cosmetic options to alternate weapons. On his belt, he can either carry a holstered pistol or a quiver with arrows. There are two right arms, one with a bladestave, one with a tri-blade, as well as two left arms, one with a dart-bow, one with a prey-hook. You also get to choose between two head options, and two left shoulder pads.

The Flesh Shaper is a new character type, master of ritual butchery and controller of the genetic material that the pack consumes. The model is monopose with no alternate bitz or options and includes a clampack-size sprue and a 32mm base. Like with all new Kroot models, the head is on a ball joint and interchangeable with other heads from the range.

New Kroot Carnivores reviewed

The hunting packs of Kroot have been completely redesigned, with more dynamic poses, increased level of detail, modern proportions, and larger 28mm bases. In this Tau army set, a total of 20 Kroot Carnivores are included. 2 medium-sized sprues each build 10 different models and are included twice. With each set of sprues, there are the following options:

• The 1st model can be built as a Long-quill with Kroot carbine and pointing with a knife, or as a regular Carnivore with a rifle
• The 2nd model can be built as a Long-quill with Kroot carbine, waving his knife, or as a regular Carnivore with a rifle
• The 3rd model can be built as a Long-quill with Kroot carbine shouldered and outreached pistol, or as a regular Carnivore with one of two poses for holding his rifle
• 5 models can be built as Carnivores with a choice of two poses each (one is lobbing a grenade, one is looking through a monocular, the other poses are two-handed grips)
• 2 models can either be built as Carnivores with rifles, or receive a tanglebomb launcher (there is only one launcher included, so you have to choose)
• There are 13 interchangeable heads, 3 of which are meant for the Long-quill (one of them has a T’au headset)
• There is also an extra shoulder pad in a T’au armour design for the Long-quill, and an optional baby Kroot hound

Three of the ten bodies can be made into a Long-quill, adding a good variety of leader poses. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any old Kroot in our archive to compare with the new Carnivores. What we can say, however, is that the size of the models has remained the same, but the heads have become slightly smaller.

A look at the Krootox Rider & Kroot Rampagners

The Krootox Rider has also received a redesigned plastic model. The Krootox itself has grown massively in size compared to the old metal version, and the base size has increased from 40mm to 50mm. The kit includes two small-sized sprues and contains 4 head options for the Krootox, 3 head options for the rider (interchangeable with other Kroot models), and the choice of either Repeater cannon or Tanglecannon. For each gun, there is a specific torso/arms combination and ammo bolt for the rider.

Another brand-new unit is the Krootox Rampagers, line-breaking cavalry of the Kroot, who ride younger and more hot-headed Krootox. The kit includes three models on two medium-sized sprues and 50mm bases. Here is what you can build:

• The 1st Rampager has 2 head options for the Krootox, 2 head options for the rider, and 2 left arms: one with a pistol, one with a blade
• The 2nd Rampager has no build options, but the rider’s head is interchangeable with the rest of the range
• The 3rd Rampager’s rider can either have a right arm with blade or axe, no other options apart from that

Pretty cool sculpts. As the poses are dynamic and thus quite distinct, with only a limited amount of alternate options, the repetition is very noticeable when fielding several units. The size of the Krootox mounts corresponds to that of the Krootox in the Krootox Rider kit.

New T’au Empire Codex flick-through

The structure of the new T’au Empire Codex follows the other 10th Edition books. On over 136 full-colour pages you will find a lore section, an ‘Eavy Metal Showcase section, the complete army rules and datasheets, Combat Patrol and Crusade rules, as well as points values.

The few new artworks in the book are limited to the fleshed out Kroot model range. There are four detachments in total, one for Kauyon, Montka, Retaliation Cadres, and also one for Kroot that turns Carnivores into Battleline. By the way, the book features no other new models apart from the Kroot already presented on Warhammer Community.

In the Kroot Hunting Pack army set, you will receive an exclusive edition of the Codex with a matt cover. The cover features relatively old artwork from the 4th Edition and is finished with azure blue metallic foil. The codex and datacards are packed in a folder with an elastic band. However, the cardboard of the folder is quite thin, so it certainly shouldn’t be used as a permanent transport solution.

Value

The new T’au Empire army set, Kroot Hunting Pack, is priced at £135 / 175 € / $220, same as the Dark Angels Deathwing Assault box but higher than most previous army sets. Since the box contains only completely new models, determining the overall value is challenging. Certainly, the new 10/20 model Kroot Carnivores kit will be more expensive than the current version with 16 models. Based on experience with previous sets, one can expect the savings compared to individual purchases to be around 30 to 40%, and additionally, you receive a Codex with a special edition cover.

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