Aeronautica Imperialis: Grot Bommer Review

The Grot Bommer

Whilst roaming on ebay recently, I found a box of Grot Bommers for the game Aeronautica Imperialis being sold for £17- a steal compared to the £32.50 they are sold for from Games Workshop. I'd had a soft spot for this model since it was launched, and had been tempted to start Aeronautica in order to build a small Air Waaagh! The full price tag though had put me off- slightly too high for 2 models I thought, but at £17, and needing some Ork planes for my Epic force, my temptation got the better of me, and here we are now.

I thought I would give a short review of the Bommers, and my experience in building them here on my blog- where they will eventually make their way back when I get time to paint them up for the Orks. For my review, I've decided to score the kit on the following: Value, Quality, Build and Looks, each getting a score out of 5. I feel that breaking this down will help make my thoughts clearer on a kit, rather than a single score encompassing all of these factors.

Value- 3/5

My initial look on the Games Workshop webstore had left me feeling that these models were massively overpriced- £32.50 seems a lot for 2 'small' planes, I thought. Certainly, if these were actually £17 RRP, I would be suggesting everyone who reads this goes and buys a box, but I realise that price won't be found for many!

However, after receiving the kit, £32.50 isn't quite as bad as it first seems. For starters, the models are actually quite large- in fact, they're very large considering the 6/8mm scale!

As you can see, the Bommers are quite big- here compared to a Primaris.

The view from above.

In addition, you do also get a third sprue, which gives you the independent Grot Bomms, along with their flying stands, for independent Bomm use in the game. This certainly helps give a bit of extra value, especially when compared to the Eavy Bommers (which confusingly share only a single sprue with this kit- and don't have the additional 'grot sprue'... and yet are the same price? Games Workshop prices are often confusing...).

When taking this into account- a 3/5 seems fair- and certainly from a 20% retailer I would recommend these if you are intending to play Aeronautica with an Ork force- they will make fantastic centrepieces.

Quality- 5/5

These are fantastic miniatures, and like most of Games Workshop's modern plastic models, packed with detail. In true Orky fashion, you also get a real range of different details on the different elements, making the Bommers subtly different, and achieving the Ork feel of nothing being quite uniform. The quality of the plastic is good- very few mould lines are present, and the kit fits together very well. If you are a painter, these have a lot of detail to pick out, and manage to create the 40k details from the Ork range in miniature perfectly.

Even the tiny Grot turrets show the Grots themselves poking out

 Build- 5/5

These are great fun to put together if you enjoy the building side of things. A word of warning though, if you prefer your models with as little building as possible- these are not for you. Even that tiny Grot turret above is a 4 part piece, needed to be built separately before attaching to the miniature.

Some in-progress snaps of the build.

It took me a leisurely 3 and a half hours to build in total, so you definitely get a good build out of them if you enjoy putting kits together, like I do. The parts fit together very well- no gaps needing to be filled, and the instruction booklet does not have any issues, and is clear in the instructions.

Looks- 5/5

Perhaps the most subjective part of the review, but I LOVE the way that these look, even more so in person than in photos! They have a great, almost WWII era plane look to them, although more ramshackle as you would expect of an Ork vehicle. Having the tiny Grot gunners, the enormous engines, and the Bomms hanging off each wing- with little clamps sculpted on, ready to release the missile into the air- they really do capture the feeling of a lumbering super-heavy Bomber very well!

You even get some comical landing gear- I'm dubious as to how well a tank track would work when landing...

I also want to quickly mention the adorable little Grot piloted missiles here, the Bomms themselves- this was a nice touch to the kit. They could have simply been represented by a token, or by a rule which simulated their effect- so it is a nice addition to get them as their own models, complete with tiny flight stands.

The cutest Kamikazee pilots ever? It certainly helps take your mind off what the fate of your Grot will be when you see his scarf flapping in the breeze...

Overall- 18/20

Over all then- I'm extremely happy with the purchase- though I don't see myself rushing out to get more. They're so large in Aeronautica, there isn't really much purpose to having more than 2 unless you're planning a truly massive game. The build was fun, not extremely challenging- but probably not the best kit for your first ever miniature! The detail and scale are particularly impressive- and what really sells the kit!

I'll sign off with some size comparisons to a few Epic miniatures, which also helps to emphasise how massive these Bommers are!

It really does loom over both the Knight and Stompa. The Orks actually seem to be around the same scale when compared with the Grots interestingly!