Pinto of the Galaxy…

So you liked Mad Max Fury Road, too bad art cannot imitate 40k life. Hands down the most converted transport of the 41st millennium has had its ups and owns. In the past, whole list were designed behind this effective cheap transport, but with changes from 5th to 7th edition this poor little guy has taken a tumble down into the dust bin.

Before we start dissecting, lets take a quick look at the differences between the 2007 and 2014 Trukk codex rules.

(Click to Enlarge)

Readers of my previous tactics will notice a few changes to how these reviews are presented. Now you will find is a break down each unit into five broad categories.

Utility

Trying to get to point A to point B intact, Trukks won’t get it done anymore! At the moment your best hope is getting one turn to move before blowing up. A transport is suppose to transport units and now Trukks are the worst in the game at doing it. If you want to get any use out of  Trukks better put tough units in them, just to make sure once it blows up the Orks will survive.

Cost

If you look at the cost of a Trukk you can sorta see where the points are going, but if you compare it to say a Rhino for a whole five points more there is no comparison. If Trukks were 15 to 20 points you would have one special vehicle, unique with such a low cost you could invest in upgrades, building some interesting army concepts.

Speed

The best part of a Ork Trukk is the speed, being a fast vehicle can get you an extra 6″ before blowing up in a ball of fiery death. That really is the only saving grace for Trukks; getting in your opponent’s face and then hoping beyond hope whatever is left of the models inside can do something.

Assaulty

Trukks have no Assault ability beyond Ramming if you want to count that, going down this road just make sure you have a Reinforced Ram!

Shooty

Trukks come with the customary Big Shoota, but now at no additional cost you can take a Rokkit laucha! Since more than likely you will be moving Flat Out before exploding, does it really matter what weapon you choose?

Putting it all Together…

Ok, so what happened? Why is the Trukk terrible? Well it was death by a million cuts. Let us list the ways.

First off, Hull Points, even with three, it isn’t much when it comes to an AV10 vehicle, it means luck is out the window and any dedicated shooting will take this model out. Ramshackle: Totally useless, if it always worked you would have something amazing, as at the very least your Trukks are not death traps for the Orks inside. In the old incarnation you had a chance of getting extra movement, not anymore. S4 Explosions: This little change makes it extremely difficult to avoid casualties when your Trukk blows up, with Orks wounded on 4s, not 5s like before.

Everything else is better, even the lowly Dark Eldar raider has ways to improve its survivability, if Trukks got something like Jink their would be a chance. Speaking of cover saves, the Kustom Force Field; why does GW hate this piece of wargear? The KFF was the most effective way of providing protection for Trukks, now complete builds are nullified by changing to only working on the vehicle the Big Mek is in. I guess you can still attempt to deny an alpha strike, by hiding a Big Mek outside a transport with the KFF ringed by Trukks.

In a universe where every weapon is seems to be strength six or more, the Ork Trukk just cannot survive. The best use is as a Meganobz transport. As a Meganob delivery system you cannot do much better, you can get them 24″ closer to the enemy and cause some real trouble.

If you play with heavy terrain boards, Trukks might also have a chance, as long as you take a Reinforced Ram. You can duck and weave and hope for the right moment, bait your opponent, using the Trukk’s speed as a surprise. Other than those few examples, it is hard to think of ways to make the Trukk useful; when you put the math to it,  on average five Ork Boyz will die in an explosion, then just to add insult you will probably take a Mob Rule! test right after losing even more!

— Trukk Army Templates–

The Trukk has one very amusing and somewhat intelligent way to be played. Involves one specific detachment…

Great Waaagh! Detachment: Ever dream of Trukks falling from the sky on the enemy? I know every Ork player has! and addition big problem with Trukks is they have no ability to manipulate deployment. If their was a easy way for Trukks to Infiltrate, Scout, Outflank we might have a totally different conversation. As it is, the only way to manipulate Trukk deployment is by using the Great Waaagh Detachment to Deep Strike. If you take Ork Boyz and Trukks as transports you have 1 in 3 chance of being able to Deep Striking. Just take a Reinforced Ram and hope for a hit, but it can totally confuse your opponent and put units in backfields or on objectives.

Final Thoughts…

Overall, Trukks just don’t work, try as hard as you want, but you are fighting an uphill battle. It is also too bad the transport is finally accessible to almost all Ork units. With so many problems you just have to wonder, how could GW have done such a terrible job? Maybe they sold their quota? Just don’t expect a Ork codex anytime soon to fix the problems, well maybe 8th edition out next year will do the trick.