This is a summary of the current 4 Tactical Squads in the Army, which will be 5 when I finally get the last one built.
Tactical Squad 1: Designed to be dropped from Orbit.
This squad has a Drop Pod for it's transport option, as the Squad is designated as being from a specialist Orbital Assault Company consisting of Drop Pod equipped Tactical and Devastator Squads and deep-striking Assault Squads that I imagined dropping from the back of a high up Thunderhawk Dropship. Units from this Company arrive from orbit, directly on top of the enemy while support from the Ground Assault Companies arrives from a different direction.
The Drop Pod means it will always deploy using the Deep-strike rules on Turn 1 of the game. The squad consists of 10 Marines, with 1 Sergeant, 1 Marine with Plasma Gun for special weapon support and a Marine with a Heavy Bolter for fire support. The Sergeant has a Storm Bolter and a Power Sword; allowing him to move and fire two bolter shots per turn, and pack a reasonable punch in assault with the Armour Save ignoring Power Sword. Once deployed from the Drop Pod the squad can split into two five-man Combat Squads or remain as a single ten-man unit.
The Heavy Bolter marine is a subtle conversion; a pose change using the arm from a Sergeant (minus the sword that used to be in the hand) to hold a handle on the side of the weapon instead of the normal top-mounted handle.
Tactical Squad 2 :
Standard 10-man Tactical Squad, with a Sergeant equipped with Storm Bolter and Power Sword as above, a Plasma Gun for Strength 7 high armour-piercing shots for anti-heavy infantry, and a Plasma Cannon for mostly every thing else! (S7, AP2 3" Blast = most things wounded or dead).
Envisaged to be from a specialist Ground Assault Battle Company where troops and vehicles are carried down from orbit on Thunderhawk Transports and Dropships to attack over ground after having formed up a distance away from the enemy, instead of dropping in from above. As a nod to this, each Marine has a bayonet attached to his Bolter.
Tactical Squad 3 :
Standard 10-man Tactical Squad taken from the Assault on Black Reach starter set.
As such this squad has the basic Tactical Squad load-out. A Sergeant equipped with a Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, for the +1 Attack in Assault; a Flamer for the Cover Save ignoring Template shooting attack, and a Missile Launcher giving an ability to take on Vehicles and Large targets with the Strength 8 armour-busting Krak Missile, or the 3" Blast Frag Missile for infantry.
Envisaged to be from the same specialist Ground Assault Battle Company as the squad above (hence the same blue pad-trim).
Tactical Squad 4 is basically the same as Tactical Squad 3 as the models are taken from the old Battle for Macragge starter set. They are from the same Ground Attack Company as well and will have the same blue shoulderpad trim when (eventually) painted.
There are no pictures as I've not managed to undercoat them yet - as I almost ran out of black spray after doing almost the whole army in a single sitting!
Tactical Squad 5 is yet to be built; and will be put together at a later date when I need a break from painting Marines and building Tau models. They'll have a Sergeant with Combi-plasma gun, a Flamer and a Missile Launcher (unless I change my mind in the mean-time).
