STARTING AN ADEPTUS MECHANICUS ARMY IN 11TH EDITION: THE OMNISSIAH PROVIDES
If you want an army that looks like nobody else's, the Adeptus Mechanicus deliver — and 11th edition is a fine moment to begin the pilgrimage. The priesthood of Mars fields cybernetic infantry, striding war engines and robed magi trailing mechadendrites, all in a palette of rust red, aged brass and pallid steel that rewards washes and drybrushing far more than a surgeon's hand. It is an army of repetition done well: master three or four techniques and the whole force snaps into coherence like a well-compiled ritual.
The first box
Start with the current Combat Patrol-style set, which reliably centres on Skitarii — the faction's rank and file — with a Tech-Priest to lead them. If you buy a single kit instead, make it the Skitarii box: it builds either Rangers or Vanguard from the same frames, and ten of them teach you the entire AdMech recipe — red robe, weathered metal, a glowing lens or two. Paint robes first, metals second, cables last. Batch painting is the Machine God's own liturgy, and this is where you learn to chant it.
The second procession
Once that first squad is finished — finished, not "mostly" — widen the congregation.
- A second Skitarii box built as the other variant, so you field both Rangers and Vanguard.
- Sicarian Infiltrators or Ruststalkers for something fast, stilted and sinister.
- The Ironstrider kit, which builds Ballistarii or Sydonian Dragoons and gives the army its unmistakable striding silhouette.
Recommended: Sicarian Infiltrators
Recommended: Ironstrider Ballistarii
A centrepiece worthy of Mars
Belisarius Cawl is the obvious crown: a vast, gloriously baroque character who reads as a centrepiece despite being a single miniature. A pair of Kastelan Robots is the alternative — big, clean armour plates that show off your metallics beautifully — while the Onager Dunecrawler splits the difference as a walking tank with genuine table presence. Any one of the three, painted with patience, will anchor every photograph of your army for years.
Recommended: Onager Dunecrawler
A word on the new edition
Points and datasheets have been refreshed for 11th edition, and starter boxes rotate on their own mysterious schedule, so treat any list you read online as a snapshot rather than scripture. Check current points before you plan a shopping trip. Buy models because you want to paint them; the maths will catch up.
Purchases to defer
- Electro-Priests before your core infantry is done — the bare-chested fanatics can wait for the faithful.
- A third flavour of cavalry when the first hasn't been based.
- Forge World curiosities; the plastic range is deep enough to drown in.
- Duplicate characters "for options". The Omnissiah sees your shelf of shame.
The sacred inventory
The Mechanicus catalogue everything, and your collection deserves the same devotion: record each kit the day it arrives and state honestly whether it is boxed, built or finished. Nothing disciplines a hobby budget like a backlog you can actually see, and nothing motivates a painter like watching the finished column grow. For the complete catalogue of units and their history, see the Adeptus Mechanicus faction page under Data.