Good morning everyone!
It's beena while since I picked up my Tyranids and played (I've been playing Space Wolves for a long while now, and have a rogue trader era army now I am painting up as Rainbow Warriors for Tourney use - all models are 1986-1989, mostly '88, I have the Limited Edition first Power Armoured Marine that was released in 1986 in there too it's goonna be rad , I'm even using 2 Zoat Mercenaries as my Thunder Wolf Cavalry!!) but I've recently (well over most of the past year) acquired a significant amount of original release Tyranids, all Rogue Trader era models before 2nd ed releases made the floor. As an aside I've also acquired thanks to a mate in the UK a huge amount of MC's/Tyranid Warriors from 2nd ed which filled out a gap in my collection giving me close on 15,000 points of Nids from all editions (1st edition army, 2nd edition army, 3rd ed+ army - tempting to do each edition in a different hive fleet scheme behemoth/kraken/leviathan in order of age but I dislike the behemoth scheme and red/bone genestealers is just wrong!
I digress!
I've collected enough old school models to make up a playable comp based tournament army for Tyranids, and the models I have picked up have me excited. Most are bare metal, some are bare metal straight from the blister (not sealed and opened but with the blister that was opened - I do have 3 purestrain metal Genestealers BNIB though and they are worth quite a bit!) but as a whole every model is legit and no copies (to give you an idea of cost in monetary terms heh ;p). So what I'm doing is I'm gonna start this modelling diary up and in it list the list and the models I will be using to represent each entry and when I acquire a camera will get some actual pictures (as opposed to catalogue pictures) up.
As a point of reference, the army uses the older Rogue Trader era fluff of the Tyranids, with the Zoats landing on a planet and acting as interpreters and "diplomats" to help prepare the way for the arrival of the Tyranids as well as using some indigenous species (Snakemen {Hormagaunts} and for larger points the Fimir {Tyrant Guard}) who have been swayed to the cause, are parts of the Genestealer Cult or simply Tyranid Mindslaves. In any case, I've thought long and hard about how I'd incorporate all of the older models including a Genestealer Cult into the current Tyranid Codex and the product is below. Finally, all models will be based according to current edition standards even if they did come on a square base originally (Carnifex and Ripper Swarm). I'd love thoughts from you all on my choices in regards to models and the list itself and any ideas you have that might be of use for me as well. The Dominators were originally intended as the Overlords of the Zoats but were later dropped, hence inclusion as the Hive Tyrants - they appeared in one of the Mail Order Flyers and didn't make the main catalogues.
1,750 points Rogue Trader Era Tyranid Army MkII
HQ: 1 - 170 points
1 Hive Tyrant - Tyranid Dominator Hulendar
Lash Whip & Bonesword, Scything Talons
Psychic Scream, Paroxysm
Model -
HQ: 2 - 170 points
1 Hive Tyrant - Tyranid Dominator Gorgraval
Lash Whip & Bonesword, Scything Talons
Psychic Scream, Paroxysm
Model -
The Two Hive Tyrants - Dominators Hulendar and Gorgraval:
Elites: 1 - 90 points
The Doom of Mal'antai
This is the best model ever for this guy - The Throned Genestealer Patriarch and Advisor, he is one smug bastard and being the biggest, baddest and most psychically attuned member of the Genestealer Cult I can just see him plotting the downfall of the world he is on in his chair:
Elites: 2 - 65 points
1 Lictor
Model - Ambull (it burrows so is feasible it appears out of nowhere!):
Elites: 3 - 150 points
3 Hive Guard
Model - Zoats with Missile Launchers (we all know Hive Guard are Zoats w/Missile Launchers!):
Image is top left 'Zoat with Heavy Weapon'
Troops: 1 - 75 points
15 Termagants
w/Fleshborers
Troops: 2 - 70 points
14 Termagants
w/Fleshborers
Models - the original Termagants, the Hunter Slayers (I'm at 34 and rising!):
Troops: 3 - 185 points
1 Tervigon
w/Cluster Spines, Toxin Sacs, Dominion, Onslaught
Model - This is how I work in the Genestealer Cult. For the Tervigon I will use a liberated Imperial Land Raider and have cultists spawning out of the Land raider itself (it's a transport) and maybe place it on a base (not too large) that allows for a sewer grate to be modelled pushed aside with cultists emerging from there as well. In any case, the spawned termagants will be a mixture of metal Genestealer Hybrids and Genestealer Maguses and even a Gyrinx (one lucky Magus has one sweet psychic pet!). Moreover, The rules of the Tervigon with the Land Raider model seem to fit well - you have a big solid chunk of tank, one of the staples of battlelines the galaxy over (T6 W6) that is inspiring to the everyday man (or hybrid!) just by being on your side (Dominion/Synapse). More, it has sophisticated communications arrays allowing orders to get through to supporting units over the din of battle (Onslaught) and also comes with an arsenal of weapons and grenades for the troops inside as well as its own protection (Cluster Spines and Toxin Sacs). Finally, you can drive over the enemy very effectively (Close Combat attacks - plus the crew inside of course getting in on the action). Thoughts on the appropriateness of the model?
Tervigon
Assorted foot Maguses (and close up of individual parts of the Mounted Patriarach aka The Doom of Mal'antai):
Assorted foot Hybrids - vairous weapons/arms off the related arm sprues:
Troops: 4 - 301 points
14 Genestealers and 1 Broodlord
w/ Rending Claws and Adrenal Glands
Metal Purestrain Genestealers (yep, none of those 2nd ed plastics, just the original metals! NB: Some came with slotted metal arms, others came as the flat arm joints, I have both, but I have the full 14 so far):
Metal Genestealer Patriarch on Foot (check out that bling!) aka Broodlord:
Troops: 5 - 40points
4 Ripper Swarms
w/Claws
Models - Tyranid Squigs!!!
Troops: 6 - 84 points
14 Hormagaunts
w/Scything Talons
Models - C27 Chaos Snakemen (I have all 5 though only a single one of the two-handed axe):
Fast Attack: 1 - 180 points
4 Raveners
w/Death Spitter and Rending Claws
Models - The remaining Space Zoats without Heavy Weapons (Power Fist+Fleshborer, Fleshborer, Twin Fleshborer, will convert one of the fleshborer only models to be slightly differnt for the 4th):
Heavy Support: 1 - 170 points
Tyranid Screamer Killer (Carnifex)
w/2xScything Talons, Adrenal Glands
Model - The original Rogue Trader era Screamer Killer aka Carnifex:
Total = 1,750 points
HQ = 340/1750 = 19.43%
Elites = 305/1750 = 17.43%
Troops = 755/1750 = 43.14%
Fast Attack = 180/1750 = 10.29%
Heavy Support = 170/1750 = 9.71%
Total = 1750/1750 = 100%
So there you have it, 1,750pts of Rogue Trader era Tyranids patiently waiting for me to sit down with face mask and gloves (the old pewter models had some lead content, it's not huge but when you are shaving off mold lines in a confined space even over something to catch the files, it's a good idea - besides, if you've ever cleaned up an older model you'll know how dirty your hands get fast!) clean them up and get painting. It'll happen all over the next several months (The Rainbow Warriors painted in time for Cryx Cup on the 8th January is the priority, but once done, Tyranids!) but I'd figure I'd let you all know where my army stands and to give people ideas as to how to work in a Genestealer Cult into the existing Tyranid Codex. :)
Cheers all,
Auretious Taak.
P.S. I am looking for an unreleased Rogue Trader Tyranid aka the Proto-nid, I am willing to trade or buy it if anyone has one available (it will go to a fantastic home and see tournament use!) or knows someone who does, in which case shoot me a message and we can go from there. The model is this guy:
The Rogue Trader rulebook also has a colour spread of a bunch of Marines vs the Rogue Trader Tyranid but I can't find a picture of the pages scanned unfortunately.
