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Lictors & Deathleaper are larger than expected. Looks like around 4-5" to the top of their talons.

Makes sense to me, given Von Ryan’s Leapers are now a thing, leaving Lictors to become the Lone Assassin Bugs of 2nd Ed.

I’m particularly interested to see this Vanguard detachment they were mentioning.

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:Muuuuch better! Norns are indeed big chunky lads.

Yeah they look suitably monstrous - I think I like the Emissary the most but the role of the Assimilator sounds more useful..

Lord Damocles wrote:The spore launcher looks too much like it's just riding on the biovore's back like it's a pony.

Well it is - Nid guns are separate creatures fused/attached to their hosts. I wish there was a bit more differentiation between the pyrovore and the Biovore though -the heads and guns are too similar. I'm guessing different paint schemes will show them off a better.

His Master's Voice wrote:The more I look at the Biovore, the less it looks like a Tyranid to me. It really, really needs a different set of limbs, something that will make it look like a gun platform, not a dancing spooder.

Personally I like the difference I thought the range had gotten very homogenous -nice to see a variety of physical forms reappearing, gives a bit more of the nightmare feel they had in 2nd edition. But thats just down to taste.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Makes sense to me, given Von Ryan’s Leapers are now a thing, leaving Lictors to become the Lone Assassin Bugs of 2nd Ed.

I’m particularly interested to see this Vanguard detachment they were mentioning.

My Plan is

Death Leaper has HQ
2 normal Lictors since they have 2 build variants
1 Neurolictor
2x3 Von Ryans
2 brood lords
Remaining points Genestealers

Also why does Norn Assimilator have 8 limbs

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Also why does Norn Assimilator have 8 limbs

I hadn't noticed that, but it's because as far as I can see, the Kraken one doesn't? Must be an optional loadout of some kind.

NM

 His Master's Voice wrote:
The more I look at the Biovore, the less it looks like a Tyranid to me. It really, really needs a different set of limbs, something that will make it look like a gun platform, not a dancing spooder.

Spoiler:

The pyrovore looks fine as a scuttler, but yes, the biovore needs massive hooves or something on the forelegs to make it at least look like it's trying to absorb some massive recoil.

silverstu wrote:Personally I like the difference I thought the range had gotten very homogenous -nice to see a variety of physical forms reappearing, gives a bit more of the nightmare feel they had in 2nd edition. But thats just down to taste.

It's weird to me that they decided to go in such a different direction for the Biovore/Pyrovore, but then the Norn Emissary is pretty much just a Hive Tyrant.

I theory those "holes" could mean that the weapon can be built to point higher.

 catbarf wrote:

silverstu wrote:Personally I like the difference I thought the range had gotten very homogenous -nice to see a variety of physical forms reappearing, gives a bit more of the nightmare feel they had in 2nd edition. But thats just down to taste.

It's weird to me that they decided to go in such a different direction for the Biovore/Pyrovore, but then the Norn Emissary is pretty much just a Hive Tyrant.

I figure the Norn Emissary was simply going to be a new Hive Tyrant model and then somewhere along the lines they decided they wanted to make it its own thing and keep the current Hive Tyrant.

Maybe they felt they needed another new thing instead of more replacements; or they wanted more detail and features than they could fit into the tyrants profile size; or perhaps all its weapon options meant they didn't have budget/spruespace/whatever to flesh it out with everything or whatever.

Suffice to say what was clearly once a Tyrant became something else


The Biovore/Pyrovore likely got redesigned based on the general feedback that most people just don't like the last 3 or so iterations of the biovore. It's just never been a very popular model in the lineup even when its got good rules. That it was to be a duel kit means the (arguably better looking pyrovore) also got fully redesigned as they clearly decided to just change the design concept from the ground up. Not trying to keep that stumpy ork themed design and just going wild.

 Overread wrote:
The Biovore/Pyrovore likely got redesigned based on the general feedback that most people just don't like the last 3 or so iterations of the biovore. It's just never been a very popular model in the lineup even when its got good rules. That it was to be a duel kit means the (arguably better looking pyrovore) also got fully redesigned as they clearly decided to just change the design concept from the ground up. Not trying to keep that stumpy ork themed design and just going wild.

Yeah, don't mean to sound like I'm whinging; the new kits all look great to me. The previously good designs are updated and modernized, and the weaker ones are reimagined. I actually really like that they were willing to go in a new direction with the Biovore/Pyrovore, as one thing I've historically disliked is the homogeneity of many of the sculpts. These are master genetic engineers, they should be morphologically diverse. Would be nice to have a plastic LoW akin to a Hierodule, though.

Okay, I'll whinge a little bit- I'm expecting the heavy weapons for Termagants to be free in the codex, so now I need to work out what I'm going to do with my existing Termagants that lack them and I'm guessing won't get any special compensation.

 catbarf wrote:
Okay, I'll whinge a little bit- I'm expecting the heavy weapons for Termagants to be free in the codex, so now I need to work out what I'm going to do with my existing Termagants that lack them and I'm guessing won't get any special compensation.

Don't worry about it. You can save points by not tak- oh wait...

From Reddit

Feels quite a bit different from the previous scale comparison someone posted.

That one makes it look like the Hive Tyrant is very undersized compared to more recent kits.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Feels quite a bit different from the previous scale comparison someone posted.

That one makes it look like the Hive Tyrant is very undersized compared to more recent kits.

Having just built my first Hive Tyrant, it is much smaller than I was expecting so I think that tracks.

I have swarmlord and screamer killer in my front and doesn't look that big difference. Head looks to be about same height for the two.

tneva82 wrote:
I have swarmlord and screamer killer in my front and doesn't look that big difference. Head looks to be about same height for the two.

There's something wrong with the base size of the Hive Tyrant, it's 60mm compared to 90mm for the Redemptor dread, which is obviously not the relation shown in that picture - here the Redemptor's base is double the Hive Tyrant's, it should be 1.5 as large.

Also, cursory googling gives you 9cm to the top of the vents for the Hive Tyrant, the same value for the Redemptor to the top of the chassis, so they should be of about equal height, not whatever this is.

Yeah I'd agree, the Tyrant isn't the biggest model in the game, but he's not that small!

Another one, this time from 4chan.

The norns aren't a bad size but it sits in a place where either don't think it'll please those that wanted a really big girbbly. I think part of it is being bipedal, if it had that height but was a heavier built 4/6 limbed creature it would either have that "step over you" appeal the heirophant and to a lesser degree tyrannofex have, or more of a gigantic walking ball of plate you can imagine a tank ramming in to and exploding, nearer the haruspex/exocrine.

 Overread wrote:
Suffice to say what was clearly once a Tyrant became something else

'Clearly' despite having vastly differing weapons and other gear in general?

It's like saying Kratos was 'clearly' a rescaled Predator once then became a new tank...

 His Master's Voice wrote:
The more I look at the Biovore, the less it looks like a Tyranid to me

If anything, Tyranids should be more diverse, not less, what is the point of collecting all that alien DNA if it's seemingly never used?

 Irbis wrote:

 Overread wrote:
Suffice to say what was clearly once a Tyrant became something else

'Clearly' despite having vastly differing weapons and other gear in general?

It's like saying Kratos was 'clearly' a rescaled Predator once then became a new tank...

 His Master's Voice wrote:
The more I look at the Biovore, the less it looks like a Tyranid to me

If anything, Tyranids should be more diverse, not less, what is the point of collecting all that alien DNA if it's seemingly never used?

Because efficiency. If you've evolved your most efficient nose or face for a ranged bug, why wouldn't they be consistent, same for locomotion of various nids. Why wouldn't the exocrine also be a big beetle with digging spikes if that's more efficient?

 Irbis wrote:

 Overread wrote:
Suffice to say what was clearly once a Tyrant became something else

'Clearly' despite having vastly differing weapons and other gear in general?

As I said it started out life that way and then diverged during the design into something else. It has a lot of the core structural elements and design that makes a Hive Tyrant. Even down to the enlarged brain part on one which would easily show that the Hive Tyrant is a powerful psy model. Clearly GW changed things and in a sense they've actually gone back to a tiny bit of old lore/referencing that the swarm was commanded by Norn Queens and Hive Tyrants as if one were the male and one the female leaders of the species. The norn emissary is almost like the female counterpart to the male Hive Tyrant.

Again clearly the design diverged from the Hive Tyrant, but it still has a lot of the same design elements that if GW said it was the new one and gave it a venom cannon as a weapon option it would be the new Tyrant very easily.

They haven't and thus we get the best of both worlds!

Dudeface wrote:

Because efficiency. If you've evolved your most efficient nose or face for a ranged bug, why wouldn't they be consistent, same for locomotion of various nids. Why wouldn't the exocrine also be a big beetle with digging spikes if that's more efficient?

How do you know there isn't a version of the Exocrine that is also a crab?

We have to recognize that physical models have the issue that GW has clearly limited production and design capabilities. They can only have so many model designers (and most of them are trapped in the Space Marine designing mines).

There is no such thing as most efficient nose or face or locomotion. Each one will have their pros and cons because that is basic designing logic. We know that Tyranids are constantly adapting their creatures to the specific conditions they will be deployed. If you are invading an ocean world, then your exocrine is going to need some fins to swim. Such variance cannot be represented in the official models, but in lore Tyranids are not supposed to be limited to the official models.

It could be the Hive Mind is having multiple designs and having them compete against each other, in a form of selection.

I wonder if the Biovore/Pyrovore could be assembled without a gun, as a sort of generic assault creature.

 Irbis wrote:
If anything, Tyranids should be more diverse, not less, what is the point of collecting all that alien DNA if it's seemingly never used?

I'll take a faction with a cohesive look over one that's perfectly true to its background at the expense of art direction.

 His Master's Voice wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
If anything, Tyranids should be more diverse, not less, what is the point of collecting all that alien DNA if it's seemingly never used?

I'll take a faction with a cohesive look over one that's perfectly true to its background at the expense of art direction.

Sorry but Biodiversity is the cohesion and from an Art Direction point of view Tyranids should have more of it not less.

Tyran wrote:

Dudeface wrote:

Because efficiency. If you've evolved your most efficient nose or face for a ranged bug, why wouldn't they be consistent, same for locomotion of various nids. Why wouldn't the exocrine also be a big beetle with digging spikes if that's more efficient?

How do you know there isn't a version of the Exocrine that is also a crab?

We have to recognize that physical models have the issue that GW has clearly limited production and design capabilities. They can only have so many model designers (and most of them are trapped in the Space Marine designing mines).

There is no such thing as most efficient nose or face or locomotion. Each one will have their pros and cons because that is basic designing logic. We know that Tyranids are constantly adapting their creatures to the specific conditions they will be deployed. If you are invading an ocean world, then your exocrine is going to need some fins to swim. Such variance cannot be represented in the official models, but in lore Tyranids are not supposed to be limited to the official models.

NAVARRO wrote:

 His Master's Voice wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
If anything, Tyranids should be more diverse, not less, what is the point of collecting all that alien DNA if it's seemingly never used?

I'll take a faction with a cohesive look over one that's perfectly true to its background at the expense of art direction.

Sorry but Biodiversity is the cohesion and from an Art Direction point of view Tyranids should have more of it not less.

Replying to both at once, but this is a "within reason" moment. The rippers look like small raveners, the raveners look like small trygons. That's not by mistake. The hivemind could have made something that swam instead of burrowed, it could have had then scuttling with long tails, it doesn't. You're both right in that the hive mind will adapt and try new stuff to fit new circumstances, but the models represent what they look like at their most common in my eyes.

The vores stand out because if the optimal method for bracing yourself on almost all ground surfaces is 6 digging talons, then I'd expect all ranged bioforms with recoil to behave the same way with the same design because the hive mind will spawn them that way uniformly as much as it can.

They just don't fit at present with the current aesthetic, even the heads aren't overly tyrnaid like, they resemble a beetle more than a classic nid head.

To be fair the original Biovores also stood out a lot compared to regular Tyranids. Their heads were also very different and until the hive-guard came along the overall shape and profile of the biovore was very different to most of the other models.

Granted I agree the new Biovores are standing way out, but at the same time don't forget its two models - bio and pyro. In addition we might well see a few more models in time that copy some elements of the new models. These are just the first in a new strain of designs by the Hive Mind.