Tyranids Rumors in the Balance

We’ve been hearing about Tyranid rumors for months now so it’s time to lay them all out and see what really makes sense.

Old chesnut Stickmonkey goes through the data and lays out his case for what we will see from the Hive Fleets in January.

Tyranids Basics
The overall goal of this release as we have heard over and over from various sources is:
-Release all the ‘missing’ models in the book
-Move as many metal/finecast models to plastic kits as is feasable in a single release window
-Introduce a minor number of new units (mainly via combo-kits with existing units)
-No new Finecast

Let’s start right in:

Codex obviously

Set of Psychic Cards (whether this is one list or two shorter lists, I’m not certain, but I am certain they will get a deck for their powers)

Models

HQ:
Prime (I think this is the most likely candidate for a plastic mono pose blister as has been rumored…but!, if the rumors of a Shrike kit hold, I would place my money on this, the parasite, shrikes and the warriors all getting rolled together into this new box probably with a new weapon option too…and maybe with sky slashers as extra bits on the sprues like the rippers are currently.)

Parasite of Mortex. see above

Tyrant Guard 90% Certain we will see new Tyrant Guard models in plastic. These were huge bricks of metal before, and the finecast mold still uses lots of resin. Plus, the unit entry as it exists is missing options. What it has going against it is its currently a single model kit, and I cant think of any single model multi part with options plastic with options in recent history.

Note: I’m fairly convinced we will see the Trygon prime get a HQ option, but it wont need a new model of course.

Elite:

Hive Guard: 50/50 shot of Hive guard. While they suffer the same issue as Tyrant Guard, its such a new and heavily purchased sculpt. Only shot of it changing is if it gets combined into a plastic kit with something else as has been rumored. Again, I think it could be a single model kit, but we haven’t seen this recently…since the SM Captain box…

Lictor: 50/50 that we see a new Lictor kit in plastic. I think this is a long in the tooth model in the Tyranid line, and the opportunity to do a combo with Deathleaper is just too obvious. I think its even less likely though that we see this with the rumored new shooty Lictor though. I think its a single model build though.

Deathleaper: See above…

Zoanthropes: 75%+ that we see a plastic kit with Zoanthropes and the Doom option combined. I place it only at 25% that this kit also builds Venomthropes. But, I’m also again thinking this makes 1 model.

Doom of Malan’tai: is a no brainer. Just a matter of if its a single character or combined in something.

Venomthrope: I give a low likelyhood of the Venomthrope getting a new kit just yet. The finecast lashwhips are the most god awful things, too easy to snap, and too far out there from the model to protect well from breaking off in normal use. But again, think this model is too new, and just hasn’t lived its life yet to be redone. Staying finecast is my prediction.

Pyrovore: I don’t see the Pyrovore getting a new model or combined with the Biovore. I think they both stay finecast as is.

Troops:

Warriors. Although the current kit still looks good, there are too many missing options in the kit, and to get Shrikes, a prime, warriors, the missing bits, and a HQ character model all Really Really easily in a 3 model plastic kit…highly likely.

I don’t see any chance of new Termigants, Genestealers, Hormigaunts or rippers. I do think we see a accessory kit for Termigants direct only with the 2 missing guns. I would therefore give a low-medium likelihood of a recut Termigant kit.

Fast:

Harpy. This thing has been rumored as done and waiting so long. And its a FMC. I bet this is the BIG show case model for the release. I’m also 99% certain it will have a dual build with another new Tyranid Flying MC.

New Flyer: Whatever the dual build on the Harpy turns out to be.

Shrikes: As I’ve stated, my money is on a new warrior/shrike/prime/parasite kit.

Heavy:

Zero

Dedicated Transport:

Mycetic Spore: Again obvious dept. And with a kit this big, I cannot imaging they don’t take the opportunity to make it a dual build…but what? If it can make this new Big psychic HQ Tick thing, maybe, but those rumors were flash in the pan during a period where there was a lot of Nid rumor trolling going on. Then there were the rumors of the Hive Mind Synapse Spore… Going back in GW history, there were once rumors of another Nid transport that was a burrowing creature…I think it was referred to as Hellebore. The art for the Mycetic Spore could possible be a big maw coming out of the ground… I personally have no idea which of any of these rumored dual build options might be true anymore. I’ll stake my claim only so far as the obvious choice that we get the spore.  As for the alternative build – we will wait and see.

Overview

Author: Larry Vela

Dad, Gamer, Publisher, Pilot, Texan. All games all the time since junior-high. I started BoLS Interactive in 2006. I’m a lifelong tabletop & RPG gaming enthusiast, and internet publisher working to entertain and inform my readers every day. I've been playing RPGs and Tabletop Games since the 1970s. I'm been playing and covering Warhammer and Warhammer 40K for over 35 years.