40K: Plastic Lords Of War For All, Except One
With the new Knights up for Pre-order, we here at BoLS got to thinking about all the Lords of War in the game and how one faction is still missing a plastic kit.
Lords of War are the top of the food chain when it comes to individual models who can command the battlefield. They are a big part of the game and just about every major faction has access to one (or more) in the form of a plastic kit.
Imperium – Knights/Baneblade/Armigers
Chaos – Knights/Khorne Lord of Skulls/Daemon Primarch
Orks – Stompa
Necron – Obelisk/Tesseract Vault
Aeldari – Wraithknight
That’s great! I’m glad these kits exist in plastic and are available for these armies to use as an option. But there is one faction that has been left out in the cold when it comes to having a plastic Lord of War kit: Tyranids.
Now you can make the case that there are Forge World options for this slot. But Forgeworld isn’t something that the majority of players can walk into their FLGS and buy on the shelf – you know, like a plastic kit.
Dimachaeron – Not Plastic
Aside from that, as a Tyranid Player, I don’t necessarily want GW to convert one of their Resin kits to plastic. That’s been done with the Trygon already. Great kit – I have 4 already. And those aren’t even Lords of War…
You could also make the case that Tyranids could ally in Genestealer Cultists and then get access to Baneblades via other allies. But that’s a lot of hoops to jump through. And at that point, you’re really playing Astra Militarum with GSC/Nids. It’s a fix, but it’s a band-aid over the obvious solution: A Plastic Tyranid Lord of War.
Candidates For Your Consideration
Malefactor
A Malefactor is a large Tyranid assault creature that is able to transport a brood of other Tyranid creatures into battle under its thick carapace. It is surprisingly fast and is armed with Acid Jets and Frag Spines.
We’ve had a Malefactor before – if we’re reaching back in the old Armorcast days. I’d love to see it get a reworked model and some new rules.
Nautiloid
The Nautiloid is a massive species of Tyranid. Carrying a massive shell resembling that of a snail, its mid- and rear-limbs are fused into a pseudopod and Lash Whip combination.
I think the big armored shell would be great justification for a super-tough Tyranid Lord of War! I’m not 100% sure if it would be super deadly (or fast) as it’s kind of based off a snail…so if this one gets made I’m hoping it gets some type of armament that can handle other Titanic Lords of War.
Viragon
The Viragon is an enormous Tyranid worm-like organism capable of tunneling through the ground akin to the more well-known Trygon.
The Viragon isn’t super high on my personal preferences for Tyrannic Lords of War as it’s basically a bigger Trygon. Then again, I do like the Trygon model…Again, it would need some cool rules to make it worth the title of Lord of War.
Cerebore
The Cerebore is a large Tyranid organism equipped with sacs to transport smaller creatures into battle, similar to the roles fulfilled by the Haruspex. It is equipped with a hardened exoskeleton on its back for protection and multiple tentacles to fend off attackers.
Now the lore on this one is dated – it was mention in Chapter Approved 2001, before the Haruspex got it’s re-work to what that model is now. Still, this could be an interesting Lord of War option for the Tyranids. A massive armored transport with some vicious tentacles? It’s like a cross between the Nautiloid and Malefactor. I’d be okay with this option, but I’d rather the Cerebore did something else. Nothing says the rules couldn’t be re-worked, just like the Haruspex.
Dominatrix
The Dominatrix is a Tyranid species which exerts a controlling psychic aura to bring lesser Tyranid creatures under its will, allowing the swarm under its command to operate with uncanny efficiency and tactical ability. However, a Dominatrix is extremely rare and only seen in the most advanced Tyranid swarms.
AdvertisementA Dominatrix possess a large array of Bio-weaponry and packs a colossal mass, dwarfing that of an Imperial Super Heavy Tank. It has an intelligence akin to that of a mighty Hive Tyrant, and the link it has to the Tyranid Hive Mind surpasses even the Hive Tyrant’s.
Okay – Now we’re talking! While I’d love to see any of the above units get a new model, The Dominatrix screams Tyranid Lord of War. With the new 3D sculpting technology that GW has, they could take this model to the next level and really, REALLY make a killer plastic kit. Based on the lore (from the Lexicanum) this thing functions as a massive psychic node for the Hive Mind. It could be a Support Unit and provide fire power on par or better than a Baneblade, too! If the Tyranids had one obvious Lord of War I think the Dominatrix would be it.
So what do you think? Which model would you want to see in the form of a Plastic Lord of War for the Tyranids!? Let us know in the comments below.
