Jabberwocky Rises: Neurolictor Conversions

[Xenith]

To be fair, I might be using it wrong!

 

I'm still in a bit of a quandry with nids this edition, they seem to really lack any kind of damage output and be made for board control, however other armies seemingly have better board control. That said, I have mostly ben playing crusade and therefore the same units over and over. 

 

Units that seem to be great for 10th ed:

Lictors (all kinds) - stealth, Lone Op, 

Biovores - dropping spore mines to perform objectives

Hive Tyrants - free strats in a CP starved edition

Pyrovores - Torrent, D6+1 shots and TL make them good at overwatch. 

+/- Parasite - deepstriking lone op can be good?

 

Units that have damage output

Exocrine - S8 D3

Zoanthropes - short range lascannons

Maleceptors - S10 D3 but short range.

Tyrannofex - 2D6 damage, or acid for overwatch fun. 

Mawloc - 14A, but low D. 

 

I'm going to try and fit a few more of these units into my lists to try and start maxing secondaries where I can, and see how we do! I think there should be a lot of synergies between neurolictors debuffing the enemy and buffing my shooting at them, as well as exocrines givingg bonuses to hit stuff. It might be that two exocrines are much better than one! 

[Xenith]

Trying my hand at a competitive list:

 

Nids 2k comp v Ted (1995 points)

 

Tyranids

Strike Force (2000 points)

Invasion Fleet

 

 

CHARACTERS

 

Hive Tyrant (260 points)

  • 1x Monstrous bonesword and lash whip

    1x Monstrous scything talons

  • Enhancement: Adaptive Biology

 

Neurotyrant (105 points)

  • Warlord

  • 1x Neurotyrant claws and lashes

    1x Psychic scream

 

 

BATTLELINE

 

Gargoyles (75 points)

  • 10x Gargoyle

    • 10x Blinding venom

      10x Fleshborer

 

Hormagaunts (130 points)

  • 20x Hormagaunt

    • 20x Hormagaunt talons

 

Termagants (60 points)

  • 10x Termagant

    • 10x Chitinous claws and teeth

      10x Fleshborer

 

Termagants (60 points)

  • 10x Termagant

    • 10x Chitinous claws and teeth

      10x Fleshborer

 

 

OTHER DATASHEETS

 

Barbgaunts (60 points)

  • 5x Barbgaunt

    • 5x Barblauncher

      5x Chitinous claws and teeth

 

Biovores (75 points)

  • 1x Chitin-barbed limbs

    1x Spore Mine launcher

 

Exocrine (135 points)

  • 1x Bio-plasmic cannon

    1x Powerful limbs

 

Exocrine (135 points)

  • 1x Bio-plasmic cannon

    1x Powerful limbs

 

Maleceptor (170 points)

  • 1x Massive scything talons

    1x Psychic overload

 

Neurolictor (65 points)

  • 1x Piercing claws and talons

 

Neurolictor (65 points)

  • 1x Piercing claws and talons

 

Neurolictor (65 points)

  • 1x Piercing claws and talons

 

Tyrannofex (245 points)

  • 1x Acid spray

    1x Powerful limbs

    1x Stinger salvoes

 

Venomthropes (70 points)

  • 3x Venomthrope

    • 3x Toxic lashes

 

Zoanthropes (110 points)

  • 1x Neurothrope

    • 1x Chitinous claws and teeth

      1x Warp Blast

  • 2x Zoanthrope

    • 2x Chitinous claws and teeth

      2x Warp Blast

 

Zoanthropes (110 points)

  • 1x Neurothrope

    • 1x Chitinous claws and teeth

      1x Warp Blast

  • 2x Zoanthrope

    • 2x Chitinous claws and teeth

      2x Warp Blast

 

Exported with App Version: v1.8.1 (33), Data Version: v319

 

I'll be proxying a psychophage as the second exocrine and regular lictors as neurolictors, but otherwise I can field all of this no problem.

 

Exos are there to kill stuff and might start in reserve. I'll use the neuros to try And battle shock things to get +1 to wound, then blatt them with the exos, lictors also perform secondaries, as well as seeded spore mines. Biovore is pretty tough in cover, so one should be ok, barbs are weak, but the -2 to move and charge might be crucial. No idea how to remove weak units on objectives at the back yet, I was tempted to run 6x hive guard, however they're 220pts and for that I can get an exocrine and a unit of zoans. 

 

I'll probably be playing CSM with Abaddon blob or custodes, but there's a chance of knights. If it's knights i hunker down and play for secondaries. 

[Xenith]

Ahh, both my potential opponents cancelled tonight due to XMas work rush, so no game. I still think that this list is possibly the most competitive I can make though, but am considering some strat res trygons for fun. 

[Xenith]

Some long overdue pics of the Norn Emissary I got myself for my Birthday!

 

I spent a bit of time on the base also to build it up and set him within my Red Scar Crusade, so there's a dead marine from the Hive Guard kit, a ripper, checkerboard to match the rest of my nids and some industrial gubbins like pipes and girders. 

 

Close up.

 

More base detail, te real danger to this model. 

 

I also magnetised the lower arms, which was relatively eacy, to let this guy turn into the assimilartor also. Literally the only difference is the toxinjector harpoons, so they got added. I much prefer the big brain head anyway. 

 

[Brother Nathan]

looks spot on! good job! have to say your scheme has taken to all the different kits so bloomin well its impressive! much more on the cards? its gotten quiet down here...

[Xenith]

Thank you, I'm always surprised at how well things come out for such a simple scheme at it's heart - though I'm always tweaking the recipe on the chitin armour to improve the blend. 

 

Recently I've been painting a bit more Alpha Legion and finishing off my Titanicus Titans (8/9 painted now) and then I want to try and round out some units of gaunts to be in multiples of 10 - I have like 16 devilgaunts and 26 hormagaunts for som reason, so I can field max units of them wysiwyg. 

 

I'll also have to get all the stuff I painted in 2023 out for a group photo! 

[Xenith]

So looking back at my goal list for 2023, I didn't achieve too much of what I set out to, mainly due to Leviathan. Just the Maleceptor there out of the original things  wanted to paint.

 

On 1/9/2023 at 11:44 AM, Xenith said:

What I'd really like to get done:

170pts - Maleceptor

230pts - Flyrant

180pts - 6 more warriors, magnetised

120pts - Genestealer Patriarch

160pts - 20 Hormagaunts

125 - Carnifex

30 models and 985pts in total.

 

However, Leviathan did bring extra booty, so in addition I got these painted:

 

105ps 1x Neurotyrant +2x neurospore things

45pts 11x Neurogaunts

60pts 5x Barbgaunts

75pts 3x VRL's 

170pts 1x Screamer Killer

65pts 1x Winged Tyranid Prime 

125pts 1x Psychophage

290pts 1x Norn Emissary

 

Which comes to 27 models, ~93 wounds worth of models, and 1105pts in total, so I'm pretty pleased with that. The above unpainted remain on my 2024 target list. I definitely want to get the leviathan gants painted up, and have some strangleweb conversions to do also. 

 

Edited January 4 by Xenith

[The Pounder]

I think I’ve said it before but I love your Norn Emissary!

 

I have a lot on atm so it’ll be a while before I get my own.

Looking forward to more additions to your Swarm!

 

[Xenith]

Thank you :) it's a gorgeous model and takes paint well! Look forward to seeing what you come up with!

[The Pounder]

Won’t be for a long while, I’ve got to reduce the pile of shame before I can add any more models to the Swarm!

[Xenith]

Finally cracked open the Leviathan spares I've been hoarding to make another unit of Zoans as well as the big guy. I trimmed off the weird tube on the back that the neuro carapace would connect to, which leaves the tiny chimneys intact. They're still lacking something and a bit samey, so I'm tempted to sculpt a jaw, or attempt to, and will be chnging up the bases. Thankfully they have a peg to attach to a base, so hopefully this is just a matter of building up some junk to look like a ruin, then drilling  a hole in it to fit the tail peg into! I might take a hairdryer to some tails also to see if I can make their poses a little different - probably just by heating then a little twist. 

 

[The Pounder]

I told my wife, it’s not hoarding, it’s “future proofing!!”

 

Through your future proofing you’ve save yourself a few quid for more gribblies! 
 

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the sculpting.

[Pearson73]

I think switching up the bases and adding a jaw or distinguishing feature to one or two of the Zoans will help set them apart. I guess having a horde of similar beasts isn't off for Tyranids, but can be a bit boring for the eye.

[Xenith]

I've finally got round to basing a bunch of the models I finished for Call to Arms 2023, just in time for the next one...in all fairness, I've been really focussed on my Alpha Legion, but it's nice to finally cross these guys off the list. I went with standard mud colours on these guys, instead of the astrogranite grey rubble that I've used on others. Hopefully they don't look too different, both still have the usual industrial wreckage theme. 

 

[The Pounder]

Great stuff @Xenith!

 

How many pts do you have now?

[Xenith]

This would be my Pile of Potential total:

 

 

Big ol' swarm! Though there's a few models in there that are painted, but need basing, like the barbgaunts and neurotyrant, and I have some more things I want to add and paint, like the leviathan gaunts. 

[The Pounder]

That’s one hell of a Swarm!

 

Glad you’re u planning to use the Call to Arms as a springboard to get some of the backlog painted up!

Edited June 17 by The Pounder

[Xenith]

With Combat Patrol, my nid horde has grown even more, albeit in pile of shame mode, so I've got some work done and converted some Neurolictors. This conversion has been rolling around i my head for a while, but was never sure on the body until I got the VRL's from CP. I'm pretty pleased with how they have turned out, but they lack the big (un-lictor-like) tail so I might need to build them up a bit.

 

Pretty simple conversion, I took the neuroloids from the neurotyrants I'd converted into zoans, left the back off, carved a spare genestealer head until it would fit snugly into the gap, carved out the VRL head, then jammed the gene-oloid head on. One additiona pair of stealer rending claws later and we have a neurolictor! The svelte grasping talons from the VRL's fit the model so much better, and if I could I'd have used the new genestealer hands as I think they're a bit ore dynamic and slender, reinforcing the theme.

 

I could also have done more work into reposing the upper talons, and maybe the legs, but I'm lazy and wanted them done, I think they look effective as they are! 

 

 

[Xenith]

Quick Pile of Potential update of my nids for the end of 2024. This is what I'm on now, the number of models has gone up a little, and the % points completed has gone down accordingly, due to point drops across the board! A few easy wins are finishing the bases on the neurotyrant and other bits, and I need to do an old one eye conversion, as well as convert another haruspex+exocrine from Psychophages, which will bump the points. 

 

 

 

June 2024 numbers

On 6/13/2024 at 8:54 AM, Xenith said: