The Hive Mind Adapts....

With the release of the latest edition of Codex Tyranids at the start of the year, it's been a rather gribbly 2010. So I'm going to look at one of my favourite new units and, hopefully in a later post, show you how I made mine. These guys are the bane of light vehicles, and can threaten anything on the table without needing to see it - that's right, it's the Hive Guard.

So firstly, yes, my Hive Guard are a slight departure from the official GW model (a google image search of 'Hive Guard' should bring him right up). It wasn't exactly love at first sight when they unveiled that model, and at £12 per guy I'd written them off as a possibility for inclusion in my army list. Only later when I read the Codex did I see them as a must-have. So after some thinking, sketching, and bits box raiding, I now have six of these monstrosities to worry enemy armour.

So what's so great about them? First of all, they're tough. With T6, 2 wounds and a 4+ armour save they can weather a fair bit of abuse. They've got a brilliant gun that fires 2 S8 shots per turn (and are good shots to boot!), and an unusual special rule that lets them fire it at stuff they can't see. They are in my opinion the most satisfying anti-tank option in the Codex. They have a further reach than Zoanthropes (especially if enhanced by the Tervigon psychic power 'Onslaught'), and better ballistic skill than Tyrannofexes. And even though their gun is not quite as strong as the Heavy Venom Cannon, it can actually blow tanks up, rather than causing ineffectual 'shaken' and 'stunned' type results, which many vehicles ignore or downgrade. I certainly wouldn't take to the field without these guys - go Hive Guard!!