Conversion: Twin Linked Brain Leech Devourers

Looks like the biggest craze right now are Twin Linked Brain Leech Devourers. I have to agree, they are really powerful. When you put two pairs of these into the hands of something like a Carnifex or a Tyrant, you are going to get lots and lots of shots. Best yet, add Old Adversary and you get to reroll 1's on your "to wound" rolls! What's not to love?

So I begun my hunt. The ones that came with the Carnifex kit was just way too piddly for a Tyrant or a Carnifex. These were some of the pics I found online which I liked.

Great concept. Flipping the JOINT on the arm is brilliant.

I would be afraid

These gaping holes will kill you! 

I then found Sam, our resident painter and convertor extradoniare who runs his own blog called The Ward Save (http://skanwy.blogspot.sg/) came up with an awesome conversion. Check it out: http://skanwy.blogspot.sg/2012/12/tyranids-army-revamp-tyranicus.html. 

So I called him up and he made me 2 pairs of those babies. I took them home and hit a problem. I didn't have enough skills to sculpt greenstuff to flip arms around. I needed to find existing arms that were both left and right and didn't mean that I had to sacrifice a weapon that I may really want to use. After about 30 minutes of looking in my bits box, I found the Crushing Claws from the Tervigon kit. I snipped off the bigger claw at the joint and then affixed the conversion Sam provided me. And then BOOM! I have two sets, one for my Flyrant, the other for my Walkrant! Thanks Sam! 

2 pairs, each twin linked. I love it

Close up. I used Genestealer shoulder plates to hide the joints

Now that the Tyrants were done, I had to find a solution for my Carnifexes. I really liked the Hive Swarms from the Tyrannofex kits but the stats were crap in game. So I had two pairs lying around and I had 2 Carnifexes that needed 2 twin linked brain leech devourers. 1+1 equals 2!

I added magnets to the joints similar to my other weapon options for my Carnifexes and smooth them out using green stuff.

All ready for base coats

Once they are painted I will snap them into place and I will have a WYSIWYG army again! Hope this post helps you guys out there struggling to find enough Twin Linked Brain Leech Devourers.

FOR THE HIVE MIND! 

Batrep: 1750 Tyranids vs Imperial Guard

Managed to get another game of 40k in. This time with Defeng who brought 1750 of Imperial Guard. When he was unpacking his army, I thought it looked very 5th Edition with the number of tanks he was bringing. So I chuckled since I brought enough anti-armour. Then we rolled for mission and deployment. 

Mission: Emperor's Will

Deployment: The one where we deployed on the extreme ends of the board

Doh...now I have to trek at least 2 to 3 feet of board before I could start shooting his tanks. Ah well, 6th ed, I love you so. 

We rolled for Warlord Traits and I got the same from the game with Sam. Looks like my force was fleeing the fight with Imperium. The vanguard were the Space Marines and now they have left the mop up to the Imperial Guard. I can't remember which trait IG got.  

My deployment

IG let me deploy first forcing me to spread my force across the board wide. I left both my Tyrants in the middle so I can react quicker. Anchored the rest of my force with the two Tervigons. Hive Guards all hid in the buildings

Great view from up here

I managed to roll Iron Arm and Warp Speed for my Flyrant. The Walkrant got Warp Speed and Enfeeble.

Let the Fexes lead

Advance!

IG went for a refused flank deployment

Start my first turn by spawning 2 broods. Casted Iron Arm and FNP on the Flyrant securing +2T. Unfortunately, I think Ol'Jammy had enough so stopped producing. Turn 1 again. Glided my Flyrant forward. I didn't push too fast up since I didn't manage to get a +3T so didn't want to risk taking too many shots in the face from his Battle Canons.

The blue guys in the terrain above had 10 Ratlings so I poured a ton of shots into it. Managed to remove 5 of them.

Spiky building

Advance continues, lots of running

IG opened up and took one wound off my Flyrant. Not much otherwise

IG didn't really move that much. 

Moved my Gants up the building, opened fire and...

Melee time!

Across the board, I pushed forward. This time I was a little more aggressive with the Flyrant now that there are a lot more targets that the IG has to decide on. I managed to take out the Chimera right in front of the Flyrant.

Slaughter and First Blood goes to the Tyranids

Marbo pops out in Turn 2

Battle Canon opens fire

Bottom of Turn 2

Not much movement eh?

The rest of my army advances to close the gap

I pushed my Flyrant into his lines. I was Swooping this time so was gambling that he would not have enough firepower to hit me to ground me. Didn't count of the Guardsmen in the Chimeras.

Managed to remove some Hit Points on his vehicles and wreck another using my Hive Guard

They're coming! I just love painted miniatures

IG managed to ground and kill my Flyrant. Ouch

Only one Fex remains now

Without the Flyrant to bug him now, he concentrated some heavy firepower into my Carnifex in the open and managed to remove it.

Damn shouldn't have gone for heavy weapons duty today

As we closed the gap, I was able to wreck more of his Chimeras. I was focussing on removing his troops now so I can capture or at least contest the objective in this deployment.

In Turn 4 the game swung heavily to IG. He managed to take out most of my Monstrous Creatures. First the other Carnifex then followed by my Walkrant. Then to add salt to injury, took out a few more Hive Guard just as I closed the range.

Lonely Nids

With what was left I pushed hard into his deployment and objective.

Why I love Hive Guard. I still had 3 more hiding in the building on the left and did they go to town once in range. Managed to take out his Leman Russ and Basilisk (it was proxying for something I can't remember what's it called)

Advanced these guys from the left to engage the last few remaining Guardsmen

Last ditched effort to plug the gap and prevent me from contesting his objective

But I pushed forward with the Tervigon and eating occurs

Chomp chomp chomp

Another tank coming?

Bottom of 5th Turn

We called it at the end of 5th

The game actually was supposed to go on to the 6th turn but we called it. Prolonging it would have just made it worse for the Imperial Guard. I would have taken out his tanks and claim the objective for Tyranids.

Final Tally:
Imperial Guard: 1 (slay the warlord)
Tyranids: 3 (objective) +1 (first blood) +1 (linebreaker) = 5

Not a fan of the lengthwise deployment but I am glad my list can survive such heavy IG bombardment and still make it to his lines without the help of Gargoyles or flying Warriors. Game on people! 

Batrep: 1750 Tyranids vs Black Templars

Awesome gaming goodness these past few days. ABO really kicking it down. We went down to Funan Battle Bunker again. Played with Sam this time who took Black Templars. Rolled on the following:

Mission: Will of the Emperor 

Deployment: Standard

Warlord Traits: 

Nids - Personal: Master of Defence

BT - Sam let me know! 

Psychic for Nids under the Biomancy Lore

Flyrant: Iron Arm + Haemorrage

Walking Tyrant: Iron Arm + Quickening

1750 Tyranids (Ray) vs Black Templars (Sam)

Nid deployment

I got the dice off for first turn and I went for the classic cluster. Carnifex leading the charge with Tervigons next to them. The Tyrants kept behind just a step to benefit from the 5+

BT spread his units a little wider, using the Land Raider's mobility to push from the flanks. Two units of Tacticals took the building on the right, claiming the objective

BT tried to steal initiative but failed on a 4.

Tervigon on my right pooped out a few Gants and then JAMMED. Recurrent trend? Tervigon on the left pooped out quite a number but kept on going. Moved the rest of my unit up. Tyrants both advance to the fore but I glided my Flyrant to the left field to tackle his Land Raider.

Surge of the monsters

My mysterious objective turned out to be Skyfire. Woopdeedoo!

Iron Arm on my Walking Tyrant with +2 Toughness. I sent him in front to soak fire

Casted Feel No Pain on my Gants since they will be taking the brunt of the fire

BT shooting in the first turn removed 2 wounds from my jammed Tervigon.

Flyrant: "Please shoot me!"

In Turn 2 I advanced my Flyrant up the building and managed to cast Iron Arm on himself. Tervigon on the left spewed forth more Gants, this time a little albino ones to blend into the white terrain. Concentrated my shooting into his Terminator squad in the open on the right of the building. Managed to kill off 3 Terminators after 12x4 (rerollable) Str6 shots. That's 48 rerollable Str6 shots. Wow those Terminators can really shrug off pain. His Land Raider took 6 shots from my Hive Guard on the left and survived with only minor scratches (needed 6's to glance).

The tide comes!

In Sam's turn, he responds by moving his army forward.

A little left field action. Good Tervi

Then it happens

The bulwark of Humanity does not disappoint. In Sam's Turn 2, out popped the Emperor's Champion, BT Marshall and 5 Terminators. Yikes! My plan was to let him charge me then envelop him with my Gants.

Traffic jam?

Space Marines advance

Ironic that I took so many pics of my death

The eventual charge!

Those Black Templars hit like a ton of bricks. The Emperor's Champion challenged my Tyrant putting the Tyrant out of combat from the rest (nice). Managed to put one wound on that muppet while taking none in return. The rest of his squad killed a ton of my Gants as Sam split charge - Disordered Charge which meant no +1 Attack.

In Nid Turn 3, I glided my Flyrant to his rear lines while the Tervigon in my lines pooped out a few more Gants. Still no doubles. Nice. Hive Guard plinked away at the Land Raider this time managing to strip 2 Hull Points.

12 Str6 shots later

Actually managed to remove two Terminators (gone) with Gant fire!

The Emperor's Champion took out my Tyrant. Fex not in combat

Slay the Warlord goes to Sam

So in a bid to repeat my success from the previous game, I threw my new unit of Gants into this Space Marine Spearhead. Go go go Gants!

Many attacks later

Where did the Flyrant go? BT charged in and 2 Power Fists later...

Put more shooting from the Hive Guard into the Land Raider but no luck removing those points.

I had a unit of Gants in the building just behind these Terminators which I planned on sending into this combat to tie the Black Templars up. I rolled the charge range and I got double 1's. Sigh...

Freed from the irritating Gants, they could pick and choose their targets now. I was in deep guano.

Promptly went for my Carnifex and Hive Guard (Marshall charged out)

Emperor's Champion takes out the Fex for no wounds in return.

Don't know how long these can last

I think there's a beast on the right. 

Vroooooom

And for my saves, I rolled these

Sam moved is unit up to contest my Objective and deny me my 3 VP. He also had secured Slay the Warlord. I managed to get First Blood.

BT: 4, Nids: 1

It was an awesome game nonetheless. It has been a long time since I played with the ABO boys. Sam brought a good strong list, one that I hope to play against again till I learn how to beat it. Watch this space!