After MeinMMO editor Caro painted various tabletop miniatures for Dungeons & Dragons, she also wanted to dedicate herself to the stylish figures from Warhammer 40,000. However, she fell in love with a candidate that completely contradicts her plans – but she does not regret it.
I have been painting miniatures for our D&D campaign or simply because I find them pretty or cool for about a year and a half. Since I’ve gotten deeper into the hobby, I can’t avoid the boxes from Warhammer anymore.
I have not yet become a big fan of Space Marines or other tough guys in armor. That’s just not an aesthetic that particularly appeals to me, especially when I can devote myself to my own D&D heroes, dragons, or other creatures.
But then I came across him – or better said: her. Tyranids. And one of them particularly caught my attention: the Norn Emissary, or in German, the Schwarmbote. It was love at first sight.
I couldn’t stand it for two days without him
While I had always had my eye on the Tyranids regarding my first miniatures from Warhammer 40,000, it was the Norn Emissary that eventually motivated me to make my first purchase. I can hardly describe what it is that pleases me so much about him. It’s just… everything.
His face, the almost wing-like back structure, the large blades, the head armor with even more blades: the Norn Emissary looks like a dragon-like alien insect kaiju. I have no idea which synapse in my brain got crossed, but to me, these terms together equal = absolutely cute!
And my mental strength to not buy him right away lasted no more than two days. Based on the chat in the MeinMMO editorial team, I can even pinpoint that it was about 26.5 hours.
Despite blind love, I struggled
Actually, I had set myself the goal that my first miniature for Warhammer 40,000 should not be too large or expensive a figure. I wanted to see if I would even like the miniatures from Games Workshop with a slightly lower budget and whether their already somewhat hefty price was worth it.
However, when I was out in the city to buy flowers for the terrain of my miniature bases, there he was, cheekily sitting on the shelf.
I looked at him, his little printed eyes looked back – and I weakened. In the background, you could surely hear the song “Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton playing, in which she infused her love for her newborn child. I am officially a Tyranid mom.
No idea, but growing interest
For a few short moments, I felt like a bit of a hypocrite in my fresh motherhood. After all, I have hardly engaged with the lore or the actual gameplay of Warhammer aside from painting.
But now I wanted to know what the Tyranids and the Norn Emissary could really do.
The Tyranids, gluttons driven by a swarm intelligence for whom all life is a pure buffet of biomass, quickly found a place in my heart. The Norn Emissary is a precision beast that focuses primarily on unique and exceptionally powerful targets, for which he uses his psychic power, speed, intelligence, and strength. A particularly strong candidate and a fine specimen that is a worthy first Warhammer miniature, if you ask me.
For about a month, I have been working on finishing him during my free moments. I’ve been photographing my progress to provide you with a full photo series along with a box review soon.
But here’s a little teaser when I finished assembling him:
My interest in the Tyranids and also in Warhammer 40,000 in general has definitely been sparked by Norm. That is currently the name of my Tyranid, as I initially confused the “Norn” from Norn Emissary with Norm. However, I am happy to accept further name suggestions.
Are you fans of Tyranids yourselves? Or do you prefer another army from Warhammer 40,000? If you want to learn more about the hungry space insects, we have a more detailed overview for you here on MeinMMO, which I initially also wanted to read: Tyranids are one of the greatest threats in Warhammer 40,000 and there’s a reason for that
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