Hive Tyrant & Swarmlord Magnetization Guide

The Hive Tyrant kit is one of the best values in the entire Tyranid range. From a single box, you can build a walking Hive Tyrant, a Winged Hive Tyrant (the infamous "Flyrant"), or The Swarmlord — three distinct battlefield roles, each with its own loadout and playstyle. The catch? Games Workshop expects you to pick one and glue it together forever.

That's where magnetization comes in. With the right magnets and a bit of patience, you can have all three builds ready to swap whenever the meta shifts, a new codex drops, or you feel like running something different. No second kit required. No regrets about committing to a loadout that got nerfed into the ground last balance update.

To track the polarity of the magnets, we use a set of Magnicator tools. We may refer to the polarity of the magnets as "red" or "blue," after which Magnicator is attracted to that magnet's surface.

We also recommend looking at the Tyrannofex tutorial for more inspiration!

Let's get the main torso of our Tyranid made. You can glue pieces 1 & 2 and 5 & 6 together. Do not glue these to the main body yet. Using a 6mm drill bit, we will drill holes where the arms are normally glued. For the upper arms, drill all the way through; for the bottom arms, drill only 2mm deep. If you do drill all the way through, don't worry!

You can find our specialized drill collars here.

With the top arm holes, glue a 6mm x 4mm magnet into the hole. Push the magnet through from the inside with the red end of your magnicator, or with the blue end of your magnicator, push it from the outside. We want to ensure that all weapon options use the red end.

If you have Miliput, you can use it here to reinforce the magnet to protect it from coming loose.

Use the blue end of your Magnicator to glue the 6mm x 2mm magnet into the newly drilled hole, and glue it in place. I'd recommend holding it in place longer than the glue's cure time to ensure it doesn't snap to the other magnet.

Most magnetization guides for the Hive Tyrant tell you to drill into the original plastic and hope for the best. The hip joint is where that approach falls apart. The walking Hive Tyrant and The Swarmlord use a grounded lower body, while the Flyrant is posed mid-launch with only the tail touching the base. Swapping between those two stances means the entire lower torso connection needs to come apart cleanly — and drilling freehand into a curved, organic hip socket is a recipe for misaligned magnets and wobbly joints.

That's why we designed a custom 3D-printed hip component specifically for this kit. It's modeled to match the geometry of the original part (Part 10), so it sits flush against the torso without any visible gaps or awkward seams.

Begin by inserting an 8mm x 2mm magnet with the red end of your magnicator into the top hole of the hips.

We can glue our other magnet to the main torso. There are two ways you can do this.

1. With the blue end of your magnicator, glue the 8mm x 2mm magnet to the bottom of the torso, where piece 10 would normally be glued to. Hold it in place until the glue is cured. After curing, slide the handle back onto the magnicator to release the magnet.
2. With the magnet in the hip, add a little glue to the magnet and glue it in place. With this method, you can control how the hip lines up with the body. After several minutes, you can pull back, leaving the magnet in place, and the hips are detachable.

To magnetize the Heavy Venom Cannon, Stranglethorn Cannon, Monstrous Bonesword, Lash Whip, Monstrous Scything Talons, and Bone Sabres, we'll use 4mm x 2mm magnets.

Start by using hobby files to sand down the areas where the arms would normally attach to the body, creating a flat surface for drilling.

Next, drill into each arm. Begin with a 3mm drill bit to create a pilot hole, then widen it using a 4mm drill bit so the magnet fits properly.

Using the red end of your Magnicator, insert a 4mm x 2mm magnet into each arm.

For the Heavy Venom Cannon and Stranglethorn Cannon, drill only to the arm that is holding the cannon. After magnetizing that arm, you can then glue the other half of each respective arm. You do not need to magnetize that arm. I'd recommend sanding down the other arm so it looks natural once it's slotted to the other side.

The wings follow the same process as the weapon options. Use hobby files to sand down the areas where the arms would normally attach to the body, creating a flat surface for drilling.

After you have drilled the 5mm hole, insert and glue a 5mm x 3mm magnet using the red end of your Magnicator into the hole.

Finally, let's magnetize the head options. Start by using a 3mm drill bit and carefully drill into the neck of each head where it naturally meets the body. Widen the hole with a 4mm drill bit.

If you want to double-check the placement, dab a small amount of paint where the head would normally glue onto the body. Then, dry-fit the head in place. When you remove it, the transferred paint mark will show you exactly where to drill.

After you drill the holes, use the red end of your Magnicator to insert the magnets into the heads, and the blue end of your Magnicator for the body.

Congratulations! You have now magnetized your Hive Tyrant and Swarmlord! Take to the skies or stick to the ground using every weapon at your disposal!