I never bought the 3E version, but I feel it is a definate improvement on the older editions of the army list (the first appearing sometime around isssue 140 of WD). I do miss the Genestealer cults, even though the Patriarch has been redesigned as the Broodlord, I feel the cult army list would benefit from this addition from the Tyranid HQ entry.
I am disappointed as to how the Rippers with spinefists are only available with the new plastic genestealers and you only seem to get 2 of them in each box!!! just how much money or conversion work do they expect people to do to build even the smallest brood size of rippers??? You need 3 ripper bases in a swarm, 5 rippers per base, you get 2 spinefist rippers in a genestealer box (that i have been able to make out)! It;s a tad silly.
However, the new Carnifex is a real monster and I will be getting one soon. My Tyranids will have a facelift, I want that winged hive turant and some winged tyranid warriors, I got some of metal dragon wings laying about somewhere
2 sets of scything talons, adrenal glands and implant attack here I come...My current army is as follows...
Hive tyrant
Tyranid Warriors brood (4)
Lictors (2)
4 genestealer broods (12 in each)
termagant brood (20)
gargoyle brood (20) (bought for less than the cost of 2 will these days
)zoanthropes (2)
biovores (3, and one spare, oops!)
That is just my old army and it is acceptable in the latest edition with the armaments on each mini, that makes me happier, means less conversions that have to be redone. I also have somewhere like 40 sporemines form an old Necromunda campaign in a box somewhere to conrvert into sporecysts and so on, perhaps as some base scenery also.
I will be dropping some broods and adding others in, I want a fast, close assault army with some heavy firepower to back them up, so a few warriors and carnifexes are required for that.