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Hi all,

This is my Deathleaper. It got a shortened Red Terror body, an old school warrior head (chin chopped off), same old school warrior legs with scales and hooves filed off, leaving a more claw like foot, a bit longer back scale like the codex art, Red Terror scytals which have been filed thinner and jagged (sharp enough to cut yourself actually ), greenstuffed feeder tendrils, and long skinny arms with pointy fingers. The arms are made of several sets of genestealer arms. I kept the elbow bits for angle and put several arm bits together to make the arms longer. The hands/rending claws are from the Monstrous Arms sprue, but I removed some plastic between the fingers to make them longer, squeezed the fingers together, and chopped some of them off to adjust their angles (kept codex art and standard lictor claws in mind). The claw bits sticking out at the back of the hands are single genestealer rending claw fingers. Generic spiky bits on the thighs. The extra spiky bits on the scytals are genestealer rending claw thumbs, with slightly adjusted angels.

(Yes, Tyranid manicure is my middle name. )

The base could use some more attention, but a trampled head and some part of a ruin is good enough for now. I just needed something to give the model better balance and make the claw feet look more naturally grounded.

Scale image at the bottom.

Comments are of course very welcomed!


Front






Head






Side views








Back




Weapons










Feet




Scale - two different sorts of assassins

I love it's spindlyness. It really looks good!

Nice. What are the scything talons from?

Thanks, both of you!

The talons are from the Red Terror. They are originally broader. I filed them thin and jagged. The crooked spiky bit is added and comes from genestealer rending claw fingers.

Interesting mix. I like the look.

Thanks!

I always have liked the way you use the warrior large rending claws.
More great work!

Thanks alot Doomthumbs!

I also like how your models always look like the book art. It makes me want to remake mine.

The codex art always looks way better than the models themselves.

Lars has it pretty close, down to the wrist spike and filing down the talons with curves.

I love the Cthulu like bits. Very Cool.

Draglide12 wrote:The codex art always looks way better than the models themselves.

Often, definately. Especially true about Deathleaper, which is exactly why I converted it. The gw model doesn't look like a creepy assassin at all.

Thanks again Doomthumbs! I also think I am pretty close. A few details aren't there, some of them intentionally. For example the triple/double eyes. Didn't like that much. And the rounded talons kept close together. I like the sneaky look of that piece of art, but my chosen truth is that it could have turned out to be too hard to paint with every little limb gathered in front of the torso. And I felt lazy.. hehe... Also only had 8 hours to build it. The codex art doesn't show any spiky bits of the thighs, but old school lictor models have them, and I like them.


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spireland wrote:I love the Cthulu like bits. Very Cool.

Thanks! Which bits are Cthulu like?

I think he means the GS tentacles on the face.

I have one problem with this conversion. To me it looks like he is looking down at his feet. So unless you plan on putting something on the base drawing his attention, I would tilt his head up more. Great conversion work though.

Thank you Nicorex. I see your point. I have gone for the codex look, which won't be apparent until the eye balls have been painted. First option, as I see it, is to make them look sideways, as in the codex, as if it's just spotted new pray or is chasing prey around a corner.

Another option, as you pointed out, is to put focus on the base. I like that idea too. I have thought about the head, it has just been ripped/cut off (take your pick), and left side of the head has been sliced to a smooth-ish new cheek. Deathleaper is now trampling the remains. It would be easy enough to gloss up a bloody and fresh prey kill and let the monster focus on that.

Anyway, that was the plan with the head's angle. We'll see how it goes when I begin to paint it.

Very cool! I think the subtle changes you made to the proportions and details, nice work! If I may though, I would suggest working on the pose of the mid-arms a more, I think if they were clutched up under his chin in the classic aliens style post, it would add more character to the pose.

Don't go too far with it though. I mean, he has three on the left side and two on the right, unless he's winking. I like that though.
I'm currently building a 2000 point list with 2 deathleapers and 3 Hive guard for my elites for competitive play. Two invincible deathleapers kept in reserve until the end,when I place them directly on 2 objectives. It does kinda cripple the army because I can't use those 280 points of Deathleaper cheesiness until the last turn. But the list also has 2 Tervigons. ~40 gaunts means I'm taking an 80 point gamble that I'm going to take at least one objective with the main army and two guranteed contested out of what the enemy held with the deathleapers. Great bet.

MajorTom11 wrote:Very cool! I think the subtle changes you made to the proportions and details, nice work! If I may though, I would suggest working on the pose of the mid-arms a more, I think if they were clutched up under his chin in the classic aliens style post, it would add more character to the pose.

I can picture it in my mind and I agree completely on that it would add more character. I might do it if I don't mind the burden of taking it apart.. which I might just mind. We'll see.

Doomthumbs wrote:Don't go too far with it though. I mean, he has three on the left side and two on the right, unless he's winking. I like that though.

Assuming you are talking about eyes? I am not going to add more eyes. I thought about it, but I decided I prefer one pair of eyes. He already look like a mean predator and don't need the extra "I can see all over the place" eye details. If I could GS an eye that look mean, I would consider it, but I don't trust my GS skills with that task just yet.

Doomthumbs wrote:I'm currently building a 2000 point list with 2 deathleapers and 3 Hive guard for my elites for competitive play. Two invincible deathleapers kept in reserve until the end,when I place them directly on 2 objectives. It does kinda cripple the army because I can't use those 280 points of Deathleaper cheesiness until the last turn. But the list also has 2 Tervigons. ~40 gaunts means I'm taking an 80 point gamble that I'm going to take at least one objective with the main army and two guranteed contested out of what the enemy held with the deathleapers. Great bet.

Could be interesting, if you ignore the fact that the Deathleaper is unique. Tervigons are fun though. I am currently working on three of them simultaneously.