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Hello Dakka! It's been a while. Sorry about that. You know how it is.

Anyway, while I don't spend as much time painting/converting/playing as I would like, I do get some hobby-time wedged between work and videogames.
I have a new project I want to share with you. Well, it's more a concept right now. I was looking for a new 40k army and got an idea from a videogame. Ready?

ICE TYRANIDS!

Well, you've already read that in the thread title, but here's the idea. 'nids, mostly the big ones, but instead of chitin and bone, they're covered in ice. I extend the armor with green stuff to make it look smoother, but with harder edges and less symetrical. So far I have a concept model you can see below.

It was the only big Tyranid I had lying around.

This is an interesting concept, and it looks like you can pull it off so far. I'd say go for it, if you're willing to do this same technique on literally hundreds of models. A limited palette like this can either be fun and simple or disturbingly boring, so be sure to have other things to work on intermittently.

Looks good, and an interesting concept. Look forward to seeing more!

youidiotkid wrote:This is an interesting concept, and it looks like you can pull it off so far. I'd say go for it, if you're willing to do this same technique on literally hundreds of models. A limited palette like this can either be fun and simple or disturbingly boring, so be sure to have other things to work on intermittently.

Don't worry about that. I don't even start painting without at least 3 different armies on the table.

Two more things I'd like to add:
1) I'll probably change the skin color into something black-ish purple-y.
2) I'm trying to figure out if I can make the whole army a bit more... eldritch, if you get my meaning.

Looks pretty nice! Is that an old guard? I loved those models...

So, time for a little update on this project. Which is now officially a project I'm doing. My brother liked the idea so much he got me a LOT of 'Nids for my birthday, so U guess I'll have to build at least a small force.


So, the basic concept, to flesh it out a bit more: I don't want them to look THAT much like Tyranids. But the basic Tyranid look is very distinctive, with the overlapping chiting armor, the hooves and the six arms. So I'll stick with my original idea and just do a lot of stuff on the armor. I want them to be covered in ice, with jagged ice crystals growing on their back. Kinda like this guy from Metroid Prime here:



Although the original inspiration for this army were the lovecraftian aliens in the 3DS strategy game Code Name S.T.E.A.M.. I plan on going a bit more eldritch with a few conversion and probably the fluff as well. I'm thinking an army that leaves frozen wastelands in its wake.



As I said, to get around the basic Tyranid look is quite hard. But since I now have 2 Carnifexes, an Exocrine and a few Warriors I'll have to figure something out. The Warriors will be the main troops, this is going to be a 'Nidzilla list, but I'm going to be damned if I try to convert every single Termagaunt. I wanted to go straight for the big guys, but I thought I should at least try the new colors again on a smaller model. I went with the swords because they're awesome and they're actually a good fit for what I have in mind for this army.For the next warrior, I might skip the large head plates completly.



The next thing I went for is the HQ, because I'm greedy and in a hurry. My brother suggested Old One-Eye, who's now an HQ choice in the current book. Since I don't have a Hive Tyrant yet (though) I do have an idea for it) I thought this might be a good idea. However, with Tyranid creatures getting bigger all the time, a regular Fex wouldn't cut it. Which brings me to the choice, that the other big creature will be an Exocrine, because I need the Haruspex claws for something else.





I really hope they colors will work out on this guy. I liked my concept but this model what will sell the army.

Just a quick update.

This is pretty much the look I was hoping for, I'm really happy with how the big ice spire turned out. Though I might expand the ice even further to completly cover the characteristic 'Nid back plates.



One sign that is project is going places: I can't stop thinking about the next conversions.

Very interesting I like the idea and it is looking great on the models!
I love the scifi twist on the fantasy trope of having elementals like ice or fire or stone. So cool, this will look great once you have a few units done.

Pictures of the (pretty much) finished Carnifex are coming tonight, but I wanted to ask you something first. I'm still looking for a name. Obviously a name assigned by the Imperium, I might even get around and write some Ordo Xenos fluff for it. So far I'm thinking either Hivefleet Jotunheim, after the mythical realm of the Frost Giants or Hivefleet Volantis, named after the ice planet in Dead Space 3. I'm open to more suggestions though.

So, first model's done. Whaddaya think?

This is a great idea! Great job pulling it off so well.