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Hi everyone, I've a large army of Orks, but I'm thinking of collecting Tyranids. All I'm worried about is that its a wrong turn because apparently they totally ripped of Alien. Is that true?

GW weren't the first to use orks either.

Wearn't they? I mean their versions

Anyway I'm thinking... I have loads of spare Ork parts left. I could do...Tyranid Orks!!!

"I didn't plagiarise anyone. I plagiarised everyone."

That's probably incorrectly quoted and I forget who said it, but the point remains. Most sci-fi is ripped off of something else to a greater or lesser degree. Get the nids anyway. How could you possibly go wrong?

The Alien movies had some influence, but to be honest the Alien movies were based on Hans Ruedi Giger's art work. So really if anything you can say that both Aliens and Tyranids are influenced by Giger's art.

Aside from that, why would it matter?

I suppose not, its just my best mate who says he dosn't collect the models but says he likes the idea says that he hates tyranids because he thinks they ripped of alien. Anyway, what does anyone thinks of Tyranid Orks?

tyranids should be tyranids and orks should be orks, for the love of WAAAGH! dont try to blend them

No, no no no, I mean like how Tyranids(Especially Genestealers) kind of half evolve into them...haven't you heard of hybrids?

When Genestealers first appeared in Space Hulk, that was very much like Alien. The Tyranid hoards seen today seem more inspired by the film of Starship Troopers IMO.

Oh, coz I've seen that film, and I got the impression that the zerg of whatever were inspired by Tyranids, or is that wrong?

well as a huge alien series fan i would say its not really a rip off there are very few if any at all of the models that resemble or come close to any alien in my opinion

Oh ok now back to the tyranids/orks

lol this is an interesting thread. Yes, the overall concept of an exoskeletal alien creature is very aliensish. But like someone else pointed out, it's not like Games Workshop invented the idea of Orks, or Goblins, or Elves. Ya know? Or even the concept of platoons of men with tanks. It's a bit hypocritical to play the game at all, but shun one aspect of it because it "copied" another.

As far as your Orkinids go, sure why not. The orks, while being a bit brainless, have a very powerful anatomy and means of reproduction. For the Tyranids to incorporate that into their gene pool would be tremendous. Start slapping parts together and show us what you got!

Ok i'll try it!

tommorow.

there actually was an ork hybrid mini yonks ago. Tyranids dont really "half evolve" though - you are thinking of genestealer cults, once the hive fleet arrives the cults are broken down into raw genetic material. Sticking a nid head on an ork body just aint gonna cut it.

Early versions of nids owed a lot to Giger, as people have pointed out its closer to Starship Troopers (which btw are "arachnids" - zerg was starcraft or some such tripe).

These days I think the Tyranids have evolved (ironically) into their own style and arent really ripping anyone off. I'd say they are more lizard or dinosaur than bug now.

I'm pretty sure that the boys at GW back in the early days of 40K were hot to put something like the Alien xenomorph into the game. Starship troopers came along a little more than a decade later, but probably had major influence on the re-development of the nids for 3rd edition, based solely on their appearance.

I haven't seen the Tyranid codex since 2nd edition (the only copy I own), but I'm pretty sure that genestealers are able to assimilate into most organic species. They have a biological imperative to do so, in fact, and it would not be out of the question for orks (which have some superior survival traits) to be intergrated into the tyranid hive through genestealer infiltration. Genestealer hybrids were a staple choice for 2nd ed 'nids on the alternate Genestealer Cult list. Anyone know if this kind of list or unit still exists?

I think that a huge warboss/patriarch leading a bunch of mutant orks around would make for a great opportunity for original converting and painting. You could even use either armie's list as long as you "counted as" creatively. It's a neat idea, I for one encourage you to go for it and keep a blog here!

Ok i'll start on 'em and post them here!

Wasn't the biovore supposed to be the orky part of the nids and other races were other models I can't remember which now , eldar mix of nid to make a warrior ?

Eldar genes are supposed to have made the zoanthrope I think, what with the psychicness.

GW rips off loads of stuff, I hate to tell you. Where do you think the name Eldar came from? They should have had some class and called Dark Eldar the Moriquendi, rather than just slinking around the fact that they copy half of their ideas.
I like that bit in the 5th edition rulebook where they mention the Imperial Navy navigators, who are a special race who pilot ships. In fact, if the Imperium didn't have them, they never would have made contact with the Fremen!

I don't think it really matters, as the Drednote mentioned many sci-fi and fantasy things take inspiration from others of the same genre, it doesn't mean it's plagiarism

I love the Ultramarine Tyranid Hunter quote, "If they bleed, we can kill them" We all know where that came from

Ive started on my Ork nids!!! As soon as my flamin' camera starts working, I'll show you some pics!

Giger copied god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Has anyone seen that nature program on dragonfly nymphs and such)
(I think it was called something like; 'The real life Aliens')
It's ace, watch it!

I love insects, giger, Aliens, aliens, starship troopers, genestealers.
That is why I play tyranids!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plagiarism, a rip off or as I prefer to call it without pointing finger and naming names "A homage"!

lol

All I have left to do is create some legs and feet. This is hard.

The original Tyranids in 40K were the Genestealers who were 90% ripped off from the Aliens movies. For example, the ideas of aliens melding their DNA with other species were hinted at in Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection.

Giger was engaged as an art and design consultant on the original Alien movie. He did not develop the movie plot and script, he did the art design for the alien itself.

Some of the early Tyranid models were released about the same time as Space Hulk and are very similar to modern Tyranid models. The expansion of the Tyranid range into a full-blown army came later and may well have been helped along by the Starship Troopers movie.

OK cool I've decided to use Ork legs to finish my creature off, and I have almost finished it. I will post pics soon.