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Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







MkII Introduction:
It's 2013 and I'm taking a new approach to this blog and the entire hobby in fact. I had turned all of my projects into chores by setting deadlines and forcing myself to work on things that I wan't inspired by at that moment. All this resulted in was less and less progress until it all came to a halt so no more. Now I'm going to work on whichever project I'm inspired by for as long as I'm inspired by it. My blogs might see periods of downtime but overall I'll make more progress and produce better quality work.

There is a checklist and an index at the bottom of this post, this allows you to jump to specific updates easily in what I plan on being a lengthy blog. I'm hoping to produce more fluff and more drawings detailing biology this time round but I'm not promising anything to myself or anyone reading. Well, apart from that I'm going to enjoy it, that I can promise, and I hope you do too.

Fluff:
My hobby projects always seem to play on the fringes of the canon, I guess I'm happiest breaking new ground. 40k lore is a great source of half whispered possibilities and questions raised but never answered. Ymgarl is one of these subjects that intrigues me and the one this blog is concerned with. I have no intention of contradicting current or guessing future canon and I would be upset to do so, rather, I would propose an event which could be nothing more than a confined incident. In this way I can freely create a very unique force without fear of retcon or new canon negating my work.

What I am creating, in short, is a small Hive Fleet which has accidentally absorbed Ymgarl biomass. This incident has caused the Hive Mind to reject them but they have adapted to their circumstances and after a period of dormancy are preying on a small Imperial solar system. The biological and tactical adaptations resemble and expand upon documentation of Genestealers, Lictors and Jormungandr, among others.

1st Wave Checklist:
I'll score things out as i complete them.
Flyrant (Greened|Painted)
Deathleaper (Greened|Painted)
Warriors x3 (Greened|Painted)
Warriors x3 (Greened|Painted)
Ymgarl x5 (Greened|Painted)
Ymgarl x5 (Greened|Painted)
Mycetic Spore (Greened|Painted)
Mycetic Spore (Greened|Painted)

Index:
03/Feb/2012: Hive Tyrant WIP
06/Feb/2012: Hive Tyrant WIP
10/Feb/2012: Hive Tyrant WIP
11/Feb/2012: Hive Tyrant WIP
13/Feb/2012: Hive Tyrant WIP
18/Feb/2012: Genestealers and Warriors WIP
18/Feb/2012: Space Hulk Genestealers Review
21/Feb/2012: Tyranid 2nd Wave Leaked!
03/Mar/2012: Genestealers WIP
20/Mar/2012: Warriors WIP
02/Apr/2012: Supply Drop!
03/Apr/2012: Supply Drop! and Hive Tyrant WIP
07/Feb/2013: Warriors WIP
08/Feb/2013: Warriors WIP
08/Feb/2013: Warriors WIP
09/Feb/2013: Warriors WIP
09/Feb/2013: Mycetic Spore Designs

This message was edited 23 times. Last update was at 2013/02/09 23:50:58


   
Made in ca
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

Camera problems are never fun.

At least you have the Project List posted because, as they say, The journey of a steps, yadda yadda.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in us
Scuttling Genestealer






Sucks about the camera, but it happens. Looking forward to seeing your work and reading your fluff.
   
Made in ca
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

You'll be happy to know that I finally some new pics of my Hive Tyrant's neck as per your earlier request.

Hope it helps.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in us
Fanatic with Madcap Mushrooms





Auburn CA

I will be watching with interest

 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Thanks guys, pictures will 100% be up later on. Thanks Dark_Gear i'll go check out that pic now.

   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Better late than never. All this 'free time' hasn't been all that free for the last two days, . That plus the battery issues has just been bad timing!
I'll apologise in advance for the picture quality. I'm trying but it's new to me and i don't have a proper area set up right now.
There is a metal Hive Tyrant under the green stuff which manages to poke through here and there. I managed to remove all of the carapace from the original model but i left everything exoskeletal or fleshy, much of what was left has been greened over to add bulk to the torso and alter the design. Disturbingly, the first section of back carapace is starting to look like the original one but the others will be different. The first one needs to be big enough to believably cover the wing socket muscles.

Here is an image which comes close to illustrating the final pose i want to achieve:


Well it's still in it's early stages but without further ado:
First up is the head, it still needs smoothing and there is more detail on the carapace than you can see in the picture.





Secondly, the torso. Again it needs smoothing, this is no where near done but the shape is coming together.



And pinned together for effect.



Hope you enjoyed, c&c is welcome as it always will be. I don't know how much there is to say at this stage though, it's only just taking shape.

Lastly, here is the list i built for the army, it's very fluffy.
HQ:
Tyrant (Wings/Lash Whip+Bonesword/Twin-Linked Devourers+Brainleech Worms/Implant Attack) - 260pts
Elites:
Deathleaper - 140pts
Ymgarls x5 - 115pts
Ymgarls x5 - 115pts
Troops:
Warriors x3 (Devourers/Lash Whips+Boneswords)
+ Mycetic Spore (Cluster Spines) - 185pts
Warriors x3 (Devourers/Lash Whips+Boneswords)
+ Mycetic Spore (Cluster Spines) - 185pts
Total: 1000pts

P.S. I've added a 'Tyrant's Log' to the OP and made a couple of other changes to make things a bit smoother.

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2012/02/10 20:35:51


   
Made in ca
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

Are you you haven't done this before?

If it's a first attempt I'd say you're off to a great start.

The venomthrope head fits nicely with the scale of the tyrant torso and the added tentacles match the movement and scale. The neck has just the right amount of Nid detail to work overall as well. Regarding the arm sockets, they seem to be flat as opposed to round socketed. Do you intend to magnetise the arms?

Regarding the carapace, I know you're still early in the build but to my eye the edges seem like they be a little crisper along the outside edges. Is that what you're going for or will you adding more detail later in the build?

Keep it up and keep us posted.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Dark_Gear wrote:Are you you haven't done this before?
If it's a first attempt I'd say you're off to a great start.

Why thank you! It depends on what you mean by never done this before to be honest. I've done conversions and filled gaps with GS but very badly. My old CSM army looks truly horrific apart from maybe one fluke of a model, my comment on tyranid jump packs springs to mind.

The venomthrope head fits nicely with the scale of the tyrant torso and the added tentacles match the movement and scale. The neck has just the right amount of Nid detail to work overall as well. Regarding the arm sockets, they seem to be flat as opposed to round socketed. Do you intend to magnetise the arms?

Actually that's the Tyrants original head, i went a bit crazy with a saw and green stuff. I do have a Venomthrope head on my WIP Deathleaper but thats for a later date. I'm glad the neck works, i really wasn't sure about it. The pictures don't show it but the normally soft, underside of the neck has a plate of exoskeletal ridges which is supposed to be something like a secondary spine. Also, the sides of the neck are slightly wider than the head, the look like inflamed glands. The flat appearance of the army sockets would be down to by terrible photography, no magnets for limbs on this project, i treat my models more like display figures than wargaming pieces. On saying that i am going to be using insaniaks wound counter idea on the bases so that i can keep tabs on wounds without disturbing the model to much.

Regarding the carapace, I know you're still early in the build but to my eye the edges seem like they be a little crisper along the outside edges. Is that what you're going for or will you adding more detail later in the build?

I've had a serious filing session to smooth everything out and sharpen details. Where the carapace ends isn't finished, i've filed a lot of it back and it's only the first pass. I definitely want there to be a cleaner difference between carapace and flesh but not as much as it appears right now. I'm learning that multiple passes are the way to go for me and my new needle files are great for finishing the green stuff to a standard i can't achieve with my colour shapers yet.

Keep it up and keep us posted.

Update incoming in the not to distant future. Working on the third carapace section now. Should i add a scale shot? If so what model would be best?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Trying to come up with a suitable Twin-Liked Devourer conversion. Thoughts on a postcard?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/05 15:10:05


   
Made in ca
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

If you don't have any yet, I strongly suggest metal shapers. The coulour shapers are great to work with when the GS in the first 30 minutes of the curing process but as you get into the 45-60+ minutes you need tools more rigid tools to shape and smooth.

If you review my Nid thread, especially in the later images, you'll see the shapes of the tools I'm talking about. A great source for these, other than online stores, would be flea markets and dental offices. should you happen to have a dentist in your family they might have doubles of certain that they'd be willing to give away or they could order them for you. Let me know if you need more dedicated pictures of the tools.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in gb
Hacking Shang Jí





Bournemouth, England

I have to admit, when I saw the pic of the bird and then the pic of head (which I couldn't really see as a head) I did wonder exactly where this was going. But then in the next pic of the head & torso it all became clear!

So your Hq is going to be a huge genestealer inspired Tyrant? . . . Now that's cool! Really looking forward to seeing more!

Need more 's in my life!  
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Dark_Gear wrote:If you don't have any yet, I strongly suggest metal shapers.

Ah yes, your dental tools, the ones that look like bent wire on a pin vice, yeh? I'll try and get myself some of these soon but cash is a bit tight, for now i'll work fast and file a lot.

Emperors_Champion wrote:I have to admit, when I saw the pic of the bird and then the pic of head (which I couldn't really see as a head) I did wonder exactly where this was going. But then in the next pic of the head & torso it all became clear!
So your Hq is going to be a huge genestealer inspired Tyrant? . . . Now that's cool! Really looking forward to seeing more!

Hey Emperors_Champion, yeh it's very hard to see unless the parts are assembled, my pictures will be more and more of the assembled models now i'm hitting my stride and have a bit more to show.
Yep, the whole army will be inspired by genestealers and lictors. I'm glad you like the idea, i just hope i can pull it off to a satisfactory level.


Well, i felt bad about replying without anything to update so i've waited until now so i have something new to show. I've got some very WIP top arms but my super glue dried up, i'll pick up something cheap but effective at the supermarket tonight. I've decided to pin every component on the model since it is going to be so elaborate and fragile. Yes, even the bonesword has a pin in it. Enjoy!
I've had another pass at the back carapace but it's still no where near finished:

I decided on the way many of the weapons will be mounted throughout the army:

And here are some partially assembled shots.



Quick question: Should i drop the spoiler tags or keep them? I'm not sure what works better.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/06 15:15:20


   
Made in ca
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

Drop em.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Done so!

   
Made in gb
Hacking Shang Jí





Bournemouth, England

He's looking awesome! He's gonna be one hell of a sight running across the battlefield!

Good choice to drop the spoiler tags, it's not like we don't want to see pictures!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/06 18:15:13


Need more 's in my life!  
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Emperors_Champion wrote:He's looking awesome! He's gonna be one hell of a sight running across the battlefield!
Good choice to drop the spoiler tags, it's not like we don't want to see pictures!

Thanks again! I just read your blog so i'm feeling very honoured by your praise! As for running; he'll be more along the lines of crouching, probably on a large pipe or two. I hope he looks just as scary watching over the battlefield menacingly.
I think the spoiler tags were spawned of a particularly bad day of ocd, possibly triggered by a frak load of coffee. Also the day i think i planted the idea to shave my head, haha!

   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







I'll be throwing out a quick update later tonight or early tomorrow morning(GMT). You may or may not have seen that i have started a second blog. Don't worry though, this one gets as much of my attention as i can give it, maybe 85%/95% of my hobby time. If you follow the link i have explained the reason for starting a second blog over there.

   
Made in mx
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

Mexico + tequila + wifi= good times.

So about those updates Casey?

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Haha, . Legend! Yeh, theres an interesting story behind my lack of updates:
I woke up yesterday with a slight headache, nothing wild about that, so i just left well alone and got on with my day. The headache got worse and worse as the day went on so i figured i'd tap a snout from someone as it might be a weird 2 month late withdrawal symptom. It wasn't. Come dinner time i had been reduced to a mewling, sprawling mess that would put any chaos spawn to shame. Yay, i had been treated to my very first migraine! And it was a doozy! I would not recommend one if you are considering something to fill the weekend.
To the chaos god(s) responsible: When i find out who the culprit is, i will have my vengeance!
Time, ibuprofen, dark rooms and bed-rest has reduced the internal supernova to a dull bludgeoning so i have decided to finish these confounded arms. I got up early and filed them back, glued them and now it's time to do the green stuff. Assuming i'm not struck down again by whatever force is determined to stop my hobbying then these shouldn't take long. I wonder if this Hive Tyrant is so dangerous they are trying to kill me so it can never come into being!

   
Made in gb
Hacking Shang Jí





Bournemouth, England

Migrane! :(

Heard about those! Never had one though!

Glad you feel better, now lets see some pics!

Need more 's in my life!  
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Emperors_Champion wrote:Migrane! :( Heard about those! Never had one though!

I hope it's the only one i ever have. It was a hundred times worse than i thought it could be, new found respect for people that get them often.

But yes, i've been working away with the green stuff today. You may be starting to see the pattern but i'm prone to green stuffing a bit, ripping it off, doing it again, ripping it off, and so on. Well i've done the arm joints an insane amount of times today but i'm just not happy with any of the attempts. I've put a bit of green stuff in to fill the gap for now but it needs textured. The areas where the weapons attach to the arms are done though and they worked first time for me. Yay! I'm very happy with them but i don't think the pictures show the amount of detail on them. I've attached the start of the tail section to the torso and greened in all the flesh under the join. I'm now starting to build over it and green in the transition. The head has been glued in place now as well. I've done some more work on the back carapace although you probably cant see it. It' really justs needs detailed now. Oh and i filed the bonesword sharp while subtly changing it's shape. I think that's everything for now. I feel like its coming together but i need to buy or find the right sized pipe for making the base. If i can't get the base done i won't be able to do a lot of the lower part of the model. Anyway, pictures:




Hopefully it wont take as long to get another update up.

   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







A little update :
I've finished the arms. I may add more tubes to attach them to the body but that will come later.



Got a few things to do now, any feedback appreciated:
1. Devourer: Haven't come up with a design i like yet. I always read the description at this point, as you may know, the Devourer is a big lump of rotting flesh which doesn't exactly fit my fluff as a stealthy elite fleet of killers. Because of this i may have to make up my own weapon and use the stats provided, not a great option but needs must. As a side note, i'm pretty certain i'll be mounting the weapon on one arm.
2. I have considered having one arm on every model replaced by a sack of bio-fuel. I figured that the unstable Ymgarl genes alongside the need to lay in wait for long periods would require a portable fuel source. If i can tie this into the Devourer solution then great, if not i'll probably just drop it, i don't want to overdo things and have the model looking cluttered.
3. Wings: These are also giving me clutter problems. One option i have is having partially formed wings but i hate using fluff as an excuse for bad WYSIWYG. The original plan was to use moth style wings but i'm worried about the size, the wings will have to be big to support a Hive Tyrant. I'll probably get everything else attached before i worry about them.
4. Base: As i said previously i need to find an appropriate piece of pipe or tube and then grim dark it up so that i can get the model mounted up. Might have to go to the hardware store if i can't find anything around.

Enjoy!

   
Made in gb
The Hammer of Witches





cornwall UK

Proper good sculpts and oldschool fluff - I like that. Hope it all comes together! Plus there are tentacles. I wonder if they drew inspiration from kuthulu when they came up with ymgarl genestealers?

   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







weetyskemian44 wrote:Proper good sculpts and oldschool fluff - I like that. Hope it all comes together! Plus there are tentacles. I wonder if they drew inspiration from kuthulu when they came up with ymgarl genestealers?

Thank you very much! I'm almost certain that was their inspiration.
I've been away for the weekend but i managed to get the carapace finished, for now anyway. I'll post pictures tonight, hopefully i can get more done between now and then.

   
Made in gb
Devastating Dark Reaper





Vietnam

I really like your ideas and the Tyrant posed on a pipe ready to swoop down will look awesome. I was very close to starting a nid army before I chose chaos so Im always interested in Nid blogs. keep up the good work.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2012/02/13 14:48:24


   
Made in mx
Elite Tyranid Warrior





Sechelt, BC

You apprear to be progressing nicely on the tyrant.

The sculpt not only seems both smooth and detailed, but the stance and the arm weapons are quite original. Your Tyrant should be a fearsome sight striding across the table.

Dark_Gear's Spawning Vats | Follow the evolution of multiple new strains.
Dark_Gear's Webway Portal | A new Kabal rises.
Dark Machinations | Dark Gear's Tumblr. 
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Icarium wrote:I really like your ideas and the Tyrant posed on a pipe ready to swoop down will look awesome. I was very close to starting a nid army before I chose chaos so Im always interested in Nid blogs. keep up the good work.

Thanks, fingers crossed i can pull off the pose. Chaos is my true mistress but i'm trying to venture out right now and see what else there is, needless to say the projects that have started forming for next year are subtly turning me back to the warp. I'll be checking out your Marines for sure!

Dark_Gear wrote:You apprear to be progressing nicely on the tyrant.
The sculpt not only seems both smooth and detailed, but the stance and the arm weapons are quite original. Your Tyrant should be a fearsome sight striding across the table.

Thanks very much Dark_Gear! Not at your standard yet but i'm working on it! Hahaha! That reminds me though:

What do you all think about me taking a short break from the Tyrant? There are a few reasons this could happen:
I think it would benefit my momentum to get some finished models under my belt, a few 'stealers shouldn't take long and it might give me a boost.
I also don't want to rush this model and spoil it. I believe thinking is my strongest commodity in the hobby and it might be an idea to take a step back and gather myself before i start basing the brute.
Lastly i think it would be nice to have a change of scenery and thicken out the blog a bit.

So what do you guys think?


While you are mulling that over, here are a few shots of the progress i've made, it doesn't look like a lot but it's loads of work and time. I've left a couple of wee bits untidy because i want to buy some liquid green stuff rather than put the finished bits in danger of getting treatment from my file. Also, i like to leave bits unfinished so i can do the final detailing and tidying with fresh eyes.







Automatically Appended Next Post:
If i'm not mistaken this project has already taken the life of a brand new diamond needle file. I've tried cleaning it but i think i've actually used it to the point it's smooth. I'll try cleaning it again tomorrow.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/02/14 00:14:26


   
Made in no
Sneaky Sniper Drone



Norway

Wow, great conversion so far!
Hah, makes my attemts at GS'ing looking worse by the minute!
Allthough, most of the Nid's that frequent my army are nothing but pulp underneath Battlesuit-feet.. (Basing that is )

Tau sucks at Close Quarter? Meet the Fish Of Fury!  
   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







Thanks, hemmis! Don't put yourself down though, it's all about practice and i've still got a long way to go. You should get your Tau up onto Dakka, i'd love to have a gander!

In fact i'm losing faith in some parts of my Tyrant so i made the executive decision to start work on some Genestealers. I just didn't feel like i was giving it 100% and i was possibly rushing bits, definitely time to get some air and then i'll come back at it with more force and a better idea of what i need to do.

Achtung! Continue reading at your peril. This is not a short update. This isn't even an update.

Oh no wait it is:
So, i have a small surprise and i'm not sure it's a good one. Some of you might like it, some of you might be angry, not unlike the consensus on Marmite... I'll cut to the chase, i bought some Space Hulk Genestealers just before Crimbo, well not some; i bought them all. And the Broodlord. Thank you very much BrotherTri!(He's a great trader if anyone is considering trading with him.) I know a few people think it's a bit of a travesty to convert these little gems but i'm doing it anyway. Balls deep or GTFO, that's what i say. I'm going to use six or seven of the fiends, the others will be planked for a rainy day.
Firstly, i fraken love these models, i love them so much i'm going to slate the hell out of them for a while. Yeh, i'm going to play devils advocate for now, we all know why these models are super-awesome-steak-sauce but if you're considering buying them, you deserve all the facts. I was provided with some lovely big pictures of the very models i was buying which was nice but many of you might buy them on ebay where you only get a stock image of the whole lot in a big tide of dark blue.
I probably should knock out some harsh, blanket criticisms before i look at them in batches, it's really not all that bad though...
Flash: Good actually, exactly like GW plastic kits and it's a pleasure to take some time with a beer or a cuppa and file it from these great models. This simple 'chore' was a genuine labour of love with these guys and i've never experienced that with a model.
Sculpts: Some are great, many are standard, most are duplicates. Individuality couldn't have been on the brief for these guys. Some poses could use a little work but there were some really difficult restrictions to work around. One thing i noticed a lot of were some strange defects(I assume this is due to the casting restrictions.), basically, in certain areas, details were stretched over areas which should have been gaps. Not easy to fix in most cases but also very hard to see as they blend in very well. It doesn't retract from the model i don't think.
Material: Pretty great, slightly more brittle maybe and it has one of those plastic smells you get when you file certain plastics. Files very easily, very easy to cut, glues wonderfully and it drills a treat too!
Time to throw down some pictures i think!


The two above are your standard Genestealers with a tiny base you don't get in the GW plastic kit. They are also duplicates, that's going to turn into a theme...


Once, twice, three times a stealer. The triplets here are very similar to the first two models shown but they have lots of jaggy bits which makes them a to pick up and just a bit overdone in my opinion(okay so they aren't that sharp but it's not a pleasant feeling). Nevertheless they would take a nice paint job very well and look beautiful on any table. Yeh, i lied a little bit, one of them has a big and beautiful base but otherwise he is identical, spiky, and rather boring. It really is top notch and it will be finding it's way onto a Warriors base in the near future because, as you can see, i've confiscated it from him for being a fraud.


This congo line on the other hand is a 100% genuine trio of pointy impersonators. More models for a rainy day but that's no bad thing.


These guys look pretty great, a little busy but very nicely posed when you manage to focus through the mass of arms. My pictures are horrific so if you can't see: They are mid-vault, the arms at there backs appear to have just let go of the metal girders(Is that a girder? What's a girder?!). Sadly the two arms hanging down on each model throw off the well sculpted arc and they end up looking a bit messy.
But anyway, as you can see, yet again, we have a pair of lazy copycats in our midst and no that's not a mirror it's a trick to convince you there is another original sculpt in the set. Well, there isn't.


Yeh, not really sure what this pose is achieving to be honest but it's probably just me. I'd guess that when you play Space Hulk they'd look very like they were scuttling alongside a wall or something. I might use one with a wall on it's base but i wouldn't place any bets on it yet. I can't really pass this image without mentioning the clear duplication. Again they are beautiful models and one day i'm probably gona paint they hell outa them but count with me here: One... two... three... four. Four Genestealers. Ah hah hah. Two similar models isn't going to cut the mustard on this project never mind four identical poses. Of course the bases are only duplicated, and the Terminator armour ones really rock, but i don't really like putting other armies on my bases without a reason(I think i'm going to give the 'man of the match' a trophy on their base to represent the enemy defeated if i ever get a game with them.). If i were to stick the Termy armour in as terrain i'd freak out over what colours to use and how old to weather it and why it's there and so on and so on.


A really wonderful pair of models here, and two beautiful bases to go with them. I'm actually very happy about this 'doubler,' because it's such a nice pose. The one little nit-pick i'd have is that the hanging arms and particularly the Terminator skulls are intruding again on the flow of the sculpt. It is understandably difficult to make the models in a way they can be 'sprued' in two pieces, it's just a shame they didn't make those arms separate pieces so you could fit them outwards, 'balancing.' I know why they didn't, i'm just saying.


This pose is, well, it speaks for itself. Wonderful. Although, it is technically inaccurate. (Man, i'm such a whiny .)Yeh, there is more than a little too much plate bent out from a very small area but i've already thought of two ways to fix that. Actually i might do both. What's that? Shocked gasps and cries of hypocrisy? Well you might be right but i love this model and i think i have discovered a way to use it twice and it being very hard to recognise. There is a large chance i am in denial so i'll do some dry fitting before i chop into the second one.


Double trouble here, great pose, very clear as to what they are up to and it's not something you can get from a GW plastic kit without a lot of work. Definitely using one of these slippery little fellows to keep things dynamic and interesting and it will add an important height change which really works for the squads when you group the models up.


Well, what's to say, easily the two sweetest models in the set of twenty-three. Maybe you disagree? Broodlord's a bit on the large size but i'll use him with the generic Genestealer rules despite him being the clear leader of the pack.
The 'Stealer sliding/scrambling down the wall is truly sublime. He's going to look great on display. I really don't think i need to say more about the fine, gentlemanly chaps...

So that's all the bad stuff i could think of, but i'd still suggest you buy them if you are considering it, hey, maybe those rainy day models will turn into a rainy day fund if you can keep a hold of them for long enough. It's a great set and a joy to prep, convert and paint too i'd bet.

Time to get a move on, already written a huge post but i have some quick updates. This is a project log after all!
More Genestealers! Sorry, you've already seen some pictures but here are just the ones i've started converting with a few notes. I'll give most of the info via the Broodlord's entry then buzz through the rest, i've kept you here far longer than you signed up for! Actually i think a well done and thank you are in order for reading this this far! Have a cookie on me!



The mighty Broodlord! Well, not so mighty, i'll be playing him as a standard Ymgarl Genestealer but fluff wise he'll be leader of the pack and will be awarded a suitably epic nickname. As you can see, i've taken up dentistry, i'm not very good yet so he is missing his lower jaw, tongue and, well, all of his teeth. Or 'oughha ouha udgh' as he would say. But there is heavily veiled method in my unbridled madness, the Ymgarl gene is extremely apposed to all of that clobber you see. It's very clear on the requirement of tentacley, brain sucking, writhing maws. I simply can't fight that sort of pre-determined fate.
The large area of filing over his humongous cranium isn't as brash as it appears in my photographs, the area between his eyes however, is. It would be clumsy to reiterate my last argument with a few alterations, but i'll do it anyway. My fleet don't have vision like we do, their carapace covers the area where there eyes would be and they use developed psychic abilities along with sonar and similar alien abilities to see. Who needs eyes when you spend most of your time in the dark? Not these guys, no siree, Bob.
As you can see i dabbled in a little hand surgery too(And not for the first time! ...but my scarred palm is another story.). The reasons for this are twofold, like a disappointing table napkin: Formerly, he was holding bits of Terminator and i simply was not having that sort of nonsense; Latterly, i've decided this genus of 'Stealer doesn't have any of the half developed rending claws/mutated human hands that are so common amongst their puny cousins. If you can mutate your own body why have some 'okay' defect human digits when you can have full throttle death talons at the end of every limb. I played with the idea of removing the four bones on the back of the imported claws and making it one per finger but i think four muscles would increase climbing dexterity, basically being able to angle the pressure applied.
Blah, anyway the other hand, or eh stump, i cut it above the wrist and filed the sharp edge, this will be green stuffed into a writhing tentacle. See: Tentacled Limbs, p61. That's going to be quite an regular occurrence due to it being such a potent rule for these guys, it'll nicely represent their ever changing nature, i'll continue that theme through the army.
Finally, the big guy had his base hastily removed from him because, you know what they say, too many skulls spoil the broth. Don't worry though his feet are well manicured and being prepped for something more cylindrical. More importantly, isn't that a large base for a Genestealer?! I'm going the whole hog on this army, i don't care if no one will play me, shame on them. The bases are going to be super-sized for display purposes and a little bit because some of the models are a bit larger than normal.



At first i said to myself, 'Don't do to much to this dude, he's awesome.' Then i lost the plot, well kind of. I really love the model, and i really enjoyed carefully removing the weak mutated hand from the terrain and putting on the big angry one but i really think i can accentuate the flow and movement with some big fluffy tentacles(No, not fluffy like a bunny.). With that in mind the other arm got trimmed above the wrist and the foot was caringly carved out. Is 'caringly' even a word? As before, his mouth is no longer with us and his skull has been severely dented.
Drilled some of the pipes on the base but i strongly doubt i'll do the smaller ones, maybe, probably not. The terrain took a lot of sawing and filing and came out a little lop sided because i made a bad cut. The gap will be covered by the rest of the base i'm going to do so no worries.



As always i tore lumps out of his face, no need for that where he's going. Not sold on my addition of the Rending Claw, it looks particularly large where it is and is killing the flow a bit. The other dissected arm is making way for a tentacle which will follow the curves already laid out by the sculptor. This base was easier but i cut my hand the day before and as a result i slipped with the knife a couple of times taking a small chunk out of the terrain each time, easy to fix though. I did manage to add another cut to my thumb with all the mistakes though, i took a break at this stage before things spiraled out of control and i lost a forearm.



Very simple model so far, all of the usual stuff and nothing new, his base will be getting a fair bit of work and as i said before i'm tempted to use the duplicate. This one will be bursting out the side of a horizontal pipe, no tentacles because he's got tearing to be getting on with. The extra surface material of the pipe will account for some of the material around him and he will be partially buried which should even it out to about the right quantity of debris. The more i think about using a second one, the more i talk myself out of it. That's probably a good thing.



Just starting this one, no filing and just a few preliminary snips, i haven't even removed all of the base. Pretty boring really. He'll be having himself quite a few tentacles if i have anything to do with it, and i do. The slithery little wont be getting any special terrain, partly because i want to break up the squads but mainly because he doesn't deserve it.



Another model that's only recently felt the sting of my blade. As i said before, the lower arms kill the movement so i'm going in with a bold move of two tentacles. Well maybe, i'm considering completely repositioning his left one so that it's pushing off of the plate of metal between his legs, big job but it might hammer in the movement thats going on. The back arm was perfect but it was a puny man hand so i'm going to put in a claw that does the same job.

And that's the six i've started work on! The others will be made up of heavily converted GW plastic kit models and maybe one more from Space Hulk, maybe. I bet your tired of all this nonsense now, well so am i but i'm committed and there isn't much further left to go("It's further than you think... and time is short." Shut up David Bowie, no one invited you!). I can see the light of my desk lamp at the end of the tunnel so lets push on finish this you maverick renegades!

I was distracted by the refreshingly large Warrior bases and blu-tacced together a quick mock up of what my Warriors might look like. The terrain piece i stole from an undeserving 'Stealer is destined for one of the Warriors so i snapped some better pictures of it as well. Thanks again to Dark_Gear for the sweet GW building terrain pieces, i'm going to go all out with them. As a side note, everyone is getting a steroid enhanced base. 60mm? You see what you get, Warriors?! You see what you get when you mess with the Orphans?! ...Can you dig it?







And there you have it, it's been a long journey, a wild ride some might say, i wouldn't. I feel we have bonded somewhat, maybe not. I may have lost my sanity along the way, or just misplaced it.
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This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2012/02/18 13:59:05


   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka







I took a short break but i'm back on it now. Just a quick update to spread the good news...
(Drum roll please...)
Tyranids are getting a second wave! And here is the evidence:
Spoiler:



Basically we are getting 2 much needed kits. Tyrranofex/Tervigon and Hive Tyrant/Flyrant/Swarmlord. The models fit the range perfectly, no surprises there, the prices are no surprise either. They look great and offer a huge range of conversion opportunities but they aren't exactly breathtaking. That's probably because, deep down, we all knew what they were going to look like.
On the other hand, as you can see from one particular image, Space Wolves are getting some beautiful, jaw dropping unit kits which they really needed. Fair play, we can't complain.
Personally, the tail from the Tyrranofex/Tervigon kit is a must buy for me, i'll be getting it from ebay as soon as it's available. Should make my flyrant's tail and easier job. The Tyrant wings might be worth considering too. Actually, if anyone has any ideas for wings i'd like to hear them, i'm having real trouble with that part of the model.

Over and out, i'll get a proper update online as soon as i can!

   
 
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