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If anyone knows of companies offering alternate Tyranid stuff like Chapterhouse I would love to know, thanks!

Some here:

http://www.maxmini.eu/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15&zenid=0rqj7un7pc8itukatd1n99otb1

Not tyranid, but Moskals are wicked:

http://sciborminiatures.com/en_,shop.php?group=87

Theres always Forge World, does that count as gw?

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Warhammer-40000/Tyranids

This could maybe be used:

http://hitechminiatures.com/13/product/product/long

Puppetswars has amazing models, check these tyranids out:

http://puppetswar.eu/category.php?id_category=19

Some hasslefree stuff could be used as tyranids:

http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?category=miniatures~aliens%2C-animals-%26-monsters


After looking through my bookmarks, I just realized how unpopular Tyranids are amongst third party model companies.

Mythicast has something usable as a Harpy and a Tyrannofex (mine was modified a bit):

http://mythicast.com/store/#ecwid:category=0&mode=product&product=6038242


http://mythicast.com/store/#ecwid:category=0&mode=product&product=6038261

Lessee...

I use the Crocodile Games Scarab Ogre for my Tyranid Prime. He's about the size of a Warrior, but more chunky. You'll just have to replace the arms with the appropriate weapons.


I've ordered the plastic/metal combi kit for Privateer Press's Proteus, I don't have it yet, but I think he'll make a nice CC Carnifex:


I'm probably going to proxy PPress's Swamp Horror as a malanthrope before I buy an actual malanthrope:


Warsmith Minis have some very nice Genestealer Cults style semihuman heads:
http://www.warsmithminiatures.co.uk/alien-hybrid-heads-35-p.asp

And yes, I use the Starship Troopers Plasma Bug as my Tervigon. Because jamming fifty gaunts in the GW model just seems goofy.


Some of these may require a bit of squinting to seem natural fits into a GW force, but with a matching paint job, they do pretty well.

The main problem you'll find with third part stuff is they don't follow the basic design principles GW uses for Tyranids. More importantly, 6 limbs. The Mythicast stuff is fantastic, but still, lacking those extra limbs. Another is the particular shape of the carapace, and 5 carapace ridges on the head.

So it mostly depends on how much you care about the aesthetics. The only model I've seen, outside of the Mythicast stuff, that really looks like it fits, is Maxminis Alien Spore. The carapace looks impressively similar to GW Tyranids, and the ripper tentacles look almost exactly like Hormagaunt Scything Talons. It's size has been brought up (it's a tad small to fit a Carnifex, although if you consider it would be in a foetal position, it's size is about right), but hey - it's not like the Space marine drop pod is the right size, and that's an official model.

-Loki- wrote:The only model I've seen, outside of the Mythicast stuff, that really looks like it fits, is Maxminis Alien Spore. The carapace looks impressively similar to GW Tyranids, and the ripper tentacles look almost exactly like Hormagaunt Scything Talons. It's size has been brought up (it's a tad small to fit a Carnifex, although if you consider it would be in a foetal position, it's size is about right), but hey - it's not like the Space marine drop pod is the right size, and that's an official model.

Yeah, that's actually a pretty beast model.

The Overlord model from puppetswar could make a nice Tervigon, too bad they don't show actual pics of their models :-:

-Loki- wrote:The main problem you'll find with third part stuff is they don't follow the basic design principles GW uses for Tyranids. More importantly, 6 limbs. The Mythicast stuff is fantastic, but still, lacking those extra limbs.

Actually the Harpy has 6 limbs if you count the wings (as you should) and the tyrannofex if you count 2 limbs for the gun (as you should considering the Biovore). But I agree there are other differences in style.

Kroothawk wrote:

-Loki- wrote:The main problem you'll find with third part stuff is they don't follow the basic design principles GW uses for Tyranids. More importantly, 6 limbs. The Mythicast stuff is fantastic, but still, lacking those extra limbs.

Actually the Harpy has 6 limbs if you count the wings (as you should) and the tyrannofex if you count 2 limbs for the gun (as you should considering the Biovore). But I agree there are other differences in style.

You're right, the angle is hiding the other arms on the not-Harpy..

As for the not-Tyrannofex, every other Tyranid creature with a back mounted gun without 6 actual limbs has something attached to the missing arm slots. Biovores have a third set of arms that attach at the belly like so, while Pyrovores actually have the front legs take the front four slots (each front arm has two shoulder joints). The not-Tyrannofex doesn't have this, and looks much more like the FW Scythed Heirodule with its unsupported acid spray. However, that Heirodule has 6 proper limbs.

Not that I don't like the Mythicast not-Tyrannofex, but I'm an aesthetic nut. The lack of a 3rd set of limbs, even with a back cannon, bugs the gak out of me. But then, so do all of the Winged Hive Tyrant conversions I see with the wings making up a fourth set of limbs.

I found this not too long ago:

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/absorber

I haven't bought any so I can't speak to the quality (and the prices are pretty steep) but if anyone is looking not a non-cheap alternative, these look pretty sweet.

In all fairness if any race is going to have weird non traditional looking models in its army it would be tyranids. Their whole thing is making new bugs as the situation demands.

As far as models, a heap of Reaper Bones stuff can be suitably niddy. The Baltharian models make good warriors or Raveners, the Old One is a nice mawloc and there's bug swarm models that would work for ripper swarms.

Hydracast makes a really good tervigon red terror and warrior prime