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Hi all. I'm finakly getting through some projects enough to be getting close to painting up my collectin of Armorcast Tyranids. Got the idea to update the looks befor i breakout the primer, and wanted to see what Dakka had in the way of ideas for that.I am planning to go through with a dremel and putty to sharpen up detailwhere I can, but am looking for additional design elements I can include to update the look a bit. I don't have any Dactylii, but have the Haruspex, Excorine, and Malefactor. Any ideas? Thanks.

Personally, I wouldn't modify them, just paint them. Don't think, confronting old with modern stuff would help the look.

It only looks like half a model. I would definitely go to town with green stuff and remake that guy. Otherwise he just looks like a piece of Tyranid scenery.

I have to completely disagree with the previous post. I love these old beasties. I've got four of the Malefactors and two of the Exocrines as well as one each of the other two beasties whose names I don't recall at the moment. Maybe one of these days I'll get some paint on them. Very nice paint job on yours.

I long for the old days of WD or CJ where we might possibly see updated stats for these puppies. (last stats available were in the article with the Tyranid Monstrosity Creation Rules).

Have been giving some thought to updating the Armorcast bugs...

Locomotion
No easy way to go from cillia to 6 legs
The original cillia for legs are pretty silly. One could cut out the cillia out and take a bunch of 'gaunt legs and/or Hormagaunt arms and stuff them into each of the cillia cavities.

Malefactor
Front Claws
Make heavier, really beefy versions of Mawlock claws.
Was also thinking of perhaps a very spiky three bladed claw.
The new Tyrannofex Fleshborer Hive arm style provides another possible starting point
Texture on the Carnifex claws on the current codex cover is very cool.
Make the "shoulder pads" look more like other 'Nid shoulder pads\ armor.

Body
Texture the front of the main body to look more like a Carnifex exo-skeleton with more interesting armor plate detail.
Extend the fat part of the body back to the first segment of the rear body to enlarge the passenger compartment
Change the Tower/sensor to a tall version of the standard 'Nid back vent and add a couple more vents on the other rear segments.

Doors
There are "vents" behind the front shell that were the original doors, but they are only a weak solution. Was thinking that some sort of clamshell front doors would work better, probably after removing the front segmented section. This was originally written before the T'fex/T'gon release so we need to add the Tervigon 'gaunt exit port as an exit option .

Exocrine
Redo the gun shield to look more like current "Nid armor- overlapping plates, perhaps more curved.
Redetail the gun to current 'Nid style
Add Tyranid vents on the back

Haruspex
Rework the front claws and the arms to closer to current Tyranid styles.

Ah yes, heads...

This might be a solution. Just stick 'fex or T'fex heads in an appropriate place; above the clamshell doors on the Malefactor, below the gun on the Exocrine and above the mouth claws on the Haruspex...

st.germaine wrote:
I long for the old days of WD or CJ where we might possibly see updated stats for these puppies. (last stats available were in the article with the Tyranid Monstrosity Creation Rules).

There are rules for the big bugs in the Apocalypse Datasheets download on the Fly Lords of Terra website:
http://www.flylords.net/2009/09/40k-mini-dex-logo-sheet-archive.html

You also need to consider that the Tyrannofex has replaced the Exocrine as the Tyranid big gun and the Tervigon has replaced the Malefactor, so the rules for the Tyrannofex and and Tervigon are perfectly usable.

Tim

I think it would be fun to rework the whole thing with greenstuff. Its the only race (being 100% organic) that sculpting with greenstuff becomes "easier" since you are not dealing with identical suits of armor or weapons. Everything can kind of have its own varience. I am working on converting some genestealers to Aliens and I deliberatly want to introduce some variation from model to model.

WIP http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/433094.page Its actually been a while since I worked on those guys. I also have an old metal "mars attacks" hive tyrant (the one from the 2nd edition codex cover) who is going to become a queen (hive tyrant). My termagaunts are going to become more like the Alien from Alien 3, obviously smaller and more doglike, I will be removing one set of limbs from them also.

But back to your model, the original guy is pretty amorphous like a blank canvas for you to create something awesome with. I would hack out the cilia with a jeweler's saw and treat the top half as the top carapace of the bug, and I would work some legs out of study wire and then greenstuff them. also greenstuff the underbelly. Really this critter needs a head. What is currently there for a head looks like a cartoon Jesters head. The whole thing looks like its made of coral reef. More like the Laer in the Horus Heresy novels.

Anyway, I would love to see pics of what you decide to do to it.