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So I've got a more unorthodox question I need help with, I guess.

The most interesting part of making minis is finding little ways of making your miniature stand out- the pose, the base, etc. I've already built a riptide advancing over a rock, and one standing on a broken tank turret from the hero base kit, but lately I've been thinking of something else: a dead tyranid for a riptide/commander/maybe an XV9 to stand on or walk over, because tyranids are badass and what better way to make your grimdark gundams look even more badass than to show them having killed a big tyranid beastie?

So my question is, for anyone who thinks they have any answers: just what sort of 'nid monster would fit on a 60mm base/120x92mm oval base? A warrior? Tyrant guard? Lictor? Carnifex?
(Of course I would only mount part of the model on the base, I'd have to cut away most of it- imagine a battlesuit standing on the back of a fallen tyranid beast.)

I have had some experience with this.

The question I pose to you is: Do you plan on it being a freshly made kill, or an old dead tyranid?

 Niiai wrote:
I have had some experience with this.

The question I pose to you is: Do you plan on it being a freshly made kill, or an old dead tyranid?

Probably on the fresher side, I guess. I don't even know how I'd paint a decomposed 'nid.

for a commander xv8 or xv9 I would go with warrior, prime, shrike, ravenor size. Maybe a zoanthrope or venomethrope.

For a bigger suit I MIGHT go carnifex. But a fex is pretty bulky. You will want to cut it down a bunch or have it being stepped on.

Add some living rippers running around the base for added action if you want.

 Lance845 wrote:
for a commander xv8 or xv9 I would go with warrior, prime, shrike, ravenor size. Maybe a zoanthrope or venomethrope.

For a bigger suit I MIGHT go carnifex. But a fex is pretty bulky. You will want to cut it down a bunch or have it being stepped on.

Add some living rippers running around the base for added action if you want.

Prime as in trygon prime or?

Good suggestions though. I'd definitely have to cut down the tyranid model a lot. I'm unlikely to use a zoanthrope or venomthrope, not a fan of the big bulgy brain/tentacle mass. I like spikes and plating.

I would pick something in the 3 wound category. A 1 wound model is not that impressive. anything bigger will be very hard to model.

I think a warrior lends itself best to this, and they are not to expensive. Leave one leg unglued/on the underside of the model bent out of shape. Then twist his torso so your battlesuit stands with his foot on the chest or on the back. Sand the side that is into the ground down a bit, representing the preasure from the battlesuit. Also, you can have some cool arms on the side, like boneswords and whip. A bit like squished spider legs.

For one of my wraith knights I put a swarm tyrant on it's base, with a big hole leaking disgusting green slime in it's chest. I was thinking of wraithcannons at the time.

A Wraith-Barbie has long legs though...

see:

Thats cool, but the pose on the swarmlord is very riged. It would be better if it fell more limp before rigor mortis. (If nids have rigir mortis.)

Great suggestions, guys. I think the warrior might be my best option, but do you think there are any good ideas outside of that for, say, a riptide?

On the oval base do warriors.

On a 60 base do mellee gaunts.

You could probably get a carnifex carapace cheap since there's so many options in the kit, then greenstuff or convert some limbs onto it.

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:
You could probably get a carnifex carapace cheap since there's so many options in the kit, then greenstuff or convert some limbs onto it.

Where would I get one? I had a quick peek on ebay, but it was chock full of the usual "I'll sell my model at full price or even more expensively than GW" morons you typically see.

All tyranid kits (currently out of print) come with 3 big shell plates. The shell plate is the top one on the back on a carnifex. Find some old tyranid players and they are bound to have some lying around.

 Niiai wrote:
All tyranid kits (currently out of print) come with 3 big shell plates. The shell plate is the top one on the back on a carnifex. Find some old tyranid players and they are bound to have some lying around.

I'll ask around in my club. I know a guy who plays nids. I'd rather like to not have to buy a whole box of warriors just for 1 conversion.

 SevenSeasOfRhye wrote:

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:
You could probably get a carnifex carapace cheap since there's so many options in the kit, then greenstuff or convert some limbs onto it.

Where would I get one? I had a quick peek on ebay, but it was chock full of the usual "I'll sell my model at full price or even more expensively than GW" morons you typically see.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xcarnifex+carapace.TRS0&_nkw=carnifex+carapace&_sacat=0

Boom!

Nids Rule And Everyone Else Is Just Food!

But if you are dead set on attacking the swarm, you may also consider green stuff sculpting your own mini digestion pool or infestation markers for the base...

It isn't a dead Nid, but you at least show bravery attacking them on their own turf...

As at tau player its not hard to kill bugs.

you want an impressive kill - put some of the those incredibly annoying robots from admech on there!
(seriously, the only army that gives me troubles in 8th is admech - for tau being a shooty army, I get way outshot by admech).

If you insist on using bugs, and want the whole bug on the base, use a tyrant guard - it has the implication you killed its boss, and they are actually tough.

Warriors, primes, lictors etc. are all easy to kill.
(lame save, etc.).