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A Bastion - the logical progression from my Tyranid Aegis Defence Line. Of course if I do the Bastion then the logical next step is a Skyshield Landing Platform and then a Fortress of Redemption but lets not run before we can walk.

Occasionally I'll draw myself a little sketch of what I'm after and so my first attempt tried to match the proportions of the existing Imperial Bastion but this is going to be completely scratchbuilt. I'm all for Tyranid infested Imperial terrain but a completely scratchbuilt affair holds appeal for me because it will be unique, match my army, be a challenge and will cost me nothing [importance not in that order].



However, recently I've seen a variety of Xenos bastions that use the GW moonscape as a base and as I have a couple of spare pieces I thought they might be a potential stepping stone. So this is the revised concept sketch, however mounting the 'heavy bolters' on it's compass points will be difficult given the Chitinous towers already situated there. What I may do is make the towers sit slightly angled opposite each other that way the left and right weapon can be in the East and West positions and then the North and south guns will be asymmetrically opposite, one in the right hand Southern wall and the other in the left Northern wall. With 'sphincter doors' [as seen in Advanced Space Crusade] in the left Southern and right Northern.



In the end I went for the bigger crater so I have more room to work with. This is the skeletal beginnings. You can see the height to the roof is 150mm and then you have a 20mm wall that will go round the roof with some ridges that will add a centimetre up to the 180mm max height with the Tyranid Capillary styled towers that form the compass points.



Next up I'll be adding the cross-members and probably be cutting slots in the crater base so that I can have it glued straight to the mounting card base underneath. Then I have to decide how to fill out the gaps between the frame and how to create the Capillary Towers. More details and pics on my blog.

I've added a template to my blog should you wish to try your own version and need a starting point, it's here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/you-asked-and-great-devourer-provides.html

Updates will be following shortly on the blog and in this thread, it's going really well, here's a little further on



And the crater base with slots to fit the template:

This is fascinating. Keep us posted on the progress of this project.

I do have one game related question: are you making this because its cool to do (I make a lot of stuff like that) or because you want to use a bastion for your nids in games?

I have never really seen a strong use for a bastion for nids...so just curious...

thanks for the post!

Looking very cool. Keeps us updated.

This is a pretty solid idea. Looking forward to seeing your progress with it.

Good idea, using the crater. Bastion for nids seems a little meh in game terms, but the coolness factor could definitely come out on top here.

 Purifier wrote:
Good idea, using the crater. Bastion for nids seems a little meh in game terms, but the coolness factor could definitely come out on top here.

At the last Throne of Skulls in March I won best fortification for my Tyranid Defence Line, I felt I needed to do something new for the next time I go. I also like the idea of Heavy Bolters, even if the fire arc is rubbish and it's BS2 it's 36" range which for 'nids is worth it. Also, no Instinctive behaviour inside and AV14 which nids don't have, it seems to me buildings are a bit more durable than vehicles too and it's big enough to hide my Hive Tyrant/Trygon/Tervigon behind so I'm liking having cover significant enough to bring to the table and keep stuff pretty safe first turn. I also think it'll be a total headwreck for folks. I've not played a game yet against a Bastion, I'm not sure most folk know how to use them or how to cope with them. I may be wrong and you might be talking from bitter experience, we'll just have to see. Ultimately though, you're right, coolness factor.

The blog has been updated today, here's the next progression as the body of the Bastion is filled out.

I am a fan of your previous work, but I will be "that guy" here. I honestly cannot wait to see this finished project, but as many of us all know, Nids cannot take fortifications. Please continue the excellent work.

Spaz431 wrote:
I am a fan of your previous work, but I will be "that guy" here. I honestly cannot wait to see this finished project, but as many of us all know, Nids cannot take fortifications. Please continue the excellent work.

That's absolutely incorrect. Nids can take whatever fortifications they want.

They just can't manually fire the guns.

rigeld2 wrote:

Spaz431 wrote:
I am a fan of your previous work, but I will be "that guy" here. I honestly cannot wait to see this finished project, but as many of us all know, Nids cannot take fortifications. Please continue the excellent work.

That's absolutely incorrect. Nids can take whatever fortifications they want.

They just can't manually fire the guns.

That's also slightly misleading and what started the misconception that Tyranids can't take fortifications. Tyranids can take any fortifications other races can, and the Tyranid player can fire the gun, but only on autofire. Tyranid units cannot fire the gun.

Did you miss the word "manually" in my post?
You said the exact same thing I did.

No, I didn't miss it. But when you say 'Tyranids can't manually fire the weapon' to someone who has gotten third hand information from others who misconstrued a FAQ saying the exact same thing to mean 'Tyranids can't take Fortifications', a little further explaination of how it works is needed.

Does the Nid incapacity to fire a Gun Emplacement also extend to being unable to operate a comms relay?

Otherwise that could actually be a good addition to the bastion, and an organic comms relay could look all sorts of awesome.

Can't wait to see it finished.
Omnomnomnomnomnom.

 Purifier wrote:
Does the Nid incapacity to fire a Gun Emplacement also extend to being unable to operate a comms relay?

Otherwise that could actually be a good addition to the bastion, and an organic comms relay could look all sorts of awesome.

Good point, but one that never seems to have been raised thus I had intended to make one as I like the idea of +1 to my reserve roll, even moreso when my opponent is using -1 through a Warlord Trait or some Imperial Guard shnanigans. I'm looking to make one similar to my mate Otty's objectives using Venom Cannon barrels, I hate them as a weapon but they do look good in a vertical position as nid scenery

It's the thing on the left in front of his spore

It looks funky!
And that spore looks deliciously disgusting.

I always found the weaponry of the tyranids to look silly. Why do they need to hold them like we would hold guns or some parody of it (MY ARM IS A GIANT CANNON!) They should be weapons evolved into the creature.

Those things [edit: Plasma bugs] in Starship Troopers that fire glowing orbs out their rear end at the space ships in orbit. That's how I imagine weaponry being a part of the creatures.

That's cool Purifier, I'm sure I've seen it's abdomen used as a spore pod by folk.

Meanwhile I've 'iced the cake' with some tile adhesive/grout, next up sand it back for a decent base to sculpt on.





http://40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/nids-part-84-tyranid-bastion-growth-pt5.html

I don't mind some guns on the Nids like the Gants but I like the Raveners better who have guns built into their chests.

You also don't see the guns on a Tervigone.

The next step was to sand the 'icing' back so I could have a nice base to put my sculpting on top of. Admittedly this doesn't seem a huge amount of progress [that's the next step] but effort now really helps later on.



Here's the sketch that helped me position the fire points and emplaced weapons



Which I then transferred onto the model itself so I can see where I'm going to sculpt and what I have to cut back into the model



More pictures and info at the blog:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/nids-part-85-tyranid-bastion-growth-pt6.html

It's starting to look decidedly 'nid. Good job!

What weapons do you plan on using for the Psuedo Heavy Bolters?

Eldercaveman wrote:
What weapons do you plan on using for the Psuedo Heavy Bolters?

Deathspitters seems the logical choice, they're pretty much the same stats but obviously I will be forced to use the Heavy Bolter stats and their unfortunate 36" range and AP4 it's a shame I can't use them as standard Deathspitters

I've some of the Monstrous creature ones with the extra chitin plates on the top but had to buy a couple more, which are the standard Warrior ones

That looks pretty cool. I think a comms relay added to I and you could have a pretty decent idea for a reserve based nid list.

If you are unsure what to use for a comms relay, the Hive Node that comes in Battle for Maccrage kit is interesting. In the box game it was used as a birthing node kind of like a static, defenseless Tervigon. It has a raised tail like protrustion and would look great on the top of the bastion, which is stupendous btw.

 Deadshot wrote:
If you are unsure what to use for a comms relay, the Hive Node that comes in Battle for Maccrage kit is interesting. In the box game it was used as a birthing node kind of like a static, defenseless Tervigon. It has a raised tail like protrustion and would look great on the top of the bastion, which is stupendous btw.

Thanks, I have one of those, I usually use it as an objective - its handy as the 4pt one in The Scouring, with the 3 spouted hive nodes as 3pts, 2 spouted nodes as 2pts and a Spore mine as single ones. I may well use it as a comms relay until I build a new one like my mate Otty.

Same here but never on that level of organisation. I use them as objectives but I never play the Scouring in our Metagame. Will have to try that out.

I remember hearing that you can somehow arrange the H Bolters on the bastion all on the same side. Just a little hearsay, could be worth looking into if you want to get around the rubbish fire arcs

I was going to say that too. The BRB says they are "typically on e on each facing" but not always.

Bugger, now you tell me Oh well, one less thing to argue about, it'll appear too big as it is to justify and I really don't want to get into the 'modelling for advantage' debate.

here' we go folks, some proper sculpting. These are the bits that will be Bonewhite.



All done with DAS air drying clay, which was fun to use and cheap



However I think there are paper fibres in it somehow which makes it slightly less durable than Milliput, with a bit of effort I can sratch the surface with my nail, but it should be durable enough. I also smoothed out some of the interiors of the Capillary Towers, ripe for their fleshy fibre bundles



Now going back to the original concept it's quite close, if a little taller than what I had in mind [which actually I was desparate to avoid but hopefully the Capillary Towers will help it fill out at the base to taper more]



More pics and info here:

http://40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/nids-part-86-tyranid-bastion-growth-pt7.html

 Dakkamite wrote:
I remember hearing that you can somehow arrange the H Bolters on the bastion all on the same side. Just a little hearsay, could be worth looking into if you want to get around the rubbish fire arcs

I would NOT do this - no one can complain if it mimics the established common model - especially if you are trying to model for advantage, people will complain that you are modeling for advantage....

The project looks great and is an inspiration for much nid terrain - thanks for the updates!

It may be MfA but nothing that isn't permitted..

For example, modelling a Wrightknight to be crouching by making a modification to the model is MfA but the model design and rules don't say "Yep, fine"

The Riptide has pegs on its knees that are designed to allow crouching, so modelling like that can be taken as MFA but it is perfectly legal under the model design.

The bastion model has one Heavy Bolter on each facing as standard and the rules reflect that, by saying "typically 1 per facing", but typically is not set in stone. If it said "must" or "one per facing" that is different. But here we have something the rules have left room to do without breaking any rules.