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Hi all.
Inspired by the Anphelion project I am currently assemblying a new (smallish) Tyranid force.

All tyranids in my hive fleet will be modelled with feeder tendrils (although not all will benefit from the preferred enemy rule - due to rules restrictions).

In this thread you'll find images of my first miniatures.
I would really appreciate any feedback on colour selection, modelling tips and other ideas.

Lictor 1



Lictor 2



Lictor 3

Genestealers


Lictor Patriarch



Malanthrope

Suggestions??

Rules for the Lictor Patriarch??
- i.e. should I field it as an Hive Tyrant or a Carnifex or ... ?

Question.

The 'organs' sticking out of the zoanthropes?  Existing model or sculpted?

That's what stuck out the most to me.  I really like them.

Yowzah! I love the Patriarch. The paint scheme is very real and gritty looking, a nice fit for the models. I love the realistic basing, especially the creative use of seed casings Maybe a bit of painting on them though- the realistic tones are kind of off-putting compared to the painted miniatures with the over exagerated shading (which is obviously not your fault- we have to exagerate the shading on such small models).

Is there anything not cool about Lictors? I like your scheme and I love your conversions.

The patriarch is awesome and the pose is really nice too. Do I spy Giger parts on it?

Hurah FW!!! I have been eyeing off the Malanthrope for a while it's nice to see one painted, how did you
paint the tumory growths on the sides? They're really nice.

Changes: The Malanthrope and the Patriarch are focal models so it's not so good that their heads are
identical. But besides scratchbuilding I don't imagine there where many options. Shrug...

The paint scheme seems a little plain with the dominant bone colour. It works but maybe work the bone
a little more and make it look nicer if it covers so much of the models or consider making the chitin and
the skin different colours.

But those are just suggestions overall I like it and I really like the feeder tendrils Idea.

Usiel

How did you get Lictor 2 to grab the statue like that?
I've got a similar conversion but could never manage to pose the lictor correctly!

I think the HT rules would be the best joice for the Alien Que... erm Patriarch Liktor. Or Maybe the Trygon rukes without transport capicity. Very good work although I don't like the "bleeding statue".

What do you mean. "Suggestions??" We need to ask suggestions of how to paint them as well as you. :S Very nice job.

As some of you already has realised the Lictor Patriarch is simply an old Konami Alien Candy Toy (you'll find them on Ebay for about $5 each) with a Malanthrope head and Carnifex parts.


Thanx for the feedback.
I will use HT rules for the Patriarch as suggested.

As for asking for suggestions.
I would really appreciate advise on how to continue with my Tendril fleet.

I am thinking:
1 Lictor Patriarch (rules as HT)
1-3 Malanthropes
3-4 Genestealer Broods (each led by a Broodlord)
3 Lictors
3 Death Leapers
?what more (with feeder tendrils)?
??
(I know it's not a legal army selection - but this is a gimmick army that I'll use among friends)

Regarding the paint job:
Do I need some other colour(s), should I paint the veins on the Malanthrope purple, should I add another colour to the Malanthorpe guts ???
The bases are obviously WIP - any suggestions on how to spice them up?
How should I paint the Death Leapers to differentiate them from the normal Lictors?

Rules questions:
May a Broodlord benefit from the Scuttlers (Scouts) rule if all other Genestealers have it?
May I deploy a Broodlord with his retinue using a FW Brood Nest?
How many points would be fair for giving the HT Feeding Tendrils (Preferred Enemy rule)?

Please help.

I would also like to throw in my two cents about the bleeding statue. I'm not down with the blood on lictor 2's claws (-2 points). However, I love to see monsters humping grim reaper statues (+10 points) so don't change a thing. Why am I typing off of the screen right now? Anyways, I like the scheme. I think it's too tempting to try to go over the top with the nids with wild colors and such. I think these are much more believeable. For the bases the only thing I can think of is to try to sculpt some Giegeresque stuff on them. Like in Aliens 2 when they get deeper into the colony and the walls start dissapearing and it looks more like alien architecture. Not sure what's part of the aliens and what's just part of the walls. You know what I'm talking about It's...like... did you hear that? AAAAHH, they got sarge! Get some! Get some! BADADADADADA!

But your guys are rad to the max.  Very cool.

I'm a strong advocate of painting the veins purple. I'd also make the guts lighter where the face and hands are pushing out- they are stretching the walls of the organs. I think you should really go to town detailing the guts as they're a real focal point for the model and it is such a gorgeous sculpt!

For the Death Leapers: Maybe add some red to the chitin. Like shading and creeping out from 'under' the overlapping plates. Subtle hostility.

I myself wouldn't add more purple, I would use a toned down red on the veins.

Thats my two cents, crap now I'm broke...

Usiel

Love them, Kendoka !
Yet another good example which shows that you don`t have to paint ultra neat to get great models.
Very, very nice...
(and I didn`t know that the Konami models are so big)

>...monsters humping grim reaper statues

Ouch.
Yes, perhaps the Confrontation statue dropped a soap in ze shower.
(wonder if my Lictor hurt his "Implant Attack" thingy mounting the statue)


>I'd also make the guts lighter where the face and hands are pushing out- they are stretching the walls of the organs.

Yes. Actually I have gone all the way up to pure white - but it doesen't show well on the pic.
Ideally (if I were a better painter) I would try to paint the organs as if they were semi transperant - showing skin tones of the victims inside. But that would be way over my capacity.


>...you don`t have to paint ultra neat to get great models.

Yes. I have spent between 1 and 4 hours painting each mini above (mostly drybrushing), taking them to what I consider being a high gaming standard.


Will experiment with painting the veins (purple or a toned down red) - and post pics for you to decide.


>...and I didn`t know that the Konami models are so big

Well. The Konami "Candy Toys" all share the same base - this unfortunately means that a Warrior is about the same size as a Queen (and Nostromo for that matter).
But yes the Warriors are rather large. And cheap. And Gigeresque ;-)

I'm rather pleased with the "Patriarch" conversion, both simple and GW-looking (by using a Malanthrope head, Carni arms and two Carni backs I got rid of most of the Giger-Alien feel).
Will probably add some paint to the back - it looks a bit plain compared to the other minis. I'll wait until I have it on a final base, then I'll try to paint part of it camou.

Love the figs!

But my main feedback is those big honkin mould lines on lictor 1 and 3's heads takes away from your great models.

As for using Konami Candy Toys.
I used a Power Lifter as terrain on my Forbidden City board:

Great work, Ive been a fan of your Arbites page for years...this stuff is top notch too!

Only suggestion is change the name... the hive fleets are supposed to have been named after Titans and other mythical monsters.

Other than that, the modelling and painting is amazing!

Update:
Added 2 brood lordi, more genestealers and a Brood Patriarch (actually just a Brood Lord with some minor conversions).


Nerd points for the one identifying the source of the tendril bitz...

can we see a close up of the head? It looks really cool from here

>can we see a close up of the head?



Nerd points for the one identifying the source of the tendril bitz (it's an almost unmodified GW bit)...

not sure where its from however it looks damn cool!

The word is already out on Warseer (cross posting) so here you are:
I just cut the jaw away and replaced it with the lower part of a spore mine.
Instant tendrils ;-)