Massive Tyranid Revamp!

[Pekel]

I've got over 3,000 points of painted Tyranids. They were my first army and I just wanted them at a decent tabletop standard, so I used every shortcut I could to get them there. Now I can't stand to look at any one model for too long as I've moved way beyond them in terms of painting skill. So now I've decided to repaint the entire army and bulk it up along the way!

This gallery should give you an idea of the old color scheme. The new one is almost exactly the same, but it's more what I envisioned when I made up the scheme. I changed it (Boltgun Metal claws, teeth and muscle, for example) to use some of my brother's paints and save my own money. I'm also changing the bases to a jungly scheme, like the Beastmen army I'm finishing up (link in signature).

The first model to get the new color scheme was a winged Warrior. The winged Warriors originally all used these wings (except with a rending claw at the hand), made from a rending claw, flesh hooks, and card. Now they have Gargoyle wings.





Not brilliant, but much better than before. And it should look great when applied to the entire army.

I just got two oldschool Warriors in the mail. I'm going to have one old-style in each brood to serve as the real brains. The idea is that each old Warrior uses Space Marine DNA (like the Tyrant Guard) and is capable of more advanced thinking than the other Warriors in the brood, which essentially act as bodyguards / fire support / synapse relays. But basically just an excuse to use these old models!





Next post...

[Pekel]

I have two Hive Tyrants - one winged Tyrant, and one old 2nd edition converted one. Here it is before paint:



And here it is now. I painted it, played with it, and now tore it off its base so that I can modify it and fancify the base. The four eyes represent enhanced senses, something the shooty Warriors will get as well.



So there you have it. Tomorrow I'll finish the greenstuffing on the three remaining winged Warriors and the 2nd edition shooty Warrior. I'll also try to convert the Tyrant to my current standards.

[sanctusmortis]

Looking good...

3 good logs on the go? That's just greed!

[Boss_Salvage]

<3 Old Skool Tyrants

Great to hear you're at home and celebrating with a third log of awesome. The little resculpts on the old metals are very nice little things, and a couple updated weapons is acceptible I suppose

Pity to hear that the army is more new than old, but way to keep those old bugs kicking.

- Salvage

[Hive Fleet Spectra]

The wings on the warrior are really nice. For some reason looking at it makes me hungry . Looking forward to this log, after reading through your eldar one should be interesting to see what you can come up with from a tyraind perspective, good luck.

Incidently would you mind divulging how you painted the yellow on the wings? I always have trouble painting lighter colours.

also consider me subscribed, as seems to be the trend on this site .

[Ninners]

Looking good. Adding classic models to an army always adds more character.

Keep up the good work

[Pekel]

3 good logs on the go? That's just greed!

Greed? I'm working my rear off to give you lot some decent reading material!

Incidently would you mind divulging how you painted the yellow on the wings? I always have trouble painting lighter colours.

The fleshy bits are simply Rotting Flesh with Yellow Ink. The current pictures are poor because I'm shooting on stained wood - when I get more finished models I promise I'll set up a decent photo area!

I cleaned the Tyrant and redid his base. The base is now painted, though this photo does it NO JUSTICE. My camera kept washing out the tan and I had to take a picture in low light then fix it in Photoshop. After the Tyant's painted I'll get good pictures, but here's the base for now:



The floor bit is from a Mega Bloks set. I like the look so much that I'm going to have Gaunts and other 'Nids scuttling over chopped-up temple ruins overgrown with vines.

I also greenstuffed the winged Warriors and shooty old Warrior. Just a bit more of that and tomorrow they should be ready for priming! I also prepped some Ripper bases.

[Angelwing]

Consider me subscribed. Liking the colour contrast. Also nice to see someone else using the old school models.

[Pekel]

Tyrant is basically done - a bit more drybrushing on the carapace, yellow borders, Rotting Flesh on the muscles, touching up of one vine... but he's pretty much there.





I'm very happy with him, and I hope you guys like him.

[jasevx]

loving the mixture of styles!

[Pekel]

[Boss_Salvage]

The tyrant looks grand, really reminds me how much I like that old model. The paint scheme is quite cool too, I like the striking armor plates vs the charcoal skin. Wonderful base too.

Hmm ... my little brother has an old tyrant I could probably acquire for cheap ... I just might

- Salvage

[de Selby]

That flying warrior looks awesome, like something by el Bosco himself. I'd love to see a whole squad of them, actually.

[Pekel]

Go for it, Boss! It is a fun model. I converted mine to hold a 4th edition lash whip and a trimmed-down 4th edition bonesword, though.

Here's the old shooty Warrior with a current Deathspitter, current Genestealer scything talons, Genestealer carapace, sculpted extra eyes for enhanced senses, and toxin sacs. I love these guys in the game - got four more in the same configuration (current models, though).





EDIT: Forgot to mention he's not ENTIRELY done - needs a bit of neatening up around the exposed muscle, the blue on the toxin sacs, and probably a bit more. But enough for now, my poor Warp Spiders need to be finished!

[Pekel]

No one likes the Warrior, eh? Egads, my bleeding heart.

No REAL work, but here's some stratagems ('ammo store' hive and 'power generator' toxin sac) that I'm planning on neatening up and painting soon. Warrior thrown in for scale.



I'm debating decorating the bases with cityfight rubble or jungly stuff. Probably the latter, since Tyranids promote plant growth anyway and then they'll fit as objectives or terrain in non-cityfight games.

[Boss_Salvage]

I like the revamped warrior Pekel! Just now realized I hadn't gushed about it in a timely fashion like I usually do with your stuff Maybe the only thing I'm not thrilled with here is that the second set of eyes didn't stand out to me as eyes until you mentioned it. Or ... his left one does, but the right one - in that one pic at least - just didn't jump out to me. Probably a big nothing though :P

I'm trading my brother a new oblit for the remnants of his tyrant, then might try to pick up some newer scytals to replace the lash & sword with. Unfortunately I think he put the 'forked tongue' on his tyrant way back when, the head I like less ...

- Salvage

[The Keeper of Secrets]

Haha, this is the scheme I was thinking of before swithing to blue (sig).

Fantastic work mate, always loved the old tyrants and you have done a fantastic job on them. The electric green looks awesome.

[Pekel]

Maybe the only thing I'm not thrilled with here is that the second set of eyes didn't stand out to me as eyes until you mentioned it. Or ... his left one does, but the right one - in that one pic at least - just didn't jump out to me. Probably a big nothing though :P

Yeah, the second eye on the right side really didn't come out well. A bit large and smashed. Ah, well. Too late to fix it, and I'll survive.

At the moment I'm reworking the mighty Orkifex. After my dad knocked a lamp on him while I was at college I've had to pin him together. I took the opportunity to enhance the damage on the tank, remove some nasty mold lines, and neaten up the greenstuff. I'm about to resculpt the shattered joints and then he'll be reprimed and painted.

The story behind this is that I never got an original Screamer Killer, and I was sort of nostalgic for one. So when one popped up cheap on ebay I went for it. But I wanted a reason why it looked so different from the other two Carnifex. So I went to Photoshop, dropped an Ork face on a picture of the model, and I liked it! So I hacked apart the model and went to do my first real sculpting job. This aggressive Carnifex utilizes Ork DNA for enhanced toughness and strength. Last game I played I needed to fill out on points (3000 total) so I fielded this guy with almost all of the CC upgrades. Something like 272 points. My brother was absolutely fine with the idea that Ork body odor could count as 'toxic miasma'.



So he and my flying Tyrant teamed up to smash quite a few Marines. Fun game, and it certainly earned the poor old Orkifex a revamp. So stay tuned!

[THE CHIEF]

Wow what a blast from the past! I love these old models - they really remind me of 'the good old days'. I didn't re-use mine though because when the newer lot came out in third ed I instantly thought the new lot looked much better (apart from the Carnifex, Tyrant and Biovore).

Seeing the old mixed in with the new like this has made me re-think a little. It fits in really well with the whole constant evolution idea. I might dig out my old stuff after all now.

[Angelwing]

that screamer killer looks good!
The chief: th older stuff mixes in nicely with the new. my army mixes it up from all editions!