'nids part 101 - Plasma Hatchers Mycetic Spore pt3

Striations on the Chitin plates go on, yeah it's getting old for me too now :(

Also the first Bonewhite highlight and these are done enough to go out in their first game.  

And somehow I managed to force myself to do second highlights on this. So tedious now, I'm getting so over doing Tyranids!

Really rough Bonewhite highlights to try and add more texture to the flat areas, I like it, it's rough and ready.

Top view, the red bits will all get the raw open wound treatment of Tamiya Red Clear X-27 so they will also be able to pass as a Vengeance Weapons battery either Punisher or Battle Cannon's conceivable from these orifices!

Fleshy bits and tentacles next, oh and mustn't forget the turquoise highlights on the Chitin dots.

Mycetic Spore V2.0 Plasma Hatcher | part 1. | part 2. | 

The Tyranid Rumour Mill

Unless you've been under a rock then you'll know that Tyranids are highly likely to get a new Codex in November, two months ahead of the original rumour for release. This is the first time I've properly gone through a Codex change. Admittedly I got the new Dark Angels Codex but I hadn't really played with the old one so it was no biggy.

This time though it's going to cause a whole attitude shift. I've already done that a little bit with the change from 5th to 6th Edition, you make allowances, you adapt you learn to live with your army and then you find a way to actually succeed. No doubt this new codex will bring some new and exciting rules and some of my current standbys will be nerfed, hopefully I have enough options that I can at least bring some variety into my games again. If I'm honest I was starting to feel bored with my games, still 'new cheese' and all that.

What I am finding really odd is the rumours, I love rumours, can't get enough of them. It's like methodone inbetween my main hobby fix. But as much as I'm rabid for the latest news because it's about my Codex I'm not enjoying them as much, it feels more like gossip about your friends than news about your idol. I keep looking through these 'rules rumours' and some sound interesting and others that are incomplete, without context just don't work for me. For instance there were rules regarding us getting Skyfire for Hive Guard. That sounds great, initially. You think our best gun beast finally got an option to take out Flyers, but is it Skyfire like a Flakk missile upgrade so you can choose to Skyfire or still shoot on the ground because otherwise you will have swapped a ground shooting unit for anti-air. Of course if it is an upgrade like Flakk lets hope the cost is around the same, 10pts wouldn't be too bad.

Another so called rule was that we'd get some upgrade to benefit grounding Flying Monstrous Creatures... I'm really not sure why. What FMCs are there? Flying Hive Tyrants and Daemon Princes, I don't think Heldrakes are and all the other aerial death dealers [Night Scythes, Vendettas Storm Talons/Ravens] are flyers so grounding isn't an option. Without context this makes no sense. Additionally the latest rumour that Carnifex head biomorphs will be back in the Codex. The awesome Enhanced Senses head now gives us... Night Fighting! Wow, how impressed are you? Unless the Carnifex is going to get some worthwhile long range weapon that you are going to be able to use first turn then why would you spend points to upgrade on the off-chance it's night fighting and you're actually in range. Or, perhaps your game plan is for the carnifex to be alive at turn five and that upgrade will win you the game!

These kind of rumours open up even more questions. Shadows in the Warp is a big rule for us, there's hints it may be different in the future. But conspicuous by it's absence, what of our most overlooked and Codex specific rule - Assault weapons. Currently everything we use we can move and shoot with impunity. What if we're suddenly face with a completely new set of requirements. Psychic powers - our current reason for competitiveness, seems to have less mentions of Biomancy as our own Tyranid Powers are on the cards [still some new counters to make]. It's like watching Lost, for every answer, or perceived answer there are a dozen more questions raised.

So I'm actually not enjoying this rumourfest at the moment, certainly when I'm reluctant to want to spend any more on the nids as it is. Sure a Codex will be on the cards but I'm loathe to buy anything new and it's too little, too late in my book. Mycetic Spores, I have three now and I'm not about to jump ship to a new one now, that's long sailed. I may invest in the rumoured Doom, depending on how he functions, he seems to have the same Spirit Leech so if he's still going to be ruining my opponents day he deserves to be more than just a proxy/poxy Zoanthrope. The Harpy alternative sounds interesting and the Big Bug is a big bug, which is cool but also how do you fit that into a list that already is hard to find space. That's ignoring the fact I don't want to paint another Tervigon because it's too big, what's a bigger bug going to do to my sanity? And there's a point, will Tervigons get stuffed, only a few tidbits for them about upgrading their ability to spawn Termagants with Devourers but what of their ability to be psychic, the mailed fist of my army? See what I mean? Too many questions and two months still to go...

'nids part 100 - Magnetised Hive Tyrant part 2

I picked up some more bits, this time from the-bitz-store on ebay. Primarily it was the High Elf Dragon wings to make my second Winged Tyrant but also got a Land Speeder Storm Missile Launcher to kitbash as a Cyclone on one of my Deathwing, a Dreadnought base to do my Mortis [eventually] and a Trygon Prime tail to create another emplaced Tyranid weapon I cannot use [or can I?]. However, the last set of Dragon Wings they had in stock seemed to fly away before it could be despatched so they refunded my money immediately. Instead I was forced to go to www.bitzbox.co.uk and get a pair from them which cost me an extra £1 in postage. Still they all arrived super quick, along with a Land Speeder I picked up for£8.69 all in!

And they were super easy to magnetize. I've learned how to deal with the drill now. As the bits get bigger they digger deeper into the plastic, they really tore through the Swarmlord swords, so this time as it starts to bite pull back and it doesn't bit deep enough to tear the plastic too much.

It's been a long time since we saw my old metal Hive Tyrant. And I think the wider arms on the left work a lot better than original pair from my current Flyrant as seen in the old pic on the right.

I didn't need to do any tricks to the wings either, they naturally fall into that position and the Devourers hold them in place. 

As their a little variations in the wing texture running down the membranes I may look to do the membrane effect from my first Flyrant in a different direction, just for more variety [I'll probably screw it up and cry, we'll see].

Still have to check this an my current Flyrant side by side to compare wingspan. I think they're the same but this has slightly weedier arms. Still going to add some Milliput to cover some drill holes and hide the magnets a bit more.

Alternatively - I give you the Swarmlord.

Not the most exciting poses in the world but that's the price I paid for versatility.

I'll also have a go about neatening up the Tyrant, some of his paintwork is chipped/sloppy.

Once again it's another thing I can get done to add to my Armies on Parade board, so it'll be done by the end of the month.

'nids part 99 - Plasma Hatchers Mycetic Spore pt2.

On with the Spore Pods - red oxide primer once again. However, these Plasma Hatchers are renowned for their weird plastic and dubious ability for paint to stick. So I tried to 'key' it a little bit with an overspray of clear gloss varnish I had knocking around, with hindsight good old frosty Purity Seal would have done the job too!. Anyway, letting the varnish drops fall on the plastic gave a slightly more uneven surface. No guarantee whether the paint will be more durable but it was worth a shot. 

Learning from the Bastion I went straight for the base, all the drybrushing risks any paint on the model, which is applied with greater control so it gets it out of the way before I do anything else.

Also the future red bits were washed with Badab Black/Dark Tone

Then on goes the docrafts Artiste Bahama Blue and Latte craft acrylics. Funnily enough I originally bought the Latte as a Vallejo Bonewhite substitute way back when specifically for these Spore Pods. 

I was mindful of the size of them and didn't want to waste expensive paint on something that was eventually going to be washed twice and have two sets of highlights so the base coat at least could be cheap as chips. Once again this paint is quite rough, with a chalky feel. It may not be durable but will add a nice key for the other paints to stick too [hopefully].

 Gryphone Sepia/Soft Tone wash.

Love how I can just nip out and pick a pot of this up, 5 minute walk from work and it's cheap and does not screw up my model like that abomination I will not name!

Devlan Mud/Strong Tone next.

Mycetic Spore V2.0 Plasma Hatcher | part 1. | 

'nids part 98 - Plasma Hatchers Mycetic Spore pt1.

With the Spore Pods finally based it's time to move these on. I really want to try two and three pod lists. You have to mix up your choices, if I'd never tried the Flyrant I'd still be back with Warriors. Additionally these can be added to my Armies on Parade board for a bit more 'monstrosity'. So first up was to fill in some gaps [poorly] and add some tentacles,

I made these with the same tentacle tool from last time but the results were mixed, in part due to the Milliput being very sticky and the more you push to emboss the texture the more the Milliput sticks to the rolling surface. Once again you'd probably get better results from Green Stuff Industries Tentacle Maker or Masq-Mini's tube Tool.

I also ended up short for time and had to throw on some of the tentacles and 'sculpt' the sections by hand, either that or waste the Milliput. So they're a bit rubbish in some places but hopefully the paint job will rescue them a bit although I'm not that fussed, these are really only 'emergency' pods.

Again, I was mindful not to spoil the sculpting already done and not go mad doing it endlessly so I added only two plates at a time.

Eventually the plates were all in position, with the tentacles coming out from underneath the Chitin plates. Have to say I cocked that yellow one up  with the right tentacle crossing over the left one. It should have angled right covering up the rather plain featureless right side. Oh well, that's what happens when you're rushed. DAS airdrying clay was used for the base.

I'd originally intended to embed slate into it but in the end textured the clay with a tooth brush and sculpting tool. I'm not entirely sure how to create that impacted crater look and I really don't want to lose sleep over these, just get them done so I can tick them off my list as they've been on it for far too long.

And from the back you can see, yes indeed, some of those tentacles are v.poor, nevermind. However I did have a sudden thought in that these so look like spore-pods but they also look like some form of Tyranid Terrain/structure and there's two what other structures can you get in pairs from GW?

A Vengeance Weapons Battery and it doesn't say Nids can't use them, BS 2 Battle Cannons - just saying!

Game of Throne of Skulls

A good few months back Ben organised a mini Throne of Skulls-like tournament between himself, Liam, Otty and I with two tables on the go in his conservatory and with £5 each in the pot converted to GW vouchers - the winner taking away the 'hobby pot'. Obviously I intended to do a battle report but as the games went on and the temperature rose things got a little heated and time rapidly ran out. Funnily enough I've written this overview once already and somehow all the text got overwritten as I kept pushing back the schedule date to update my Bastion reports.

First up I played Liam, with his more Nurgle-centric Chaos marines.

I had quite the amount of cover until I think Abaddon allowed that Land Raider to Infiltrate on my right hand side, luckily I'd arranged the coral for my Aegis.

Obliterators struggled to draw a bead on anything thanks to my setup.

Cultists have a better view, just not the range to do anything with it.

Typhus jumps out of the Land Raider, maybe premature but going bold so early on was at least going to speed things up.

The Hive Tyrant took a couple of wounds.

Everything barreled into the Terminators. I think Typhus killed the Crushing Claws Tervigon with his Force Sword but may have eventually succumbed to the smaller vanilla Tervigon.

Liam's Nurgle Heldrake. I was impressed with the wings, although the bright colours don't scream Nurgle - decay and rot. However, I did look over to the other table in a later game and I swear the graduation worked as a perfect optical illusion and tricked my mind into thinking I was actually looking through the wings!

I'm not sure what that is but I'm guessing it can't be good, well at least for one of us

Next up was Otty and his Eldar, the new Codex was just a week old and was still new to him, which is why he ended up with his HQ lugging around 150pts of ALL the Eldar Special Weapons [somehow for free] instead of just the 1 weapon he was allowed to have. Additionally he had stuff in Transports that weren't allowed to take them but it's a new codex so cut him some slack. Anyway this is his Revant Titan masquerading as a Wraith Knight [and why not] about to breach my back line.

While my Flyrant does the same for his Deployment Zone.

Rather comically the Wraith Knight is stalled by the combined efforts of some Termagants and Broodlord and one Stealer. I managed to put 3 wounds on it thanks to Enfeeble - Devourers and Fleshborers eventually going to take a wound. I later on thought my Termagants were super cool doing a couple more wounds - more effective than the Broodlord but that was because I keep thinking they're S4, not 3. Anytway we fixed it up, hey it's an old codex, cut me some slack ;)

We went well over time on this we'd reached turn 3 and I was clearly winning but it was elected to continue on and Otty managed to swing it his way, although I think the Wraith Knight was eventually smashed by my Tervigon thanks to more Termagants tarpitting it long enough for the Crushing Claws to get in range. Enfeeble was awesome in cutting it down.

Last game was against Ben's Guard, due to the setting up times I never moved tables but I noted that Ben's Wall of Martyrs was extremely useful in allowing him to keep his troops set up and just move the wall from one table to the next.

I had quite a nice little defensive screen to keep me safe.

Eventually all hell broke lose in Ben's backfield!

What with my on objectives I think I ended up sealing this one to end with two wins and a loss.

Otty managed 3 wins and took the prize.

While I was playing Liam, Ben took a few pictures of his match with Otty.

Otty's scratchbuilt Defence Line from disposable razors and curtain rail fixings!

Otty had some amazing Eldar objectives made from medicine spoons.

Wraithguard get to head through the trees, which I absolutely love, asked for specifically and never got to play on that table!

Marbo tries to steal the cache of Shuriken Pistols. I think he eventually succumbed to the Rangers.

The Jetbikes arrive.

But the objective is still in Ben's hands.

Another cache of Shuriken Weapons and the gun-line continues to pound the Guard.

Wave Serpent tries to flank the Guard.

I think these were the Wave Serpents target.

Gunlines trade shots across no-man's land.

Wraithguard advance through the autumnal trees.

This was a really good days gaming, Ben was the consummate host but we must get better at time-keeping. The heat was certainly a factor, gaming was a little more fractious than usual with us having to stop and mediate for rules during games, maybe next time we need to crank out the beers sooner, although I did miss finishing off a fantastic cup of tea which was replaced by an equally awesome ice-cold shandy. See what I mean about a cool host, and lest us not forget about the massive bacon and egg barms [which I spilt on the battle board!]. 

Anyway, an Apocalypse battle is planned for next get together, although my lowly 4,000pts won't stack up against these power gamers, ha, ha!