'nids part 185 - Tyranid Void Shield Generator part 6.

As per my previous nid scratchbuilds it's time to 'ice the cake'! I got some tile adhesive and grout, the sort that's in a tube, this helped with application as you can just squeeze it on and smooth it with some water.

In some respects it reminded me of this 3D printed concrete castle.

I did find the application a little difficult in some places, I probably should have just lightly sanded the plastic to add a key for the grout to fix to, instead it kept sliding off.

But the tube application is really quite effective and if you want a quick VSG and your sculpting skills aren't great then I see no reason why you couldn't stop right here.

Obviously I have an aesthetic that I'm trying to match on my previous builds, so that's not an option for me. But, I think those shapes and effects are pretty effective so it's a quick win otherwise.

Sadly I'll be sanding a lot of this texture off so I can have a flat base for the air drying clay.

But the sanding will clean it all up and allow my to try and build the spire properly, it's a little thin, except for the base.

The inside was also 'iced' but I need to remove the top layer of card on the foamboard for when I sculpt that, which may interfere with the grouting, perhaps?

Lastly, just wanted to illustrate why leaving it at this stage is a possibility - a termite mound. As you can see this finish is perfectly natural. Just because a lot of the Tyranid aesthetic follows a similar style to Giger - with patterns, ribs, stomas, chitin plates etc. Things can be far more organic for nids and that means random form, without all those identifiable elements.

It's for that reason I love the possibilities in Tyranid terrain and structures. I may well have pigeon-holed my approach, made it convoluted and requiring a lot of effort and a modicum of skill. But that does not need to be the case, anyone can make these things, all it needs is the will, the time, the patience and a variety of easily sourced materials. The great thing is you can't screw it up - nature's not perfect. And it's really cheap to do, the original Void Shield Generator cost a pretty penny and having sold out cost a damn sight more. This has cost me £2.49 in grout, some foam card, a couple of lemonade bottles, a piece of MDF a few curtain hooks, paper towels, a plastic pencil tube and a noodle dinner costing 99p, the majority of which I had already anyway and were either rubbish or recycling! More importantly though, if GW aren't going to show some love for Xenos terrain, then its our duty to do so.

Tyranid Void Shield Generator Chapter 1. | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. | part 9. |

Tyranid Void Shield Generator Chapter 2. | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. | part 9. | part 10. | part 11. | part 12. | part 13. | part 14. | part 15. |