Showing posts with label Hive Guard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hive Guard. Show all posts

Thursday, 31 December 2020

'nids 302 - Tyranid Warrior & Hive Guard TO DONE! White pics

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Tyranids. OK, the finished showcase pictures on a white background, you know the deal by now.

I was really pleased with the maroon highlights on the Impaler Cannons. Adding a little Bonewhite to the Khorne Red gave them a different tone, something I've seen them do on the GW painting guides.


I had thought the backs were a bit scruffy but they look OK in these pics.


There are still some bits I've missed, there's a claw missing on one hand that needs some blood adding, for narrative reasons.


But I need to consider how and when I may look at the 4 original Warrior to Hive Guard conversions and bring them up to this standard. I may wait until after the new Codex as I fear they may very well get some kind of nerf that makes having 6 ludicrous.


The same goes for the Warrior's brethren. There are 4 of these and their Primes that need a little bit of titivating to be up-to-date.

 

There's nearly a decade between them regarding my skill level and the evolution of the paint scheme.

 

As you can see here, the two outer ones are nearly a decade old, the 2nd from right might be 6 years old...


You can see how that one has slightly more defined striations on the chitin. But all of the older generations have Khorne red weapons, whereas I randomly went Bloody Red on my new one. I'll have to decide whether to keep or match them when I do look at a revamp.


As you can see the chitin is where the biggest improvements can be made, although some extra recess shading elsewhere and 2nd level bone highlights will easily match up.


The 2nd from right is almost up to standard with the chitin, but I'd probably bite the bullet and redo it anyway. Perhaps if I do all the bone first it'll give me an ide of whether it's worth it.


Anyway, that's a project for late 2021, or another year altogether. I've other priorities for '21. Now I tend to have mixed feelings hobbywise about a new year. Everyone starts making hobby resolutions/promises. Now, I've never really held to the concept of resolutions as they're too easily dismissed. I do make TO DO! lists, usually jobs around the house. But hobbywise, I make my TO DO list at the start of my Hobby Season, so I'm out of sync with most other hobbyists, which makes me like the inevitable promises made tomorrow a little annoying. Don't mind me though, I'm just bitter and envious I chose Betamax instead of VHS! 😉 

Have a happy new year, there's no magic wand that will render all the troubles of 2020 gone at the turn of the clock. No doubt we still have many months of lockdown and social distancing to come. But it is a turning of the corner, with vaccines on the way we may well come back to something approaching normalcy next year, and for that I am hopeful. I look forward to games and actually using these models I've painted. So, all the best for 2021.

Tuesday, 29 December 2020

'nids 301 - Tyranid Warrior & Hive Guard conversions TO DONE! Red pics

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Tyranids. These were almost complete for #NomVember #NidVember but I just missed the deadline and as my blogging was tied up with Armies on Parade there was less incentive to get them completed.


So when I had other priorities just getting those last bits, like the teeth, varnish, even some of the bone chips on the Hive Guard, was just to much to contemplate.


The festive period has gifted too much hobby time, but that's OK. However, I usually like to build something at Christmas but that didn't end up on the cards, so the least I could do was get these finished.


It was a few nights work, that first one with the the teeth and varnish and then I realised I hadn't done the bone chips and the lone toxin sac [I know they're not an option, it was already on the donor Warrior when I did the conversion and I couldn't be bothered to remove it].


So another night to finish up the painting and one more session for all the flock.


One bonus for the night of flocking was I had leftover PVA, which prompted me to soak some string fibres and actually add some nerve fibres to my Tyranid Void Shield Generator!


That's right folk I have some progress and I think I may well get some more done on it ready for an attempt at the final few nights of sculpting it needs!


I really like how this Warrior turned out, the pose in particular feels quite threatening.


He'd definitely be in my Kill Team if I did one, surrounded by Termagants, although he'd probably have been better off with a bonesword perhaps, maybe a lash whip. I don't know I never run them with anything other than Scything Talons.


A few of my other mid-sized beasties in the background.


Y'know for desktop patterns and such.


And the Hive Guard.


And so I gets me my Great Big Granite Stamp of Approval - TO DONE!'

Wednesday, 23 December 2020

'nids 300 - Tyranid Warrior & Hive Guard conversions washes and bone

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Tyranids. It seems like forever since I last posted on these Warrior to Hive Guard conversion, unless I have overlooked an update.

This is just the Bonewhite highlight on the body, but I don't think I even updated with the washes all over. I can't find a post anyway.


Warrior too, I love the effect on his sternum.

 

And it's almost unnoticeable where I had to cut and shut the tail, when I'd originally planned this to be the Hive Guard conversion. 


Now I picked up some new paints. This was Miniature Paints, they're a company in Bootle, Liverpool. I've a few of them already, my Turquoise is one. They're £2 for about 30ml, they have a slight satin finish to them, but they're really durable [compared to craft acrylics]


Not sure if this is a retail only site but if you're interested here's the MP range and it comes in 30ml, 90ml and even 500ml. I also picked up a matt varnish to try. If it's good that 500ml might be tempting...


Anyway, this 56 Cream is a bit lighter than the highlight I previously mixed for my nids.


The Hive is evolving and so you will see some difference between old and n


Even moreso because my old Hive Guard conversions don't seem to have had that second highlight at all! I was so devastated when the Purity Seal frosted them, I could never imagine at the time going through the process of repainting them. But I can realistically contemplate that in the next year or two, depending on how they are treated in the next Codex.


The Warrior too appears super pale.

 
But I do love this pose.

I mean just look at the difference so far, that one on the right is 10 years old.


They'll definitely need a touch up at some point too.


P.S. 300 posts on Tyranids [and their genestealer brethren]! Man, what a ride. 17% of my posts on gribblies! Who'd have thought...

Monday, 27 January 2020

'nids part 273 - Tyranid Warrior and Warrior to Hive Guard Conversion - basecoats

Built and based for a while now it felt about time to add some paint to my Warrior to Hive Guard conversions. Even if it was just a basecoat it's one step further, one less thing to do.


It's a tedius job, something I used to make so much easier by undercoating them bonewhite and filling in the reds. Now I seem to start with the red - the least representative colour on the model and try to be neat with everything else, not to mention I cover up most of the red primer anyway!


As you can see the bonewhite basecoat is pretty ropey but I'm fine with that, it;s getting two coats of wash so doesn't need #2thincoats In fact any paint showing through the base just adds more texture ultimately.


The Tyranid Warrior was up next. No doubt I'll try and treat these as a unit for painting purposes. I've actually fished out my existing Warriors and Hive Guard and will look at any potential fixes. 


Certainly some base edges have become a little chipped but I'm also painfully aware that they're still afflicted with Citadel Purity Seal frosting. Maybe not now but I will definitely one day re-paint the red fleshy bits that are are damaged and I know I can do the chitin much better now so I'll probably repaint that.


The bone colour only needs additional highlights but there's no urgency just now. I've lined up the five Devgaunts to 'bone up on' next and then the Rippers. All of these are just inbetween things - tasks that need doing but in themselves are tedious so if I fit them in among other projects when I finally focus my attention it'll just be the fun bits that actually feels like painting, not necessarily like putting paint on, if you follow. Otherwise I'll be tackling my Blood Bowl Ogre next...

Monday, 10 June 2019

'nids part 266 - Tyranid Warrior to Hive Guard conversion TO DONE!

I confess I'm back in avoidance mode at the moment, but I'm also going with the flow. The urge to build came over me and manifested as finally making 2 more Tyranid Warriors into Hive Guard so I can finally field a brood of 6. I originally did this conversion way back when and I've had enough parts to do these 2 for ages, although not all the same bits as last time. For these I'm using the blind Genestealer heads and I've some Tyrant Guard bits to create the armoured chest instead of the previous Termagant armour plates. I'd been delaying the kitbash because I was convinced one of the warriors was too good to be converted and I was sure I had a more damaged donor Warrior torso and legs somewhere. When I came to 'dock' the tails they were a little too short and predictably having docked them I immediately discovered the damaged torso was in exactly the same 3"x2" bits box. Anyway, the damaged one on the left was duly docked and I'll be trying to reattach the tail of the un-shown decent Warrior.


Poses and basing was next, I'd already created the Impaler Cannons [you can just see a completed one in the top right], and went about gluing the legs on, with the chest plate and head. I also added some thick texture paint inside the crest so it'll look fleshy.


I had to leave this overnight for the poly-cement to set properly but even at this stage it was clear the two bases I'd prepped with slate might not work too well with how the legs were positioned.


So I glued some slate to two more bases and found a much better fit. With polycement now dry I could drill and pin a foot to the base to ensure the superglue join was strong enough. I then added the Warrior rending claws and and gun - heaven knows how I'm going to prime and paint this now! 😲


I think I kept the guns separate last time but this was such a hatchet job I wanted it all solid. To that end I even glued elements together, so where I could get a gun arm resting on a claw arm I dropped some liquid poly between the too for added stability.


As I left it to dry overnight I hadn't quite realised how the guns were pointing downwards so much, nevermind. I'm still pretty chuffed with the result, I don't suppose it's as much of a necessity now what with the plastic kit, but they're still comparatively expensive for 3 models and only available through the GW website so having a kitbashed alternative is still worth the effort.


So many elements of the kitbash are unused bits [although those Stranglethorn Cannons tend to be prime fodder for use in Biovore kitbashes - now that is a guaranteed improvement. I'd still like to see them next to the new kit for a size comparison, as these are on slate they're a fair bit taller than my other 4 giving a lot more bulk to them so less 'modelling for advantage' not that I've ever been challenged regarding this kitbash.


Anyway, built and ticked off my list and I'll prime it so it's ready to be based and then have it on hiatus till I feel compelled to complete them, which shouldn't take too long. Big Build - TO DONE!

I builds it, I gets the badge!