A freebie - Ymgarl Factor markers

I've amended the Ymgarl Genestealer Markers to represent the new Ymgarl Factor mutations. There's not a great deal to say about it but should you feel inclined to spend 40pts on something that'll buff a model on alternate turns then they may come in handy, knock yourself out! Oh and did I mention these were FREE, that's right FREE!

Just a reminder of my Patented method of constructing your own markers:

1. Print
2. Apply double sided tape to back
3. Stick to mounting card
4. Carefully apply sellotape to top if you want them pseudo-laminated
5. Cut out with craft knife/scalpel
6. Amaze your friends and enemies with these awesome Tyranid Psychic Markers
7. Tell them to visit 40kaddict.blogspot.com for their own free markers.

'nids part 121 - PROJECT Y Scratchbuilt Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad pt4.

2 fers already! Well, what do you make of my Sphincter? I'm really surprised I was able to recreate the one from the top of my Bastion. It's really easy to achieve this, score three lines and then poke with a soft tipped bullet shaped sculpting tool. The outer ring was a clay sausage that was then embossed with a wooden coffee stirrer that had been but through a hole punch to make a C shape. With hindsight I just realised I have a hole punch with a variety of sizes that would have been much easier to create the tool but it still worked.

And the whole pad. When this dried the foamboard started to warp so I will have to weight this down when the next set of clay goes on. There will be even more used and most likely make the whole base much damper.

I started some of my shield wall tests. Quick frames of sprue, I'd be happier if they were curved but they tend to snap so I'll dry run the process. I know the plan was melt plastic but I tried these ideas first, although these pics are before the attmepts dried. PVA on cling film - didn't work, not strong enough and looks rubbish.

PVA on tissue. It's actually OK, not ideal but if everything else fails I may consider it. The end result isn't very durable but it might look all right after painting. The red thread is to add some 3D veins inside the membrane.

Cling film and Vernidas Gloss Varnish. I really thought this would set rock hard but it hasn't. It's just like cling film stuck on plastic sprue, which to be fair is what the PVA and cling film looks like. so another fail.

I've some other ideas to try. Transparent silicon sealant, molten plastic cutlery, blown molten CDs, maybe even molten pop bottle plastic. Oh the fun of melting stuff.

So probably another hour or hour and a half on this. Losing track of time now, sorry.

And here's your second update and the lengths I've had to go to to ensure the pad doesn't warp. There's even a CD under the pad to hold it in a convex position to counteract the concave nature of the centre warp. 

Next up stretched muscle fibres along the six 'webs' but I'll leave it a few days to dry thoroughly before I mess about with it again. I've also got to ensure the tower slots don't get any clay on by sculpting around the areas they sit - very fussy.

Tyranid Capillary Towers | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. | part 9. |

part 10. | part 11. | 

Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. |

'nids part 120 - PROJECT Y Scratchbuilt Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad pt3.

Another short but highly important update. Here I've magnetized the base of the Skyshield detachable walls. Having cut the strips of plasticard to fit I then added a magnet just off-centre of the middle of the arc. I removed a chunk of the foamboard and hot-melt glued a corresponding magnet inside the core. This way the cardboard and glue should hold it in place so it remains solid.

I thought about adding two magnets at each end but thought this overkill and in reality having one in the middle works better as when the plasticard chooses to not sit flush with the landing pad it is usually bowed up in the centre. The magnet pulls it down flush. The only wall arc that went awry is the one nearest the camera below. For some reason the shape of the arc is a bit wonky. having printed out a template I stuck this to the foamboard, then made a 12-14mm inset all the way round, this was cut out to when I used my dremel for all the sculpted areas. The remaining edging strips formed the templates for the plasticard versions but somehow arc 'F' [as it's known] must have moved when I was tracing it onto the the pasticard, still nevermind, it'll do.

Next up I'll be starting the clay sculpting on the pad, something I'm looking forward to. This whole magnetizing aspect was preventing progress so although the hour spent doing it shows very little progress it's quite a hurdle overcome. However, the creation of the forcefield walls is an equally big hurdle but I can deal with that after I've sculpted the pad at least.

Handily I wrote on the pad some additional effort. The 1hr is for the magnetizing and then absentmindedly I retro explained the other two efforts as 'min' thinking I'd written 'max', look I am doing this at 11ish at night. The 2hr30 I think has already been added in my last update, but I think the 1hr 20 is some additional time somewhere, I'm not sure for what so lets just add it move on.

Tyranid Capillary Towers | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. | part 9. |

part 10. | part 11. | 

Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. |

A freebie - Tyranid Psychic markers

Yes, yes, yes I know it's time to stop bemoaning the fact we've lost the number 1 competitive edge we had as a force - Biomancy [question, what other races have access to that power?] and embrace the wonderful Tyranid Codex Powers of 2010, repackaged and reheated for 2014, lets hope we don't get Salmonella ;)

So I give you some 'fresh' 'new' totally FREE markers to keep up to date on what your bugs are doing. Sadly they only require 4 now, Warp Blast doesn't require one and if you can ever find someone who's not Fearless then you shouldn't need a reminder that you've pinned a unit, the shock will take care of that.

Just a reminder of my Patented method of constructing your own markers:

1. Print
2. Apply double sided tape to back
3. Stick to mounting card
4. Carefully apply sellotape to top if you want them pseudo-laminated
5. Cut out with craft knife/scalpel
6. Amaze your friends and enemies with these awesome Tyranid Psychic Markers
7. Tell them to visit 40kaddict.blogspot.com for their own free markers.

200 followers

Well it took considerably longer than 300,000 views but I finally got my 200th follower, or at least those who publicly admit to following me, I appreciate some may still be 'in the closet' about their hobby activities and that's fine, each to their own in this rich tapestry of life.

Thanks to all 200 of you for supporting the blog hopefully I can continue to deliver a variety of content that is both inspiring, informative, entertaining and where possible free downloads to further improve your own gaming activities. The blog wouldn't be what it is without you and I'd certainly be less inclined to put the effort in on a regular bases. Here's to the next 200 brave souls!

'nids part 119 - PROJECT Y Scratchbuilt Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad pt2.

This is only a small update really, although the actual process of moving forward with this was quite momentous. The foamboard landing pad base has been sat for a long time while I've progressed with the towers. I'd originally planned for these to run simultaneously but trying to ensure the pad slots in neatly is making a concurrent process more practical.

I scored some areas into the foam and then went at it with my Dremel-alike. Clearly I was a bit over-zealous in places where I've cut through the board completely. I now have doubts about the structural integrity which means I'm going to have add a mounting board base, which will stall proceedings as I don't have access to the board at home. Each join to the Capillary towers has been incrementally 'nibbled' to make a neat and tidy fit. If I'd have done this before fleshing out the towers this fit would not work.

I have only one piece of plasticard, I've had it for years and thought this would be the ideal opportunity to use it on the base for my detachable walls. 'A' is wrong, the nibbled joins means it's too long which could have been rectified if I hadn't put those to end bits on back to front. Essentially those will add a bit of support and join neatly to the walls. Luckily this cock up will provide me with a test bed for all my experimental goings on with the plastic cutlery. Incidentally I am drawing my inspiration for the excellent 18charlie.com, go check it out and see what crazy terrain they make over their out of the simplest of materials. I first saw their work on terra-genesis but I'm really glad they found a home to showcase the best of what they do.

So next up I have to add the base to the pad, which will allow me to do the clay sculpting on top but also I try adding magnets for the wall. Can't work out whether one would be sufficient or two which seems to make more sense may end up being overkill... it's these sort of thoughts that slow down progress.

Anyway, this has added a further 2 hours and 30 minutes to the project, depending on whether it's included in the Capillary Tower time or not. It actually seems like a lot of time for not very much but stripping back that foamboard is quite delicate even if my end results are not testament to this ;)

Tyranid Capillary Towers | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. | part 9. |

part 10. | part 11. | 

Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad | part 1. | part 2. | part 3. | part 4. | part 5. | part 6. | part 7. | part 8. |

The Great Devourer has come, he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

Well I have the new Codex and I've tried to put my first list together based on mainly what I've got :( It's probably due to taking two Flyrants but their my only viable options at the moment.

Meanwhile I think the Genestealers will be going into storage, but what of the Broodlord?! He's pointless now! No longer an upgrade so you can't have 4 Stealers and him and the Horror... oh the horror! The amount of armies you face that are Fearless. I mean it was bad before when you swapped out for Biomancy and rolled a Witch Fire spell but now we've no choice.

I may not have been using them much recently but they were always an option on bringing extra psychic abilities, scoring and the occasions where the Broodlord has tore someone apart. Now I don't think they'll come out the box unless I was feeling Masochistic but I think I can enjoy that attitude with pretty much everything else in the Codex!

Still it was £27 at my FLGs and with my second place winnings of £20 from their tournament I'm happy at that at least. I've just won a Carnifex and 3 new Warriors to convert to Hive Guard but given what I could get for 1500pts I'm not sure I should spend any more, except for Termagants, or maybe I'll just retrofit some Hormies...