Hive Fleet Nocturne: Tyrannocytes, Mawloc, and Trygon

Finally made myself get these photographed. I am wincing a bit as the paint jobs are rough but they are done and I am willing to live with that....sort of.

This is the first time I have used my new lights for a photo shoot. I used some sheets of foam core as the base and background. I have been planning on doing hobby videos for Youtube just to explain and demonstrate some of the simpler techniques I use. So I ordered a couple of cheap single-light units and a Blue Yeti microphone and stand, I just need to learn how to edit video. The first one is explaining casting using silicon rubber and resin.

Mawloc
The Mawloc has a much more sinister profile I think, having used a carnifex torso which is smaller than the one that comes with the kit. This necessitated the sculpting of an extra armour plate at the torso/pelvis join. As Slovak noted in the previous post, the grip plates were cast, then heated with a heat gun to bend them into shape. And I can not stress just how useful a heat gun is for these projects so it is a useful tool if you can spare the funds.

Trygon
The Trygon is a FW model that I have had for about 10 years I think. I like the base work especially as I liked the image of the Trygon burrowing up and snaking around a ruined Imperial statue, the column slowly collapsing as the Trygon emerges from the ground. I also included a burst pipe with Termagants emerging to represent the ability of the Trygon to allow another unit to emerge from it's tunnel.

The Red Terror
Not much of a paint job to look at. I just wanted to point out that the broken, corrugated conduit on it's base is a plastic bendy straw. There were a few single models I completed like this one, a Ravener, and a Tyrant Guard. I may take a photo of them later.

The future
I recently just completed a Stone Crusher Carnifex and am 50% through the second one (with one more Carnifex on deck after that. And the paint jobs are rushed but... I just want this stuff done. After the Fexes, I still have 3 Venomthropes, 5 Zoanthropes and a Neurothrope, A Lictor and Death Leaper, and finally 10 each of termagants and Hormagaunts. Then on to the Eldar which will involve my first attempt at painting an army with an air brush.

Hive Fleet Nocturne: Tyranocyte

I have been working on the nids for since January and while I do not have all of the photos downloaded yet, I will post a few and get around to photographing the rest. So far I have completed 20 Genestealers, 1 Patriarch, 6 Warriors, 1 FW Trygon, 1 Mawlock, 1 Tyrant Guard, 1 Ravener, 1 Red Terror, a Tervigon, and a Tyranocyte. I have been rushing these as I am looking to get as much done as possible and they are strictly table top quality. I have been having issues not only with my eyes but also with arthritic pain (growing older sometimes blows) so I have been looking to get a large volume of models done.

For now I have a few Mawlock and Tyranocyte shots. Still working on two more Tyranocytes before I am off in Carnifex land. An endless horde indeed.

First off the Mawlock. I used a Carnifex torso as I was using the larger Mawlock torso for an Old One Eye conversion. The Mawlock looks a lot more hunched and sinister. And while I understand that the torso is not convenient for a burrowing creature, neither is a burrowing creature of this size that can travel through the earth at speed. So....yeah.

The 3 Tyranocytes have been modeled to represent 3 different phases of the pods descent through the atmosphere. One is modeled with all armoured flaps out and the bottom tentacles retracted; the second has the 3 back panels open with the tentacles extending to the ground; the third has all armoured panels closed and is supported on it's tentacles. This model is the second phase. I used a heat gun to bend the tentacles. if you try this for the first time be very careful as it is easy to melt the styrene plastic with a heat gun. Keep the gun in constant motion so that you heat the piece evenly. 

PS
Yes I did get lazy about sealing all of the the gaps between the plates. Like I said, table top quality.

Hive Fleet Nocturne: Genestealers and Warriors

Just a quick post. I powered through 7 new warriors (including the Prime). I also completed another 20 Genestealers and the Space Hulk Patriarch. I spent some time on the Patriarch but at least one of the photos is slightly out of focus.

I will do another set of photos just to show the conversion work. the painting is not by best but hey, I guess this is me getting older. Arthritic hands and a worsening diminished near-sighted ability (even with my bifocals) has made it harder so I focused more on getting them table-top ready. While I did incorporate some of of the Space Hulk Stealers because they look good and I have them, I did convert a lot of regular multi-part stealer kits as well as  some extensive re-positioning on the warriors. That should be up by tomorrow.

So for now a group shot of the work All but the 6 warriors on the back-right and the back row of genestealers are the newly completed models. Have moved on to the Forge World Trygon that has been unfinished for many years. 

Hive Fleet Nocturne: Tyranid Prime

So I have grit my teeth and am forcing myself to work on Nids. The point is to focus my attention on the massive model backlog I already possess in order to prevent myself from acquiring new models/armies. For example the new Custodes release is very tempting, especially those jetbike models.

So anyway I decided I needed a Tyranid Prime and sourced the head piece from a bits service. When I finally started working on the model is when I realized that the Prime model also includes extended shoulder and back armour. Rather than waiting I decided to do a delve into a rather extensive Nid bits box and came up with what you see below. I added some of the extra armour pieces to the model's back and used a ripper to represent a snapping tail.

The swords are from the Hive Tyrant kit as I wanted the Prime to have different looking swords than the warriors it leads. They are a little on the large side but mostly work. The hands are a bit large but they do not attract a lot of attention. In recognition of this though I have named this beast Lana.

Lighting for the photos sucks as I just held it under a lamp.

Legio Gryphonicus Reaver Ferrum Ira (banners)

I actually used chain to mount these banners. the hooks on the banner bars are made from the same pinning stock I used to mount Filum Sector's banners. Since Ferrum Ira had a more menacing, shooting pose I felt it would add to the model to have the banners hanging down and looking like they are being rippled by a slow breeze as the titan takes aim.

The Honour Banner hangs a little low but I am not looking forward to trying to re-hook the banner so it is staying there. I expect that it would make a persistence knocking sound as the titan moved. I had thought of a story about a previous Princeps, Devram Soluhn, who had ordered the banner raised prior to his first outing as commander of Ferrum Ira. Unfortunately a series of explosions in a promethium refinery overloaded Ferrum's void shields, meaning that the wild Macro Canon shot fired from an enemy engine encountered no resistance as it traveled straight at the titans cockpit. The entire crew was lost in that single shot, and Ferrum Ira was left as battlefield wreckage until the campaign had been won and it was retrieved and refitted. Pallox Mourve, the current Princeps, had the  banner returned to it's traditional position, fearing that the machine's spirit had been insulted by the actions of the previous Princeps. That single battle with Devram Soluhn is the only time Ferrum Ira had fallen in battle.

I have yet to change the Titan's name on the leg and put it on the scroll work on the carapace. Still this beast is table-top ready. Now will I ever get a chance to field it?
Probably not but I am happy with how my titan maniple has turned out.

Legio Gryphonicus Warhound Filum Sector (with banners)

I am holding off on the Legio banners as they are going to be more work than I want to do for the titans right now. I think I need a bit of a break from such a large project.

The banners for Filum Sector include the two Kill Banners hanging from the weapons and the Honour Banner hanging between the legs. As I had modeled the Warhound as if it is stalking forward I wanted the banners to contribute to the impression of forward movement.

Originally I was going to use fine chain to hang the banners but did not like the options I can up with to get them to hang backwards as if being blown by wind. in truth some low viscosity superglue probably could have provided a fine enough coating to hold the chains in place but I decided to go a different route. Years ago I had purchased some cheap bracelets that were essentially fine metallic springs. So I used wire stock to pin the banners in place and then slid a sheath of wire coil around this to give it a more cabled look. The Kill banners are hanging by magnets and can be easily removed for transport. The Honour Banner is glued in.

Both titans still require decals but again, I want a break from this. This was also a good excuse to try out the new lighting rig I ordered. It can be used for miniature photography too and it seems to have worked fairly well.