I had a go at sponging the carapaces after I felt like I wasn’t getting want I wanted from fading three colors.

So instead of what I’d done before, I based the carapaces with Phoenician purple. Then, going left to rights, top to bottom I sponged on the other 7 colours applying randomly as I seen fit which gave me a look that I loved.

For the body I used the below paints.

I had also been experimenting with fluoresce paint so gave that a go I’d always liked the idea of my Nid’s having evolved after eating an Avatar like world.

I used Contrast Gryph-Hound Orange as the base like before, by for highlight I mixed Orange fluoresce in with my normal Fire Dragon Bright and Lugganath Orange highlights.  I couldn’t just us the fluoresce on it’s own as it was to bright and plasticly looking.

When I finished the wings on all the models, something felt off. I happened at the time to be doing the tongues so had pink on my brush so as a though I used it to edge a wing.  It instantly made the wing pop so I decided that I’d highlight all the wings edges, but darken down the pink as it was to bright.  I also wondering what it would look like with fluoresce so I mixed about of that in too.

For a laugh I used the same mix to edge the carapace and again it just made it pop plus the glow was cool.

Really happy with how these turned out and can’t wait to see what my Warriors which I’m working on next, will look like.

Start of build and painting this guy as normal, but once I finished painting I got the idea to add the impaled Marine.  Wish I had thought on it sooner as it would have been easy to do as I wouldn’t need to have worried about ruining the existing paint.

To make it look right I had to cut the arm off and rotate it then use greenstuff to recreate the join.  For support, as well as glue, there is a metal pin coming out of the figure and into the Marine.

For the gore, I dipped a tooth brush on Blood of the Blood God and flick it, then brush it a swell.

Not sure about the base.  I was trimming spurs and the pile of bits lot interesting so I pile them on, then added sand to fill in gaps.

I have two Exorine/Haruspex’s kits that I have magnetized the heads of so that can be swapped.

I built the head of one Exorine and then added my own flare with unused hand from Zoanthropes as side horns.  Blade from Hive Tyrant kit as head horn and thump from same hand as chin horn.   And for some reason part of the hands from Venomthropes.  I like the idea of painting this with a glow as if liquid is flowing through it.

Once I finished the first head, I didn’t want the second to be the same so had an idea that kinda got carried away.  I was thinking about creating a gun much like a turret and after looking through my bits box I found the leftover Cannons from a Hive Guard kit.  It started with just three in a triangle and looking for something to hold them together, which is were the base of a Broodlord came in.

It looked a bit plain and I was wondering how to hold it together and attach to the head and look natural.  Being a Bio-Weapon I liked the idea of having a bile sack holding liquid acid.  The boils are the cut of balls of arms that were magnetized from other models.

Out of curiosity I held a spare cannon up to the side and liked to look it gave, so decided to add them.  To make the arms not look like arms I wrapped wire around the them, then smooth off with putty to make them look like coils feeding the weapons.  That meant I had 5 guns, and after checking the book and seeing that it was a six shoot weapon I though it made sense to add the last bottom at the bottom of the original tripod.

I also decided to take spare Crush Claws from Hive Guard kit as used them to create the mandibles on the head as I can’t avoid being normal. 🙂

Completed Warrior Leader with couple of primed weapons for show.

Been working on 2 Exocrine/Haruspex

Was originally going to do one of each but after seeing how easy it was to swap the heads I magnetized them and the weapons.

Build one body so far and the Exocrine/Haruspex head for it.

Built the head of second Haruspex, but didn’t want it to look the same so cut the tongue at the base and replaced it with Lash Wipe from Tyrant guard kit and Toxic Lashes from left of Venomthrope kit.

Made a custom set of spine fists using the barrel ends of left over Hive Guard Shock Cannons.

Also used one for a tail end

Got a bit carried away with customizing.

Used the tips of Flash hooks to add spikes to the Prime’s head.

Used tentacles from venomthrope on the Prime’s shoulders

Used left over bone swords from Hive Guard  to create a tail.

Been working on this guy on an off between doing other building/painting. Since this is the first big Monster I wanted to take time between each painting session to feel out the look.
I kinda messed up the Carapaces look that I was originally going for by over washing and darkening the Purple too much, but still happy with it a learning for next time.
All the Carapace is dry Brushed, over a Abaddon Black base. First I use Xereus Purple, then Sotek Green, Barharroth Blue and Skink Blue. And little flick of thinned white scar on the edges.
Main body is Gryph-Hound Orange based. Fire Dragon Bright, Lugganath Orange and KindleFlame for highlights. All then washed over with Fuegan Orange.
Venom Sacks is Death Guard Green base. Then Loren Forest with Moot Green highlights. Washed with Agrax Eathershade and finished with Waystone Green.
Weapons and Claws/spikes. SkavenBlight Dinge base with Stomevermin Fur and Dawnstone highlights washed with Nuln Oil.

The tail is magnetized so I can swap it once I paint the other two options. I was going to so the same for the weapons, but couldn’t be arsed after trying a messing it up on another Trygon model. He got put to the way side because of that and I did the Prime instead and just glued the arms in after painting. Also since this was first big model, kinda wanted it to be a show piece for future reference so I was OK with static arms. I have since learned how to do magnets better and have with others models)

I was experimenting with GreenStuff World Colo shift, so when going to varnish the Carapace with ArdCoat, I mixed in some Cobalt Blue (about 1/3) just so you get a little glint of blue.

To make the Head Crest. I took the Scything blade weapon from left over Hive Guard kit and cut it across the Knuckles.

First Genestealer that I started during the weekender finished.  I can’t help go into detail, and spending time trying different things but know I have the general look, the rest should be quicker.

First Gargoyle complete.  Went through a number of ideas for the wing membrane colour before getting advice from a GW staff member in Belfast, to use a very thin contrast Shyish purple.

After, I used Pink Horror to try a show veins.  I think they stick out too much, so next one I’m going to try doing the veins on the wraithbone base before painting the membrane.  Since Contrast is see though and I’ll be thinning it more, hopefully this gives a more blended look.

Might get the Genestealer or Gargoyle finished today

Completed my Red Terror.  This was a bugger to build as thr tail didn’t seem to be molded correctly or something.   Iended up having to cut it then use greenstuff to join together again just to get it to sit properly.

Used same painting method as Lictor, except for trying out ardcoat on the Carapaces and drybrushing some Blood God paint on the talons and mouth, so old dried blood look.

First really detailed model I’ve painted.  Was putting it off because of that, but finally gave it a go after accidentally finding a difference way of doing the Carapaces.

I had a really watery Purple on my wet palette and decided to wipe my brush on a bit of black on a test stick.  I liked the effect it gave of a purple sheen over the black so decided to give it a go on a model.

After doing the Purple, I then did the same with the a few blue tones and loved the look.

It’s not really viable in the photos but I thinned some Soteck Green and used it like a wash in the little grill like parts if the body which created a bit of a glow against a similar thinned Abaddon black

Normally I’d do the claws and weapons with Skavenblight Dinge with Skavenblight Fur and Dawnstone highlights, but for some I added a bit of Tyrant Skull to a hoof which gave them a bit of a dirty look so did the rest the same way as I’d image they wouldn’t be too clean anyway.

There a still a number of streak marks, but my painting has improved which is encouraging.

I went to the 40K weekender and picked another box of the Tyranids starter set.

I had hoped to have gotten them all built and base coated so I could play a game, but I arrived late of Friday (around 4pm) which put me behind, and then got carried away with a couple of conversions.

Since I only had the weekend to build, I had decided early to do the whole set based with Contrast Orange rather that having to mix my own orange and then wash etc.. Plus I though it would be good overall test of contrast.

Below are photos of where I got to with the Genestealers and Trygon. The Broodlord was built and primed but I’m keeping it hidden as I’ve though of a idea for him that I might do if I can follow through as it technical would be an entire new project build around this idea.  I’m existed about the thought of it, but thinking it’s a lot more work and I still haven’t gotten a battle ready army with my first project.

I could have gotten a bit more painting on them done, but I painted a few of my other models that I had brought so I could mas prime, but will leave them for their own update as their not finished.

Anyways, the weekender was  fun and nice to meet with a chat with others which allow me to get and share ideas with others.

I’d done something similar with one of the Genestealers from the first starter set I gotten (but not yet painted), so decided to do it again but slightly different.

After doing one conversion, I couldn’t help but do another.  I had no Scything Talons left and didn’t really want to do Rending Claw and normal hands, so I had a look root around my left overs box which had part from all my builds and not just the weekender, and my eyes stopped of the claws of the Hive Guard.  The had claws in the name so figured they’d do.

The arms do look slightly larger, but this guy was pumping irons but missed leg and other arms day.

Lastly,  I had run out of Scything Talons and Rendering claws and didn’t want to put normal hands on. So, Since I was building a Trygon, I used some of the leftover piece.

The front arms are the smallest Scything Talons of the Mawloc.  The back arms are the month mandibles of the normal Trygon.

The shell is the Head carapace of a Trygon Prime cut into it’s sections, then rebuilt with the pieces turned, so that the overlap was correct.  E.g. the back piece A, is now the front piece and using the colored lines you can see how the pieces are reconnected. E.g. The orange purple line of C which was originally connected to D is now connected to B where A was original connected.

I love how Tyranids lend themselves to customized as you can created anything and just pass it off as the Hive Mind experimenting with new variants.  Or at least that’s how I justify it :).

Glued some spurs together then primed them and painted both sides so as to do shade and colour tests.

I wasn’t sure about the yellow before so was trying Teal. I really liked the way it popped, but I also noticed in my colour test Purple was cool too.  So since O could’t decide I tried all three and like the effect.  Very alien looking and reminds for of Avater with the glow.

Once I got into building I liked the way you could customize the look and position of limbs etc..

Added a lot of extra Armour to a Termie so as to give the idea he’s the unit leader even though it’s not a thing.  Used a bit of heat to bend the tails of a few too.

Went a bit wild with a Genstealer and give it 8 limbs by doing a bit of DYI to merge two arms together. Then used the head from a ripper just cause I could.