Jabberwocky Rises: Neurolictor Conversions

[Xenith]

So I've been away from the forums for a while, feeling a little hobby burn out and a new addiction to world of tanks, however I'm feeling the draw of the Shadow in the Warp with the imminent release of the codex.

In the meantime, I haven't been idle, coming up with a new basing scheme for the army (sector imperialis bases for a swarm army is too expensive), completing a carnifex, buying a bunch of stuff, mainly in the pursuit of plastic lictors. With that in mind, I present the first of it's kind:

It's made from a variety of parts: Warrior legs and torso, warrior rending claws, tyrant guard scything talons, venomthrope head, and I think looks great. I'll get some better pics up soon.

I've also finished a carnifex (incidentally, screamer killer), the first squad of termegants, and a spore mine.

Since I went crazy at the start of 8th, I have a bunch of stuff to build and paint including start collecting and brood progenitor boxes, and some stuff I picked up in trade:

1 Hive Tyrant

7 warrior bodies

17 gargoyles

30 or so gant/gaunt bodies

1 hive guard box

1 zoan/venomthrope box

1 tervigon/tyrannofex

2 ripper swarms

Whether or not these all get constructed as what is shown on the box is another matter. I have some conversion ideas.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Xenith

[Xenith]

Updates:

Since I started, I've made and painted a few models. From small to large:

Rippers

Sporelord

Carnifex

Army Shot

I swear I uploaded a photo of the carnifex from the front. I'll have a look for it.

Thanks for looking!

[Xenith]

Base colours all down on the Lictor and the exoskeleton has been shaded, just the washes on the carapace now, and the white highlights, then to the brain eating. 

[jbaeza94]

I like your colors, kinda like an article theme. Keep it up!

[Xenith]

More progress on the Lictor, all base colours done.

This pic is from a couple of days ago and I've actually finished and based him now, will post pics shortly.

[Bukimimaru]

Love the kit-bash lictor!

Have you played any games with them yet?

[Xenith]

Love the kit-bash lictor!

Have you played any games with them yet?

 

Nothing yet, I've only really just got them into a legal army - If I count the solo warrior as a prime. I totted up my totals and I'm at just over 500pts or so in the new codex. Kind of want to swap the carnifex carapace out for the spore cyst one though...

[Bukimimaru]

I wouldn't worry too much about the specific carapace / heads. Most people wont have any idea what all the different heads / bodies actually do, and those that will be aware will know what a ball ache it is to keep them current and probably wont mind. lol.

As long as you are clear with letting your opponent know whats what, I cant see it being a problem.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Bukimimaru

[Xenith]

Lictor finished and based. I might revisit it at somepoint and improve the blending on the scytals, but he's good for now.

I wouldn't worry too much about the specific carapace / heads. Most people wont have any idea what all the different heads / bodies actually do, and those that will be aware will know what a ball ache it is to keep them current and probably wont mind.

True dat. I still like to by WYSIWYG though! I really think spore cysts is the way to go, spinebanks dont even compare.

[Xenith]

So my local store still had a death storm set kicking around. It is now mine! More meat for the fleet.

[Xenith]

Merry Christmas all!

 

Family has been very kind this year and got me a Hive Crone and 2017 Tyranid Start Collecting set - this takes my broodlord total up to about 5 and my stealer total to something like 74. It'll be fun if I ever get them all painted!

[Xenith]

So I have made a start on a few nids after finishing my blight hauler, first up is a test genestealer

I wanted the blue body with pink head combo to harken back to second ed genestealers, and also tie in with the screamer pink soft bits I've gone with. Not sure if it's worked - I might have to play with my shading a little.

Also on the paint bench are another 8 hormies, and the last two hive guard.

[Draakur]

Cool beans :tu: The scheme is as striking as I'd guessed it would be, keep at it!

[Xenith]

Cool beans The scheme is as striking as I'd guessed it would be, keep at it!

 

Thanks! Tyranid modelling continues apace. 4 more stealers built to make a legal squad. Might just make up the remaining 3 for 8 total, and get a second acid maw.

 

I've also rebased this guy onto a 32mm, they look waaay better...

[Xenith]

Aaand another 8 hormies finished, taking my total to 12. These guys are real killers and I might have to start painting them in batches of 5 or work out how to do them faster/more efficiently. 

 

As it stands, that puts me at 2 troop choices, 1 elite, 1 heavy support, and need to finish one hive guard and one ripper base to have min sized units. After that I need a HQ and am thinking of a Neurothrope to keep things cheap and cheerful for now.

 

Aim to upload pics tomorrow.

[Xenith]

As promised, a photo of the latest broodlings

and the obligatory horde shot:

Painted nids:

12 hormagaunts

10 termagants

2 ripper swarms

2 hive guard

1 warrior

1 lictor

1 carnifex

1 spore mine

[Guest Triszin]

awesome. vibrant and awesome

[spafe]

Very very nice scheme!

[Xenith]

Thanks guys!

 

The blue is a pain in the ass, however I think I'm just out of practice from painting pretty much only power armour the past few years. Need to keep up the motivation, and refine the scheme to make painting go faster.

[Xenith]

Over the weekend I finished up the ripper bases:

And I got a pic of the swarm:

[Xenith]

So I've been working on teh contents of the new Start Collecting! Boxed set I got for Christmas. From painting space marines, I know my tolerance for models is 5 at a time - production liner I am not - so here's 5 nearly done stealers:

Base colours are all down, and I just need to wash and highlight, then do the bases.

[Hive Fleet Manticore]

Looking good. I've been distracted by experimental paint schemes on some 'Stealers myself recently.

[Xenith]

So bases done last night, here's a gribbly horde shot

Looking good. I've been distracted by experimental paint schemes on some 'Stealers myself recently.

Thanks man! Yea, stealers are part of the horde, but not of it, if that makes sense. You can go a bit more crazy.

[Xenith]

So my painted force sits at a paltry 338 pts, and has no HQ choices, so my task for this weekend is to convert a Neurothrope to lead the army until I build my Tyrant. 

 

Going against the grain, I really like zoanthropes, so made up 3 basic guys. I got an extra brain head from a bitz site to make a neurothrope head, and I get the spare torso on the sprue. Now I just need to come up with some kind of tail/abdomen for it.

[Xenith]

So I finally pulled my finger out and finished off the last hive guard. I think I had myself convinced they were harder to paint than they were, and hesitated for a long time. I'm gradually speeding up with my paint scheme, and the last guy took a couple of hours.

Hive Guard

I also put together 3 zoanthropes that I've been sitting on for ages - I've been trying to maximise what I can do withthis kit, so used the Neurothrope parts to make a HQ. I'm also sticking venomthrope torsos onto warrior legs as warriors are cheaper! Pics to come later

Zoans

With the addition of the hive guard, I now have about 500pts of painted nids, but no HQ choice. This weekend I fixed that and made up a Neurothrope with the spare bitz from the zoanthrope box.

The brain is a spare i bought from a bitz site with this express idea in mind, the thorax is a gargoyle torso and tail, with the wing-holes green stuffed over.

I've also added some more chitin plates to cover up some blank space, and undercoated the model.

Neurothrope