Tyranid Paint Guide

I’ve already posted about painting Tyranids, so I’m posting this mainly to have a clear record for myself of the method and paints used.  If it’s useful to Someone else, that’s an added bonus.

Step1: undercoat/basecoat of Khemri Dust from a can.

Step 2:  wash with GW Reikland Flesh Shade.

Step 3:  drybrush with Vallejo Iraqi Sand

Step 4 & 5:  apply contrast paint.  Blood Angels Red for exposed muscle, joints and ‘tubes’; Black Templar for the carapace and talons/hooves.

Step 6 & 7: two layers of GW Athonian Camoshade on the Fleshborer.  Finally teeth pick out in off white/ivory, and yellow for the eyes.  I also added a little Carroburg Crimson shade around the jaw where the softer tissue would be.

The usual basing technique (but using ‘winter’ static grass, to suggest the Tyranid presence is corrupting the biosphere), and he’s ready to terrorise the enemy with his pals.

I also did a few Genestealers (from 2nd edition Space Hulk).  Same technique, except the heads and hands had a liberal wash of Carroburg Crimson shade to get that classic pinky purple look.

More Space Dwarfs

I’ve been painting up a few more Rogue Trader Era Squats.  Some of them got a preview in the jungles a post or two ago.  I actually started them a couple of months back, but I wasn’t feeling it and put them on the back burner.  Something about painting the Tyranids unlocked them, and I finished them in an evening or two.

They’re all from the era when 40k didn’t take itself too seriously and were named accordingly in the adverts at the time

Smoothbore Sten, Heckler Smith, maxim bang

Barry Schmeisser, Mauser Von Dreyse

Next up, a couple from the command, and heavy weapons packs.

Sgt Bylcow, Brew Ithica

Loader Powl

Make it Dirty! (Scatter terrain)

 Looking at the photos I took of my 40k game, I concluded that some of scenery pieces just looked too neat.  Some muck was needed urgently!

Cue weathering being added with a mix of washes, dry brushing, and torn up sponge.

Much better!

The barrels got a liberal wash of Agrax Earthshade, then Rhinox hide applied with a torn up washing up sponge.  The crates are VJ Luftwaffe Camo Green, Athenian Camoshade, then very light drybrush of Elysian Green, before having some chain mail applied with a sponge on corners and wherever they might get bashed.

The  container got a subtle application of Earthshade to recesses - bolts, hinges, joints etc - which was immediately wiped down with a sponge; always going the same direction so that any shade that remained looked like streaks.  The floor and ceiling inside was painted with Black Templar contrast.

There’s something loose in the woods!

Grrrrr!

After looking into  40k second edition, and painting a few old models, I decided to give it a go.  Given I was using very few models I fudged a few things to my taste, like allowing individual models to go on overwatch rather than the whole squad.

Kurt’s company, a mixed human and squat mercenary force, have been hired by a harassed Imperial Governor to investigate attacks on the scattered human settlements of Barker’s World. Reports have just come in of an attack on a truck resupplying a nearby outpost and a squad has been despatched to investigate.

From left to right: Cap, Spots, Blondie, Two-Tone, and Mustard.

As the squad approaches the buildings they can’t escape the feeling they’re being watched.

[as they near the buildings, they trigger to Termagants to deploy]

On point, Mustard spots something moving to the left.  

He hunkers down on overwatch in the cover of the container while Blondie and Two Tone go to investigate.

Moving around one of the prefabs, Blondie finds himself face to face with a termagant and instinctively despatches it with his bolt pistol - only to be charged by another one leaping from the bushes; although it strikes him, his flak armour absorbs the blow.

Surprise!

Blam!!!

As if a signal has been given, more Termagants appear from behind the other prefab, triggering a hurried snapshot from Mustard, which misses. 

Joined by Cap and Spots, a desultory firefight ensues, which is ended by a well placed frag grenade from Cap, despatching one Termagant and causing the other two to flee.

On the left, things aren’t going so well for the squats, as one Termagant slays Blondie and follows up into Two Tone, and the other two manoeuvre around to the squat’s rear.

Cap’s flak armour and pack shrug off a cheeky shot from a Termagant behind him. Alerted to the threat, he returns fire. 

His and Spots’ combined firepower finish off another Termagant, while Two Tone wrestles down a finishes off the one attacking him.  The remaining Termagant on the left flees back into the safety of the jungle.

With one group of aliens dealt with, and the other hiding behind the furthest prefab, things are looking pretty good for the squats - until an almighty crashing and splintering of wood announces something monstrous emerging from the jungle behind them.

Rargh!

The plucky Squats turn to face this new threat and unleash everything they have on it but, to their shock, nothing even scratches it.

Charging forward, swinging man sized swords crackling with energy, the creature smashes Mustard to the ground. But, undeterred, the hardy squats fight back; weight of numbers prevails and they manage to drag the monster to the ground and finish it off.

Finally, the remaining two Termagants rally and charge the squats but, their blood up, the short hairy ones make short work of the aliens.

And so it’s all over.  The Squats have lost two of their own, but decisively defeated their ambushers, and have evidence to take back to the governor of what’s out there.

Ok, so narratively that was more of a Rogue Trader game, but huge fun.  Second edition really for mostly feel like a tidied up version of RT - only one movement phase, BS influencing blast weapons etc.  I really don’t get the close combat changes though.  It feels more complicated (though that could just be new to me) and one sided - there’s no chance for both sides to cause wounds.  I think I may just resort back to RT combat (if it’s good enough for Old World…).

Alien dinosaur bug things from outer space!!!

Or Tyranids, as they’re more commonly known.

Last week my friend Matt sent me scuttling down a rabbit hole, by innocently asking if I had any Imperial Guard models from second edition 40k.  Of course the answer would be ‘no’… mine are mostly earlier than that!

In fact, I’ve not really played 40k since Rogue Trader, despite collecting a few models here and there; I’d never even had or read the second edition.  However, the text conversation that followed led to much googling, acquisition of pdf rule books of iffy provenance, and reading. I can’t say how it compares to modern 40k, but to me it felt very familiar - Rogue Trader with the edges knocked off, and many of the suggested rules I recall reading in White Dwarf.

So I’m going to dig out some of my old guard models for a spruce up and maybe a game or two. However that means mustering the courage for a raid on the attic.  Not a task to take on lightly! In the meantime I had the bug to paint some 40k.  Hang about, isn’t there a box with all the models from Space Hulk and Advanced Space Crusade nearby? Yes there is, including a handful of Tyranid Termagants I’d gathered on a whim some years ago. These were the sort of models I wanted to get on the table, but didn’t inspire the motivation to spend ages bulk painting a unit - but perhaps there was an easier way?

Turns out there was.  I decided to try and come up with a recipe that would allow quick painting of a load of models to a decent tabletop standard. I wanted a look that harked back to the first Rogue Trader ‘nids’, which were a kind of bone colour, rather than the ultra colourful ones from the 90s or the modern purple and white - and maximised use of ‘quick’ techniques like spray undercoats, washes, drybrushing and some contrast paints.

Everything started with a spray of Khemri Dust, which was then washed with Reikland Flesh Shade.  

When that was dry it was time for a drybrush with VJ Iraqi Sand.  Weapons got successive washes of Athenian Camoshade to give them a different tone, and details picked out with red contrast paint (and a bit of Sigvald Burgundy where I wanted things to be a bit more vile). 

The carapace got a layer of Black Templar contrast.  I was originally going to try ‘Deathly Visage’ to give a purple tinge, but it had as much pigment a white coat in a bleach factory.  The black turned out better than I hoped - the tan and sand colours underneath came through and left a nice organic look.

All in all, this lot were done over two evenings, about an hour or two each time.  Leaving me feeling use achieved both my speed and appearance aims 😀.

Now I just need to find bases for a few more Warriors, and muster the Space Hulk genestealers! Oh, and stop the cat drinking from my brush water…

It’s 

Knight Time!

 In August I hit the big half century, hooray….

On the upside, my sister bought me a box of the Wargames Atlantic foot knights as a birthday pressie (thanks Nikki!) and I’ve finally found time to assemble and paint a few.

I have to say it’s a very nice, versatile kit.  There are loads of Weapon and head options, and the assemble really easily.

My first few will play the role of Guy of Gisburne and henchmen, going up against Robin Hood.  The colours are a nod to the soldiers from the Robin of Sherwood TV series.  The kettle helmet is from the Frostgrave Soldiers kit as a bit of an experiment in compatibility.

I’ve also assembled and painted one to order for the big miniature.  This one will join her Viking and jousting knight on her bookshelf. The surcoat and helmet colours, and the wyvern charge on the shield were her requests - the Wyvern chosen as the symbol of Wessex, where I grew up.

While I had the glue out I also had a bit of another kitbash, combining a Frostgrave soldier body with the arm and weapons from the Wargames Atlantic Einherjar sprue to make an irregular/ scavenger type. Paint job is quite basic, but I think it proves the can work.