It's been a while! Progress. Tyranid Prime construction.

It's been a long time coming.  I put these nids away for a long time and largely ignored them while I got on with Real Life.  I've kinda moved over to their construction for the most part and have actually got a bunch base coated.

I have 60 genestealers. Apparently not a lot? And loads of gaunts and about 28 plastic Maccragge spore mines - I would like more plastic ones, they're easier to deal with.  I have a couple of Trygons to build and I recently acquired a Carnifex with which to make the Tervigon using Chapterhouse's conversion kit.  I sincerely hope that they're able to make more after that nasty IP business is done with.

Most of my stealers are 2nd ed Space Hulk, the blue plastic ones.  Got most of them from eBay and a bunch from Craigslist.  Some new edition ones too, so it's a good mix.  I don't think I've paid full retail for a single piece of this army - I've either got it free (yes, free!) or used or at a discount.  Way to stick it to the man!

What I've been doing mostly is getting the small base models to a base coat stage.  I've primed them all lightly with white then gone at them with Army Painter's bone coloured spray. Must say I'm impressed - I got a lot of coverage from one can.  My intention after that is to block them in using a colour scheme similar to Hive Fleet Kraken, but not quite then dip them in Minwax.  My good friend Doc has done similar things with his nids and has had great results - his army really does look top drawer. It's been an inspiration, but I really don't want to have a copy of his army.

One of the used models I acquired was a very sorry looking 3rd ed Hive Tyrant.  It was in pieces in a safeway bag with some VERY badly painted stuff that I got from the strangest fellow you'd expect to meet.  Another story. It all went in Simple Green and the Tyrant managed to fall apart which made me smile.  One arm only was pinned on.  Very strange.  I must say as an aside I like the patina that Simple Green gives the metal models. You could almost drybrush it metal, wash it black and clearcoat it if you were doing a bare metal army! It would work as an alternative for Grey Knights.  I digress.

Given the slender nature of this chap, and the shape of his head I decided that he would be my Tyranid Prime, Alpha Warrior, whatever you wish to call it.  I have a mass of nid bits, and also got a new Hive Tyrant to make into a Swarmlord.  So I donated the new HT's lashwhip and bonesword and some scything talons from the bits box.

This has been my first real attempt at putting a model together with pins.  The greatest success was getting the tail to mate with the body.  I filed the ball flat off the tail to avoid trying to mate it with the socket and pinned it, throwing a flat piece of greenstuff between and trimming that off as it squeezed out. I tried a similar technique with the "collar", head and legs and it did take some messing around to get them to go together.  I had to file the socket on the right leg in an effort to make the leg sit against the body properly.  I'm so glad casting quality has improved - the new Hive Tyrant was a joy to assemble, if a little top heavy.

I packed the bottom of a 2" base with greenstuff so I could pin this wobbly chap to it, and put some on top where his feet would go to even the ground out for him.  You'll see cling film between his feet and the base for now while the greenstuff dries.

The left arm is setting up right now.  Hopefully the rest of this model goes together fairly well, setting me up in good stead for putting the Swarmlord together! :)