Status Update

My ever-dynamic employment situation is nearing stabilization, for better or worse, so I've decided to post a quick progress report on my Nids. Since this is more for my own sanity, I decided to forgo the light box and just use the built in flash...better pictures will come after I'm done basing and applying Dullcote.

Hormagaunts

The hormagaunts are lookin' pretty saucy. I've always thought it would make more sense for these babies to come out of a tervigon, but what do I know. This is probably my favorite GW troop model...they look very dynamic. If it didn't  make such poor strategic sense, I would do a hormagaunt-exclusive army, maybe with some deepstriking carifexes and a swarmlord. I'm just not wild about shooty nids. I know that the fluff supports it, but it still seems sort of a copout that the symbiotes look like guns.

Carnifex & Trygon

The trygon needs basing and a shot of the old Dullcote, but I'm pretty pleased at how it has come out. The 'fex is my altime favorite painted model I've been putting off basing it, but the time is coming...I'd like to have one more carnifex with the scything talons and crushing claws. I'd also like a Malwoc, just because I love the rules and I think it looks great.

Termagants

So these are the termagants from the 8 dollar box, so they are quite "samey". I'm going to mix them with other vanilla termagants from the combo troop box...more on those later.

Various nasties...they are not as red as in this pic.

-Sigh- So the venomthrope and lictor are finished except for Dullcote, as is the tyrant guard (2 more guard are in the pipeline) The swarmlord is awaiting the 4 boneswords from the post below.

Warriors...come out to play...

My 6 warriors, 1 that needs dipping, and all need basecoating and Dullcote.

Spinegaunts and Rippers

Spinegaunts and a single one with a devourer, along with some ripper swarms. I have 5 more ripper swarms primed, and 8 or 9 more gaunts with devourers.

Genestealers

Two units of genestealers with my least favorite model of all time (aesthetically), the broodlord. It doesn't help that I painted him to look like he's wearing a red bikini.

Gargle with Ymargl

My small group of Ymargl Genestealers, a few of which I accidently dropped completely in the dip (it was late)...they will eventually have to be fixed.

Zoanthrope Conclave

And finally, my lovely zooeys, ready for Dullcote.

On the painting bench: another 20 gaunts, one zoanthrope, 2 tyrant guard, 5 ripper swarms, and a unit of gargoyles (you can see them above in the hormagaunt pic). On the modeling side, I have a nearly finished Doom of Malan'tai, and I'd like to model two tervigons, a tyrannofex, and a half dozen mycetic spores. I also need to buy a carnifex and a hive tyrant. But the end is near!

And the Winner Is...

Faolain!


Congratulations...a Zooey and Lictor are on their way.

Faolain has a nifty blog called Awakening Ynnead, a very neat site that ranges into more territory than my humble blog. I invite you all to head over there..he will be conducting his own giveaway soon!

Post-Adepticon

Well, Adepticon has come and gone. I took about 300 pictures and took a few painting classes that were quite informative. And thanks to the great people I met there.

I also took advantage of the complete nonexistence of sales tax and bought just about everything I needed to finish my Nids, and I got a complete set of waches plus some other neat stuff.

Click for a bigger pic. This is my workspace as of 5 minutes prior to this post.The funny thin is that my actual "work" desk is directly to the left of this desk.

On it, you can see the assembly line, and it works well for the most part. Those 4 little objective markers in front of the Trygon are from Ramshackle Games, and they are little carnivorous plants.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! No, I mean it this time!

Mishap

I had a small accident yesterday. Remember the hormagaunts from two posts back? Well, I'm at the wash stage of all 16 of them. So they're lined up in a row, and i realize that I'm REALLY late to pick up the kids from school, so I grab my jacket and run out of my office.

What i didn't realize was that the jacket pulled 5 of the 'gaunts onto the ground. When I returned to the office that evening, I rolled my chair straight over them in a tidy line.

Luckily, I managed to make really clean breaks where the hoof meets the base slot. a little superglue fixed up just fine. Will they stand the test of time? Who knows.

Venomthrope: 50%  finished
Trygon: 80% finished.
Hormagaunts: 75% finished.

Next up: Ymargl Genestealers, Termagants, and....NOISE MARINES!

After that, I'm going to tackle magnetizing with my first vehicles...a set of Rhino/Predators.

The assembly line cranks on

Finally painted and sealed the remaining 8 spinegaunts. My nids are starting to look fairly substantial.

Tyranids left to paint::
32 gaunts
16 termagants
8 genestealers
3 ripper swarms
3 warriors
2 gargoyles

It seems like a lot, but i hav a system going.

I am going to Games Plus in Mt. Prospect  tomorrow to pick up at least a Trygon or two and possibly a box of 10 plastic gargoyles. Oh yeah, and the Tyranid codex, which came out today.

Happy Thanksgiving

Had a great Thanksgiving...nice and low key.

AND, I finished the Lictor!

And the Gaunts are coming along. This is from earlier, but I have 8 of the 16 finished.

A bit of progress

I'm falling into that trap where a million things get started and nothing gets completed. (click on any for larger views)

OMG was this a difficult model to build. The delineations between carapace and "soft bits" are a bit off, making it impossible to create regions of color...think Escher. I got distracted while painting this and ended up with a non-logical color scheme. But it's "internally" consistent, and after the nightmare of pinning this thing, I was glad to call it a day. Hopefully, the new codex will nerf this thing.

The second gargoyle is finished. I have read rumors that there are plastic gargoyles coming, which will be a welcome relief. The pinning of these is yet another frustrating adventure.

Work in Progress Lictor. No crazy pinning quite yet (except for one that goes through the cork on the bass. She's surprisingly stable, mostly due to the sheer weight of the model.