night lord
New member
sweet paint job . only thing is i hate cockroaches i would wined up stoming thime with my foot lol.
Cockroach Coloured Tyranids, a Blackadder Work in Progress
- Thread starter Blackadder
- Start date
Blackadder
Active member
Not a big Cockroach enthusiast myself but I did enjoy the first MIB............
What Big Teef You Have:
I wanted to show the teeth on the Hive Tyrant before I oil washed it. The teeth on the Gargoyle is done with just AVMC White 70951 but the Tyrant has three paints applied in order; AVMA Light Brown 71027, AVGC Bone White 72034 and AVMC White 70951
I really can't see much difference:
http://i.imgur.com/KJqPHhx.jpg
What is showing up to a distressing degree is the yellow fluorescing of the Orange highlight which I hope is being caused by the combination of Curly Fry lighting and digital flash.
http://i.imgur.com/Kc8umZ4.jpg
In this third image I turned off the flash and the proper colour is somewhat restored but still looks much more orange than it does in natural lighting.
http://i.imgur.com/XEhaeLo.jpg
The Hive Tyrant also has a coat of AV Acrylic Clear Satin Varnish with which I am experimenting. It seems a bit expensive to force water based Varnish through an airbrush when a perfectly adequate Acrylic Satin Varnish is available in aerosol spray cans. Anyone have experience using either?, and the pluses and minus' of each?
What Big Teef You Have:
I wanted to show the teeth on the Hive Tyrant before I oil washed it. The teeth on the Gargoyle is done with just AVMC White 70951 but the Tyrant has three paints applied in order; AVMA Light Brown 71027, AVGC Bone White 72034 and AVMC White 70951
I really can't see much difference:
http://i.imgur.com/KJqPHhx.jpg
What is showing up to a distressing degree is the yellow fluorescing of the Orange highlight which I hope is being caused by the combination of Curly Fry lighting and digital flash.
http://i.imgur.com/Kc8umZ4.jpg
In this third image I turned off the flash and the proper colour is somewhat restored but still looks much more orange than it does in natural lighting.
http://i.imgur.com/XEhaeLo.jpg
The Hive Tyrant also has a coat of AV Acrylic Clear Satin Varnish with which I am experimenting. It seems a bit expensive to force water based Varnish through an airbrush when a perfectly adequate Acrylic Satin Varnish is available in aerosol spray cans. Anyone have experience using either?, and the pluses and minus' of each?
Demihuman
Active member
Blackadder, I run Golden artist acrylic satin varnish thinned liberally with a 10-1 water to alcohol mix through my airbrush and it comes out pretty nice. I think a 8 oz. jar of the varnish is like $19. It is still pretty matte though. Actually quite close to testor's dullcote. I mix in a drop or two of gloss to get it a little more wet looking but not so shinny that it hurts the paint job.
I used that mix on the wood base here:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/357029
The cool thing about the airbrush, as you know, is that you can really regulate the thickness of the layers of varnish. As you get closer to a gloss finish this is becomes more of a big deal because gloss shows all the imperfections so well. Any pooling or running looks terrible.
My $.02
Glad to see you working on the bugs some more, still waiting patiently for The Blackadder Tyranid Titan Sculpt-A-long
I used that mix on the wood base here:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/357029
The cool thing about the airbrush, as you know, is that you can really regulate the thickness of the layers of varnish. As you get closer to a gloss finish this is becomes more of a big deal because gloss shows all the imperfections so well. Any pooling or running looks terrible.
My $.02
Glad to see you working on the bugs some more, still waiting patiently for The Blackadder Tyranid Titan Sculpt-A-long
Blackadder
Active member
Thanks for the input, I've since decided to go for broke and use the Krylon aerosol spray Satin Acrylic Varnish. I tried it out on a gargoyle and the Hive Tyrant with no adverse results and since I've got the stuff laying around anyway why not use it. The AV Satin water base varnish would take many coats to do what two or three of the aerosol can do but thanks for the info as I am sure to run out of my Krylon stash eventually.
Home Stretch:
I'm about three quarters way through the second Buypainted video on all my Tyranids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJha39IUztU
Where I just applied the satin varnish to the models, Jaro can talk your way through this much better than I can.
http://i.imgur.com/ycrd3c6.jpg
Now I need only finish the claws, teeth and mouths, apply the wash and seal the models.
http://i.imgur.com/Zx9tvZS.jpg
This is but a small sampling of the models; missing from the photos are the Harridan, Tyrannofex, Gargoyle Brood, Ternagant brood, and Hergamont brood.
http://i.imgur.com/11N6pfX.jpg
Following Jaro's Trygon instructions and transposing them to the rest of the menagerie I managed a reasonable facsimile of his work; not perfect but better than I hoped for.
http://i.imgur.com/jqD09Y4.jpg
Interesting that the Trygon head is about the same size as the much larger Hierophant's head.
http://i.imgur.com/ztH32OK.jpg
The rest of the models after the varnish finishes drying.
Home Stretch:
I'm about three quarters way through the second Buypainted video on all my Tyranids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJha39IUztU
Where I just applied the satin varnish to the models, Jaro can talk your way through this much better than I can.
http://i.imgur.com/ycrd3c6.jpg
Now I need only finish the claws, teeth and mouths, apply the wash and seal the models.
http://i.imgur.com/Zx9tvZS.jpg
This is but a small sampling of the models; missing from the photos are the Harridan, Tyrannofex, Gargoyle Brood, Ternagant brood, and Hergamont brood.
http://i.imgur.com/11N6pfX.jpg
Following Jaro's Trygon instructions and transposing them to the rest of the menagerie I managed a reasonable facsimile of his work; not perfect but better than I hoped for.
http://i.imgur.com/jqD09Y4.jpg
Interesting that the Trygon head is about the same size as the much larger Hierophant's head.
http://i.imgur.com/ztH32OK.jpg
The rest of the models after the varnish finishes drying.
Last edited:
Blackadder
Active member
Thanks, he has also set the bar for my Chaos Warhound Titan colour scheme which I plan to start painting some time today. After months of searching for the correct finish I found exactly what I needed on his site. I wish I had his inspiration..............
Some brain droppings as I wait for the paint to dry................
Tyranid Dentition:
It strikes me as I work on these monsters that they are not all carnivores.
True the Carnifex and Tryannofex have the teeth of meat eaters Theropods e.g. Tyrannosaur, Tarbosaur.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/images/featureimage.jpg?&i=/pages/11035/Tarbosaurus.jpg
likewise the H. & T. 'Gants and the Gargoyles being analogous to Raptors and Pterosaurs although there is speculation that some Pterosaurs were fish eaters.
The Tyrgon and Harridan have the dentition of fish eaters
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Mounted_Spinosaurus.jpg
The Hierophant is decidedly a vegan having small peglike teeth similar to herbevorous Sauropods e.g. Apatosaur, Camarosaur etc:
http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7...pg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/Dinosaur.jpg
This goes along with the small head and huge abdomen which would be a fermenting vat to break down fiber the resulting methane could be modified into toxic weapon chemicals and of course flatus........ they never mention this in the codex.
--
E. Blackadder
Some brain droppings as I wait for the paint to dry................
Tyranid Dentition:
It strikes me as I work on these monsters that they are not all carnivores.
True the Carnifex and Tryannofex have the teeth of meat eaters Theropods e.g. Tyrannosaur, Tarbosaur.
http://museumvictoria.com.au/images/featureimage.jpg?&i=/pages/11035/Tarbosaurus.jpg
likewise the H. & T. 'Gants and the Gargoyles being analogous to Raptors and Pterosaurs although there is speculation that some Pterosaurs were fish eaters.
The Tyrgon and Harridan have the dentition of fish eaters
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Mounted_Spinosaurus.jpg
The Hierophant is decidedly a vegan having small peglike teeth similar to herbevorous Sauropods e.g. Apatosaur, Camarosaur etc:
http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7...pg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/Dinosaur.jpg
This goes along with the small head and huge abdomen which would be a fermenting vat to break down fiber the resulting methane could be modified into toxic weapon chemicals and of course flatus........ they never mention this in the codex.
--
E. Blackadder
Builder_Anthony
New member
Www those look scarry
wargamesculptor
New member
Like your reasoning on the teeth blackadder, the army is really taking shape now and looks excellent
Blackadder
Active member
Hey a Rabbit skeleton might be just the thing for a basis for my Nuln Queen Bio-Titan but I think I'll stick with the giant centipede on the first page. That would make a fantastic Nuln Queen.
Picture that rearing up 2/3 meter tall against the Warlord................
Meanwhile:
Trust Me, It's Not That Yellow:
Well at the suggestion of one of my readers I messed around with the white balance and ended up with a blue Hierophant:
http://i.imgur.com/cbHDFwO.jpg
You would think the yellow would change but no just the rest of the model has this weird blue glow instead, Ha!
So I put the setting back and changed the venue and we're back to the orange highlights looking yellow.
http://i.imgur.com/MDgduYn.jpg
Meanwhile the Varnishing continues after a deluge of biblical proportions yesterday where I daren't apply varnish in that type of humidity.
http://i.imgur.com/zfj5fb6.jpg
Putting the time to good use priming the Chaos Titan.
Picture that rearing up 2/3 meter tall against the Warlord................
Meanwhile:
Trust Me, It's Not That Yellow:
Well at the suggestion of one of my readers I messed around with the white balance and ended up with a blue Hierophant:
http://i.imgur.com/cbHDFwO.jpg
You would think the yellow would change but no just the rest of the model has this weird blue glow instead, Ha!
So I put the setting back and changed the venue and we're back to the orange highlights looking yellow.
http://i.imgur.com/MDgduYn.jpg
Meanwhile the Varnishing continues after a deluge of biblical proportions yesterday where I daren't apply varnish in that type of humidity.
http://i.imgur.com/zfj5fb6.jpg
Putting the time to good use priming the Chaos Titan.
Last edited:
wargamesculptor
New member
How about a cross between the two, use the rabbit skeleton with a centipede feel ? one basic trait of a Tyranid is it has 6 limbs and 5 head plates other than that anything goes.
Blackadder
Active member
I'm thinking that with slightly modifying the head to a more saurian appearance and adding half a dozen weapon appendages to the body as well as a multi-ribbed exoskeleton to the underside of the segmented carapace will produce a Nuln (Norn) Queen to be proud of.
View attachment 28600
Making it over 24 inches tall, perhaps a meter in length and a foot wide will make for an awesome bio-titan.
Plus it will be a good project for me to learn sculpting.
View attachment 28600
Making it over 24 inches tall, perhaps a meter in length and a foot wide will make for an awesome bio-titan.
Plus it will be a good project for me to learn sculpting.
Blackadder
Active member
Hierophant Attaching the Legs:
I used Locktite 5 minute epoxy to attach the legs.
http://i.imgur.com/R6Cl3Rq.jpg
The rear legs have a huge attach point cup and knuckle to apply glue so modification was not necessary
http://i.imgur.com/Iz1PxTz.jpg
but the front legs attach point is rather flimsy so I did the following. When I first received the model there were vent plugs moulded into the front attach knuckle; I left those and instead drilled receiving holes in the cup socket.
http://i.imgur.com/zHvkLFA.jpg
Being rather paranoid about the durability of such a heavy yet delicate model I went further and drilled reinforcement rod holes in the vent plugs and inserted coat hanger wire rods through the body and into each shoulder to strengthen the joint.
http://i.imgur.com/T5PZ75H.jpg
Note the hole through the body at the second shoulder recess in this off colour image.
http://i.imgur.com/V3TgazN.jpg
Now that this process is documented I can proceed with the actual gluing.
I used Locktite 5 minute epoxy to attach the legs.
http://i.imgur.com/R6Cl3Rq.jpg
The rear legs have a huge attach point cup and knuckle to apply glue so modification was not necessary
http://i.imgur.com/Iz1PxTz.jpg
but the front legs attach point is rather flimsy so I did the following. When I first received the model there were vent plugs moulded into the front attach knuckle; I left those and instead drilled receiving holes in the cup socket.
http://i.imgur.com/zHvkLFA.jpg
Being rather paranoid about the durability of such a heavy yet delicate model I went further and drilled reinforcement rod holes in the vent plugs and inserted coat hanger wire rods through the body and into each shoulder to strengthen the joint.
http://i.imgur.com/T5PZ75H.jpg
Note the hole through the body at the second shoulder recess in this off colour image.
http://i.imgur.com/V3TgazN.jpg
Now that this process is documented I can proceed with the actual gluing.
Last edited:
Blackadder
Active member
Attaching the Front Legs:
Here we see the right front leg attached; I really like this pose compared to most I've seen of the Hierophant. It has an aggressive quality whereas the usual pose has a more submissive/defensive aspect.
http://i.imgur.com/zRIq09o.jpg
The left side view shows of the more belligerent stance to good advantage.
http://i.imgur.com/elTAeBg.jpg
And a close up shows the coat hanger rod protruding from the shoulder ready for the arm attachment.
http://i.imgur.com/JMuJ4GD.jpg
I probably will be putting the guns on pivots so the can be trained up and down. The model is very limited in how it can be posed so the gun elevation is about all you can make variable.
Here we see the right front leg attached; I really like this pose compared to most I've seen of the Hierophant. It has an aggressive quality whereas the usual pose has a more submissive/defensive aspect.
http://i.imgur.com/zRIq09o.jpg
The left side view shows of the more belligerent stance to good advantage.
http://i.imgur.com/elTAeBg.jpg
And a close up shows the coat hanger rod protruding from the shoulder ready for the arm attachment.
http://i.imgur.com/JMuJ4GD.jpg
I probably will be putting the guns on pivots so the can be trained up and down. The model is very limited in how it can be posed so the gun elevation is about all you can make variable.
Last edited:
Blackadder
Active member
Life Imitates Hollywood:
Rambug
http://i.imgur.com/WpS1Zl5.jpg
Rambo
http://i.imgur.com/9ABWCes.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ups0mQA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Jj5TN03.jpg
Rambug
http://i.imgur.com/WpS1Zl5.jpg
Rambo
http://i.imgur.com/9ABWCes.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ups0mQA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Jj5TN03.jpg
Last edited:
wargamesculptor
New member
Great stance Blackadder should have guessed you'd get a moving part in there somewhere ! The colour scheme works really well
Blackadder
Active member
Thanks for the reply,
Building a Base:
seeing how this model is so delicate I have to make a proper base; it's as good a time as any to try to make a display scene so the beauty of this model can be appreciated. I first selected a proper base plate which in fact is the largest I have in my inventory.
The plaque I chose is one foot in diameter and 3/4 inch thick made by Heirloom Craft Products in York PA 17402; No google listing so they must be out of business.....
http://i.imgur.com/kk4LqvI.jpg
This base is about three inches in diameter bigger than the work base and should be adequate.
http://i.imgur.com/h0NYgFy.jpg
Building a Base:
seeing how this model is so delicate I have to make a proper base; it's as good a time as any to try to make a display scene so the beauty of this model can be appreciated. I first selected a proper base plate which in fact is the largest I have in my inventory.
The plaque I chose is one foot in diameter and 3/4 inch thick made by Heirloom Craft Products in York PA 17402; No google listing so they must be out of business.....
http://i.imgur.com/kk4LqvI.jpg
This base is about three inches in diameter bigger than the work base and should be adequate.
http://i.imgur.com/h0NYgFy.jpg
Blackadder
Active member
Some Trial Bases:
So after years of modeling I've finally decided to learn how to make bases for my work.
Even though my Titans have screaming need for display stands I figured the Tyranids would be best to experiment on so here's a couple I played with last night and early this morning I thought, "Why not'Skulls'?"
http://i.imgur.com/GqMdgdC.jpg
Rummaging though the bitz box I found dozens of skulls on various Chaos sprues, clipped them, primed with bone white and placed them on the newly primed bases. Hmmm? thinks I, "Something's missing.....Why not Skeletons?"
http://i.imgur.com/PIAG7gb.jpg
So I whipped up a rib cage out of wire; it's a tad over-sized but not too bad for a first attempt.
http://i.imgur.com/2DpKwZg.jpg
Once I get the procedure down I'll present a demo on how to make 'em.
http://i.imgur.com/VXnUrZW.jpg
I need to find coarser cork but the sand gravel came right out of my driveway apron.
So after years of modeling I've finally decided to learn how to make bases for my work.
Even though my Titans have screaming need for display stands I figured the Tyranids would be best to experiment on so here's a couple I played with last night and early this morning I thought, "Why not'Skulls'?"
http://i.imgur.com/GqMdgdC.jpg
Rummaging though the bitz box I found dozens of skulls on various Chaos sprues, clipped them, primed with bone white and placed them on the newly primed bases. Hmmm? thinks I, "Something's missing.....Why not Skeletons?"
http://i.imgur.com/PIAG7gb.jpg
So I whipped up a rib cage out of wire; it's a tad over-sized but not too bad for a first attempt.
http://i.imgur.com/2DpKwZg.jpg
Once I get the procedure down I'll present a demo on how to make 'em.
http://i.imgur.com/VXnUrZW.jpg
I need to find coarser cork but the sand gravel came right out of my driveway apron.
wargamesculptor
New member
Nice bases BA especially like the rib cage you've made
Blackadder
Active member
Thanks, that was a 'spur of the moment' inspiration. What I did was wind 0.030 thousandths soft wire around a brush finger grip and wove the tailings behind the back securing the cage. I applied glue cyanoacrylate adhesive to the binding. The tailing wire was then wrapped with 0.020 thousandths copper wire to simulate the vertebra. I will probably make the pelvis and appendage bones out of green stuff.
Still working on the concept. Stay tuned.
Still working on the concept. Stay tuned.
