Hello again! It's time for a big post about tyranids.
I've been slowly working on a bunch of old tyranid models over the last couple of months. First up, I was able to acquire a second metal zoat fairly cheaply on ebay a while ago. This chap has a missile launcher. While he's a very detailed model, I found it quite hard to work out exactly what was what with his weapon. I suppose it's all "biological stuff", so that's not too much of an issue. I enjoyed painting this model a lot.
Here he is with his friend, about to hit the town.
Next up are three zoanthropes. These are floating psychic creatures that functioned in the game as tank-shooting artillery, a bit like lascannon teams. These models are the second iteration of the zoanthrope and were released around 2000: the first version was a four-limbed creature like a Tyranid warrior with a very big head, and looked a bit silly (like a lot of the very early Tyranids).
Originally, these guys had large helmet-like shields that went over their heads, and were usually painted like bone armour. However, these shields obscure their heads, and I think they they look better with their nasty little faces on display. They're identical models, although someone had trimmed the spikes off one of the miniatures. If you want to bulk out your army with a conga line of giant evil sperms, this is the unit for you.
Last of all, I've painted a unit of spore mines. Spore mines were Tyranid artillery, either fired by a creature called a biovore, or dropped in from on high and left to drift around the battlefield. They were essentially a mobile hazard, and were probably intended to slow down and confuse the enemy. They come in three varieties (frag, acid and krak), and were both plastic and metal. I bought some of these models as a bunch, and others came with various old tyranids. I collected them together until I had enough for a little unit.
Strange looking things, really (they remind me of Smarties), but they do fit the rather jolly colours of the rest of the army, and they're actually quite nice miniatures. They would make good weird little aliens, too.
I'm not sure what I'll be painting next, but I think it will be some kind of fantasy creature. We shall see!
Lovely work on the Zoats! I remember them being described in Rogue Trader as eating nothing but Zoatibix!
ReplyDeleteThanks! They did indeed live off Zoatibix! It's clearly tasty and nutritious stuff!
DeleteNice group of bio-horrors on display. I love the classic Zoats in all their glory. The sporemines look like they've gotten way more attention than they deserve :). I have some fond memories of them. They can throw of an opponent in very fun and annoying ways. But the Zoanthrophes take the prime spot for me. Those are lovely. Way better than my more modern (and by now, slightly old-fashioned) next generation models. Your excellent paint job really does them justice.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much! I was worried that the zoanthropes were looking rather washed out. I love the old zoats: a really weird idea with nice miniatures. The spore mines are quite new to me, but they do have a cool shape and a certain odd charm. I think the old zoanthropes are simpler and more elegant (if that's the word!) than the newer ones. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteOhhh, those Zoats are my favourites of this bunch, I love them, both the models and the work you did here. Don' put the spores next to smarties, you may have an accident!!
ReplyDeleteThe spores are rather jolly! Oldhammer tyranids are pretty lurid. Thanks, I'm a massive fan of zoats. The models really hold up and were a lot of fun to paint.
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