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Magma Nids

3K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  bluetablepainting 
#1 ·
Magma Nids

Short Story: see a video of this army and all relevant links here:
YouTube - Blue Table Painting- Magma-nids Completed Project

Tyranids lend themselves to infinite diversity. When theming a Tyranid army I believe the best starting point is environment. Like predators that camouflage themselves in their habitat, Tyranid organism adapt to their surroundings.

Another consideration is coloration. There are two main parts to a Tyranid: the flesh and the carapace. There is a third area, which can provide a minor canvas for introduction of another color. That’s the “gashes” where the musculature shows through, like a slit in the tyranid’s skin.

This army started as extra sprues laying around. I bought some extra kits to round it out to a full army. Originally, I wanted to make a full army based on a few pieces that Jon Gentry did a few years back. I called these the Predators of the Desert Sands:

Blue Table Painting: Gallery List


I was going to change the base style to our Savannah:
Blue Table Painting: Gallery List

However, that was all blown out of the water when Bill Devlin (our Lead Assembler) came up to me with a much better idea: Lava World Tyranids. This soon became nicknamed the Magma Nids.

I asked Jordan, our resident Tyranid player, to come up with a list. He based it on what he calls Jordan’s Rending Army Of Doom.

See a battle report with this army list here:
YouTube - Blue Table Painting Orks v Tyranids 01- Preamble

Download the Magma Nids army here:
Blue Table Painting: View Files

This army works on the premise of pressure. It is a mobile close combat force where every single unit is a huge and pressing problem. It simply can’t be shot down before getting to grips. The only exception is the trio of Zoanthropes which act as troubleshooters.



The carapaces are coated with molten metal, creating a crustified magma effect. This is done with a soldering iron and a low temperature soldering metal.



The army was painted on the following wise:
1) primed white
2) yellow ink in a hard clear medium on the flesh areas.
3) Chestnut/brown ink in a hard clear medium on top of that.
4) Vallejo Gore Red and Brown Ink worked in while that is still wet.
5) GW Bad Moon Yellow worked in as a highlight.
6) GW Bad Moon Yellow mixed with Vallejo White in a final highlight.
7) Carapace is a double layer of BTP Black Leather Glaze.
8) The magma on the base is a much darker red than the body of the tyranids so that it would contrast with the skin.



This army is for sale. Details here: Blue Table Painting: For Sale

See Pics of this army in our Gallery:
Blue Table Painting: Gallery List

Lastly, I created a display board. I took two one inch flats and cut out some shale-like formations, roughly increasing in thickness towards the back. I used a blunt soldering iron (outside with plenty of ventilation!) to make natural formations. Then I spooned on a thin layer of expanding insulation foam, which formed the magma. For painting I followed these steps:



1) painted the whole thing with black housepaint.
2) Drybrushed on charcoal grey
3) Drybrushed on rain grey delicately along the high points and far edges.
4) Gently worked in a brownish tinge in the recesses and center areas of the volcanic plates.
5) Drybrushed hard a brown-red mix on the lava.
6) Drybrushed a red on the lava
7) Drybrushed a yellow on the lava (each heavily on the other)
8) Dabbed on white on the high lava areas while the previous layers were still wet.

And thus an army is born, all ready to take to a tournament and show off!
 
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#3 ·
Wow, very nice stuff as always BTP. They actually look real, like fossilized remains in colour or something. Great table too!

I hope to start Nids someday and I was thinking about doing them plasma-coloured. That is, the bluey-purpley liquid plasma made on Photoshop and suchlike. Any ideas on how to get this effect?
 
#6 ·
Very cool Tyranids. I like the first Carnifex the most. The use of two big claws makes it look very unique and nasty, as if it can really grab hold of something and crush it to death. The use of fluff in some way is alwys good with Tyranids and they offer more choices than most armies in this area as they are, well an odd bunch. Again very good painting plus modelling.
 
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