Scratchbuilt Tyranid Capillary Towers.

[Ackor]

These are beast man.

Yours
CA

[t⊗theark]

Progress on these are awesome.

[dwez]

The next update brings more fleshy musculature to the inside of the Capillary Tower, but first i capped all the curtain hook spines. The weren't quite as lethal as the 'scything talons' I'd envisaged but the sculpting turned out OK and they will bprobably be less prone to break given their bulkiness



I'd planned on using Milliput for the fleshy bits but decide to just continue using DAS air drying clay. Even though I'd bought 5 packs of Milliput I'm glad I continued on with my cheaper/quicker options. There is still a question mark over durability. The clay can be carved with ease once dry but I think even if these were to chip or break I could just repaint them as ddamged towers.



The additional concern is just how stuck to the core the clay is. You wet it and press it on but it's not like Milliput which has real adhesive qualities, once again we'll just have to see in the end.



That's the first 2 'fleshed out' just the remianing 4 and to do their bases, add some fleshy sacs to the 'female' towers, and some vine tendrils and they're done, probably no more than a weeks worth of modelling left!

Point your cogitators here for more pics and info: 40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/nids-part-112-scratchbuilt-tyranid.html

[dwez]

based all the towers now:



And added some fleshy sacs to the 'female' towers





Next up some tendril vines and then I can think about painting

For more info on construction and pics point your cogitators here: 40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/nids-part-114-scratchbuilt-tyranid.html

[Ackor]

Looks really good, keep up the good work.

Yours
CA

[dwez]

Turns out I had bigger things on my mind with my Capillary Towers afterall - they in fact form part of my modular Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad



Fingers crossed the other days rumour that the new Codex will deny Tyranids access to Fortifications was a load of old guff





For more info on construction and pics point your cogitators here: 40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/nids-part-117-project-y-scratchbuilt.html

[monkeychuka]

Nice one! If you can add walls that 'unfurl' in an organic way, that would be genius.

[dwez]

Dec 28, 2013 21:22:07 GMT monkeychuka said:

Nice one! If you can add walls that 'unfurl' in an organic way, that would be genius.

The original plan was to utilize my Aegis Defence line walls but given I went with a curved edge to the platform hinging them is going to be too complex for me to get my head around. What I will be doing is making some detachable walls that are magnetized. They will be a wire and clay frame like this

|________| or |____|____| and I'll stretch some molten transparent cutlery between the two uprights. It's venturing into the unknown, I have to melt them sufficiently so they're not identifiable as cutlery but not too much that they shrink. Then I'll be getting a Tamiya Clear yellow paint so I can paint it but still retain the transparency, like a stretched yellow membrane or hardened mucous, like amber.

As and when I want to show the shields up/down I will add them and take them away. However, I need this done for March alongside a number of other projects and whatever unknowns come with the new Codex. So the walls will be a lower priority as I can just have a counter that says up or down in the mean time.

[monkeychuka]

Why don't you put magnets underneath the platform as well? Then just flip the 'aegis' wall around and stick it underneath to show that its open. If you angle the walls outward, it will still look 'unfurled' if magnetised to the underside of the platform. Anyhoo, just a thought. I'd be interested to see pictures when its finished and the transparent cutlery idea sounds boss.

[Deleted]

Dec 29, 2013 18:33:21 GMT dwez said:

|________| or |____|____| and I'll stretch some molten transparent cutlery between the two uprights. It's venturing into the unknown, I have to melt them sufficiently so they're not identifiable as cutlery but not too much that they shrink. Then I'll be getting a Tamiya Clear yellow paint so I can paint it but still retain the transparency, like a stretched yellow membrane or hardened mucous, like amber.

This sounds like a really good idea...

Looking forward to see how that plays out.

Capillary towers look awesome btw!

[dwez]

18charlie.com/ is the master of molten plastic terrain experiments, I'm hoping the end result will be worthy of the tips on the site.

[dwez]

In an age where the Great Devourer has become more like a mawkish teenage anorexic self harmer at least there's one thing you can rely on, until the FAQ it to death - my Tyranid Capillary Towers. Here's what a little paint can do as most of the base coats and washes go on:



And the really big ones:



And a close up of the gestation sacs in the female towers [hey if they can ret-con that they don't have DNA I can ret-con my own fluff that there are sometimes gender specific bio-forms]



For more pictures and details point your cogitators here: 40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/nids-part-118-scratchbuilt-tyranid.html

[Ackor]

Looks amazing.

Yours
CA

[dwez]

The next part of the Skyshield is coming along, behold my sphincter



And then I had to go to bizarre lengths to try and keep the pad flat when I filled in the rest of the pad



Some abortive attempts at making some transparent walls using clingfilm



or tissue paper and PVA



For a few more pics and information point your cogitators here: 40kaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/nids-part-121-project-y-scratchbuilt.html

[rtx]

Wow!
These are truly great. In my opinion a bit too fat, but it's up to tastes.
Will you do other fortifications for Tyranids'?