Post by Xenos on Dec 1, 2018 19:36:28 GMT
I'm starting this project log as I'm crazy passionate about Tyranids. They were my second army - after the obligatory Ultramarines - and I've always loved their theme, the models and the rules.
This will be my fourth Nid army. My first was collected when I was 15 and I don't remember what happened to it. The 2nd was born at the start of my GW revival (like many people I re-discovered the hobby later in life when I had money). They mostly had a red skin and black carapace and were rather ugly. I think the Mawloc was OK but my painting rapidly evolved and I grew tired of it - so I sold it.
They did enjoy a trip to Warhammer World though! It was my first ever tournament - lost 4 of 5 games but I had a great time.
The third army started really well. It had a much brighter scheme - beige skin with orange carapace - and received a lot of positive comments. Unfortunately I struggled with painting the carapace which made it difficult to add to the army and, even worse, I dipped them, making the whole process really long and touch-ups impossible. It was with a heavy heart that I sold them also.
So here comes the fourth wave! I have learned a lot and thought carefully about what I want, and these are my priorities:
1) A quick, fun and handsome paint scheme. I need it to be fast because I've just had a baby so my time will be limited, and I know that if the project drags on my enthusiasm will wain. I need it to be fun because I've painted some fun armies before (Daemonkin) and it's helped a ton with motivation. And I need them to look good for obvious reasons - least of all is that I don't want to sell this one this time!
2) A varied collection of mobile units. I love the Tyranid codex because it offers a ton of variety. I've had armies before that play exactly the same in each game - they either charge towards the opponent or sit behind a gun line. Before become boring fast. I want more dynamic games, so with this in mind I'm mostly interested in units that have great mobility. I also want a varied roster so I can mix-and-match my lists as I play games and learn more about what works and what I enjoy playing with.
With these thoughts in mind I have begun the Fourth Wave's journey
Buying the models
I don't have an unlimited budget so I've been trolling eBay for many weeks looking for deals on units I like. This was quite easy as I love most of the units in the codex, and I managed to grab some really incredible deals.
Including what I held onto from my previous army, with a bit of sniping here and careful buyouts there I've managed to acquire the following list of units which are mostly in perfect hobby condition - built but unpainted!
2 Swarmlords, 1 Flyrant, 2 Trygons, 1 Mawloc, 2 Tyrannofex, 9 Carnifex (in various states), 1 Tervigon, ~60 Termagants, 20 Hormagants, ~60 Genestealers, 1 Broodlord, 3 Zoanthropes, 1 Tyrannocyte, 2 Malanthropes, 3 FW Ripper Swarms, 3 FW spore things that I don't know what they are, and 3 Hive Guard.
It's quite a haul. I'll probably sell or convert the second Swarmlord and the few units that are already painted.
Of course I picked up the codex and data cards as well, so some theory-crafted lists will follow soon.
Paint Scheme
This is by far the hardest part of collecting an army for me. Choosing the right colour scheme can make or break the whole project - if I get it wrong, it's back to the drawing board! With this in mind I've been doing a lot of research and trying out several test models to see what works for me.
I think I've finally settled on a recipe:
It's from this tutorial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvBgWxNfj6g
It's very quick and relies mostly on washes and dry brushing which I find fun and relaxing. I also find it quite striking with a nice contrast between the light skin and dark carapace.
So I have the models, I have my paint scheme, now I just need to get started! I will be posting regular updates on my progress whenever broodling Felix allows me.
Comments and advice super welcome
Impulse of the day: To Feed is to Thrive
This will be my fourth Nid army. My first was collected when I was 15 and I don't remember what happened to it. The 2nd was born at the start of my GW revival (like many people I re-discovered the hobby later in life when I had money). They mostly had a red skin and black carapace and were rather ugly. I think the Mawloc was OK but my painting rapidly evolved and I grew tired of it - so I sold it.
They did enjoy a trip to Warhammer World though! It was my first ever tournament - lost 4 of 5 games but I had a great time.
The third army started really well. It had a much brighter scheme - beige skin with orange carapace - and received a lot of positive comments. Unfortunately I struggled with painting the carapace which made it difficult to add to the army and, even worse, I dipped them, making the whole process really long and touch-ups impossible. It was with a heavy heart that I sold them also.
So here comes the fourth wave! I have learned a lot and thought carefully about what I want, and these are my priorities:
1) A quick, fun and handsome paint scheme. I need it to be fast because I've just had a baby so my time will be limited, and I know that if the project drags on my enthusiasm will wain. I need it to be fun because I've painted some fun armies before (Daemonkin) and it's helped a ton with motivation. And I need them to look good for obvious reasons - least of all is that I don't want to sell this one this time!
2) A varied collection of mobile units. I love the Tyranid codex because it offers a ton of variety. I've had armies before that play exactly the same in each game - they either charge towards the opponent or sit behind a gun line. Before become boring fast. I want more dynamic games, so with this in mind I'm mostly interested in units that have great mobility. I also want a varied roster so I can mix-and-match my lists as I play games and learn more about what works and what I enjoy playing with.
With these thoughts in mind I have begun the Fourth Wave's journey
Buying the models
I don't have an unlimited budget so I've been trolling eBay for many weeks looking for deals on units I like. This was quite easy as I love most of the units in the codex, and I managed to grab some really incredible deals.
Including what I held onto from my previous army, with a bit of sniping here and careful buyouts there I've managed to acquire the following list of units which are mostly in perfect hobby condition - built but unpainted!
2 Swarmlords, 1 Flyrant, 2 Trygons, 1 Mawloc, 2 Tyrannofex, 9 Carnifex (in various states), 1 Tervigon, ~60 Termagants, 20 Hormagants, ~60 Genestealers, 1 Broodlord, 3 Zoanthropes, 1 Tyrannocyte, 2 Malanthropes, 3 FW Ripper Swarms, 3 FW spore things that I don't know what they are, and 3 Hive Guard.
It's quite a haul. I'll probably sell or convert the second Swarmlord and the few units that are already painted.
Of course I picked up the codex and data cards as well, so some theory-crafted lists will follow soon.
Paint Scheme
This is by far the hardest part of collecting an army for me. Choosing the right colour scheme can make or break the whole project - if I get it wrong, it's back to the drawing board! With this in mind I've been doing a lot of research and trying out several test models to see what works for me.
I think I've finally settled on a recipe:
It's from this tutorial:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvBgWxNfj6g
It's very quick and relies mostly on washes and dry brushing which I find fun and relaxing. I also find it quite striking with a nice contrast between the light skin and dark carapace.
So I have the models, I have my paint scheme, now I just need to get started! I will be posting regular updates on my progress whenever broodling Felix allows me.
Comments and advice super welcome
Impulse of the day: To Feed is to Thrive
