# Midge's Hive Fleet Pariah



## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Hey all, 

With the advent of the new tyranid codex I have broken my bugs back out of the box and have been really trying to make some good headway on getting my army painted. When I first started the nids I was really taken by how much the leviathan color scheme popped with all the white but I wanted to add a little bit of my own touch to it, and to dull it down just a little bit for the sneaky units like lictors and stealers. So while trying to think up a good color scheme my cat just happened to jump up on my painting table (something he has never done again I might add) and I was intrigued with the simple pattern that his coat provided, white chest, and white on the his legs. So I adapted it with purpe and white for a leviathan splinter fleet. 

For the genestealers and then the lictors I wanted to go with something darker and more stealhy so I made the purple skin color a deeper tone and left off the white. They still meld well on the table but it definitely makes them distinct amongst the horde. Wiithout further ado my hive fleet.




























My hive tyrant










Stealers, some Warriors and Screamer-Killer





























Fex detail



















Warrior detail




























Genestealer detail

And finally my first Hive Guard WIP




























I am hoping to have all of my Hive Guard done in the next couple of weeks, and then I plan on tackling one of my 30 man gaunt squads. Let me know what you guys think, and if there is anything that I can do to improve don't hesitate to throw it out there. 

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So I am going to take this opportunity to list out my wish list for my entire nids army. Before you all look at this and say I am crazy I love to collect and work on models and I have played in games where I have put 6000 points on the table solo, so I collect big armies. 

I will also, as so many others have done, I am going to color code the entries as to the level of doneness. Grey= planned, Yellow= purchased, Red= In process, Blue=Assembled, and finally Green= Painted and Based. So here is my dream for Hive Fleet Pariah.

*HQ:*

Hive Tyrant w/ Bonesword, Lashwhip, and HVC
Winged Hive Tyrant w/ Stranglethorn Cannon and TL Devourers
Tyranid Prime w/ Bonesword, Lashwhip, and Deathspitter~ Link

*Elites:*

Hive Guard Brood x 3 ~ Link
Hive Guard Brood x3
Venomthrope Brood x3
Zoanthrope Brood x3
Ymargl Genestealer Brood x10
Deathleaper
Doom of Malan'tai

*Troops:*

Tervigon
Tervigon
Termagant Brood w/ Fleshborer x16
Termagant Brood w/ Fleshborer x16
Termagant Brood w/ Devourers x16
extra Gants for spawning x20
Hormagaunt Brood x16
Hormagaunt Brood x16
Genestealer Brood x12 w/ Broodlord
Genestealer Brood x12
Tyranid Warrior Brood x6 w/ Scything Talons, Deathspitters, and Barbed Strangler ~ Link
Tyranid Warrior Brood x6 w/ Rending Claws, Devourers, and Barbed Strangler
Tyranid Warrior Brood x6 w/ Dual Boneswords and Scything Talons
Ripper Swarm x6

*Fast Attack:*

Ravenor Brood x6 w/Rending Claws and Spinefists
Gargoyle Brood x30
Harpy w/ TL Stranglethorn Cannon

*Heavy Support:*

Biovore Brood X3
Trygon
Trygon
Trygon Prime
Mawloc
Carnifex Brood x2 Screamer-killers
Carnifex Brood x2 w/ 2 TL Devourers with Brainleech worms
Tyrannofex with Rupture Cannon
Tyrannofex with Acid Spray

So as you can see I have alot to work on, and This is going to take me some time to complete everything. To be honest with you guys this list is more for my own benefit than it is yours, but as I get things done I am going to link finished broods to their appropriate post so you can get to the finished product from this first page if you are so inclined. 

Thanks to everyone for the amazing amount of support so far, and I hope I am able to keep up to the standard I have already set. Thanks for following and hopefully I will have an update on theses guys soon.

Midge


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## Orochi (Jan 28, 2009)

I must say, these are excellent!


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## Dan1111 (Aug 24, 2010)

Hi,

The models are really cool, I especially like the bases and the light blue highlights which really make the carapace stand out! I only have one comment, and its purely personal preference, but the tongue of the Screamer Killer doesn't look very menacing. Perhaps a dark wash might scare me more. 

Cheers

Dan


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## aquatic_foible (Mar 17, 2010)

really nice colour scheme, sir. overall, you've produced some excellent models. my only criticism is that the "feathering" on the carapace looks a little chunky. maybe try a smaller brush and blend a bit more, or try i dry-brush type effect along the edges. though that's just my two pence worth :biggrin:

looking forward to seeing more...


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## Bubblematrix (Jun 4, 2009)

Nice colours, especially the white - looks very clean and crisp, looking forward to seeing the gaunts


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

These are lovely, the white is incredibly clean and organic.

Could i ask why you didn't carry the white onto the stealers? I like their scheme as well but they don't blend quite as well with the other units as an army.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

I wanted them to be darker and more sneaky.... I play in a lot of city terrain which is the dominant terrain at my LGS, and I thought that a darker skin and carapace color fit their fluff more. I was planning on doing the same thing with the lictors. I thought the white would make them stand out to much.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

These are very nice.

I presume from the way that your models seem to sit, you complete the basing before attaching the models? I've been toying around with the idea, but once I assemble them on the base for painting I never get around with ripping them off.

They look excellent, though, keep it up!


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## Chaosftw (Oct 20, 2008)

There are some good looking bugs here! I really like your Fex!

Chaosftw


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Boc said:


> These are very nice.
> 
> I presume from the way that your models seem to sit, you complete the basing before attaching the models? I've been toying around with the idea, but once I assemble them on the base for painting I never get around with ripping them off.
> 
> They look excellent, though, keep it up!


Actually the only model that was attached to the base after flocking was the fex. The big rock on the tyrant's base was attached prior to adding the small rocks and such, but other than that the models are attached to the base beforehand. Much easier to paint that way.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

These are truly spectacular. Very impressive indeed. Not much else i can say really. Rep


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## Sgt Pasanius (Jul 24, 2008)

Looking very good, very clean whites, +rep


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## XxDreMisterxX (Dec 23, 2009)

I was looking at your models and thought to myself "dam these are good. love that Tyranid highlighting and the white came out really well", but then i saw that purple genestealers and kinda ruined the thought for me. haha. It may work for you, but that purple threw me off. 

Good job though!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Chaosftw said:


> There are some good looking bugs here! I really like your Fex!
> 
> Chaosftw


You are too kind sir! I also really like the fex, I have found it really interesting how my painting style has progressed since I painted him. But he is still one of my favorite.



shaantitus said:


> These are truly spectacular. Very impressive indeed. Not much else i can say really. Rep


Shaan you not have much to say is an incredible compliment in and of itself. Thank you for the kind words. 



Sgt Pasanius said:


> Looking very good, very clean whites, +rep


I took much trial and error and much swearing and throwing things about before I finally managed to get it how I wanted it to look. I am glad you like it. 

Thanks to everyone who has posted and offered comments I really appreciate it. 

I do have an update. Amongst all the projects on my table I finally managed to get this guy completed. I am really quite pleased with how he turned out. He looks great next to my tyrant. Without further ado... Hive Guard #1.


























Only two more of these to go for the time being but being that I have the attention span of a squirrel I may move onto painting some gaunts. Again thanks for looking and I hope you continue to follow and provide comments. 

Cheers,

Midge.


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## Master of Sanctity (Nov 11, 2010)

Very impressive work indeed, love the colours you are using, everything stands out so well.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

All very impressive.

I especially like the smooth graduation on the claws.


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## bishop5 (Jan 28, 2008)

Oh wow, they're awesome! Love the white


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## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Great paint job - very scary. Hate to see that bunch coming across the table, regardless of what army I'm playing. 

So let me get this straight....do you do your basing after painting or before? That is not clear to me.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

It depends on the model. For all of these nids I base after painting. As a general rule I don't paint my basing materials. The only exception to this is some random marine models I have painted up.


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## captain wolf (Nov 17, 2010)

Midge913 said:


> I wanted them to be darker and more sneaky.... I play in a lot of city terrain which is the dominant terrain at my LGS, and I thought that a darker skin and carapace color fit their fluff more. I was planning on doing the same thing with the lictors. I thought the white would make them stand out to much.


I think you should give your genestealers a lighter body color, just a little bit. Otherwise your army is the best tyranid hive fleet I have seen yet!:clapping:


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## captain wolf (Nov 17, 2010)

Oh and your hive guards look so cool I don't have a word to describe it!:clapping:k::clapping::good:


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## louisshli (Aug 19, 2010)

Midge913,

Your Tyranids are nicely painted indeed. The finish (especially the flesh) is very clean and smooth. I believe someone mentioned about the blue accent around the carapace edge being a bit clumpy. I don't think it's clumpy at all, but you can definitely refine the lines by using much thinner strokes, good effect though.

Your Genestealers, while nicely painted do in fact break up the color scheme of the overall army. I think you're turning to the old Genestealers paint job that GW used to do (the blue/purple)? I do, however, understand that you're trying to give them a bit more of a sinister/stalker type feel, so that's fine.

Base work is nice, simple but clean. I've always like a static grass w/ a bit of soil showing underneath as a base. The overall effect is so much nicer than the ash, desert or iceland style... I guess it really depends on the board you're playing on too.

One final comment, that I would make (and it's slightly off topic) is this: Your Tyranids are far better painted than your Blood Angels successor that you have going on. Even just the white alone, is so much crisper than the same effect you have on your Marines. Do you find yourself more comfortable painting bugs than Marines?

I don't mean to be too harsh, but there's definitely a difference between quality of the two race.... good stuff nonetheless, I do like your re-positioning.

+ Rep


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

louisshli said:


> One final comment, that I would make (and it's slightly off topic) is this: Your Tyranids are far better painted than your Blood Angels successor that you have going on. Even just the white alone, is so much crisper than the same effect you have on your Marines. Do you find yourself more comfortable painting bugs than Marines?
> 
> I don't mean to be too harsh, but there's definitely a difference between quality of the two race.... good stuff nonetheless, I do like your re-positioning.
> 
> + Rep


To answer your question: Yes I feel infinitely more comfortable painting the nids. I have been painting on them for much longer and have had the time over several test models to get the color scheme just right. 

The marine in my BA plog is only the third marine model I have painted, and the very first in that color scheme so I am still trying to feel my way around the model, and still trying to perfect the scheme. I am hoping that with some more practice I will be able to achieve the same quality with my successor chapter as I have apparently attained with my Tyranids. 

To everyone who has commented thank for the kind words, rep, and encouragement that you guys have given. It really does mean a lot. Being an OCD perfectionist continually makes me feel like a less than mediocre painter and your enthusiasm for my work helps motivate me to continue to try and improve and paint more. Again, many thanks.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

So I managed to get a little work done tonight on my nids. I have been pretty busy in the real world lately and the hobby time I have had has been getting my dwarfs ready and unpacked from boxes for the upcoming army challenge. 

I have started converting up a Tyranid Prime. I am not very happy with his pose at the moment as it is too static for my vision of a prime, but I have a bonesword made, lash whip in the works and I am fairly pleased with the torso so far. I plan on adding some archetypal vent pipe thingies to his back out of GS, and perhaps change his tail around a little and add some spiky details to it but this is what I have so far. 



























And my next big painting project.......










Would love some suggestions on the Prime if anyone has any ideas that might make him stand out a bit more. 

Will keep you guys posted as I make progress.

Cheers, 

Midge


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Nice Tyranids there mate! + rep for them! :victory:


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## Grins1878 (May 10, 2010)

Some stunning painting here man, I'm most impressed  Loving the colours too! My nephew has just started a nid army so I'll point r kid this way for some looks at the colourschemes 

For the prime, can you add extra barbs or spikes to the armour plates? Something on the chest piece could set it off a little? I'm not too well up on nids so apologies if suggestions are totally naff!!


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## zxyogi (Dec 7, 2009)

Nice work!!!......But may the Emperors wrath reign down on Hive Fleet Pariah!! 

unish:



:wink:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Master of Sanctity said:


> Very impressive work indeed, love the colours you are using, everything stands out so well.





Dave T Hobbit said:


> All very impressive.
> 
> I especially like the smooth graduation on the claws.





bishop5 said:


> Oh wow, they're awesome! Love the white





captain wolf said:


> Oh and your hive guards look so cool I don't have a word to describe it!:clapping:k::clapping::good:





forkmaster said:


> Nice Tyranids there mate! + rep for them! :victory:





Grins1878 said:


> Some stunning painting here man, I'm most impressed  Loving the colours too! My nephew has just started a nid army so I'll point r kid this way for some looks at the colourschemes


 


zxyogi said:


> Nice work!!!......But may the Emperors wrath reign down on Hive Fleet Pariah!!
> 
> unish:
> 
> ...


Thank you all for the kind comments and praise I really appreciate it. It has been wonderful to have my work so well received. 



Grins1878 said:


> For the prime, can you add extra barbs or spikes to the armour plates? Something on the chest piece could set it off a little? I'm not too well up on nids so apologies if suggestions are totally naff!!


Indeed that is a good suggestion. I am in the process of repositioning his leg and I found some old Ravenor torsos I plan on dismembering for the carapace prtrusions on the top and I think I am going to change his head around just a little bit also using parts from the recently dismembered ravenors. I will also look at adding some spikes to the chest plate and see if that will make him pop a little bit more. Thanks for the suggestions.

I have edited the first post of the thread to include my wish list for the my entire army. I have a lot of models assembled, and so very few painted so I have a long way to go . Hope you guys will stick with me. I am entering the painting challenge, but I am using that to get my WFB Dwarf army going so my pops will stop nagging me to get it done so I can play that with him. So updates may be sparse, but my bugs shall not be forgotten.

I have made a little bit of progress on that mess of termagants but as usual the conversion project on my Prime has proven to be far more interesting. Hopefully I will have some pics over the next week or so of some completed stuff.

Until next time......

Cheers, 

Midge


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## CLT40k (Jun 18, 2010)

Great looking minis + Rep


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well folks I have a small update on my progress. 

As you can see from my profile I live in Dayton, Ohio, smack dab in the middle of the midwestern US. As you also know it is December meaning winter is upon us. For those of you not in the midwestern US that equates to one thing being a constant right now..... That it is effing colder than a witches left tit. Since my work station is in the basement of my 100 year old house, that means it is like walking into a meat locker to work on my stuff. So I haven't gotten a whole lot of painting done in the last week or two. 

But as I said I do have a small update. Toting some of my bits and tools up to the warmer climes of my home, I managed to get some work done on my Prime conversion. Taking some advice from my lovely wife about some things that weren't so good with what I had so far, I went about changing the existing conversion in progress into something that I am rather pleased with. I went for something that looked like a step between a Warrior and a Hive Tyrant and I think I managed to achieve the look I was going for. So here are some before and after shots of my Prime conversion.



















and a shot from the rear









So comments and critiques? For my first real major conversion I am pleased as punch with how it came out. I have the weapons done but left them unattached for painting purposes, so he is ready to rock and roll. I am probably going to finish up my in-progress Warrior Brood and then him instead of working whole hog on my gants, because lets face it.... gants are boring. 

Until next time....


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

I really like what you have done with his back, I think I will borrow this idea when I do my Prime Conversion! I know what you mean, painting gaunts is very boring.


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Very impressive... Very impressive... :so_happy: I must say that these are some of the best Tyranids I have ever seen! Cant wait to see more...


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

troybuckle said:


> I really like what you have done with his back, I think I will borrow this idea when I do my Prime Conversion! I know what you mean, painting gaunts is very boring.


Steal away! I have nicked plenty of ideas and things off the boards in my time. Glad you liked it, and that it inspired you in your own work.



Doelago said:


> Very impressive... Very impressive... :so_happy: I must say that these are some of the best Tyranids I have ever seen! Cant wait to see more...


:thank_you:You are far to kind sir! Thanks for the praise and I am glad you enjoy what you see. 

By way of a small update, I am planning to start painting on this guy tonight, along with the rest of a warrior squad, so hopefully within the next week to 10 days I will have some more progress to share with every one. 

Again thanks to all who have commented, the words of encouragement and praise are all very much appreciated.


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## The Avari (May 19, 2010)

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!! How did you do the edge of the carapace like that?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

First I washed the edges where I would be doing the feathering with extremely watered down Enchanted Blue, it is very translucent, to get a nice undercoat. I then feathered Codex Grey on, on top of that Fortress Grey, and finally Ice Blue. I took my time and made sure that each individual line was visible next to, or under the proceeding color. 

Glad you like them.


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## DrinCalhar (Jul 10, 2010)

I love the armor.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well now it has been a fair bit of time since I have had an update for this log, so here goes. 

If you all don't know I am working on my Fantasy Battles Dwarf army for the Painting Challenge this year so my time has been devoted to my Stunties and I can say that I am definitely pleased with how they are going. But where does that leave my Nids you ask? (well maybe you didn't ask, but for purposes of this excercise I am going to pretend you did.) Well I haven't been completely idle on the Hive Mind front. I have acquired all of the bits and pieces that I am going to need for my Tervigon conversion, I have assembled a Trygon kit to the point that I like for painting, and I have finished my Tyranid Prime conversion. Also since I finished my February entry for the Painting Challenge early last night I pulled out some assembled Warriors that have quite frankly been staring me in the face for like a year and a half and put brush to model. I got the purple base coat down and I have started layering and washing the places that will eventually be white. 

WIP pics incoming:


















So stay tuned over the next couple of days as I seem to be on a roll in the painting department. I hope to get these guys done by the end of the month. Again sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I am hoping that I can continue working projects in in-between my Challenge Entries.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

*Warrior update*

So I have gotten some work done on my Warrior Brood. Got a bit of work done on two of them, just have to finish the white on two more then on to the carapace. 




























Obviously they are WIP so the details are not there, but I wanted to share my progress.


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## Grins1878 (May 10, 2010)

Looking truly hideous (as in hideous aliens, not hideous painting!)! I love them :biggrin:

The colour scheme is pretty scary too, seeing them coming at you on a dark night would be horrific!


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very clean painting there.

I am still not sure how you keep so many projects going in parallel though :scratchhead:.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Grins1878 said:


> Looking truly hideous (as in hideous aliens, not hideous painting!)! I love them :biggrin:
> 
> The colour scheme is pretty scary too, seeing them coming at you on a dark night would be horrific!


Cheers mate! The more models I get painted the more I like my scheme. I am glad that I took a lot of time and went through a lot of test models to get it just right. 



Dave T Hobbit said:


> Very clean painting there.
> 
> I am still not sure how you keep so many projects going in parallel though :scratchhead:.


Thanks Dave. I have the attention span of a small squirrel, so the multiple projects keep me from getting bored. On top of that each army that I have requires different techniques, colors, and levels of blending so it helps challenge me to get better at my painting. Thanks for the comments guys, I should have more work done on them by the end of the week. so stay tuned for updates.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

A small update, no pics unfortunately. I have managed to get the white skin done on the whole brood, including a Prime that I started painting at the same time. I have gotten the edges of the carapace washed with blue ink then extremely watered down Enchanted Blue and I plan to start all of the feathering on the carapace tonight. If I can get that done then it will just be down to weapon arms and details. I have been making good progress the last couple of nights and I hope that tonight is just as fruitful as it is getting close to the end of the month and I need to get back to my Dwarfs. I will try to throw up some pics tonight.


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## Zero Effect (Feb 15, 2011)

Waiting with eagerness!

On a side note loving the Dwarfs

ZE


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Zero Effect said:


> Waiting with eagerness!
> 
> On a side note loving the Dwarfs
> 
> ZE


Cheers mate!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

So I finally have an update on my Warrior brood and Prime. I managed to get all of the feathering done on the carapace, the white is done, and the first layer of the red is done on the claws, feet, and spikes. The mouths and teeth are all just base coat at the moment so it makes them look kinda odd. Unfortunately I am going to need to put these guys away for a couple of weeks as I work on my March Dwarf entry for the Painting Challenge. So here are the WIP as they stand....










Here is a front shot of the Warriors.
and a rear view:









Here is my WIP Tyranid Prime:









Please let me know what you think, just keep in mind that these are still WIP.


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## Master of Sanctity (Nov 11, 2010)

Looking awesome Midge, love the colours, the white contrasts very nicely! Great work on the carapace.


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

The skin pink enough? The remind me of a good and plenty. hmmm good and plenty, damn you now I am hungry.

TBH not sold on the carapace.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

djinn24 said:


> The skin pink enough? The remind me of a good and plenty....TBH not sold on the carapace.


Because carapace on a liquorice sweet would be bad?

Cracking work as ever Midge


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

LOL no not that, something about the color strikes me odd. Its a WIP so not to wrapped up on it, I know Ben is a good painter and it will all pull together.


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

Nice work on those, there is one question I have: would you consider gloss varnish on the carapce? I have seen a Trygon done in the similar color sheme and w/glossed carapace I really liked the effect. It added some more contrast to the model, not only color but also texture. It is just a thought.

Siskin


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Master of Sanctity said:


> Looking awesome Midge, love the colours, the white contrasts very nicely! Great work on the carapace.


Thank you sir!:thank_you: Glad you like them. I am always suprised by the white when I finish it, and I also really like the contrast to the black/blue carapace. Glad it reads the same way to others. 



djinn24 said:


> The skin pink enough? The remind me of a good and plenty. hmmm good and plenty, damn you now I am hungry.
> 
> TBH not sold on the carapace.


mmmmmmmmm...... Good and Plenty. Now I am hungry too. As to the skin it really isnt that pink in actuality. The camera made it looks more pink than it really is. Looking at the model it is a deeper shade of Warlock Purple almost. 



Dave T Hobbit said:


> Because carapace on a liquorice sweet would be bad?
> 
> Cracking work as ever Midge


Thank you Dave. 



djinn24 said:


> LOL no not that, something about the color strikes me odd. Its a WIP so not to wrapped up on it, I know Ben is a good painter and it will all pull together.


I always feel the same way about the way the model looks at this stage, but the cohesion fairies always show up after the red is finished, the teeth and skin details are done, and the second set of arms go on. Don't ask me what it is, but thats just how it usually works out. Hopefully this time around will be no different. 



Siskin said:


> Nice work on those, there is one question I have: would you consider gloss varnish on the carapce? I have seen a Trygon done in the similar color sheme and w/glossed carapace I really liked the effect. It added some more contrast to the model, not only color but also texture. It is just a thought.
> 
> Siskin


Thanks for the compliment Siskin.

I have seen carapaces done in gloss other places as well and I am just not sold on it personally so I probably won't go in that direction. I just think against the lighter skin tone it would just look too bright. 

Thanks for the input guys! As I said before I am not sure when I am going to get to work on these again as I am lured back to my Dwarfs for the Challenge. I am hoping that I am going to be able to knock out my March entry rather quickly so I can get back to work on these guys. I post updates when I have them.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well guys I got a hair across my ass and did some work on my nids this evening. I have gotten the entirety of the main bodies of those Warriors and the Prime done, though I am sure that I will find some details to fix and add later on, so tomorrow night I will continue to take a break from my dwarves and continue to work on the weapon arms and bases on these guys. So here are some more WIP pics of the Warriors and Prime:










Prime










More on them tomorrow.


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## WarlordKaptainGrishnak (Dec 23, 2008)

Damn your smooth whites Midge!

I really like your Nids mate, seeing as even the WIPs are better quality than the Nids I tired to paint awhile back 

Look forward to more of these guys. Keep up the excellent work!!!

Grish


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

The Warriors look very good.

However, the feathering on the Prime looks a little heavy to me - unless it is the hard lighting.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments guys!

As to the Prime I am pretty sure that it is the lighting as he looks fine next to the squad. I couldn't get him lit right for some reason..... <sigh>. I am hoping to get the weapon arms done tonight and maybe the bases so these guys will be done and dusted. They have been on my painting table for far too long now.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Managed to get some more work done on my Warriors this evening. I got all of the weapon arms to the Leviathan wash stage and got the white done on a single Warrior. 










I am not too pleased with how stark the white looks against the white background. I think that in the future I will photo against black. All that's left for this guy is some details and the base. I managed to find a few shortcuts that saved some time on this guy without losing the quality that I want so that is a good thing in the long run as I have a lot of bugs to paint.......:suicide:


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## DaStonedOrk (Feb 8, 2011)

I saw that hive tyrant and thought...wow thats a nice nid, but ur whole nid army is starting to look just as good.
I have been thinking of doing a nid army too, but I have heard alot of people think nids are for kids and I can't live with that...also i think your white painting skills are especially nice.


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Oooh, great paint job. I really love the color contrasts of this scheme. The white, skeletal ribcages juxtaposed against the black carapace plates, with a feathering of several colors to offset the sheerness...spectacular! I'm not too sold on the pink parts, but I do see the need for a third color aspect in there, so I can't fault you for it. It's just a bit too similar-yet-dissimilar to the talons for me, I think.

Still, great work! Far better than anything that I could pull off!


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

I'm loving the look of this army. The primary colours look excellent.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

So I sat down tonight and got another Warrior to the same point as the one posted previously. It is my intention to get the whole brood to this point and then go back and do the little details like vents, tubes, and weapon armor and spikes. Also tried photographing in front of a black background this time. 










Comments and Critiques are always much appreciated.


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

Just read the whole plog, love them they look awesome.

I have just started my nid army so was really interesting to see what you did for the colour scheme.

Looking forward to seeing more

Tinks


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Looking real good man, the white is sooo clean it’s amazing. Warriors are good units considering wound allocation, synapses, and the fact you can stick a prime in with them to hide out.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Very clean paint jobs and great detailing. Unlike a certain naysayer  I think the carapices look great, but I am colourblind so take that with a grain of salt haha. I applaud and envy you, great work!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Tinkerbell said:


> Just read the whole plog, love them they look awesome.
> 
> I have just started my nid army so was really interesting to see what you did for the colour scheme.
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking the time to read through the whole thing and thanks for the compliments! I saw your plog and I really like the look of what you are doing with your own hive fleet, more Nids is always a good thing. 



troybuckle said:


> Looking real good man, the white is sooo clean it’s amazing. Warriors are good units considering wound allocation, synapses, and the fact you can stick a prime in with them to hide out.


Thanks Troy! The thing that I love most about the Nids is that no to hive fleets must be the same. Color combinations are endless as evidenced by all the great logs here on Heresy. I hear you about the Warriors, I build most of my lists around them because they are soooo multi-purpose. 



Boc said:


> Very clean paint jobs and great detailing. Unlike a certain naysayer  I think the carapices look great, but I am colourblind so take that with a grain of salt haha. I applaud and envy you, great work!


Thanks for the compliments Boc. I don't see anyone as being a naysayer in all honesty, people have their own personal opinions and I don't take it personally if something I like doesn't appeal to everyone. On a side note..... being color blind must be a bitch to deal with while painting models. 

Anyway..... Onto some pics. I managed to get all the Deathspitter guys from my ranged Brood done up to the pre-detail stage as I wanted to. The funny thing is with this brood is that one of the guys in the back row is the first Tyranid I ever painted. He doesn't look as good as the rest, but I refuse to repaint him out of sentimental value

Here they are:









As always comments and critiques are most welcome.


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

Top marks they look great, really striking colours.

I agree you can't repaint your first and he looks ok with the rest.

Tink


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Nids look great. Nice colour scheme.


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Great looking Nids Midge! I have always wanted a Nid army, but all the model that need to be painted is such a daunting task...and I am already tasked over my head with the Krieg. Anyways, keep at it man and have fun...that's what I keep forgetting to do =(


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## Grins1878 (May 10, 2010)

Still really like these! The bright bon type colour with the dark is a great contrast, makes them look very haunting and sinister. The red on the claws gives them a... I don't know, they're a very blood red colour, just makes me think that's what's going to happen when they get to you! 

Stunning work!


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## Chaosftw (Oct 20, 2008)

Looking good. I do like how you did not leave their bodies black really brings depth to your models!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Tinkerbell said:


> Top marks they look great, really striking colours.
> 
> I agree you can't repaint your first and he looks ok with the rest.
> 
> Tink





Hammer49 said:


> Nids look great. Nice colour scheme.





Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> Great looking Nids Midge! I have always wanted a Nid army, but all the model that need to be painted is such a daunting task...and I am already tasked over my head with the Krieg. Anyways, keep at it man and have fun...that's what I keep forgetting to do =(





Grins1878 said:


> Still really like these! The bright bon type colour with the dark is a great contrast, makes them look very haunting and sinister. The red on the claws gives them a... I don't know, they're a very blood red colour, just makes me think that's what's going to happen when they get to you!
> 
> Stunning work!


Thanks for the positive comments guys and gals! 



Chaosftw said:


> Looking good. I do like how you did not leave their bodies black really brings depth to your models!


As to the undercoat it is actually a really heavy Leviathan Purple wash, almost looks black, but in real life it still reads as purple.

I had a few open minutes today so I got a test Gant done tonight. I know that the white isn't as smooth as some of the other models that I have done, but I wanted to see how quickly I could get through one of these guys as there are a lot of them to go. 










I think that he turned out pretty good. Only took me about and hour and a half for him, which as far as nids go is a lot I know, but for my usual speed with them it isn't bad. I think if I spend about 2 hours per model I can get then as clean as I want them while still knocking them out pretty quickly.


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## Svartmetall (Jun 16, 2008)

I really like the combination of the purple and the blue you have there; I have to say I actually think the white is too stark a contrast to those two colours, and more of a parchment/bone type colour might be the way to go. Still looking good; have some rep


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

So not really a painting update, but I want to share that I added two big bugs to my list of goodies tonight. I found a trygon and a Mawloc in the bits bin at my FLGS for $30 US each +15% off. Woot! Mawloc is simply primed, but the Trygon may need a Simple Green bath. Anyway I love it when I find good deals like that!


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Good job on that deal! Very nice!


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Nice find, thouse big bugs will look sweet with your paint theam!!!


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## Tinkerbell (Feb 19, 2008)

Yay more nids.

Looking forward to seeing them painted


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

troybuckle said:


> Nice find, thouse big bugs will look sweet with your paint theam!!!


Thanks bud!



Tinkerbell said:


> Yay more nids.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing them painted


Indeed more is always better! I have had both the new bugs under the spray gun, layering on the base color. I will get some pics up later tonight more than likely. I was really surprised with how good a condition they were in. Usually bargain bin stuff is a little beat up, but both of these guys were in great shape.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

*New Toys!!!*

So I hit my new found goodies with a couple of layers of basecoat with my Citadel Spray Gun (I know <gasp> he owns that piece of shit) and I actually got the damn thing to do a halfway decent job. These models had been primed black and I usually prefer white, so the color is a bit deeper but for the most part a good chunk of the it will end up being white anyway after layering and blending. A few mold lines to handle on the claws, and some touch up on the base coat and these guys will be ready to rock. So here is the Bargain Bin Duo!


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

I look at them, and the first thing I think is: Ribena Berries go hardcore!


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> I look at them, and the first thing I think is: Ribena Berries go hardcore!


Heh, i have to agree :wink:

Can't wait to see them painted up though, I think your colour scheme will translate really nicely onto the big boys.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

*They're Done!!!!!!!!*

With the completion of my Dwarf unit for the May Painting Challenge, it freed up some time here in the last week of the month to try and catch up on unfinished projects that are laying around. 

I am happy to announce that I have finally finished the Brood of Warriors that I have effectively been working on for 4 years. Funnily enough the first Tyranid model that I ever painted is in this unit (you will be able to spot him I am sure, but I refuse to get rid of him out of some sense of sentimentality). So here they are:










































And the whole unit, that was taken as an after thought (so sue me I am tired). 










I am going to devote another night or two to finishing up the Tyranid Prime that I was working on in conjunction with this unit. So stay tuned for updates on that.


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Looking awesome Ben! Really good details on those. Two units in two days. Outstanding.


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## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Midge913 said:


> With the completion of my Dwarf unit for the May Painting Challenge, it freed up some time here in the last week of the month to try and catch up on unfinished projects that are laying around.
> 
> I am happy to announce that I have finally finished the Brood of Warriors that I have effectively been working on for 4 years. Funnily enough the first Tyranid model that I ever painted is in this unit (you will be able to spot him I am sure, but I refuse to get rid of him out of some sense of sentimentality). So here they are:
> And the whole unit, that was taken as an after thought (so sue me I am tired).
> ...


Those just look plain nasty!!!! No, not the paint job. It is a great paint job! Evil looking shooty things. My poor Firewarriors . 

Hmmmm...... need more Str 7 missile pods.....


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Superb work on the warriors. Look forward to seeing the prime.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

djinn24 said:


> Looking awesome Ben! Really good details on those. Two units in two days. Outstanding.


Thanks! If you think two units is good I am rolling on the momentum and got another one done! I will cover that below.



apidude said:


> Those just look plain nasty!!!! No, not the paint job. It is a great paint job! Evil looking shooty things. My poor Firewarriors .
> 
> Hmmmm...... need more Str 7 missile pods.....


I hate missile pods....... Dead Firewarriors make a good snack though!



Hammer49 said:


> Superb work on the warriors. Look forward to seeing the prime.


Thanks for the compliments Hammer! 

Speaking of the Prime I managed to get him finished over the last night or two. I am really pleased with the way that he turned out, and he looks great leading a Brood of Warriors.


































I really wanted him to have a dynamic pose and I think that the whip flying back over the shoulder really achieves that. 










For the Prime I really wanted something more than just a warrior with a bigger head and more armor. I wanted to capture the fact that he was a leader beast, and evolutionary a step between a Warrior and a Hive Tyrant. To that effect I really wanted the Prime to have some of the physical characteristics of a Hive Tyrant. So I went to my bits bin and cannibalized an old metal Lictor and a metal Ravener to further the cause. You can see that the Tyrant and the Prime both share the spikes and the leg carapace, the dew claws (for lack of a better word) next to the hoof, and the carapace vents on the back. Additionally they bear the same style of spikes on the head. All an all I am exceptionally pleased with the out come. 

Comments and Critiques would be most welcome. 

As far as my Nids go I am not sure what I am going to pick up next, but I may attempt to know out some more Troop choices and finally dive into painting Termagants.

Until next time....


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Continuing to look very good. The last photo of (just) the Prime really helps showcase the gentle contrast of the pink vs the magenta favorably. I like the in-between stage of the Prime, when compared to both the Warriors and the Tyrant.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

There is something about the tail that does not look quite right to me; however, I cannot work out what. Possibly it is just that the end is out of shot.


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## apidude (Nov 10, 2010)

Great work, Ben..... but.....

..... you are going to have to change your title from "Unfinished Project King" to "The 'What do I do now' King. You are whipping through projects that I know have been on your "I need to finish this someday" list at an alarming rate....

...Next thing you know you'll be buying up Dark Eldar models by the bushel load...

Great to see them all coming together..... now on to the Termies.... lots and lots of Termies.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well it has been some time since I updated my Nid Log here but I have a good excuse, I swear. 

With real life, a recent commission, the Army Painting Challenge, and my recent fascination with my Marine Chapter, my other armies have really been neglected. Well I finished my commission piece, and as I said in my Daemon log, I flipped a coin to see what I would work on tonight and even though the Daemons won the painting toss up I decided that I could spare some time to build up the box of Gargoyles that I have had for a while. I am not quite sure when I am going to get around to painting these as I feel that I should paint Gants (boooooo!) before I move onto anything else for my nids, but I really like these guys and I may move them up on the list.


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## farseer22 (May 23, 2011)

Midge913 said:


> Well it has been some time since I updated my Nid Log here but I have a good excuse, I swear.
> 
> With real life, a recent commission, the Army Painting Challenge, and my recent fascination with my Marine Chapter, my other armies have really been neglected. Well I finished my commission piece, and as I said in my Daemon log, I flipped a coin to see what I would work on tonight and even though the Daemons won the painting toss up I decided that I could spare some time to build up the box of Gargoyles that I have had for a while. I am not quite sure when I am going to get around to painting these as I feel that I should paint Gants (boooooo!) before I move onto anything else for my nids, but I really like these guys and I may move them up on the list.


Gargoyles are just Gaunts with wings aren't they? 

I look forward to seeing whatever it is you paint.


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## louisshli (Aug 19, 2010)

Midge913,

Nice Warriors and Prime, your paint scheme is very well thought out. I agree with farseer22, don't be too harsh on yourself that your Gaunts isn't getting the painting love. You're a bit of a beast for having some many projects going on at the same time.... I wish I can field another army too, but there just isn't enough time. I'm happy to even get 1hr to paint on the weekdays. Weekends are just completely down the drain these days.

Anyway, enough venting.... great 'Nids... can't wait to see more, have some rep!


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## Go0se (Apr 14, 2010)

Love the scheme on these Nids. The Prime looks great too. Good work mate


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Sometimes I don't know which log of yours I am following...LOL!

Great stuff man, I love the way your doing their carapace. Oh, FYI, looks like there is a piece of sand stuck to your Tyrants hoof!

Good luck with the fliers!


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

Good looking stuff like normal Ben


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks everybody for the kind words and encouragement. Well I have a smallish, no picture update for you:

I have a tourney coming up on the 23rd at my FLGS and I plan on running my nids in them, just do get some table top time. Now for this tourney you don't need to have your whole army painted, which is a good thing in my case even though there are prizes for best painted army, but I do need to get two more Hive Guard models put together. I figured while I was putting them together I might as well try out my new process for painting the white on them. So I am well into the two guys as of now (sorry no pics yet) and I should be able to wrap them up fairly quickly to get them read for the tourney tabletop. Stay tuned for updates about them.


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## louisshli (Aug 19, 2010)

Midge913,

Good luck w/ the tournament mate. Rip whoever you play against a new a$$-hole w/ those 'nids..... go get 'em.....


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Good luck with the tournament looking toward to seeing your scheme on those hive guard make sure you keep them out of sight and 24 inch range is not a long as you might think


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well all I managed to get a some good work done on the Hive Guard tonight. Not really much to show, but I have started layering in the white and adding black to areas that need it:










So progressing nicely, but still has quite a bit to go before they look like this guy from page 2:










Anywhooooo.... Thanks for the well wishes in the upcoming tourney. It will be my first one in about 5 years, so I am not expecting much, but I am looking forward to it. 

updates when I have them.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

So I made some really good progress on my Hive Guard this evening. I got the with all done, minus some final touch ups later, got the feathering done on the legs where it would have been hard to paint it when assembled, got them assembled the rest of the way, and got the black parts base coated. 


















So I am pretty much on track to get these guys done before my tourney next week. 

Comments and Critiques welcome as always.


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Looking good dude! ..../Cracks the whip

How many points is the tourney?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> Looking good dude! ..../Cracks the whip
> 
> How many points is the tourney?


Thanks man! 

The tourney is 1500 points with a 1 HQ limit. There are awards for first, second, and third place, as well as awards for best painted model and army. I think there is also a HQ Deathmatch I think. 

Anywho.... I got some more good work done on the Hive Guard this evening. I got the feathering on the carapace done tonight and started the red blending on the claws. I also started layering up the white recipe on the Impaler Cannon. Enough talk, pictures:


































Comments and Critiques are always welcome.


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## arumichic (May 14, 2011)

You ask for critiques when there are none to give... >.<
Anywho...looking good! Good luck on the tourney and keep up the painting!~


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## WarlordKaptainGrishnak (Dec 23, 2008)

Wow Midge these look great, nice seeing the stages they go through. Best of luck in the tournie!

Grish


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

I might be able to if I did not have to look through a microscope to see your models.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Excellent feathering.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

arumichic said:


> You ask for critiques when there are none to give... >.<
> Anywho...looking good! Good luck on the tourney and keep up the painting!~


Thanks! 



WarlordKaptainGrishnak said:


> Wow Midge these look great, nice seeing the stages they go through. Best of luck in the tournie!
> 
> Grish


I have always thought that putting up photos of the different stages of my paint jobs was important. First it helps me to remember what colors and techinques I used in particular squads as I work on so many different projects that sometimes quite a bit of time goes by before I get back to that army. Secondly, I hope that others can learn something from me. I know that when I first started painting logs and tutorials that had great step by step, staged photos were immensely helpful to me. I am just trying to do the same. Thanks for the compliments!



djinn24 said:


> I might be able to if I did not have to look through a microscope to see your models.


Hahaha! I know full well you can see them Mr. 27" Monitor with Zoom Functions



Dave T Hobbit said:


> Excellent feathering.


Thanks Dave!

I am not sure how much work I am going to get done tonight as I am working on the air condition on my car tonight. But I am hoping to get the rest of the detail done on the bodies at the very least. Once again thank you to all you folks who follow along, it really does great things for my motivation levels!


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Midge913 said:


> Hahaha! I know full well you can see them Mr. 27" Monitor with Zoom Functions


HAHAHAHA, Dude, you had me roll'n!

Hurry up and get your AC fixed already!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Disciple_of_Ezekiel said:


> HAHAHAHA, Dude, you had me roll'n!
> 
> Hurry up and get your AC fixed already!


I am to please

AC is fixed, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be so I will be back to the painting table later on tonight.


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Wish I could say the same, wife cracked the whip!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Well I got some more work done on the Hive Guard tonight but nothing really picture worthy. I got the white layered onto the Impaler Cannons and got the details basecoated. I also got the rest of the bodies done, finishing the teeth and red on the claws and hooves. I am hoping to get these guys finished tomorrow night.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

*Finished!!!*

So I got the Hive Guard done tonight!!!! WOOT!! I am really pleased with how they turned out. I won't ramble as I have really covered my color recipes in other posts so I will go right to photos:

First the two new guys:

































































And the full Brood:










So I got them all done, sealed and everything, and I was going to put them in my display case when I dropped one of the buggers straight to the floor. Needless to say that despite using pins in places the fucker broke into all of its component parts. I have since fixed it and touched up the damaged paint spots, but it doesn't look quite as nice in my opinion as it does in the photos above...... <sigh> such is the nature of this hobby though right?

I am not sure what my next Tyranid Project is going to be or when I will get to it. I still have my Challenge Entry for July to finish up for my Dwarfs and I have a couple of commission pieces that should be arriving in the next few days. But I will get back to these guys as soon as possible. 

Comments and critiques more than welcome.


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## d0m (Nov 5, 2009)

Really nice, mate! Clean, crisp with a high contrast, I also like the color combination. 
My only little concern would be the purple tail of those buddies, it looks a little flat compared to the blue and bone colors.


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## Zognutz (Jun 15, 2011)

epic hive guard... I liked you scheme to start with but the more I see it the more I like it.

I want to steel it for my own [NO NO NO finish the orks first!!!!!] see look what you've done 

keep up the good stuff mate


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