So, after 2 days solidly playing X-Wing Miniatures Game (phew!), well that and a bit of garden fence repair – okay – so I’m going to digress here momentarily. The recent winds blew down one of our fence panels and the old fence post. I have finally got round to replacing it, only to find that the fence post was concreted into the ground with enough material to build a helipad on. And not just any old stuff. It’s clearly special anti-smash-and-replace-it concrete designed for the construction of military bunkers. I will get it out of course, but it’s gonna take far longer than a garden fence repair should (and before you ask, no I didn’t put it in in the first place!). Ok, rant over, feeling better now!
So anyway, after 2 days of X-Wing, I thought I better add another 40K post. This time, I’ve posted a picture of a new favourite Tyranid in my army – the Winged Hive Tyrant (or Flyrant as it is affectionately known, if ‘affection’ is the right word for such a hideous creation!!!).
I think this model is superb though I’m a bit conflicted on this with Games Workshop at the moment. There is no doubting the standard and quality of their plastic miniatures (don’t get me started on the so-called “Finecast” resin models that were anything but) but come on guys, you’ve really go to do something about the price! There are some fantastic new miniatures companies springing up – you only have to look at the offerings advertised by companies such as Wayland Games to see that. Games Workshop – you’ve got some work to do guys on your business model, oh that and play testing your rulesets more thoroughly.
Wow, I’m really on one tonight. Gallanteer and I have been HUGE fans of 40K for over 25 years and think that GW have done a fantastic job creating this amazing universe. But from what I read, folks are starting to rebel, and GW are going to have to work hard to retain their loyal fans (myself and Gallanteer included) and continue to inspire new generations of gamers.
So, the Flyrant. I did a conversion a few years back of an old-style metal Tyrant with a pair of Gargoyle wings grafted onto its back with ‘Greenstuff’. It was pretty basic but I was proud of it! looking back, it had no more chance of flying than a bluebottle trying to lift a house brick. The new model is frankly amazing, and pretty awesome in battle to boot. I painted this one up over Christmas ’14, to match the rest of my ‘Nid army and really enjoyed it. It certainly looks pretty (again perhaps not the right word!) but not sure how it will perform on the battlefield with those enormous wings. 6″ tall (150mm) and with a wingspan of nearly a foot (300mm) claw-to-claw, surely it won’t get in the way of any scenery!!!
It’s not a particularly complex model to paint, nor do I use particularly difficult techniques. It’s mostly a combination of dry-brushing and washes, but I try to take a lot of time where there are details to paint accurately. I also spend a reasonable time on the base to make sure it looks really neat.
Next time – meet the Trygon……
Veteran Gamers UK 