BFG Tyranids

[Mr Grey]

I've wanted to start a nid fleet for a while now and was wondering what models you lot have used to scratchbuild  your ships, I was thinking:

Carnifex - hiveships
Warriors - crusers/krakken
hormagaunts - escorts/vangauard

[Geep]

I have a decently sized 40k army, which means I've been able to mostly just use the spare bits- Weapons in particular. The exceptions are the cruisers, for which I used Tyranid warrior torsos. I haven't yet built any Hive Ships, but intend to use the Acid Spray from the Tyrannofex and maybe some spare Carnifex carapace.

[Captain-Matthais]

Oooooooh so here goes.

Carnifex carapace and weapons for hive ships, cruisers and kraken.
Parts from the hive tyrant kit, including weapons both guns and close combat weapons.
The mawloc/trygon kit has soem great parts to make use off too, including the alternate heads and talons.
The devourer as a base and then adding fins with the extended carapace with spike works well.

Here are a few of my blog photos that have my first attempts in and im sure that you will see what I have used, but if not feel free to ask more

This is some escorts, using the deathspitter and the devourers as bases.


Kraken with bits from the mawloc/trygon kit.


Cruisers with the weapons of carinfex/hive tyrant/warriors.


Hive ship, All sorts of stuff here including FOUR carnifex carapace bits...


I have also used a lot of green stuff to pad them out and position them well
I hope this helps in some way.

[Thinking Stone]

This is very cool, @Captain-Matthais! I've often wondered how easily it would be to make BFG (and Epic, for that matter ) Tyranids from 40K parts. Did you start off with unused sprues, or did you have mainly leftover bits to work with? (That is, is this a project that uses a lot of the box).

Is your fleet up somewhere on the internet, @Geep?

[Captain-Matthais]

They are all spares from the kits.
I built the big beasties for my projects and then used my spares as well as spares from other kind folks who sent me some of theirs.

For example, in the carnifex kit, you get 3 carapace variants, so you use one on the carnifex itself so two spare. There are some parts that are harder to use, for example the small scything talons, because if you buy hormagants then theu come with just enough for the troops, but I have seen people use the bodies of both hormagants and termagaunts as ships too, so if you went that route it is farely economic.

You could also recast the parts you want, just making sure to flatten on side which would be covered to allow a good mold to be made.

When I get back to Yorkshire I aim to do a few tutorials with my tyranid and ork scratchbuilding so can also link them here when done ☺ hope togs helps and if you have more questions ill answer where I can.

[radu lykan]

Excuse the bright orange background

Kraken

Vanguard drone

Escort drone

Not having a tyranid army has meant slow going on the accumulation of parts for expansion but hopefully not much longer

[Geep]

Thanks for all of the ideas from the previous posters

@Thinking Stone- no, unfortunately my Hive Fleet is packed away (and off in storage) and mostly still WIP. It's hard to keep motivated on projects when opponents are few and far between.

[Mr Grey]

I was wondering how you guys fitted the model to the base I've got one of those mini hand drills for pinning and such, I don't really want to use a drill that you use to put up shelves and such.

Thanks

[radu lykan]

Think it's a 2mm drill bit in a pin vice. In my head a 3mm bit is too big. Hope that helps

[Easy e]

Very cool!  I love the guppy like fins.