It’s been a long time since I had the time or motivation to paint anything. That changed recently, however, and I managed to complete a project which has sat half-finished in my cabinet for a long time. This is a Tyranid Hive Tyrant, from Citadel Miniatures mid 90s range. I much prefer the 90s minis and ruleset.

The Tyranids are nasty alien creatures who have a hive-mind and seem to exist for one purpose, namely to eat everything. Their weaponry is made from living organisms bio-engineered to serve a single purpose – whether that’s spitting gobs of venom at people or “being a sword” (yes that sword he has is actually a separate life form)

I wanted to give him a very organic look, so I went so far as to paint a bunch of veins on his head and on the bonesword. I used a LOT of inks and glazes to get the tones just right, and these low quality photos didn’t really pick it all out.

I’m pretty satisfied with the result, and looking forward to adding plenty of minions to the Hive Tyrant’s force. I have a pretty substantial Tyranid force which is awaiting painting, but my Dark Elves take precendence right now.