Oldschool "Epic" Malefactor

I came across another nice printable file online. It's from the same creator as the ‘Epic’ Trygon, and it's a Malefactor!

A few details differ from the Armorcast original, but it's free! These old Tyras looked really alien and totally crazy. It's almost impossible to tell which end is which or where the head is. Today's Tyras, unfortunately, look quite normal and are easier to ‘read’.

There are no rules for this miniature in the 5th edition of 40k (which are the rules I currently play by). Therefore, I will use it as a Tervigon. I think that fits well, since the Malefactor was originally a transport option for smaller Tyranid creatures, and a Tervigon comes closest to that nowadays.

 

 

I'm not entirely satisfied with the result, but on the other hand, I don't feel like painting any more. After all, the swarm is growing steadily and the first big battle is approaching...

  

 

The Mycetic Spore "Problem"

With regard to the further expansion of the Tyranid swarm, I realized that I would soon need Mycetic Spores. Some of you may remember that it took a very long time for GW to officially release a model for this. The 5th edition Codex included the codex entry, but no model. Quite a few people therefore proxed Mycetic Spores with Mega Blocks' Plasma Hatchers. It looked like this: 

 

However, these “eggs” are no longer available. Puppetswar offers a good alternative to the official GW model and nowadays there is also 3D printing. So there is no shortage of alternatives. However, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I used digital kitbashing to build a Mycetic Spore from freely available "Space Bug" models. Last but not least, I didn't want just any Mycetic Spore, but one that matches the style of the second edition of 40k Tyranid models.  

 

I am quite satisfied with the result and think it suits the old models well. This first Mycetic Spore will bring a squad of Zoanthropes onto the battlefield in upcoming games.  

Oldschool Zoanthropes [2nd Edition 40k]

Following the Genestealers, I continued straight on with the bright colours and old Tyranids. I had already painted a Zoanthrope a few years ago. Two were still lying around unpainted. It was time to paint them!

The model in the middle is the one I painted before. I have no idea why I decided on a black carapace armour back then. The model on the far right was missing its mandibles, so I repurposed two demonette claws for it.

For games using the 5th edition rules, they also absolutely need a Mycetic Spore. I already have an idea for that...