The Roost of Turkadactyl

Inspired by the Canadian wilderness I have name my Tyranids Hive Fleet Kodiak.  Over the last couple of years I have introduced you to two of my organisms from my Tyranids- Time the Dimachaeron and the Spawn of Cryptus.  Hive Fleet Kodiak has also made appearances in battle reports.  For 2017 I plan on showcasing my Tyranids throughout the year.  This army is easily my largest and will stay that way so it will take me a while to progress through the army.  I wanted to start the year with a model that holds a special place in my hobby filled heart- my scratch built Trygon.

Years ago around the time when Apocalypse was released for 40K there were rumours suggesting that Games Workshop had managed to convert the Trygon to a plastic kit.  There was no plastic kit that matched the Forgeworld model in size so there were some skeptics that it could be pulled off (the new plastic Carnifex kit had wowed many with the size of that model) .  At the time my wife and I were not earning as much and the currency exchange with British pound stirling was not in Canada’s favour.  I didn’t want to order a Forgeworld model only to have a cheaper plastic model released shortly thereafter.

I really wanted to use a Trygon on the table top though.  I’ve made it no secret on the Roost that I hate assembly and have no inspiration to scratch build.  This was one of the few rare occasions that I was motivated to make my own creation.  I collected some bits, ordered a big wad of green stuff and had at it.

I did some digging and found that the measurements of the Forgeworld model.  I used the body of the Carnifex to start off.  I used green stuff for the neck to give the beast appearance of looking down towards its prey.  I used two pairs of Carnifex talons as well as a pair of Ravener talons for the bottom set.

The next part became a bit trickier.  I used a coat hanger for the skeletal structure for the tail.  I drill a hole into the body and bent the wire to appropriately look like a tail.  Once I was satisfied with the curve and length I cut the end and applied copious amounts of green stuff.  I waited for the green stuff to set and cut plates to go over top of the tail.  This proved to be daunting to try get the plates to look as proportional as possible.

In the end I was quite pleased with the result.  I didn’t have too much experience with scratch building and my creation was a reasonable facsimile to the real deal.  I had plenty of Tyranid bits lying around to add some detail to the model.  There were times I wanted to give up but I’m glad I stuck with it.  My scratch built Trygon needs to bulk up some more compared to its family members but there is plenty of food in Imperial space.

Size comparison with the current plastic kit.  A wee bit taller and skinnier.

My wife recently received a new phone so I jacked her old one.  I don’t have a cell phone so I’m excited to have a device to take decent photos.  I’ve been taking photographs with an old tablet that I inherited.  That tablet bit the dust so I’ve been bugging my wife to take photos with her phone.  Now I can take my own.  I’m hoping that the quality of my photos will improve now and I should be adding some video back to the Roost again.  I also plan on revisiting my old posts and updating them with better quality photos.

Tyranids and Sisters are my first armies.  My painting has improved over the years but I still enjoy this paint scheme.  It’s not the most advanced paint work but the colours work.  I enjoy playing this army.  Sure the codex is not one of the strongest but that won’t stop me trying to consume one planet at a time.

I look forward to showcasing more Tyranids.  If you want to showcase your Tyranid army please contact me.  I’d love to showcase your models.  Thanks for reading.