Modeling Tutorial: Cheap Plastic Zoanthrope Kitbash

Not if I have anything to say about it!  Chaosheade the Thrifty Heresiarch to the rescue!

Hey everyone, welcome to the long awaited Kitbashed Plastic Zoanthrope modeling tutorial, A.K.A. the "I'm about to save you a @#$&load of money on Zoanthropes" tutorial.  As you may know I am working on making a null deployment Tyranid army and that means I want to have some Zoanthropes.  Being the thrifty gamer that I am, however, I have a problem with paying $25 per model for the 6-9 zoanthropes that I eventually want to have in my collection and I'm not going to even comment on the whole "Finecast" issue and the complaints you see all over the internet.  I think that poor dead horse has seen enough abuse already.

Getting back on topic, I decided to try my hand at converting a zoanthrope using an assortment of plastic bits.  The first attempt was decent but not great and had several areas that really needed some attention.  The second version was a huge improvement over the first and will be the basis for all further conversions.  In this post I will be converting my third zoanthrope and documenting the process to show you exactly how I made them and how much money I will be saving compared to buying them at retail prices.  All right then, enough with the introductions, jumping right into it after the break.

HUGE Hobby Progress Update and WTF have I been doing for the last month.

This pic makes me want to facepalm so hard but I can't keep myself from laughing at this every time I see it.  And now you will too.  No need to thank me.
  Found here.

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here back from another little blogging hiatus with a status update on what I've been up to that's sooo much more important than this little corner of the internet.  (If you don't care about this and just want to get to the hobby update, just skip to the break.)  I mentioned in the previous post that I've been getting a ton of modeling done and I've gotten even more done since then, but the main reason I've been out of touch with the blog-o-sphere is work.  I deliver newspapers for a living and they get pretty crazy around this time of year, especially on Thanksgiving, so work has been pretty stressful lately.  To help combat the extra stress I've been taking refuge in Skyrim which, admittedly, has also eaten up some of my potential hobby/blogging time but work remains the #1 contributing factor.  I have been enjoying the game immensely and IMO it's the best Elder Scrolls game yet.  I won't nerd out too much on the blog and go on about how awesome my lvl 52 character is and all the stuff he's got, but if you want to chat about the game feel free to email me.

Enough about that, I have lots of great stuff to share with you so sit back and enjoy the show after the break.

Basing and painting for Hive Fleet Balor.

Very cool and inspirational model by The LeadHead.  See also: the making of.

Hey all, Chaosheade here again.  I've kind of been neglecting my blogging lately but it's mainly because I've been getting a ton of modeling done which is pretty awesome.  Also my nice big LCD monitor went belly up so I'm working with an old CRT monitor until I can afford a replacement, but that's another story.  Back on topic, I finally decided how I'm going to base my army and I have a slight tweak in the paint scheme that I think will work better with the bases.  Details after the jump.

Tyranid Objective Markers Concept /w Pics!

Welcome heretics, xenos friends, and loyalist scum wishing you can be as cool as us.  Welcome to another post by your beloved (or reviled) heresiarch, Chaosheade.  Life is continuing to kick my butt pretty thoroughly.  Work, my wife catching pneumonia and an angry gall bladder, taking care of my family, blah blah blah, excuses, excuses.  Fortunately my wife is pretty much recovered now and things are getting closer to normal, or at least what passes as normal for me.  I have been able to squeeze in some hobbying and I'm making some decent progress building my nids.  Of course my blogging has slowed down a bit but what can you do?  I'm here now, ain't I?

Today I wanted to share an idea I had for some Tyranid objective markers that I think are going to be wicked awesome.  Yes, I just said that.  That just happened.  I uploaded some previews of some preliminary conceptual mock-ups of the models on my DeviantArt account and then "leaked" them on the Maximum Heresy Twitter Feed.  For those of you who think Twitter is for twits, here's a blog post with all the pictures and info with a more thorough explanation of all the markers and the inspiration behind them.  Gribbly goodness after the jump.

New Necrons Theory: Plastic or Finecast?

Source: iAMiAN_'s photostream

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here.  Unless you've been living under a rock or been without internet connection since yesterday you have probably heard about all the pictures of the new Necron units leaked by Beasts of War yesterday.  I usually don't go for all the attention-grabbing rumors and news stuff, but after seeing Wayland Games' Necron Pre-Order Page I came up with a theory on which new (and returning) units will be plastic and which will be finecast that I thought would be worth sharing.  Ponderings after the jump.

Zoanthrope Conversion mk2 Complete

Translation: "And I'm spent."

Hey everybody, Chaosheade back again.   I finally completed the second zoanthrope conversion with many improvements over the first conversion and would like to share the finished product with all of you.  Pics and stuff after the jump.

Zoanthrope Conversion mk2 WIP

WIP picture of the new and improved Zoanthrope conversion.

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with a quick update on the progress of the new and improved second generation Zoanthrope conversion.  I got a lot of work done and wanted to share my progress so far.  The above picture shows my current progress on the second model using the improvements I outlined in my last post.  More details on the specific parts and the changes I made after the jump.

Zoanthrope Conversion Beta Test Model

Beta version under construction
source

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with an updated look at the Zoanthrope conversion that I recently shared.  I have made a few tweaks to the model and have several ideas on how to improve on the design.  I will share pictures of the model in its current state and several ideas on how I plan on improving it.  Full story after the jump.

Hobby Update: I'm back in the game!

I'm back, baby!
found here thanks to google image search

Hey everybody, Chaoshead here and I'm very happy to announce that I'm back in the hobbying saddle again.  After an extended hobby funk I finally got back to modeling.  It started with getting over my blogging funk and then the rest of the bits just fell into place... and stayed there because I super glued them. *rimshot*  I am also working on another major conversion that will save me a TON of money and, of course, I will be making a tutorial about the conversion soon.  Full details after the jump.

Adventures in Airbrushing Episode IV: Where do I buy this stuff?

Apparently airbrushes are not high on Google's priorities.
source

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with a quick addition another episode of Adventures in Airbrushing with commentary by M4XVLTG3.  I wanted to go over different airbrush retailers and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each one.  There is a very brief list in AiA Episode III on compressors but I want something much more comprehensive.  The subject didn't really seem to fit in any of the other sections that are being worked on or are planned and it's something I wanted to discuss.  This was originally supposed to be a quick and dirty guide but it ended up growing too long to be considered a small addition so it grew up to be a full episode.  That seems to happen a lot when I get carried away with my research.  More after the jump.

Painting the Pod, Part 1

"Painting the Pod" sounds like it could be some clever euphemism for something else... too bad it's not.

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with a hobby update on the spore pods I created last week.  I wanted to have a finished pod ready to show off today but couldn't figure out just how I wanted to paint them so I'll just have to start with the part that was successful.  Those following Maximum Heresy on Twitter got a sneak preview of the pod with the base colors done.  Details on this and my failed experiments after the jump.

Modeling Tutorial: Cheap and Easy Mycetic Spore Pods

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with another tutorial.  Our subject this time is Mycetic Spore pods, the Tyranid version of drop pods.  This is just one of the many units in the codex that does not have an official model, making it a prime candidate for substitution, conversion, etc.  There are a number of tutorials out there most often using foam balls or eggs but most of them were either too much work or just didn't look good to me.  There are also some models made by other companies such as Plasma Hatcher toys (~$20 or more depending on availability) or the models from Chapterhouse Studios ($35) and Mr. Dandy ($42-48) but these options are quite expensive. I finally found one that really caught my attention in this thread on The Tyranid Hive forums.  This method is much more economical than purchasing one of the 3rd party models and in my opinion looks better and is easier to make than any of the other methods I researched.  I can't take credit for the original idea but what I have done is create a formal step-by-step tutorial that more fully explains the process of making these spore pods.  More after the jump.

Mixing Quick Reference

Hello my beautiful cultists. M4X here to let you know Chaosheade and I are considering Putting a quick mix guide in the main menu section. Basically it would be one place to get the parts breakdown for basic wash mixtures and paint cutting/thinning formulas. What do you guys think? If you have any mixes of your own that you want to share comment them at the bottom of the post. If we use it we will give you the recognition in our mixing section. Let us know if this would be something useful to you.

I have lots of recipes to share for all kinds of applications.  I'll start working on putting them all in one place. 
P.S. I've decided to use green as my added comments color.  Blogger's blues are either too light to be manly enough to use or too dark to read against the black background. -CH

Dr. Chaosbugs, or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Tyranids.

More of my sweet Photoshop skills... and just a little bit creepy.

Hey all, Chaosheade here again to regale you with another Tale of Interest.  This is a story of war, of passion, of love and hate, of joy and sorrow, of frustration and satisfaction.  This is a story of the relationship between a Heretic and a strange alien life form from another galaxy whose sole purpose is to consume biomass.  This is a story all about how my life got flip- what?  I already did the Fresh Prince thing?  Oh... well... I guess I'll just get to it then.

News time: M4X comes home, my brother makes a tutorial, and lots of blue-tac

Hey all, Chaosheade here with a breaking news bulletin.  More like an update on what's happening, but the first one sound a lot more exciting.

I am so good at Photoshop

A short absence: RL strikes again

Hey everybody, Chaosheade checking in.  As you probably figured out from the title, real life has once again come between me and what I love doing.  My spare time has been very scarce lately and I haven't even picked up any of my minis in a week or so.  I won't go into all the details but there's been lots of things going on creating lots of stress for us.  Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here and still reading even though I'm not writing or commenting nearly as much as I would like to be.  I haven't forgotten or abandoned you and hopefully it will be back to business as usual soon.  Until then, stay cool and I'll catch you on the flip side.

Tyranids hobby update, a little news, and a bit of a funk.

Hey all, Chaosheade here after taking a few mental health days off.  I figured I would share my progress on my Tyranid army so everyone can point and laugh at my incredibly slow progress.  This will also serve as a pseudo-update to the 'Magnetizing' Without Magnets Tutorial that will probably get a real update sometime in the not too distant future.  I'll get into the reasons closer to the end of the post.  More after the jump.

Adventures in Airbrushing Episode III: The Compressor Quandary

Or, which compressor should I buy?  Similar to Adventures in Airbrushing Episode I, in Episode III I will be listing some guidelines on which compressor to buy as well as some examples.  If you haven't read it already, be sure to check out Episode II for an in-depth guide to many of the benefits and features available to be sure you know what you are looking for. So get ready, sit back and let me, 

A bit about me and why I blog

Hey everybody, Chaosheade here with some random musings.  I've been thinking about this topic for a while and have been meaning to put my thoughts into a more permanent format since my brain's memory banks are so inefficient but never got around to it before now.  

I may never be as cool as Laurence Fishburne but I compensate for that with... uh... I'll get back to you on that one.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - your browser closes, you go about your day, and everything seems normal until 99 badger-monkey hybrids explode from your computer and do horrible things to you (I'll let your imagination take care of the mental images on this one.) You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and continue reading this post and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole of my mind goes, quite possibly driving you insane.  You're screwed either way, so you might as well enjoy the ride!

Quick post-Memorial Day update and a little Tyranid painting

From a veteran who is fortunate enough to be here to celebrate Veterans day, to those who are not.  

Hey everybody.  Chaosheade here hoping everyone's Memorial Day weekend went well.  Mine was pretty busy between trying to change my sleeping schedule (I need to quit working nights) and two barbecues.  I didn't do much hobby related stuff, but I did try out a couple quick experiments on my 'nids with various washes.  More after the break.