It's the Worm's Turn

Mashaff!

...is the name of the Giant Demon Maggot from the Reaper Bones 2 Kickstarter a few years back, if you're wondering what in hell's name I'm blathering about now. He got drafted as a Tervigon in the recent 40K match I played against Stylus, which meant that honour obliged me to paint him.

I had been saving him, as a vague incentive to finish painting the entire Reaper box set I've still got lurking under the bed. I still will! I promise! Just, you know, when GW stop crowding my schedule with Necromunda, 40K, Shadespire, Adeptus Titanicus, the revamped Chainsaw Warrior and whatever else they shoehorn in before Christmas.

My eldest daughter had already started painting with this one. Playing with it too, it's one of her favourites as you can pull the head off and stuff other smaller models down its neck. She is unlikely to thank me for gluing it together properly, or repainted over her red, yellow, silver and blue paint scheme. Now I feel like Will Farrell in the Lego Movie, only without the redemptive ending.

The Tyranid Codex is previewing on the Warhammer blog at the moment, and if I wasn't won over after the recent game (spoiler: I was), the strategem where you can get extra command points for eating an opponent's brain sealed it for me. Tyranids are firmly on the shopping list.

Which means this is also a prototype for my Hiveworld colours. I know I ought to be Hivefleet Kraken, but I'm not a fan of taking the generic, official colour schemes when I can make my own, and Kraken is a rather dull red and bone.

So Hivefleet Caterpillar (final name pending) is based loosely on this creature:

And here's how I did it, so I can improve the paleness of the green for next time:

Painting Scheme:

• Undercoat - White
• Underbelly - Kislev Flesh, Seraphim Sepia, Kislev and Flayed One Flesh layers
• Carapace - Moot Green, Bieltan Shade, Niblet Green and Putrid Green drybrushes
• Stone - Abaddon Black, Eshin Grey, Dawnstone, Longbeard Grey and Terminatus Stone drybrushes
• Claws and Legs - XV88, Agrax Earthshade, Ushabti Bone layer, Pallid Wychflesh and Praxeti White drybrushes
• Mandibles and Spiky Bum Flaps- Stegadon Scale Blue, Algae Wash, Niblet Green drybrush
• Mouth and Bum - Xereus Purple, Genestealer Purple, Druchii Violet wash, Lucius Lilac drybrush
• Tentacles - As per mouth, but then Lothern Blue and Etherium Blue Drybrushes
• Back Markings - Abaddon Black stripes with a Flayed One Flesh stripe along the back
• Spiracles - Khorne Red, Wild Rider Red and Troll Slayer Orange, also used for the false eyes on top of the head
• False Eyes on the Mandibles - A variety of blues mixed up to white
• Lots of 'Ardcoat to finish it off

Seeing as I now collect Tyranids (in my head only, so far), I think that means I need to grit my teeth and paint all the old Space Hulk Genestealers...