Hive Fleet Ickerus Showcase

[masterdecoy]

Background:
When A splinter fleet from hive fleet kracken and hive fleet behometh clashed in the dedalus system a decade long battle ensued between them. Both fleets viing for the rersources the other possesed as well as that in the system itself.

In the aftermath of the hive war, every planet in the system lay stripped bare of all biomass, Hive fleet kracken's monstrositys the eventual victors, consuming its rival fleet.

Rich with the DNA from 2 hive fleets, the creatures it calved in the short months following the war where much faster and stronger than other specimins from other hive fleets, its swarm without number. Hive fleet Ickerus was born!

Preying on weak lightly defended worlds, As if by magic it seemed to strike when the defenses where at their weakest. Countless times the myosmic spores rained down onto a world where a battle was already being or just had faught, both sides caught off gaurd and easily swept aside in the confusion. Many companys of space marines, tau and eldar snuffed from existance.

Next it set its sights on the maidenworlds of the Beil-Tan eldar, devouring worlds with a ferocity and speed not yet encountered by an existing hive fleet. The eldars biomass and DNA boosting the already countless ranks of HFI swarm, and increasing its already overweilming psychic presence.

As the Beil-Tan prepared for all out war, as if by miricle the fleet turned around and started heading towards the orkish sectors, No doubt attracted by the lure of an almost limitless supply of food. It has since been fighting a epic battle against Glazwacka's waaaaghhh in the brutas system for over 4 centrys now with no side at a clear advantage.

[masterdecoy]

Tactics:
Genestealers and lictors are sent ahead of the swarm to infiltrait positions and scout worlds, sending their psycic beacons for the main fleet to arrive when the world is in chaos or lightly defended.

Shortly after the gaunts spores-craft begin to rain down on the planet, so many that the numbers are estimated in the millions within hours, led by a smorgasboard of monstrositys. A hive tyrant classified as "The crimson cyclone" leads a swarm of lesser beasts and gargoils into battle smashing through enemy fortifactions in a spearhead blitzkrieg.

Supported by biovores firing spores into the fray, jelly death raining from above and flanked by warrior beasts that specilize in harrasing and pinning the enemy down while countless gaunts, and rippers charge headlong into the enemy, forcing the defenders to waste prescious ammunition or risk being overweilmed all the while zoanthropes dropping psycic nukes. The besieged world may defend with all their might, it is futile however as the agile hormagaunts follow up charge is unopposed as enemy guns click empty.

When the battle is at its height the lictors and a broodlord and his brood of genestealers appear right in the middle of the enemy lines. So uncannily is its ability to pick the right moment that it has been dubbed "the stalker" for many defenders have "secured" a position only to turn around and be staring the beast face to face.

barely 16 hours after the first spore lands and the battle is over, the entire planet dead. 3 weeks later the planet is completely striped bare.

[masterdecoy]

Markings and Identification:
A blue hard carapice.
Flexible orange carapice
Bone talons
Dark green ranged weapons.

Creatures of note:
Hive Tyrant "The crimson cyclone"
Broodlord "The stalker"
Carnifex "The Thorny devil"

[masterdecoy]

Broods Currently Avalible to the hive:

Broodlord "The Stalker" and his retinue of genestealers:
Broodlord: Extended Carapice, Acid Maw, Flesh hooks.
11 genestealers: Extended Carapice, Scything Talons, Feeder Tendrils.
Total Brood Cost: 370

Hive tyrant "The crimson cyclone"
Hive Tyrant: Wings, Bonesword and lash whip, Scything Talons, Warp Field.
Total Brood Cost: 173

2x Savage Hormagaunt Varient:
8 Hormagaunts: Toxin Sacs, Flesh Hooks, Adrenal Glands x2.
Total Brood Cost 120

Endless Ferocious Gaunt Varient:
32 Gaunts: Adrenal Glands (WS), Fleshborers, Without Number.
Total Brood Cost: 320

Poisonous Spined Gaunt Varient:
16 Gaunts: Spinefists, Toxin Sacs, Without Number.
Total Brood Cost: 176

Ferocious Ripper Swarm Variant:
6 Ripper Swarms: Adrenal Glands (WS), Leaping, Toxin Sacs.
Total Brood Cost: 114

Alpha Genestealer Variant:
12 Genestealers: Scything Talons, Extended Carapice, Feeder Tendrils.
Total Brood Cost: 300

Flying Gaunt Varient:
8 Gargoils
Total Brood Cost: 96

Thorny Ravanar Variant:
2 Ravanars: Scything Talons, Rending Claws, Spine Fists.
Total Brood Cost: 92

Camelion Lictor Variant:
3 Lictors
Total Brood Cost: 240

Bomber Variant Warrior Brood:
4 Warriors: Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapice, Deathspitters, Barbed Strangler, Scything Talons.
Total Brood Cost: 141

Rapid Fire Variant Warrior Brood:
5 Warriors: Toxin Sacs, Extended Carapice, Enhanced Sensors, Twin Linked Devourers, Twin Linked Venom Cannon.
Total Brood Cost: 214

Acid Spitter Bio-vore Variant:
2 Bio-vores: Bio Acid Spore Mine.
Total Brood Cost: 110

Carnifex "The Thorny Devil"
Carnifex: Scything Talons, Barbed Strangler, Spine Banks, Re-enfored Chitin, Adrenal Glands x2, Toxic Mismia's.
Total Brood Cost: 161

Nuker Zoanthrope Varient:
3 Zoanthropes: Warp Blast, Synapes.
Total Brood Cost: 195


Total Army Size: 2978

[masterdecoy]

Rapid Fire Warrior, Venom canon Variant.


Rapid Fire Warrior, Devourer Variant


Endless Ferocious Gaunt Variant


"The Stalker" and his retinue


"The Thorny Devil"


Biovores, Acid Spitter Variant


"The Crimson Cyclone"


Thorny Ravanar Variant


Camelion Lictor Variant

[DecipleofLorgar]

the crimson cyclose looks kind blue and orange, may I suggest a name change

[masterdecoy]

The name refurs to when the imperial crews came in to investigate the damage in an early raid and there was blood everywhere, it looked as if a "Crimson cyclone" had blown through.

[masterdecoy]

New Codex Adjustments:

HQ 1:
Hive tyrant: Leach Essence, Psycic Scream, Shadow In The Warp, Synapes, Bone Sword/ Lash Whip, Hive Commander, Wings, Stranglethorne Cannon.
Total: 275

Troop 1:
19 Genestealers: Toxin Sacs, Scything Talons, Rending Claws.
Broodlord: Implant Attack, Scything Talons, Hypnotic Gaze, Aura Of Dispair, Rending Claws.
Total: 443

Troop 2:
16 Tergements: Toxin Sacs, Spinefists.
Total: 112

Troop 3:
30 Tergements: Toxin Sacs, Fleshborers.
Total: 180

Troop 4:
16 Hormagaunts: Toxin Sacs, Scything Talons, Adrenal Glands.
Total: 160

Troop 5:
6 Ripper Swarms: Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands, Spinefists, Tunnel Swarms.
Total: 150

Elite 1:
3 Zoanthropes: Synapes, Shadow in the warp, Warp Field, Warp Lance, Warp Blast.
Myismic Spore: N/A
Total: 220

Elite 2:
3 Lictors: Chamelic Skin, Flesh Hooks, Scything Talons, Rending Claws.
Total: 195

FA 1:
8 Gargoils: Blinding Venom, Wings, Toxin Sacs, Adrenal Glands, Fleshborers.
Total: 64

FA 2:
3 Ravenars: Rending Claws, Scything Talons, Spinefists, Acute Senses.
Total: 120

FA 3:
9 Shrikes: Shadow in the warp, Synapes, Rending Claws, Toxin Sacs, Deathspitters, Barbed Strangler.
Total: 425

HS 1:
2 Biovores: Sporemine Launcher.
Total: 90

HS 2:
Carnifex: Scything Talons, Stranglethorne Cannon, Bio-Plasma, Regeneration.
Total: 225

Total Army: 2619

[DecipleofLorgar]

army points size decresed? Need more bugs, then more bug-spray!

[masterdecoy]

yeah, wait till I convert a tyranofex, 305 points of silly nidness.

[masterdecoy]

Ok, So I havent updated this in ages, but I made a crapton of conversions to bring my old force in line with the new book.

Then I bought some more stuff, anyway without further ado:

My custom Mysmic spore, made from a foam ball, covered in epoxy resin for tecture and enhanced with assorted stuff from my bits box





And the newest variation to the fleet, my first venomthrope

[masterdecoy]

Ok, 2 updates in one day, what can I say, when your motivated, your motivated.

More custom conversions, this time, a tyranid prime.

[vx485]

this is looking good

[adam]

i see that you've inked your models to skip unnecessary dry brushing/ undercoating. That is a good idea, but unless you want to keep that 'spattered' effect on the model, i would suggest lightly dry brushing the original colour over again so that the ink is left only in the recesses. It gives the model a crisper appearance, and allows for better looking highlighting if you intend to go that far.
but overall, that looks like an awesome army. Usually people say that for horde armies, you should go for a combo of colours that blend together (green brown, red orange), to make your army a 'mass' instead of a 'sparkly rainbow', however i think your tyranids are exempt from this guideline, as insects, deep sea creatures or amphibious reptiles, usually the inspiration for tyranid colour schemes, they are all quite brightly coloured.

[masterdecoy]

I think you'll find that you only notice that splotchy effect because of the camera flash. I assure you in the real light you wouldnt even notice without looking very closely.