From Beyond The Stars....

...A Hunger That Never Dies

Today I took the time to take some decent pictures of my painted Bio-titans.  I actually have two more Hierodules (one scratch-built), but I've not painted them yet.  I will get them finished one day!

I plan to photograph some of my other Tyranids when I get some time as I do like my gribblies!

For now, enjoy some giant biological killing machines!

   Flesh Stripper

This Hierodule was not only my first bio-titan, but my first titan class miniature - purchased over a decade ago!  Nowadays, Flesh Stripper is the equivalent of a Knight, but he's still quite a monster!

The only conversion work on this model was the replacement of his scything talons as they were sculpted alongside an older range of Tyranids which didn't have the same segmented armour plates on the back of the talons.

I can't remember exactly which kit the talons came from, but I think they were from a Hive Tyrant or Carnifex.  Regardless, the swap was pretty easy and brings him nicely in line with the rest of the range!

For a chunky and imposing model, the Hierodule still looks ready to leap forward in a flash

The acid spray is beautifully integrated into the carapace 

You can see the replaced talons better from the side - they fit very nicely

The extended tail for balance is unique to the Hierodule and I really like it

I really love the inside of the mouth - there's a sort of second jaw lurking in there!

   Insidious

Insidious is a Hierophant bio-titan and he's both the largest and single most impressive Tyranid miniature in my collection with a base size of 12"!

This is an incredible sculpt by the masterful Simon Egan - there is so much detail in this miniature, it's staggering.  The 'guts' at the back of the rib-cage are especially lovely!

My only criticism of the model is the fact that the forearm claws are very thin and have a tendency to warp and break.  Having said that, I'm not sure how you could get around that issue without changing the spidery aesthetic.  I solved the issue by running a channel into each of the claws, inserting metal pins then sculpting back over it with putty.

I wouldn't recommend this kit for a beginner as it is pretty difficult to assemble, needing pinning and the addition of a ton of tiny spikes, but boy does it look impressive when it's finished!

This model is an absolute beast - every part of it looks deadly!

I like to imagine that he hisses, chitters and cracks as he stalks across the ground...

From the side, you can see the beautiful high curve in the body which clearly also informed the Tyrannofex miniature which came a number of years later

Even the rear of this creature is bladed and spiked - just getting close to it would be suicide!

I absolutely love the external tendons; ready to snap and crack, giving unnatural bursts of speed to this giant creature

The head and mouth are the epitome of a Tyranid bio-form - brutal, deadly and elegant

The internal mandibles on the mouth are awesome - I also love the little nodules on the huge face blades.  It's small details like this that really add a special depth to the model

The enormous bio-cannons held by this creature are reminiscent of the venom cannons carried by their smaller kin

The base of this miniature was so huge that I could really go to town with different textures and details such as the logs

The spore nodules on the carapace are a nice reminder of the viral death clouds these giant creatures can pump out

As noted earlier, you can see some lovely 'internal' details around the belly area.  Likely the only weak spot on the creature...