This post has been long in the making. Here, in their mid-stage development, are the first wave of warriors for my Zoat mercenary army for 7th edition 40k. I've been tinkering away in the background whenever I could find the time over the last month or so, and it is with great pleasure that I now showcase my grand project-in-progress.
As I've mentioned before I'm using the current Tyranid Codex as the basis for their rule set. So in the picture below we have the Zoat Tyrant (Centre - Hive Tyrant), Zoat Guard (Left front - Tyrant Guard), Zoat Warriors (Right front - Tyranid Warriors), Zoat Destroyer (Tyrannofex - Left rear), and Bio-Devourer (Right rear - Haruspex).
The narrative - which still needs a little work - will follow on from Rogue Trader and the fluff that the Zoats had back then. These are mercenaries that at some time in the past escaped from the clutches of the proto-Tyranids, who were developing increasingly nasty new bio-constructs of their own, meaning the Zoats had come to the end of their usefulness to the Hive. They stole and now reproduce the genetic material of the Tyranids, enhancing their own bodies and weaponry, while breeding a menagerie of foul battle creatures.
Most of the conversion work here has been quite simple - a little greenstuff and some additional bits, plus a few wires to bring a SF look to the fantasy models. Also useful in this regard were the scenic bases. I've decided to take the plunge wholesale and get scenic bases for all projects from now on: they've not too expensive, are very effective if selected carefully, and also keep me from purchasing new model lines and starting new projects (possibly)!
The hard yet pleasurable painting work begins now. I'll leave you with some close ups of all the models... as my mind turns to further potential recruits...
