My Doom of Malan'tai Conversion

I've often heard fellow Tyranid players say how they really want to play the Doom of Malan'tai but don't have a model for it. So I wanted to share my own conversion of the little beastie.

 

 

 

 

I apologize for not having a visual of the step by step procedure, but I'll briefly describe how I did this.

 

First I started with a Zoanthrope and sawed the model in two, right along the base of the head (this was before they were in Finecast, so I think it would be easier to do now)

 

Then I attached a piece of "Invisible Fence" pet wire for the body and the tail. I've found that wire works well since you can bend it into place. I then covered the wire in GreenStuff putty to make it more substantial.

 

During this step, I also formed a hole in the GreenStuff right in the middle of the underbelly. This would allow me to mount it onto the flying base.

 

The enlarged cranium was also done with Invisible Fence wire and GreenStuff. I formed several wires into a cage/basket-like shape to elongate the Zoanthrope model's already large brain (the wire can still be "seen" to give you a reference; it's the blue part of the cranium).


I then filled in the cage with plenty of GreenStuff. While the GreenStuff was still slightly malleable, I made the grooves of the Doom's gray matter with the back end of my paint brush and also with my fingernail.

 

The antennae and limbs were from the Mawloc part of the Trygon/Mawloc kit.

 

I was not entirely happy with the tail at first and thought it needed something on the end. So to finish it off, I took a spare horn from the Carnifex kit and attached it to the tip of the tail.

 

The paint scheme was chosen to match the rest of my Tyranid army, which I call Hive Fleet Wyvern.

 

And that's my conversion of the Doom of Malan'tai! I'd love to hear if anyone has any suggestions or alternative conversions! Thanks!