Tyranid escort drones (BfG)

If I had to pick a single favourite miniatures game, Battlefleet Gothic would probably be it.  I collect several fleets - Tau Empire, Orks, Blood Angels & Tyranids (plus a few ships from other races/factions).  Tyranids are the fleet I have been working on most recently.  I was never a big fan of Games Workshop's 'Nid vessels however, & I was inspired by an Italian wargamer's (sorry I forget his name!) photos featured in the Warp Rift netzine to scratchbuild my own terrifying xenos bio-ships, using pieces from the W40K 'Nid sprues.  Even before I saw his wasp-like colour scheme, I had always planned to use yellow/black if I ever began collecting Tyranids, but the gribbly alien ferocity of his brilliant models sealed the deal for me - I needed yet another fleet!

I began by making a prototype Tyranid escort drone with feeder tentacles (I have dubbed this species Voidravener) using 'Gaunt heads & tails. This was soon joined by two more.  Originally I planned these to float through the void trailing their tentacles behind as I thought this looked better, but seeing as they need their weapons up-front, & the dorsal armour plating overlaps in the opposite direction, the 'prows' are on the left here.  As slow protectors which stick close to the mighty hiveships, I wanted my escort drones to be diminuitive compared to the other bio-ships I would be crafting, & I was pleased with the results...

My next escort drones, also based on 'Gaunt heads, but with devourer muzzles to represent pyro-acid batteries, were my Voidburners.  As I am also using the devourer muzzle on my more heavily-armed pyro-acid kraken (& even more deadly capital ships), I Green-Stuffed-in 1/3 of the acid outlets on these.

Finally, above are my bio-plasma escort drones (species: Voidsmelter).  Again I have stuck to a convention for easy-identification of weapon types during games, using fleshborers turned upside down - with the barrels drilled slightly - to represent gaping bio-plasma-spewing maws.  I'm looking forward to having these swarms cluster around my first Hiveship once I've finished it...