4 INCREDIBLE Genestealer Conversions! GOTTA CONVERT 'EM ALL!!!

Games Workshop FINALLY revised the Genestealer kit, and it's a beauty! Unfortunately, I don't see nearly enough people building and converting Genestealers, so here's a video to hopefully change that.
I start off with a review of what I love about the new kit, followed by 4 cool conversions you can make with the kit, each of which hearken to a different part of Tyranid history.
Special thanks to ‪@FenrisWorkshop‬ for providing the Genestealers for this video, and for supporting the channel through their Fenris Alliance program.
If you appreciate videos like this one, or my How To Sculpt Miniatures series ( • How To Sculpt Miniatur... ), consider supporting the channel by placing an order from Fenris Workshop using the affiliate link: shop.fenrisworkshop.com/mrpinkUse code PINK-Fenris for another 10% off your first order!
You can also support the channel on Patreon: / modernsynthesist

[@edimusprime]

Blinded by daylight sent me. Liked and subscribed

[@ModernSynthesist]

Woah! Thank you!

[@_tensketch]

The split vulcan fingers are a nod to Xenomorphs in Aliens. Which Tyranids are totally a nod to in general.

[@ModernSynthesist]

That's a good observation!

[@MontyCaribdis]

omg... those lictor-stealers are insane!! Love them so much >< (all are cool but that one is just great XD)

[@ModernSynthesist]

YES! Glad they're working for you! They look complicated, but they're really not too tough to pull together.

[@Xatxitor]

You make the nids looks like a load of fun. It's always good to have custom models

[@ModernSynthesist]

Glad it translates as I've been having fun converting Nids since about 2001!

[@martynjones3978]

You really are the modern day “Echidna” and i never get tired of watching you add some wow factor to what i think are some cool miniatures!! 😊

[@ModernSynthesist]

Thank you so much! And what is the modern day Echidna reference?

[@martynjones3978]

@@ModernSynthesist in Greek Mythology Echidna was the mother of monsters like Cerebrus, Orthrus and Lerneaen Hydra!! Technically Tyranids are considered monsters by the masses, you have created some fabulous looking Monsters which would make you the modern day Echidna!! Sorry its my weird way of complimenting!! 🤦‍♂️

[@ModernSynthesist]

Wait. Did you already know that I chose "Hive Fleet Angrboda" because she was the mother of monsters in Norse mythology??? THIS IS PERFECT!

[@martynjones3978]

@@ModernSynthesist no but you just taught me something new!! 😧😊

[@Chimer24-qs5wo]

Great video and love those conversions. Thank you )O( Subscribed

[@ModernSynthesist]

Thanks for the sub ♥

[@BlindedbyDaylight]

Great video bud! Great to see some love for the Ymgarl Genestealers! Audio is sounding on point to!

[@ModernSynthesist]

THANKS BUDDY! The on point audio is thanks to Mallsoleum, my editor for this video, Between the Bolter and Me for coaching me on OBS audio settings, and Redwetskeleton for making me cool music ♥

[@BlindedbyDaylight]

@@ModernSynthesist wow! I wish I had an editor.... that wasn't me

[@ModernSynthesist]

@@BlindedbyDaylight Well unfortunately this is going to be his last video as he's stepping away from it, so I'll need to see if I can match him on the next one!

[@BlindedbyDaylight]

@ModernSynthesist you've got this bud!

[@NudocPRIME]

Bet your looking forward to the necromunda mutant Tyranids lol

[@ModernSynthesist]

HECK YEAH, DUDE! 🤟

[@tyronechamp]

Great video. Been trying to build up the courage to do more greenstuff conversions, thank you for including advice like not needing to worry too much about details that won't be easily seen, and sculpting details one side at a time in order to make it symmetrical later. Hope to join junestealer next year

[@ModernSynthesist]

Happy Junestealer! And, though I preach that you shouldn't worry about getting unseen details perfect, I'm very much guilty of not practising that! Like the time I fully detailed the inside of the shields on my Gunbeast build, only for the insides to be facing down/toward the model :( So here's hoping you do better with that advice than i did! :D

[@rippedlampshade]

Man I really love how you made the new genestealers look without those shoulder carapace armour. Really makes me wish they didn't makes those built in on the new models. Also I'm probably in the minority on this, but I was really hoping for a throwback to the old 2nd edition rending claws, where they were just 3 big talons jutting out if the wrist XD. But great video!

[@ModernSynthesist]

Well, the shoulder plates are extremely easy to remove, which is what I show in the 4th Edition-style conversion. Just glue in the one vertebra that slots the armour plate bit into the back, then cut on either side of the vertebra. BOOM. Gone! Almost as if the designer wanted to give people an easy option to leave them off!

[@Skinofgod]

Always love to watch your process, thanks for sharing.

[@ModernSynthesist]

Thanks for that. Recording the process is one of the most annoying parts of making videos, so glad it helps!

[@EchoOddity]

for the lictor genestealer I made for my killteam i used scything talons i plandered from cult metamorphs, they look more similar to the serrated or barbed talons the lictors have

[@ModernSynthesist]

Oh sure. In a perfect world, I'd have ten sets of those! Unfortunately you need to buy TWO boxes of metamorphs to make ONE Lictor. Whereas I have an easy 12 Von Ryan's Leapers, and I intend to give them all rending claws ☺

[@Dan_Tasty]

Damn, I need one of those bit wide chisel scalpels. You made it look effortless, I'm usually really worried of slipping and cutting a slit in the body. The combination of 4th ed dagger pose hands with the von ryan's talon is perfect as well! I love when nids have something a bit too human about them that makes you think about the old lore that biomass of various species influence the nids designs (R.I.P. ork biovores). Don't know if I showed you my kroot hybrid metamorphs on ig, but I'm desperate to rip off your idea for the lictor backpack arms when I make characters leaders for them ;)

[@ModernSynthesist]

You can't rip off that which is freely given! Look forward to seeing what you do with it! And please do send me a PM on Instagram with a photo or two of your kroot metamorphs because that is right up my alley! And the chisel blade is a HUGE recommend for me! It's saved me stabbing myself many, many times. And near as I can tell, it's just a standard scalpel blade made by the same company that makes all the other scalpel blades I get at my local.

[@Dan_Tasty]

@@ModernSynthesist hopefully I can get some ordered through my local shop 👍I'll have a proper page to show off slow march of hobby progress soon, I'm just questioning whether to combine it as a generic art page with my animation side-projects or keep business and pleasure separate

[@ModernSynthesist]

I love art, so I vote for all art together!

[@felis1977]

Nice video :) I really appreciate the step-by-step tutorials. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try a carapace sculpting but I'm definitely making at least a couple of lictor 'stealers :)

[@ModernSynthesist]

Never going to know unless you try, Felis! I'd say if you're feeling not so confident, use LESS putty, and add little bits more as you go when you think you need it. A common mistake is trying to use TOO. MUCH putty.

[@techniciansourwell1412]

Great video, the dearmored one is my favorite.

[@ModernSynthesist]

@@techniciansourwell1412 took me a second to get "De-Armored" 😂 Thanks!

[@tomwilson88]

Nice vid. I'm still not sold on the new kit, I'm sure I'll get one eventually, but with the amount of old sets I, and I assume everyone else have ended up with since fourth edition, they'd need to be pretty special. Maybe a new. Ripper, or terrain piece (which the whole nid range is missing) or a new weapon option (instead of taking one away). The legs are probably the best improvement in the kit though

[@ModernSynthesist]

It kind of makes me sad that Games workshop flooded the market with so many of the previous Genestealer kit for so long. I mean, it's a perfectly cromulent kit, bit it's going to get old as we're hammered over the head with it in subsequent Tyranid boxes, over the span of 20 years! I'm sad because this kit is SO MUCH better than that one, but people have too much Genestealer Fatigue to want to give it a fair shake. Did i mention 10 FEEDER TENDRIL HEADS?

[@indomleon]

I've always really hated the genestealer designs, I now realize that it's because of a collection of small design details that I'm not a fan of. Humanoid aliens are always a turnoff for me, so yes even though their being hybridized with human DNA is part of the lore, I don't like those aspects very much. I still haven't gotten around to converting mine, but now I'm glad I haven't, that Lictor conversion gives me sort of a preview of the direction I want to take them, since im definitely using the Ymgarl heads. You mentioned to me a long time ago to use Leaper arms to replace the human hands, but I can't bring myself to rip apart my leapers. Instead I'm printing some Warrior claws slightly shrunk to fit better. I also plan to cut off their toes and give them hooves to fit with the rest of the bugs, and extend their tails with green stuff, with basically a facehugger on the tip for genestealer snogging purposes. If only the Ymgarl heads had more dynamic tentacle poses, that would make my life easier, but I'm probably going to cut those up too, theyre just so stiff and bland by default. Maybe I'll stick the tentacles onto the normal heads so I can have the tentacles peeling back to show a snarling mouth. God knows when I'll actually finish this, I've obviously got my work cut out for me...

[@felis1977]

What I do with most of my genestealers since 4th or 5th edition is to swap the human hands on the second pair of arms for the hormagaunt scything talons. Back in the day it was an actual upgrade. Nowadays it does nothing but it still looks cool :) And the new hormagauts' talons are even better than the old ones.

[@ModernSynthesist]

This is all amazing, and I feel honoured to have maybe pokes you towards giving genestealers a second look! And the best solution to taking Von Ryan Leaper talons is to replace them with Genestealer claws on the Leapers! That's what I did! Oh and if you want to give your genestealers hooves, I'd be up to trading you warrior hooves for them as I dearly want to give my warriors Genestealer feet!

[@ModernSynthesist]

This is a big brain move, Felis ♥ 🧠

[@indomleon]

@@ModernSynthesist does the size match up for warrior and genestealer feet?

[@ModernSynthesist]

@@indomleon I can tell you from experience that Genestealer feet scale well to warriors as I've done that conversion. I'd have to assume that the opposite is also true

[@AddamsFactory69]

Amigo, your sculpting kung-fu is strong, looks like you're pushing around blu-tac. I must learn your ways! Great vid! PS - The Overkill Genestealers made me feel like Mugato on crazy pills, no-ever knew what I was talking about when I said I wanted an updated kit with their aesthetics, was tickled to see them in here ⚡⚡⚡

[@ModernSynthesist]

We are two of a kind, you and me. I got the same crazy looks when I told people all I wanted was a new kit with the Overkill genestealers in it! And have I got a treat for you on the sculpting front! I've got at least... 20? Videos on how to use Greenstuff! Once you get a couple of quick starting tips, it gets much easier. Try starting here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHK5oIqaa85snM0si=7ufKGQn1IlKrPmwz

[@EvilLaughEntertainment]

Really looking forward to working on my Genestealers at some point ^^ Personally, i think the Yrmgarl-variant looks a bit big, but other than that, perfect! My favourite was the Lictor-type. Always will be ;)

[@ModernSynthesist]

It's my favourite, too, so you've clearly got good taste 😉

[@alienstar2088]

I could just be looking in the wrong places but, I don't often see Tyranid conversions or kitbashes anywhere. Maybe because the Tyranids are very... fleshy which not a lot of other factions have? Either way, seeing some is very refreshing.

[@ModernSynthesist]

Well you should definitely consider subscribing as we stream every week, and most of the time one of us are working on Tyranid conversions! Also, if you're on Instagram, the Warpshadow account is a great place to start for Tyranid conversions: instagram.com/warpshadow/

[@Cholomander-eq6cr]

U should try and convert malstrain genestealers

[@ModernSynthesist]

OH THEY ARE ON THE MENU! But I was thinking more taking the Malstrains and making them better. Did you mean converting stock genestealers into Malstrains?

[@Cholomander-eq6cr]

Yes

[@ModernSynthesist]

I"ll have to give that a think...

[@Cholomander-eq6cr]

If u get rid of the eyes and green stuff them then u can get that bug eyed look that the official models have, u could also green stuff spikes or get spikes off of the poxwalkers. Or something like that

[@Kitbash.Carnage]

👍❤️🤘🔥

[@ModernSynthesist]

😘 🙇 🤗 😎

[@piranha6406]

damn i didn't know shaggy is in to warhammer

[@ModernSynthesist]

You are the second person to say this!

[@piranha6406]

@@ModernSynthesist lmao

[@ryleyr9305]

Is this still a trans safe place ?

[@ModernSynthesist]

@@ryleyr9305 Last time I checked, it sure was. The Hive Mind embraces all her children!

[@ryleyr9305]

Good, looking for a place to talk about trans issues. Noticed you took the safe place out of your IG bio

[@ModernSynthesist]

I did? I don't remember doing that! The trans advocacy graphic from Nicky is still pinned on my Insta, tho.

[@jacqueslandry2319]

Uh... please stop,..just stop buddy

[@ModernSynthesist]

No can do, friendo!