Once I was happy with this shape, I cut the bottom at an angle and I hollowed out a dip in the top. I then cut and sanded the cube into this sort of egg/cone shape using a small hand saw and a sanding block. I started with foam mainly because I didnвЂ™t want this thing to be really heavy. Using that as a guide I cut a hard foam into squares and glued them together, making a cube of foam. I then made a really quick card model, that you can see in this photo. So I printed off the design on paper, but вЂactual sizeвЂ™. With the design in mind I needed an idea of the size it was going to be. So I made a sketch in my sketchbook (pictured above) then a more final version drawn in photoshop. So I had read the description in the Codex, and I think there might have been an illustration in that Codex, too, which would have likely influenced this design. Now this was the Tyranid drop pod, before there was any kind of official model. So, now that youвЂ™re forewarned, letвЂ™s begin!ДЇirst thingвЂ™s first, the design. The other thing is that these photos were only meant for me to show to my friend, so I didnвЂ™t exactly take great care in taking them (plus IвЂ™m a terrible photographer). WhenвЂ™s lunch?вЂќ Perhaps it has something to do with a teenagerвЂ™s need to stereotype everyone and a teacherвЂ™s training to do the opposite.Just before I start I should say that I made this in 2012 and IвЂ™m having to write this from memory. Most simply shrug, file it away, and think, вЂњThis guy likes to play with dolls? Whatever. The phrase вЂњchess with gunsвЂќ helps some, but others canвЂ™t seem to see beyond their own nose. Most of them canвЂ™t understand what it actually means to be a wargamer. They know I am a geek at heart, but the whole wargaming thing is another level of geekdom to them. They see a well-dressed, well groomed, very formal and literate educator in the halls. However, my students usually are stunned. Several of them tell me that they either played as well or have husbands/brothers/friends that do. Most people I work with arenвЂ™t that surprised when they first learn I am a gamer it seems that it is a hobby fairly popular among teachers. I teach in the Michigan public school system, so, aside from the time I spend with my family and friends, I associate mostly with teachers and students. I ardently feel that every lesson one can learn in life can be found in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I collect comic books, listen to Rush, can recite the Pirates of Penzance and the Music Man verbatim along with Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi. I have read вЂњThe Art of WarвЂќ for its insight into military tactics, not business. In fact, I have written a course on science fiction and fantasy literature and its impact as a literary genre. However, if you get to know me, you will begin to see the inner geek shining through.

I am a sports fanatic (especially for the Red Wings, Tigers and Wolverines), I play bass in a punk rock/metal cover band, I am comfortable in front of a crowd, and I am not afraid to speak to the fairer sex. Outwardly, I fit few of the typical gamer stereotypes I wear a shirt and tie to work, IвЂ™m slightly overweight, but my clothes fit, I bathe regularly, use deodorant liberally, and I am married to a beautiful woman who has never played a wargame in her life. The question so many people ask me when they find out I am a wargamer is вЂњWhy?вЂќ I think I confuse them. Much of their armament has been appropriated from near by Chapters and is still undergoing retrofitting and repainting in Void Hounds colors (hence the varied color schemes in some elements of the force). The remaining marines are battle hardened veterans. However, their willingness to recruit across the Segmentum has allowed them to swell the ranks of the scout company to nearly three times the size of most chapters. As a result, the current roster of the chapter has been reduced to fewer than five complete companies. The chapter found itself on the brink of destruction, strategically regrouping deeper towards the galactic core to rebuild and refit. With the power of the Hive Mind behind it, Behemoth had no fear of the shock-and-awe tactics the void Hounds had favored for a millennium. The principles of Entropy-Bases Warfare had little effect on a force which can turn the very planet it invades into a veritable supply depot. Unfortunately, through their constant patrolling of the eastern fringe, the Void Hounds were one of the first Chapters to encounter the truly alien mind of Tyranid Hive Fleet Behemoth.

Painting 40k drop pod with a brush