The Velobsteraptor - Tyranid Prime with Lash Whip, Atlantic Lobster colour scheme.

Primed with Vallejo Mecha Black Primer. Black primer works well here - it pre-shades the recesses automatically and the warm orange-brown flesh tones of the scheme pop against it.

The flesh areas were base-coated in Vallejo Game Color Filthy Brown, which has since been discontinued. Medium Fleshtone (70860) is the recommended in-stock alternative - a very close warm tan that works identically in this role. Over the base coat, Brownish Decay Speedpaint cut with Speedpaint Medium was applied as a shade, deepening the recesses while preserving the warm base tone.

A heavy drybrush of the base flesh tone reestablishes the highlights over the shade. As the drybrush moves up toward the top surfaces of the model, blend in Hot Orange to simulate the warmer, sun-facing colouration of a real lobster's upper shell. The transition is gradual - heaviest orange on the most upward-facing surfaces, blending back to the flesh tone lower down.

WIP front - orange highlight build-up on upper surfaces

WIP rear - flesh base alongside carapace teal

The carapace, claws, spikes, and hooves were all based with Abyssal Turquoise - a deep teal that anchors the lobster shell colour. Over that, a dilute mix of Dark Wood Speedpaint (cut with Speedpaint Medium) was applied to knock back the brightness and add depth. The same Dark Wood mix, further diluted, was then glazed over the Hot Orange flesh areas to tie the warm and cool tones together at their transitions.

The lash whip was imagined as a length of Atlantic seaweed, painted with a mix of greens rather than a single colour. Bright Green and Goblin Green were mixed with the base flesh tone for variation across the length of the whip, with Camo Cloak Speedpaint applied over the top to unify and shade the greens.

Pixie Pink for the tongue, Pro Acryl Turquoise for the slits on the arms and legs, and Pro Acryl Bold Titanium White for the teeth. Edge highlights on the flesh areas used the base flesh tone, keeping the highlights warm and consistent with the overall scheme.

A coat of Vallejo Ultra Matt Varnish was applied across the whole model before the eyes were painted - this ensures the gloss black eyes read as genuinely wet and predatory against the fully matted surrounding surface. Paint the eyes last.

The base was built up with cork and rocks to create a craggy surface, then painted to resemble Northern Nova Scotia coal - keeping the Atlantic East Coast theme of the whole scheme running to the ground. The outer crumbling areas are painted in Metallic Black from Vallejo Air. The non-black areas of the base are a mix of flesh tone, Hot Orange, and Pro Acryl Turquoise, with Nuln Oil applied over the top to grime it all down.

The Tyranid Prime with Lash Whip and all paints used in this guide are in stock at Wheels & Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping. In-stock alternatives are noted where original products have been discontinued.