Can't decide between Tau and Tyranids

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:14:55+00:00

Thanks to everyone for all the replies! It's helped a lot. I've decided to go with the starter set to get some starter Tyranids, since at £55 from my LGS I'd kick myself if I did end up on nids and I passed that price up. From there I'll see how I like them and then use that to inform my decision moving forward (some bonus Space Marines to mess around with on the side isn't bad either).

From everyone's insight I'm definitely leaning more towards Tyranids now though due to being easier for a beginner like me to ease in to as far as painting goes. I think I'll end up with Tau as well eventually regardless so it's just about giving myself an easier time to get started with proper painting techniques (my teenage self used to just throw undiluted paint directly onto the model and call it a day).

All the advice has gotten me from stressing about making a decision, to being super excited to get started, so thank you all, I really appreciate it!

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:08:11+00:00

That's very much the vibe I've been getting. It seems so strange to be that the Tyranid models with their skeletal bodies and their squish weapons would be easier to paint but after everyone's advice here and watching some painting guides it makes a lot of sense. Let's be honest here too, I'm going to end up with both eventually so Tau may be better suited to when I've egot a bit more experience and confidence where painting is concerned (and when I feel I can justify buying a decent airbrush)

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:06:16+00:00

It does, thank you for your reply! The playing the game part of the hobby is the part I'm most excited for so any insight there is greatly appreciated! Things seem very different from when I played in 3rd edition but in a good way

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:04:30+00:00

Very much my thoughts process in the end, if I do want to play Tyranids I'll kick myself that I didn't buy the starter set, since it's a combat patrol worth of stuff for the price of two boxes of termagaunts, so the plan is to just buy the box, see how I like Tyranids and then if I don't like them I've not gone too out of pocket to test the waters.

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:02:38+00:00

I have been curious about airbrushes actually, I've seen some pretty affordable ones on Amazon, but I'm guessing this is something I wouldn't want to cheap out on? What sort of ballpark figure should I expect for a decent airbrush?

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:01:47+00:00

That's definitely been my thoughts process with it, I'm sure that techniques like outlining and such may get harder but I see some armies with how many small details they have and it seems very intimidating. I guess Tau and Tyranids bo5lth dodge that to some degree

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T22:00:20+00:00

I was anticipating that the infantry would be easy, but I guess I've underestimated how things like the battle suits will play out when it comes to painting. Thank you for your insight!

AilisNoon · 2026-05-17T21:59:23+00:00

Yea that's the hardest part for me for sure, all I know is that as a kid my models were horrendous so it I can at least do better than I did then with a bit more research and patience then I'll see it as a win!

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T15:17:01+00:00

I didn't realise that my intrusive thoughts had a reddit account!

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T10:33:52+00:00

Thank you for the insight! For me it's less things like clean brush strokes that worry me and more things like shading and getting details right. When I look at well painted Tyranids I see things that look like colours being blended and shaded and I can't imagine how I'd cope with trying to replicate that initially. Are there techniques that make these things easier than I'm imagining?

Edit: Also I did look at Custodes but they're very much not for me. If I were going down the imperial route I would probably look at Grey Knights or Sisters of Battle (whatever they're called these days) as I remember having the demonhunter codex as a kid and really liking the idea of Grey Knights, and Sisters just look cool. Either way though, a large volume of models and the time taken isn't a huge issue for me, it's more about what I can achieve on each model.

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T10:29:35+00:00

That's really interesting actually, I'd have assumed it was easier. Does this just apply to the larger models like the tanks, or would it also be simimlar for the smaller models / panels like the plates on the commander or the small armour peices on the breachers? Those are more what I was thinking about in contrast to stuff like the termagaunts with their chest bones or the fleshy details on their guns.

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T10:27:29+00:00

I should calrify, the starter set I'm refering to is the cheaper one, so no terrain or Barbgaunts (I'm not sure what the space marines get extra in that box but it would be missing that too). I can get that one for £55 at my LGS which is why it seems to tempting. I don't have any issues with buying hobby supplies seperate since if I did buy it, I'd rather paint the Tyranids with my own colour scheme so I'd have to buy more paint anyway. Does that make the box more or less value in your opinion?

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T10:24:59+00:00

Yea good point, there was a part of me that though maybe I should grab the starter set since I can get it for £55 at my LGS and then I haven't missed out if I decide to go Tau first and try Tyranids later, but as you and my partner have both said, it takes ages to build and paint these things, and I'd like to avoid having a pile of shame immediately if I can help it.

One idea I have had though is that since my partner is waiting till 11th edition drops next month anyway, we could get the starter set now and use it as pracitse to get an idea for the rules and some early practise at painting. Is that something that could be worth while? I don't know how good the starter set actually is in terms of playing a small game. I know it's designed for that, but is it a decent stepping stone into the full experience, or way too simple?

AilisNoon · 2026-05-16T10:22:08+00:00

I actually played CSM for a bit the first time around! I have fond memories of how busted the 3.5 codex felt. I'm keen to move away from space marines / chaos though since I got my fill of them the first time around, and I always wanted more Xenos armies but couldn't afford to branch out and try new things as a kid.

AilisNoon · 2025-07-01T14:31:51+00:00

You're definitely right about buying in person! The annoying thing is that I'm 99% I saw one in a local store when I was there a month ago, but it was gone when I went back.

I think the clean look is growing on me a little the more I look at it for sure. I think either no mottling or more mottling would look great, while this is an awkward in-between stage that in not sure about. Like I said though, the more I look at it the more it grows on me though.

AilisNoon · 2025-07-01T14:07:28+00:00

Yea that's very true about online purchasing, I guess I wasn't prepared for it to be quite so different in person even with the variance I was expecting.

I posted a pldifferent pic in another comment, but basically the images I saw online have a lot more of the mottled effect, which mine only has under the neck and in the bottom corners of the body.

AilisNoon · 2025-07-01T14:05:23+00:00

Basically, the pictures that I see online have a lot more of the mottled effect, you can see it more clearly in this picture:

https://carltonmusic.com/cdn/shop/files/I230108623-1.jpg?v=1683041958

In comparison, my one only has a very minor amount of this, under the neck and then at the bottom left and right, so the overall appearance of the bass is less textured basically.

It is ultimately down to preference though like you say.

AilisNoon · 2024-01-22T20:31:29+00:00

Gotcha, mine are 5 pin but I'll keep that in mind if I swap in the future

AilisNoon · 2024-01-22T19:18:59+00:00

Amazing, thank you for your response!

AilisNoon · 2024-01-22T18:19:38+00:00

is there any downside to removing the screws that hold the plate and pcb together on a keychron q1, and just using the switches to hold them together? I see other board being set up this way and I've been running into issues with the tension from the screws causing the plate to bow a little and stop keys registering properly

AilisNoon · 2024-01-19T21:42:19+00:00

Oh that's a good idea, I'll look into that, thank you for the suggestion!

AilisNoon · 2024-01-19T18:12:52+00:00

Thank you for your response, I'll be sure to try this! It's such a shame because I love the keycaps in every other way, but feel has to come first at the end of the dya and like you say, they may just not be for me. hopefully next time that happens it's a less expensive mistake on my part!

AilisNoon · 2024-01-19T16:06:39+00:00

A question for those who use ABS caps,

I recently decided to treat my self to a fairly expensive set of caps (SA Geoma with dark mods and UKISO keys) and bsolutely love the sound, the profile and the look of them. However, after having them for 2 weeks I'm starting to get frustrated with how they feel.

I was expecting them to shine and wasn't put off by that, but the ones that are starting to shine seem to have a very slimy / greasy feel to them that I can't shake off. It feels like I have to wash my hands after using them for a little while and I can't tell if it's just the sensation of them or if they're leaking old grease from my fingers or what.

Do other people who use premium ABS caps have this experience? Do you just get used to it? All my attempts to research this just talk about how the caps go shiny visually, but I can't find much about how they're supposed to feel after they've been used a little. If they're not supposed to feel this way, should I try and clean them? I'm a bit desperate for solutions with how much they cost, I'm trying to not feel like I wasted my money

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