Miner Crime Squad

I won't have any scary models ready in time for Halloween this year. So I settled with painting some models pumpkin colour instead.

Yes, it's time for the other half of General Leofa's Deathwatch: Overkill box set.

My word, what lovely models. I always fancied a Genestealer Cult army back in the day, but the awful awful plastic models always put me off and the lead ones were too expensive. Nice to see them revamped in appropriate style.

Orange prison jumpsuits were stipulated for this cult, as well as a request to avoid bone, green, blue and purple. These are all colours for existing broods of 'stealers with the Leofa Collective, I understand. It didn't leave me an awful lot to choose from. Banana Yellow? Offal Pink?

Matt khaki with red flashes was the final decision, along with shiny black carapace. Keeps them looking like the miners they are, semi-penal troops with hazard markings. Their stony bases are all-new Astrogranite Debris texture paint. Paint is a strong word for it, it's a paste that really does need a spatula to apply, but it's very effective stuff.

The army list really appeals to me. If I ever played 40K and had enough disposable income to buy an army, this would absolutely be my go-to choice from the current lot. This is a very hypothetical set of circumstances, however. Not only are the first two stipulations never true these days, there are also rumours of an imminent rules shake-up in 40K. If I was going to commit, picking the equivalent of the End Times to get involved would be really dumb.

All the same, it tugs at my heartstrings to see nice Hybrids available at last. I loved a good game of Space Hulk back in first edition, and the psychic rules in the Genestealer expansion may have made it ridiculous, but fielding hybrids so you could finally shoot back at the Termies was very satisfying as a 'Stealer player.

Painting Guide (I'll need it, plenty more to do for these): -

• Orange Drabs - GW official, with Jokaero Orange base, Agrax Earthshade, Troll Slayer and Tau Light Ochre layers
• Protective Gloves and Boots - Abaddon Black and 'Ardcoat
• Carapace - Same as above, only with Nuln Oil and Evil Sunz Scarlet highlights 
• Mining Kit - Karak Stone, Agrax Earthshade, Karak Stone layer and a light Terminatus Stone drybrush
• Hazard Markings - Mephisto Red, Nuln Oil, Evil Sunz Scarlet highlight
• Guns - Dawnstone, Nuln Oil, Longbeard Grey drybrush for the plastic bits, Ironbreaker, Nuln Oil and Runefang Silver for metal
• Skin - Rhinox Hide, Nuln Oil, a layer of Rhinox Hide and Deathclaw Brown mixed 50/50, then a light Deathclaw Brown drybrush
• Cult Icons - Tin Bitz with Brass Scorpion highlights
• Straps - Zamesi Desert
• Nasogastric Feed Tubes - Averland Sunset
• Leather - Skrag Brown, Agrax Earthshade, Zamesi Desert edging
• Base - Astrogranite Debris, Drakenhof Nightshade, Dawnstone and Tyrant Skull drybrushes

More when they're done, but it'll be a while. I'm either away on holiday or snarled up with work for most of the next month or two, so progress will be slow. But there will be progress!