Dirty Bikers

 Hankering after that Drednok vibe? Well, I was, and I looked no further than this kit. Instead of actual Drednoks, they're waaay too expensive these days. 

Atalan Jackals are a tough, hard-hitting harassment unit. Fast so they can get to where they want and throw bombs at it, shootier than their autoguns might suggest and even competent in melee, they're a great all-rounder. And even better, they boost the rest of the army with Crossfire shooting, allowing them to zoom round the back of something you need to toast before everyone else opens up on it. 

I really like their panniers. Far more detail than necessary, but lovely stuff.

Plus (and the deciding factor for me) they're a brilliant set of models. If you grew up in the 80s and still secretly think BMX bikes are the ultimate cool, they tick a box somewhere in your advert-raddled, toy-obsessive head. I just hope I can stop after one box. 

Dirt bikes really need dirt, so I looked up some pictures to get an idea of where the dirt ends up and how much of it there might be. That quickly told me that I should basically dunk the entire model in the mud effect stuff, then spray a bit more on until the model is essentially invisible. 

Genuine Genestealer Cultist. Just look at that forehead.

That seemed a shame, given that I'd already mostly painted them. But I still had a good time flicking watered-down industrial mud (Vallejo) at them using a toothbrush. The Wolfquad also looked a bit static, so I clipped off half of one of the back tyres, stuck that bit on someone else's base for decor, and then embedded him a bit more into the muck so he'd look like he was pulling free. 

The usual selection of home-made tufts and brightly coloured crystals to finish them off, then they can join their fellows. They've already had a run, in fact, turning up in yesterday's battle report a little before they were finished, and doing themselves proud. Prouder than the Ridgerunner, anyway, the new layer of paint did nothing but get it deleted in turn one!

One more to do...