Hybrid Vigour

 Someone must have once scribbled, during a difficult design meeting at GW where ideas were a running a bit low, 'what if Genestealers, but Power Tools?' And so here are the Acolytes!

They will always be first and second generation hybrids to me, the malformed children of the initial hapless Imperials to get infected by a Genestealer. Whatever you call them, they're a great unit. Not just in terms of the minis, who are a cracking, crouching lot of malicious freaks, but also on the table. Some extremely good weapons options mean they won't run cheap, and they aren't super-survivable, but they will absolutely do their progenitors proud at close range and melee. 

I've managed to squeeze six out of the box by using my second Iconward as a normal icon bearer (a standard standard bod, if you will). It's a mixed unit, so I can enjoy painting all the options and still claim they're armed with whatever I want, but I know deep down I'll pay the points for WYSIWYG whenever I can. Couple of hand flamers, couple of the big hitters, a lash whip and then a guy apparently selling large lipsticks.

Avon Calling!

Now all the troops options are covered, I can move on to bigger things. Might well revisit these guys, though - being able to run ten would be nice, but I'm also tempted by the more Tyrannic version of the models, they look fun to paint. 

There's a character too - the Reductus Saboteur. In a world of rebel miners, someone has to be the explosives expert. Is there any kind of bomb she isn't carrying? Grenades, TNT sticks, a big plunger, several mines, what look like firecrackers and that's before you get to her deployable gelignite case. Not sure that's going to see a lot of use, it's too easy to avoid, doesn't do enough damage to be much of a deterrent and uses up a movement phase to put out. But it looks good, and that's cause enough to paint it. 

Three more units to come!