Wednesday 18 December 2013

'nids part 115 - Genestealer Cultists

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While I was painting my Dark Vengeance cultists I came across Nick's [from the Warhammer World Events Team] kit-bashing of them for the Praedis Zeta weekend event. He converted them up for use as a 10 man Genestealer cult . According to the rules if you were the Xenos you got 10 free Stealer Cultists and if you were non Xenos you got 5 free Xenos hunting Marines. I loved this idea so much I decided to kit bash the remaining 10 Cultists of my own to further expand the fluff of the Free Radical Collective but also connect them that little bit more with the Tyranids. Even though I'd already primed them I thought what the hell [and this had nothing to do with my assumption that maybe, just maybe, these guys might have the wherewithall to fire a Quad Gun! Hmm?!], I really do like kit-bashing/modelling so here we go...

This was the first up, swapped out his auto-gun and replaced with a redundant Fleshborer. Also got a spare Hormagaunt Scything Talon for extra mutation and a toxin sac.


Flushed with success I carried on with a spare Spinefist, actually, aren't they all spare?! Removed the other arm and got a Stealer arm in there. These Cultists do have rending attacks afterall!


Yet more Spinefists and a Sytal. I used a Toxin Sac to hide the join, it's so easy. Kit-bashing this model made me realised his twin had gone AWOL, which luckily resulted in me finding him in the bin, incomplete but intact.


However because he's ended up in the Stealer Cult group [because the Chaos Cult group has the be-robed maniac who leads the assault Cultists] I needed to add some form of Stealer hybridisation. I decided to just go simple as I already liked his iron bar and I'd done a fair bit of painting. I removed his stub gun, attaching it to his belt so he still had a ranged weapon and replaced his hand with a Stealer claw. So simple and understated. BIG HANDS!


Working with these models you can tell how the 3D design of these allowed them to flip a model left to right. This is the mirror version of the first one I converted but given my parts I was able to make him right handed with the Fleshborer and added 2 Scytals so he's a proper 4 armed Hybrid.


I didn't know how to approach this guy, he's covered in robes so made it difficult to add extra limbs. However the sleeves were copious so I just slipped a couple of Stealer claws coming out too. It just about works, thanks to some plastic shavings that were glued over the top of the join to look like more wrappings/bandages.


Another simple conversion, swapping out the arms for a Fleshborer and Spinefist with Toxin Sacs to hide the join. It's going to be quite a task to get all these meshing colourwise. They will need the Hive Fleet Colour scheme in place on the Tyranid bits but still need to work as extra members of the existing Free Radical Collective. It'll be greta to mix all 20 together for that truly mixed mob of heretics.


Spinefists,, an extra Scytal arm with a Toxin Sac to cap it off. Now I did want an Adrenal Gland on hi sback but typically I lost the piece. I swear I spend more time on my hands and knees looking for bits that have fallen than actually modelling! I've since found the piece and added it on, I've also got some more Termagant extra Chitin plates so may add a few here and there on the rest of the models too.


I loved Nick's take on this guy, just adding a couple of huge Genestealer arms really fits his bulky stature and they just be plonke don and they somehow look like theyre part of him without the supporting musculature that should be there. Anyway, if it ain't broke don't fix it so I did pretty much the same thing just used some of the different Stealer arms. I even had a spare Termagant Chitin piece to add to his arm for added hybridisation.


And here's where my luck ran out. I went a bit OTT here. I really didn't want another gas mask so took the front of a spare Tyranid Warrior face and shaved it down. He's ended up looking a bit like a mutant rat, still nevermind, he can go at the back ;)


Another two Spinefists and Fleshborer with Toxin Sacs to finish and my 10 'men' are done.


I really love kitbashing this was a solid sitting of cutting and glueing. Total improvisation, I hardly planned anything which is why the last one went a bit awry but 9 out of 10 isn't bad. Having a nice supply of bits, some already broken or deemed surplus helped to make 'something from nothing' and I love that these unloved parts have got a second life. Now I don't know when I'll get to paint these. They're still time intensive and they're not going to fit in my schedule for the foreseeable future but we'll see and I've had tonnes of fun making them which is the most important thing.

5 comments:

  1. Very cool stuff.
    Great ideas for conversions...loving the finished job!

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    1. Thanks Malthus, glad to be of inspiration :)

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  2. Love these guys and very similar to a couple small conversions I've done on some of my spare cultists - yours are really inspiring and making it difficult for me to stay on track with what I am currently trying to model/paint!

    I think I have used the same cultists as you in pic 1, 5a/b/c, 6a/b/c

    I don't have tons of nid stuff lying around - everything was from old space hulk genestealers.
    #1 I replaced his head with a purestrain head and added a claw arm.
    #2 All I did was chop off his back and give him the chitin armour back & tail (copious liquid green stuff required!)
    #3 I would suggest this if you need to convert your #6 again - I chopped off his legs and just replaced with purestrain legs - simple!

    Of yours my favourites are #5, #7 #8 & #9 your heavy.

    This kind of kitbashing is one of my favourite activities too. You've done a great job and I can't wait to see some paint on them.

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    1. Thanks for all the tips, I should have thought about using legs. I have one of the new Space Hulk stealers that's broken and I was going to have his top half emerging from the ground like a Ymgarl apearign from dormancy. That would leave his slightly mangled legs which I couldn't think of a use for... until your suggestion.

      Actually it'll only be addition of Chitin plates now I have a new supply IF I do anything more. Painting wise it's way down on my list as you'll see soon enough in an upcoming blog post but I'm suddenly mindful that Throne of Skulls is just over 3 months away which seems like a long time but it's not really and I will have so much to paint and get finished. The new Codex will most likely mean I have to reconfigure my army extensively, I've another 24 Termagants awaiting paint!

      And with Escalation and Stronghold Assault now in use at the event [yet another upcoming blogpost] I have a completely different set of additional priorities added to try and stay in the competition. Lots of hobby goodness that's feedign my mojo but some added pressure nontheless.

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    2. The cultists are great for it because you really don't know what's under all their rags, so a spot of hybridization (?) can lend a lot to it.

      I tend to be more interested in smaller skirmish level games at the moment so I'm sad these guys won't see paint for a while but I understand your reluctance. Three months is not long at all in terms of getting something painted.

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