Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Genestealer Cult - Build a Better Hybrid

I've been mulling over how to build hybrids over the last couple of days, in between glazing bog mummies and priming giant worms. My, but there's a lot of companies making cool bits out there these days.

I have a pretty good idea how I want my cult brethren to look. If anyone remembers house Harkonnen from Dune, that's pretty much it. It looks to me like Bob Olley might have been a bit influenced by Dune when he was sculpting the original hybrids too, they have a lot of that ribbed cowl thing going on, so happy days. How do I emulate that with today's components though?


Fimm sent me a few links earlier, and the Victoria Miniatures one did have some great stuff there. The bald heads and gas mask heads are certainly really useful.


I've seen some recent cults use ghoul heads from the GW kit. I think that's a great idea for maybe 2nd or 3rd generation hybrids. As to bodies, I've seen a couple of options. I like the greatcoat idea, so there are some possibilities I've seen thus far. Meridean Miniatures are doing a Kickstarter for their Steampunk army, and there's some nice greatcoat bodies in the set. As my cult are a corrupted adeptus mechanicus order, the steampunky look to these is perfect. I wonder would they take GW Cadian arms? The also do very nice mechanicus style heads. Look at set C. I



For the hybrid bits, obviously the tyranid range from GW has lots of stuff that can be used. The modern genestealers are quite different is design from the older stealer, so I'll proabably be chopping up some old space hulk stealers for parts. Hybrid heads are the biggie though. Sure, ghoul heads are good, but I need something more appropriate for a 1st or 2nd gen. MaxMini do alien hybrid heads, but I'm not too gone on them. They also do nice mechanicus type heads.



Apart from that, I'm still on the lookout. I do have a few 1st edition GW plastic guardsmen I might use as brood brothers. They feel cult to me, but my own take on it might not suit them. I did come across GW crypt horrors used as giant hybrids, which is genius. They might make nice weapon teams, ogryns or somesuch. Then or course there's the whole chaos element. I don't want to go too mental with mutations, spikes etc. The odd chaos runesword, chaos symbol (thinking of Khorne for nostalgia, but Tzeentch fits the cult vibe better) and maybe individualise the purestrains a bit.

Early days, I guess I better read some rules too, I haven't played 40k since 3rd edition...

16 comments:

  1. I look forward to seeing you Cult build, Is it going to be a gaming force? What Codex were you thinking? I'd recommend using the new Chaos Codex, as they have so many options suited for Cults. I wouldn't go the Guard Codex route like i did as you need so many damn Hybrids. They also a Fandex or 2 around but they are quite outdated now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to be able to actually game with them, so yep, it's for gaming. I thought IG, but as you say, lots of figures. Chaos is a good idea. I might even sneak in some renegades as per my Cult/Renegade idea. I must have a look through the list, with the allies rule there must be a way to get most of the cult units in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trouble is 'Nids can't be allied with anyone. So outside a fandex it'll be hard to get Purestains in.

      I run deamon allies with me guard, the purestrains count as Deamonettes and the Patriarch is a Deamon Prince/KoS

      Delete
    2. Yeah, sucks that you can't get actual stealer in.

      Delete
  3. Good to see democracy in action (for once)! I'm going to follow this project with interest. I take it you've seen Laughing Ferret's 'Stealer Cult?

    http://laughingferret.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Genestealer%20Cult

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yeah, that's a great army. The ork 'greenstealer' cult was one of my favourites.

      Delete
  4. Those Meridean models are quite nice, rare to see 'steampunk' stuff that isn't cliche upon cliche so I wish him best of luck. I also love how you're combining my favourite niche 40k armies (Mechanicus and 'Stealer cult) and look forward to seeing the results. You could, of course, go the guard list and mechanise massively. One of the 90s White Dwarfs I have (somewhere!) has a cult with some lovely converted gothic chimeras. But Chico's chaos suggestion has a great feel to it, plus the codex has the advantage of being significantly newer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I like the idea a lot, plus I could rob the crypt horror/giant hybrid idea for a dread or helbrute. I'm not a huge treadhead, so I won't miss the IG tanks so much.

      Delete
  5. Good luck with this one I won't offer any idea's as it's something I think is down to the person doing it as to how they want them to look & feel.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great idea and it will be good to see. I love the look of those Maxmini heads.

    You could use the Imperial Guard list, just take veterans with the carapace upgrade for your troops choice. It gives a 4+ save and the feel of chintous hides for hybrids, and you won't need so many of them. You can also equip the squads better.

    Don't forget that you have give carapace to the HQ Company Command squad. For HQ opitons you can also use a Primaris Psyker for the cult Magus, and as an elite opition take a Psyker battle squad for pyschic 4th generation hydrids.

    If you need bulk, you can still take an ordinary guard platoon as cultists.

    Unfortunately there is no way of getting Purestrains in unless you use a model as a 'counts as' (perhaps the Partriach model for the Primaris), or use plastic purestrains as a proxy for rough riders.

    Hope it goes well, it's a great project to start, tempted to dig out some of my old genestealer odds and ends to give it a go too.


    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, first Fimir and now Genestealer cultists. This blog is like all my drooling 1992 fanboy dreams rolled into one. I am always impressed when I visit.

    I guess that game rules won't be your primary concern, but we did a run of 500-750 point games of 40K a while back and I ran a not-quite Genestealer cult using the current Tyranid book. Termagants have similar statlines to cultists, actual genestealers can be 1st and 2nd generation hybrids. I used tyranid warriors with appropriate upgrades (probably scything talons and rending claws) as purestrains since they're a lot more scary at 3 wounds each. Finally, I used the Prime with suitable kit as the Patriarch. I doubt it would take a lot of invention to bodge some combination of rules with miniatures for anything else you wanted.

    I can't wait to see this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice idea, never considered using that actual tyranid codes. I'm still very much musing over what list to use, which will inform the shape of the army. I'm well out of the loop on 40k, so I'll need to find my feet with the rules and such while building a list. You are right though, it'll be hobby first, gaming later. I know I want brood brothers, hybrids, pure strains, a magus, patriarch and some manner of monstrous hybrids, I just need the list to fit.

      Delete
  8. Fun stuff :) It's hard to find heads for a more stealer-heavy dna hybrid. the actual stealer heads are far too large.

    The Meridean greatcoats are ideal. I had to make mine from high elf archers and IG cadian torsos, which works pretty well.

    I like those victoria heads- looks creepier than the full helmeted options.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to get comments from someone who's already done a cult, and an awesome one at that.

      Yeah, I get the feeling I'm going to have to go the fimir route and sculpt up some hybrid heads and get them cast.

      Delete
  9. I know this is an old thread but that's not House Harkonnen you have there in the pic, that's the Navigator's Guild members

    ReplyDelete

Wayland Games

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...