New Army! Warhammer 40K Genestealer Cult

Time has gotten away from me this year, but I have been working on several projects rather than posting. One of them is my first Warhammer 40K army quite frankly in many, many years. My son has been playing on again off again, so I thought I'd get my own force going. The 40K skirmish level game Kill Team is also a great catalyst (or gateway drug if you prefer) to explore and examine new forces and armies without the commitment required to field a full 40K force.

Genestealer Cults have been re-imagined a bit in the most recent two editions of Warhammer 40K, though they've been a niche force for decades. The most recent incarnation of the army list provides not only a fully formed army with broad choices, but the ability to use Astra Militarum units as "Brood Brother" formations (representing Imperial Guard formations infiltrated by the insidious cult!).

The new Codex provides several different Cult backgrounds each with their own special abilities and focus areas. I particularly liked the background for the "Twisted Helix" - as it is essentially the tried and true "military experiment gone horribly awry" trope. As I also have a Tyranid force (which has now ironically fallen behind my Genestealer cult force on the painting table), I waned to make the two forces match up so it appeared as if this cult was somehow derived from that particular hive fleet. I therefore chose the dark green and bone colors for that force as my basis.

The methods I've been using to paint the force have evolved a bit over time. The first miniatures I painted (shown above) were one of the basic troop units (10 Neophyte Hybrids) and the Acolyte Iconward. For these I used almost exclusively Vallejo paints for everything including the various flesh tones. Washes were often oil washes from Ammo of Mig.

I used some MV products lenses for the spotlights on the mining gear as my original clear gloss lenses didn't come out. I have a few more that can be used for other groups, but it was a real pain to get each of the lenses to sit correctly. The bases are Games Workshop sector Imperialis and Necromunda bases. I've done these in rust tones with occasional dirt with yellow plant growth in them to invoke the idea of a force that is coming from deep in the underbelly of a hive city or large urban area.

At the heart of any force is the Patriarch (though honestly given how the process works, maybe it should be Matriarch?). This is essentially a very large Genestealer and is painted in the scheme for my Tyranid army... which reminds me, I need to get those guys painted. Again, he's mostly Vallejo paints, though I'd started branching out into some Army Painter Quickshade acrylic washes.

When I saw the new female Magus character, I knew I had to pick one up for my force. Having just recently seen the movie Black Panther, I knew how I had to paint her up as well, and personally I think the result is nothing short of awesome. By this point I'd upgraded to the Ammo of Mig Flesh Tones Set (AMIG7168) which has been absolutely instrumental in providing a variety of flesh tones for my force.

Next time I'll focus on some of the fun vehicles this force can use, and my methods for getting them to really pop on the tabletop!