The 40k hobby is, for many, a labour of love, and it really shows when you see some of the projects people undertake. So when we come across interesting and unique armies here at Master of Magics, we like to share them with the wider community to show off the their creator’s hard work. While looking at some of the great entries in this year’s Armies on Parade, I came across this fantastic Genestealer Cult army by one Benjamin Freitag (aka Ben Dangerfield), and it was such a nicely painted force that I just had to share it with you all here. Luckily, Benjamin was more than happy to share his army with us and answer some questions about why he decided to build Genestealer Cult.
So Benjamin, what inspired you to go with the GSC?
I’ve been in the Hobby for more than twenty years now. I started back in 2nd edition and still remember sitting in my room, flipping through the pages of the three Core Books of the 40k Starter Box (the one with the cardboard-ruins and mono-pose Space Marines vs. Orcs). I remember there were some pictures of Genestealer Cultists fighting alongside Tyranids in some fine black and white artwork. I loved their look but couldn’t get my hands on the miniatures – there was no Codex, only a small army list for 2nd edition, and they weren’t playable after that. So, when GW finally dropped the new miniatures in early 2016 with Deathwatch: Overkill (and later that year their first codex), I was officially hyped. I quickly built up a huge force and started painting. I’m a big fan of their retro-sci-fi Look with their Hazzard suits, crude tool weapons, construction vehicles and all that jazz. I quickly decided on a colour scheme – I wanted them to look like real workers, so I went for yellow as a base colour for the vehicles, the tools, and some details. I liked the white hazard suits, so I combined them with the look of black rubber undergarments.
So what’s the back story for these fine chappies? Where do they come from?
As a fan of the Alien franchise, it was crystal clear as soon as I saw the look of the miniatures that they had to be Miners from the Weyland Corporation. I see them as described in the Codex: a group of uprising workers with a dark secret lurking in the deep of their mining shafts, a mining corporation working under the Licence of the Adeptus Mechanicus spread over several nameless back worlds. I personally don’t like Soup-Armies, so the only non-GSC minis in my army are Brood Brothers that I converted from Astra Militarum Troops. I see them as the Armoured Force of the Mining Corporation, or as a hired group of corrupted or infected Soldiers from the local PDF.
Do you have a particular model you are the proudest of?
It’s hard to pick a favourite, and I can’t say I’ve ever thought of it. Perhaps the Goliath Truck, because it was the first Vehicle in my Army and I think the colours came out very well with the shining yellow and its rugged look. I also like the Locus, the Magus’ Bodyguard, that I converted from a Black Fortress Astropath.
So, what’s next on the painting table for these guys?
Troops. Troops all the way, with many more Acolytes, some Neophytes and Brood Brothers, another Brood Brothers Mortar-Team, and a third Leman-Russ (looking forward to painting the Leman-Russ, I like painting Vehicles). Perhaps I’m going to add an Achilles Ridgerunner to the Mining Corporation – it doesn’t have a great table performance record, but I like the look of that model.
Any plans for what you’re going to do next? Any other armies planned?
At the moment I’m working on my Death Guard and Nurgle Daemons Armies. Some conversions here, a little painting there… It’s kind of a lifetime project with my oldest army. Perhaps I will do an Armes on Parade entry next year with some of my Death Guard and/or Nurgle Daemon guys…
I have some Primaris Marines lying in wait until I find the right colour scheme. It’s some kind of struggle. I really like the look of the Primaris (could be a little more Grimdark/Gothic) but I can’t decide how to paint them. At first, I wanted to go for Mortificators, but after the first tests… meh.
Perhaps I’ll get rid of them and get my hands on the new Sisters of Battle miniatures or build up a small inquisition force… we will see.
Thank you Ben for sharing your army with us. If you have a unique and interesting army you have been working on and would like to share it with the wider community, then you can contact me via twitter @MTGTengu and maybe yours will be the next army featured in our showcase. If you have enjoyed today’s article, please like and subscribe to keep up to date with all we do here at Master of Magics. If you want to support the site directly, you can join our Patreon for as little as $1 a month. Until next time though, remember: “Humanity has always looked to the stars for enlightment”.
