Queen of the Malstrain Hive (Counts as Hunter Clade (Mechanicus) Kill Team)

[GuitaRasmus]

The story of Heretek Magos Biologis Illiex Delta-84 - infamously known as Queen of the Malstrain Hive - began as a higher ranking Magos Biologis. Her work led her to research of the Tyranid genomes, and she became fascinated by the species, the multitude of individual creatures, and specifically the genestealers - in particular, the easiness of which Genestealer and human DNA could mesh.
Very aware of the heresies she would be comitting, she began to aquire DNA samples of various tyranid creatures, in order to clone her own. However, her research quickly ground to a halt, when she realised the danger of the cloned creatures potentially being able to send a psychic signal to a Hive Fleet, thereby dooming the Forge World her laboratory was located on. However, further research led to her discovery of the Malstrain Genestealers, located on Necromunda - a certain mutated strand of Genestealer, unable to call upon a Hive Fleet, due to their twisted physiology. Decades of pulling strings, calling upon shady favours and working strictly under cover, led her to finally aquiring some usable DNA samples of the Malstrain Genestealers.

Illiex quickly went to work and went on to clone a handful of Malstrain specimens, in the secret vaults beneath her lab. She quickly realised that the specimens were close to uncontrollable and figured that their primitive intellects could be controlled by a leader. Thus, she excavated DNA strands from them, to clone a Malstrain Alpha brain, which she succesfully integrated into her own cognitive stacks. A milestone was reached - she could now walk freely among the Malstrain specimens, and they could be somewhat controlled by her thoughts.

 

Catastrophy struck, in the middle of her groundbreaking research with integrating Malstrain DNA into human test subjects, her Skitarii guards being “volunteers”, as word of her work had somehow reached the higher echelons of the Biologis Prime. She was forced to flee, being declared Heretek ,under penalty of obliteration, and managed to secure a few of her Malstrain subjects, as well as a handful of her enhanced Skitarii.

Illiex now roams the galaxy, still continuing her research and leading missions with her “children” as she refers to, to uncover archeotech and DNA to help her work.

The Malstrain Prime brain, integrated into her cognitive system, has made her utterly insane, and while she is convinced her work will better humanity, she is nought but a vessel for spreading the Malstrain genes.


———————————-

I loved the Malstrain genestealers from the moment I saw them. Utterly twisted and horrifying. I just didn’t know what to use them for. Inspiration struck in the early hours of December morning, when I was washing the 4th set of bedsheets my 5 year old son had thrown up in that night (yay, stomach virus…), and I got the idea to use them as ruststalkers for a Hunter Clade team. They were almost the exact same size, and my weird imagination started coming up for a way to fill out the rest of the team.

The Queen is an Infiltrator Princeps, the Malstrain are Ruststalkers, the “Siamese” is an Infiltrator and the Tech Thralls counts a Skitarii - two of them armed with a Plasma Caliver and Arc Rifle. (I still need to come up with a way to make two of them look like Diktat and Surveyor, respectively.)

I hope you like them - if you have any questions or comments, please post them. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 08:39 PM by GuitaRasmus
Cursive lore edit

[ZeroWolf]

I love this idea, can't wait to see the paint on them as well

[N1SB]

I also love this idea, my favourite was your use of the Thralls conversions.  Like a different take on the Bladed Cog, too.

 

I'll share a Dark Heresy 40k RPG campaign we had, because it's like a different take on a similar idea.  My character was like a very local Sororitas, very zealous, not very bright, a nun devotedly running an orphanage.  Her job was to protect and raise and feed the children (kids eat a lot).  They lived in a remote area of a Deathworld.

 

It turns out, unbeknownst to her all this time, her orphans were modified Ymgarl Genestealer Hybrids  (who eat a lot more than other Tyranids).  The Ymgarl strain were masters of infiltration, so they could blend in...even in a loyalist Ecclesiarch orphanage.  The kids were put there by Radical Inquisitors, my character told to raise them.

 

The idea is the Tyranid Hivemind seem to hate the Ymgarl strain, like the Malstrain.  They don't want their DNA anywhere near them.  The Radical Inquisitors thought their mere presence would be a deterrent to the Hivefleet and, one day, they would "send them home" like a genetically-coded bomb against their parents.

 

Both your project and our RPG campaign kinda trace their lineage to famous Inquisitor Kryptman, the Radical Ordos Xenos expert.

[Firedrake Cordova]

Interesting idea and background.  They look very unique and utterly terrifying

[W.A.Rorie]

Very cool models. I love them. Love the idea and story behind them.

[Tallarn Commander]

A brilliant idea well executed!

[GuitaRasmus]

On 1/2/2025 at 10:45 PM, ZeroWolf said:

I love this idea, can't wait to see the paint on them as well

Thanks a lot! Hopefully they'll get paint on them very soon. :) 
 

On 1/3/2025 at 1:17 AM, N1SB said:

I also love this idea, my favourite was your use of the Thralls conversions.  Like a different take on the Bladed Cog, too.

 

I'll share a Dark Heresy 40k RPG campaign we had, because it's like a different take on a similar idea.  My character was like a very local Sororitas, very zealous, not very bright, a nun devotedly running an orphanage.  Her job was to protect and raise and feed the children (kids eat a lot).  They lived in a remote area of a Deathworld.

 

It turns out, unbeknownst to her all this time, her orphans were modified Ymgarl Genestealer Hybrids  (who eat a lot more than other Tyranids).  The Ymgarl strain were masters of infiltration, so they could blend in...even in a loyalist Ecclesiarch orphanage.  The kids were put there by Radical Inquisitors, my character told to raise them.

 

The idea is the Tyranid Hivemind seem to hate the Ymgarl strain, like the Malstrain.  They don't want their DNA anywhere near them.  The Radical Inquisitors thought their mere presence would be a deterrent to the Hivefleet and, one day, they would "send them home" like a genetically-coded bomb against their parents.

 

Both your project and our RPG campaign kinda trace their lineage to famous Inquisitor Kryptman, the Radical Ordos Xenos expert.

Thanks a lot, your idea sounds really cool as well. :) 

On 1/3/2025 at 1:35 PM, Firedrake Cordova said:

Interesting idea and background.  They look very unique and utterly terrifying

Thanks! That's what I was going for, so really happy it came across. :) 
 

On 1/3/2025 at 5:20 PM, W.A.Rorie said:

Very cool models. I love them. Love the idea and story behind them.

Thanks a lot! :)
 

On 1/3/2025 at 6:45 PM, Tallarn Commander said:

A brilliant idea well executed!

Thanks! Really happy you like them. :) 
 

[Sherrypie]

Great theme, loving the atmosphere and the twisted, gangly presence they all have.

[GuitaRasmus]

On 1/5/2025 at 12:20 AM, Sherrypie said:

Great theme, loving the atmosphere and the twisted, gangly presence they all have.

 

Thanks a lot, that's exactly what I was going for.