Heavy Gear - I'm Not Dead and the Northern Infantry

Hi All, After a long hiatus I finally have something to share with you, my platoon of Northern Infantry. Some people paint their figures in batches; I, for the most part do not. I feel that I lose interest too quickly when painting like this, and that the model will suffer as a result. Unfortunately, I don't think their is any easy way to paint 40 men, so I bit the bullet and got them out of the way. After some mind-numbing sessions of painting and repainting Bubonic Brown on man after man, here are some pictures of my results:

And from another angle:


So where do Infantry sit in a game setting? I've got a couple of thoughts on how useful they are below:

1. Priority Level & Cost: First of all, Infantry are a Core unit, soe they will fill out your required slot regardless of PL. Second, they are dirt cheap! Infantry are a versatile unit (more versatile, I would say, than the General Purpose Squad) and can be effectively outfitted for under 150 TV.
2. They excel in places where others do not: Infantry can move through Static Models, where no other unit in the game can. Dense/Urban terrain is the GI's best friend! Combine this with the special rules of Hull Down and Hiding, infantry will not only be difficult to get Active Lock on, but will have a default Defence depending on the terrain to save them if the dice are not in your favour!
3. Spotters: With access to Target Designators, Infantry become great spotters for your units with Guided weapons (which the North has great access too). Get them stuck in with Hull Down and Hiding, while your heavy weapons opt for Stand By for Coordinates special rule, and you will be raining guided mortars and missles on your enemies much to their frustration!
4. Harrassers: I personally play with infantry equiped with Anti-Gear Rifles (AGR), compared to the optimal Light Guided Mortars (LGM) they also have access to. I don't like to have my footsloggers sit back, but instead aggresively take objectives and support the Gears. Giving them weapons such as AGRs gives them the ability to reach out and touch the enemiy's light gears. They will not autokill anything with these weapons, but "many hands make light work" and many light damage results will result in kills over the period of the game.

My next project sit awaiting more paint beside my Infantry. More to come...