Gnomish Space Marines: There's more than Squat Available

I've got a lot of spare time in my training class at work.  It's a bit of a refresher for me, and with a room full of new hires, I've got large blocks of time to doodles and working on gaming ideas.

The Gnomish Space Marines (GSM) concepts are pouring out of me now.   The GSM are the central focus of the game, but that doesn't mean there aren't other races (humans, etc).  This will allow for as many sci-fi minis to be used without completely breaking the bank, and allow some variety of characters/weapons when we begin play.  The GSM is not a racial fraternity, just the biggest, baddest muthas of the group have to be "Gnomes"

The biggest worry I had was finding enough GSM figures.  Most Squats are currently out of my budget, and Bob Olley's figures are fantastic, but there's no guarantee that all the figures will still be in production when I'm ready to order them.

Enter, Mike Lung, the GwtG intrepid modeller/sculptor/gamer/field correspondent  and unpaid reserach intern who found this:

http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/spacedwarf/spacedwarf.htm

While I have no guarantee that anything listed is still in production, I do know that Olley's Psychic Scrunts are getting phased out for the next big thing, so this was compiled awhile ago.

A few quick thoughts:

• The Hasslefree Grymn look more like Space Halflings than gnomes.  Great figures and for once,  I like the oversized guns.
• The Wessex Nazi Dwarfs from Outerspace might do for a nice theme game (Nazis of any sort make the best villans), although every time I look at them, Motorhead starts to play in my head.
• Just from the single Black Hat pic, I hope those are still available.  I'll add them to my WW1 Goblin/Halfling extended wish list.

• The Black Tree Space Dwarves are classic Rogue Trader, and despite the word "marine"  I like the padded armor, ball cap look of the classic Squats.  Yes, I'm tempted to paint a couple in Hunter Orange, but I don't think too many people would mind that.
• Fenryll - The Power Armour fits more of my vision, although Hasslefree is working on a slightly larger version I could work with.    The halftrack goes on my extended  want  list as well.
• RAFM - Wow, RAFM?  The heck with using these as GSM, I want a Mordheim warband with these badass muthas.
• Velard - Classic and  clean.  Depending on price, might make for great "filler" troops  to expand my collection.
• Alionas:  Sorry, those just look like morbidly obese Soviet troops.
• Excalibur:  Definitely a more halfling feel, but I love the mini-gun.  If I get some Hasslefree WW1 Halflings, I think I found my heavy machine gun.
• Foundry - too bad most of their seven dwarfs are out of print.
• Ral Partha - The Shadowrun stuff makes some interesting PCs/Villans
• Moonfleet - The gasmasks do make them look more like evil aliens
• The rest of the listed are either OOP or have so few products that it's barely worth one's while.  Still not a bad selection of product for a line that people have considered dead for over 15 years.