Bringing a knife to a gunfight

I pulled out my box of poor, neglected Hormagaunts today.  They were the first Nid models I bought and I've always had a soft spot for them.  They were only used (disastrously) in a couple of games where I quickly realised that fielding a brood of 12 just wasn't enough.  I bought more, but I never even finished building them all.  Shame on me.

I need to spend some serious hobby time with these poor wee fellas

They need to be run in skittering hordes but they are 6 points each, have no ranged attack and are nowhere near as good as Tervigon/Termagant synergy.  You need Termagants in order to spam their pregnant mothers and that pretty much uses up all your troop slots.  I always preferred the Hormagaunt model though.  Its more spiky and insectoid, hurling itself forward with ravenous glee.  Termagants in comparison look like gamboling puppies with water pistols growing out of their arms.  Its faintly ridiculous but you can't get more points efficient than free, which is what Tervigon spam gives you.

6th edition came around and everyone said it made Hormagaunts better with the changes to the rage rule.  Ok, so they don't chase parked cars any more. They still have to fail their leadership test to get that extra attack and being out of synapse means they're no longer fearless. Meh.

But wait!  There's a new codex around the corner.  Rumours abound of the 'Beasts' rule replacing the out-of-date 'Bounding Leap'. Assault grenades too!  Not brilliant but it would make them viable.  Ah, but I shouldn't start wishlisting.  That way lies madness.

Regardless, I fervently make supplication to The Hive Mind that Its lowly minions suddenly mutate some form of assault grenade biomorph.  Its bad enough turning up to a gun fight with a knife. Having to swing last with initiative 5 takes the biscuit.  I have faith.  I think I'll try to finish those 'gaunts before January.  Unless I get distracted.