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i've never used them, are they too expensive for what they're worth?
is badruk a must with them?
is a painboy a must with them?

as far as i can see they're going to fulfil a similar role to lootas, except with more staying power, less effective weapons but with the ability to get stuck in (assault weapons instead of heavy weapons)

does anybody use them often or even swear by them, i'd like to know what they'r about before i rush off and start kitbashing.

GO!

I don't think anyone swears by them. Even the people who take them on a regular basis do so out of wanting to stick with a themed army or simply to take something a little different.

In combat they are expensive Nobs without the weapon upgrades and would allocation shenanigans. Out of combat they're expensive shooty nobs that are still BS2. While they can lay down a decent amount of hurt upon your opponent (if you hit), you can often do more with their points invested in something else. I wouldn't say Badruk is a must, but painboys are universally awesome and should always tag along.

They do not really fulfill a similar role to Lootas because the Flashgitz excel at a combination of mid-range shooting and combat with non-elite units. Lootas excel at sitting in the back and pummeling things with autocannon fire. Quite different.

One problem with Flashgitz, aside from their cost in relation to the rest of the codex, is that they take up a Heavy slot, something that could be used for more worthwhile investments like Kanz or a Battlewagon and unlike Nobz they can't buy their own Wagon. If you did take them then I would definitely get a Wagon for them and go with the Blasta and More Dakka upgrades assuming you are hunting MEq. Shootier is nice, too, but these upgrades aren't exactly cheap and you're still BS2. This makes for an overall expensive unit that is nearly guaranteed to not be as effective as alternatives. I doubt anyone is actually happy about that, though.

I've actually got a full squad of those guys with the Kaptain. And they are NOT effective. Fun, but not effective. They have never gotten their points back. I've gotten close once though. They rely too much on the AP roll. They need this because they can't shoot very well, which leads you to HAVE to buy the shootier upgrade ( I think that is what it is called, the extra shot one). Any thing else and the points for the unit starts to get a bit ridiculous. And you need a fair amount of them (like 7 or more) due to the fact that only 1/3 of your shots actually hit. So if you only had 6 guys, then only 4 shots hit out of 12 on average. And if you roll bad on the AP, then you are maybe looking at 1 or maybe if your lucky 2 dead MEQs.

And for an average cost of the unit at that size being like 180 points or so (at the minimum)...well you get the point.

Anyways

1. Badruk is actually pretty good, is he worth his points, no, to expensive, but if you do get him, he will contribute quite a bit to the whole squads effectiveness, but instead of getting him, you can like literally max out your Gitzs weaponry instead, so your call (I would rather max out the gitz personally)

2. The painboy is a must, its pricey (25 for the git, then paying for the upgrade, only to realize you lose the heavy armor that you freakin paid for in the unit price...sigh), but he helps insanely on keeping this already pricey squad alive for much longer, and therefore giving them that chance to be more effective than defective to your army.

3. I've found that the ammo runts are actually really needed with this unit, so make sure you max out on these guys. Use them only when you get the AP roll you want, or you feel they won't be around much longer.

5. They need a vehicle to be really effective (open toped). I tend to use a Battlewagon as their transport when I use them (I have a pirate themed Battlewagon I made just for them). This allows you to use their git finda on any portion of the vehicle (since it's open toped) to get a real good range check for the vehicle and everything around it, and keeps them alive that much longer.

6. They take up a valuable heavy spot, that many people believe should be taken up by (and cheaper) Battlewagons.

But, I've used them, and still won games, they are fun, and even though your opponent knows they are not that effective, they still tend to get shot at a bit, which helps the rest of your army, but in the end, there are defiantly better options, YMMV of course.

Padixon - please post a pic of that Battlewagon!

cool cheers for the advice

Flash Gitz...
The one unit everyone wants to own...but no-one wants to field.

It would be such a shame if they were just a tinsy bit better as they are just soooo cool.

If you want to use them then kudos to you, if you take Blastas they will be an even bigger laugh than they already are as they have nearly the same chance of wounding themselves as they do hitting the target.

They are fun to use, and look cool on the table, just don't expect them to get their points back. However they do perform the nice job of soaking up f loads of fire for your boyz.

I've been playing with them alot lately, trying to get my conversions to work on the field. I find that they tend to make back some of their points...but not all. I find that the good AP and a high number of hits just don't happen for me in the same turn. At the same time, I plan to keep taking them most battles, hard to resist 2 S6 AP 1 shots...

Ive used them alot, and they can kick ass, the main problem is, the AP rolls are just not reliable. Youll roll a 6 when you REALLY need ap2 or better, or youll roll ap1 on guants, you know when that also doesnt matter.

Badrukk - Personally, hes not worth it. Just to damn expensive, ANd his gun can wound him, hurray, a very pricey upgrade, that kills himself

Gits - I only ever take Shootier/More Dakka. I never take blastas simply because, you roll a 1, and they are hurting themselves. Again, killing off your own already pricey guys. Still the way I run them, its assault 2 str6. So mostly your rolling 2s to wound, and thats important when your BS is that bad.

Painboy - I really want to say always take one, but this is a personal thing. Granting FNP is just awesome, and once in a while the poisoned attacks can really be handy.

And if you can spare it, stick them in a BW (or wagon if your trying to skimp) and keep it open topped. That way they have some armor that they can shoot out from.

Also, they are a heavy choice, but dont get tempted to shoot at the normal heavy choice crap. Shooting them at a transport or bigger is just a HUGE waste of what they are meant for. Ive always said they SHOULD of been either a Nobs upgrade, or just an Elites choice, because they are odd being a heavy.
Their roll is totally anti troop. With a good AP roll they will murder a troops choice. Also I usually run them in max squad + painboy. So 9 Gits + painboy. 18 shots into a unit of anything is pretty nice, specially if you roll a good AP AND being str6, aagain in most cases thats 2s for wounds. Hell thats even ID for T3 units.