What it really comes down to is a hobby. I buy all kinds of miniatures I never intend to even use for a game. Why? Because I enjoy painting them. If I can use them for a game eventually, that's a plus.
I actually bought a box of Light Mobile Infantry, which are the guys from the movies (the ones above are from the cartoon). They come pre-assembled and just have to be painted. This is a good thing because it saves me a lot of frustration, but you also lose out of some creativity.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I do it cuz it's fun.
Paint them. they would look totally cool
True, but I have lots of guys that'll look cool. It'll likely take a sum time of about 32 - 48 hours to paint all 16 of them. I might just paint half, and see how I feel about them.